Good News! World Health Organization Declares Nigeria Ebola Free

The World Health Organization says the Ebola epidemic that has killed 2,811 in West Africa has been contained in Senegal and Nigeria. The UN health agency said on Monday that Senegal had not reported any new cases of the virus since the first case was reported on august 29, while the last case reported in Nigeria was on September 8. The incubation period for Ebola is 21 days and double that time must pass without any new cases arising before a country can be deemed transmission-free.

Both Senegal and Nigeria implemented strict measures to isolate the virus and track down further possible cases. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have failed to impose such steps, allowing the disease to take hold.

The announcement came as Nigerian students prepared to return to school after an enforced summer break because of Ebola. However, the W.H.O said the world's worst outbreak of the virus remained a "public health emergency of international concern."

The W.H.O. also said a total of 5,864 people had been infected in five West African countries as of September 18, and had claimed 181 lives since the last death toll of 2,630 was issued on September 14. Guinea, where the outbreak began at the start of the year, and neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone by far account for most of the cases and continue to see ballooning numbers.

Liberia had been hit hardest, with 1,578 deaths from 3,022 cases.