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Nigeria declared Ebola free after 42 days with no new cases - WHO

Abuja - The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Nigeria Ebola free on Monday, after a 42 day period with no new cases elapsed.

"Nigeria is now free of Ebola," WHO representative Rui Gama Vaz told a news conference in the capital Abuja.

"This is a spectacular success story".

Aljazeera reports that the news was met with relief by Nigerian citizens who had started fearing the spread of the virus. However, because it is a major West African travel hub, officials will remain on high alert. 

Nigeria is the second country on the continent to be declared Ebola free, following the Senegal getting a clean bill of health from the UN on Friday last week. 

South African Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi recently said at a press briefing that while South Africa has not banned people from travelling to countries affected by the virus, they are closely monitoring developments. 

Local airports – especially Lanseria and OR Tambo International - have been screening passengers for any signs of Ebola infections.  To date no case of Ebola has been reported in the country.

The virus has been earmarked as the most acute health emergency in modern times by the World Health Organisation (WHO), however they have been loath to put travel bans in place, fearing that it may worsen the crises, especially in the countries of origin.

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