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| An Ebola patient being treated by a doctor |
Nigeria has been declared officially free of Ebola after six weeks with
no new cases, the World Health Organisation says.
Africa’s most populous country won praise for its swift response after
an infected Liberian diplomat brought the disease there in July.
The WHO officially declared Senegal Ebola-free on Friday.
The outbreak has killed more than 4,500 people in West Africa, mostly in
Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
An estimated 70 per cent of those infected have died in those countries.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign ministers are meeting in Luxembourg to
discuss how to strengthen their response to the threat posed by Ebola.
European countries have committed more than 500m euros (£400m; $600m)
but the UK is pressing to double that amount.
The money is being sought to help reinforce over-stretched healthcare
systems in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea and to mitigate the damage Ebola is
doing to their economies.
Ahead of the talks, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier
suggested the EU could send a civilian EU mission to West Africa that would serve
as a platform for sending medical staff.
Another diplomat said there were plans for three countries to spearhead
aid to the region – the UK for Sierra Leone, France for Guinea and the US for
Liberia.
Earlier, the Spanish government said a nurse who became the first person
to contract Ebola outside West Africa had tested negative for the virus.
BBC
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