Countdown: Sierra Leone 42 days from being Ebola-free

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Ebola survivors tell their stories at the Survivors’ Conference in Kenema, Sierra Leone.
WHO/S. Gborie


Reuters: "Sierra Leone released its last confirmed Ebola patient from hospital on Monday and began a 42-day countdown to being declared free of the virus ..."

But they aren't necessarily out of the woods yet: "During the course of the epidemic, the outbreak has ebbed only to flare back again. Liberia was declared Ebola-free in May but a fresh cluster of cases appeared nearly two months later. Scientists say sexual transmission is the most likely explanation for the resurgence in Liberia since the virus can live on in semen beyond the usual 21-day incubation period."

Other recent good news on the Ebola front: an Ebola vaccine in Guinea shows promise.

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