Joy as Nigerian scientists develop Ebola screening solutions

A team of Nigerian scientists in the Diaspora has validated and adapted a methodology that will enhance the gene amplification of the Ebola virus in 30 minutes.

This came on the heels of the declaration of Nigeria as an Ebola-free country by the World Health Organisation.

The team, led by an alumnus of Florida Atlantic University, the United States, and a visiting associate lecturer to Bowen University, Nigeria, Olumide Adenmosun, is coordinating technical support for the ongoing clinical and research programme in Nigeria.

Finally: WHO declares Nigeria Ebola free

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.