The World Health Organization has declared the end of Ebola transmission in Guinea, one of the three West African countries hardest hit by the 2014 outbreak of the virus.

Forty-two days have passed since the last person in Guinea confirmed to have Ebola virus disease tested negative for the second time, and the country now enters a ninety-day period of heightened surveillance to ensure that any new cases are identified quickly before the virus can spread. In addition to the original chain of transmission, which started in Guinea in late December 2013, there have been ten new but small Ebola outbreaks ("flares") between March and November 2015, apparently due to the re-emergence of a persistent virus from among the survivor population.

WHO and its partners are working to ensure that survivors have access to medical and psychosocial care, screenings for persistent virus, and counseling and education aimed at helping them reintegrate into family and community life, overcome stigma, and minimize the risk of further transmission of the virus.

"This is the first time that all three countries — Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone — have stopped the original chains of transmission that were responsible for starting this devastating outbreak two years ago," said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa. "I commend the governments, communities, and partners for their determination in confronting this epidemic to get to this milestone. As we work toward building resilient healthcare systems, we need to stay vigilant to ensure that we rapidly stop any new flares that may come up in 2016."