Turnaround seen in nigeria

Nigeria was expected to be declared Ebola-free on Monday, just three months after fears that the virus could spread like wildfire through Africa's most populous nation.

The World Health Organization was preparing to announce that Nigeria has not had a confirmed case of Ebola for 42 days - or two incubation periods of 21 daysjust as it did for Senegal on Friday.

The achievement is being welcomed, with no end in sight to the disease that has claimed thousands this year, most of them in West Africa, and mounting fears about cases around the world.

Close attention is being paid to how Nigeria, with an underfunded and ill-equipped health system, managed to contain the virus, as specialists look for a more effective response to control its spread.

But there were warnings against any premature celebration, with complacency still a risk and luck considered to have played a part in containing the outbreak.

AFP

(China Daily 10/20/2014 page12)