MOSCOW, October 20 (RIA Novosti) - The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Nigeria free of Ebola virus at a news conference in the country's capital on Monday.
Nigeria was declared free of Ebola with no cases detected in the country over a period of 42 days, double the virus' incubation period.
The WHO began surveillance for new cases on September 8 and expected Nigeria to pass through the requisite 42 days on October 20.
On Friday, the WHO officially declared that Ebola outbreak in Senegal was over and commended "the country on its diligence to end the transmission of the virus," the organization said in a statement.
The WHO added in the statement that despite the successes of two countries, "in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, new cases continue to explode in areas that looked like they were coming under control."
The current Ebola outbreak began 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 US, Japan and Canada, is currently working on a vaccine.
According to the WHO, the outbreak has claimed the lives of almost 4,500 people, with a total number of almost 9,000 confirmed Ebola cases.
