(RxWiki News) While the Ebola epidemic in West Africa is far from over, one country is free of the virus.
Mali's health minister announced Sunday that the country is Ebola-free, reports Reuters. The landlocked West African nation has gone 42 days without reporting a single new case.
Health Minister Ousmane Kone praised Mali's health workers and international partners for stopping the outbreak.
Health officials recorded the first case of Ebola in Mali in October. The patient was a 2-year-old boy from Guinea.
In all, Mali had eight cases of Ebola, but six of those patients died, according to TIME. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — the three West African countries hardest hit by the outbreak — have had more than 8,400 deaths from Ebola, making this the worst epidemic ever of this deadly disease.
The Ebola virus can cause Ebola virus disease. This often fatal disease can lead to symptoms like high fever, nausea, vomiting and unexplained bleeding. Ebola can spread only through direct contact with infected blood and other bodily fluids. Even then, the patient must be showing symptoms to be contagious.
