EBOLA OUTBREAK - WHO Declares Nigeria Ebola-Free; US CDC Call It "Remarkable Achievement"

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has formally declared Nigeria free of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) brought into the country on July 20 by Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer.

Ruiz Gama Vaz, the WHO country representative, made the declaration on Monday morning at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua centre in Abuja.

But while making this declaration, Gama Vaz said Ebola remained a threat to the country because some west African countries were not free of the disease yet.

“Today October 20, 42 days after the last case of Ebola was reported, which is twice the incubation period, the chain of transmission has been broken,” he said.

“WHO officially declares that Nigeria is now free of Ebola. The outbreak in Nigeria has been defeated.

“This shows Ebola can be defeated in West Africa. However, the battle has been won but the war is not over yet since Ebola is still in West Africa.”

Gama Vaz thanked the Nigerian government for its effort to contain the Ebola, adding that the country had shown that the disease could be contained.

He also declared that guinea worm had been eradicated from Nigeria, noting that polio was on its way out of the country as well.

Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion, Paulina Harvey, a director at the Centre for Disease Control of the United States, applauded Nigeria for its successful fight against Ebola, describing it as a “remarkable achievement”.