Updated 6:05 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, September 17 (RIA Novosti) – The Ebola virus outbreak in Senegal is over, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday.
“WHO officially declares the Ebola outbreak in Senegal over and commends the country on its diligence to end the transmission of the virus,” the organization said in a statement.
"Senegal’s response is a good example of what to do when faced with an imported case of Ebola. The government, under leadership of President Macky Sall and the Minister of Health Dr Awa Coll-Seck, reacted quickly to stop the disease from spreading", WHO added.
The WHO document said that Senegal has approached 42 days since the date of last potential contact with a probable or confirmed Ebola case, which is twice the maximum incubation period of Ebola virus disease.
The current Ebola outbreak started in Guinea in February, gradually spreading to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. A number of Ebola cases have also been registered outside of West Africa. There is currently no officially approved treatment for the disease, however, Russia, alongside the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan and Canada, is currently working on the medicine.
According to the World Health Organization October 15 report, the current outbreak has claimed the lives of almost 4,484 people, with a total number of 8,973 confirmed Ebola cases.
