Which country was declared as EBOLA free by WHO?

RRB Staff Nurse Mumbai-2015

Community Health Nursing

Easy

Appeared in: RRB Staff Nurse Mumbai-2015

Explanation

Nigeria was declared Ebola-free by the WHO on October 20, 2014, after successfully containing its outbreak.
The declaration followed a period of 42 days (twice the maximum 21-day incubation period for Ebola) with no new confirmed cases.
Nigeria's response involved rapid case identification, effective contact tracing of nearly 900 individuals, and containment measures that limited the outbreak to 20 cases.
The 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak primarily affected Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, with imported cases occurring in Nigeria and other countries (SRC_4).

Option A: South Africa did not have a widespread local outbreak of Ebola during the 2014-2016 epidemic that would necessitate a specific WHO declaration of being 'Ebola-free' in the same context as the heavily affected West African nations.
Option C: Similar to South Africa, Zimbabwe was not one of the countries with a major local transmission of Ebola during the 2014-2016 outbreak.
Option D: Ethiopia was not a country with a significant local outbreak of Ebola during the 2014-2016 epidemic. The main countries affected were in West Africa.

Visual 1: Flowchart - The provided image of the NYC DOHMH algorithm for Ebola evaluation. This visual helps explain the detailed surveillance and diagnostic criteria that health systems implement to control outbreaks, which is a key part of a country being declared disease-free.
Visual 2: Map - A map of West Africa from 2014-2016 highlighting the most affected countries (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone) and countries with localized outbreaks, like Nigeria. This would visually contextualize the geographic scope of the epidemic.
Visual 3: Timeline - A timeline graphic showing key dates of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, including the date the first case was reported in Nigeria and the date the WHO declared the country Ebola-free.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Declaration of a country as Ebola-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
This question highlights the critical importance of a strong public health system, including rapid surveillance, effective contact tracing, and political will, in containing infectious disease outbreaks.
Nigeria's success serves as a case study in epidemic response, demonstrating that even with limited resources, a well-organized and swift response can prevent a catastrophe.
What if? If the initial case in Nigeria had not been quickly identified and isolated by astute healthcare workers, the virus could have spread uncontrollably through Lagos (population >20 million), leading to a public health disaster of unimaginable scale and potentially destabilizing the entire region.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key elements of the question: 'country', 'EBOLA free', and 'WHO'. This points to a specific historical event in global public health.
Recall or research major global health events from the last decade. The 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak was a significant event that received extensive media coverage.
Consider the options provided. Think about which of these African nations was prominently featured in the news regarding a successful containment of an Ebola outbreak during that period.
Evaluate the options based on general knowledge. While Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone were the epicenters, Nigeria was widely praised for its rapid and effective response to a small number of imported cases, leading to the WHO's declaration.
Eliminate the other options, as they were not central to the 2014-2016 outbreak narrative in the same way Nigeria was for its successful containment.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Declaration of a country as Ebola-free by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Stem keywords: country, declared, EBOLA free, WHO
Lead-in keywords: Which

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