Ebola crisis in West Africa over, declares WHO

The two-year Ebola epidemic that killed at least 11,000 people has come to an end in West Africa, the World Health Organization has said. The deadly outbreak, which triggered a worldwide health alert, was declared over after Liberia became the last country to get the all-clear. Liberia, the country worst hit by the outbreak with 4,800 deaths, discharged its last two patients from hospital - the father and younger brother of a 15-year-old victim - on December 3, 2015.

Today the World Health Organization declares the end of the most recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia and says all known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa.

UN health agency announcement

The tropical virus wrecked the economies and health systems of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, after it emerged in southern Guinea in December 2013. At the peak of the outbreak, bodies were piling up in the streets of the three worst-hit nations, with hospitals recording hundreds of new cases each week. UN chief Ban Ki-moon has warned the region can expect sporadic cases in the coming year but added “we also expect the potential and frequency of those flare-ups to decrease over time”.

Let us pledge to maintain our vigilance, our commitment and our solidarity for the people of west Africa and our world.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon

Ebola Africa