Ebola outbreak 2015 update: Guinea hopeful for Ebola end as it releases 68 people from quarantine

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A senior health official from Guinea announced on Saturday that the last 68 people who have come in contact with an Ebola patient has been released from quarantine.

"There are no longer any people who had contact with a person infected by the Ebola virus," said Dr. Abdourahmane Bathily, head of the Ebola centre in west Guinea, via Reuters.

The 68 people were released from isolation at midnight. However, the country won't be able to count down the days when they'll be Ebola-free until next week since a confirmed Ebola case is a baby that is still in isolation.

A major criterion for a country to be declared free from Ebola is to have 42 days pass without any new case, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Following the 42 days without new cases, a nation will enter a 90-day period of heightened surveillance as recommended by the international health agency.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been a total of 3,351 confirmed Ebola cases and 2,536 deaths in Guinea. Two other heavily affected West African countries, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been declared Ebola-free this year. Liberia has a total of 3,151 confirmed cases and the highest total number of deaths at 4,806 casualties. Sierra Leone has the highest number of confirmed cases at 8,704 and the second-highest amount of casualties at 3,955 deaths.

The Daily Times Gazette reports that the West African outbreak which started last year is considered to be the biggest outbreak to date. The Ebola virus disease is a condition transmitted by wild animals to humans. It is an especially fatal disease caused by a coronavirus and has a 50% mortality rate in patients, according to WHO.

In other news, a Brazil man suspected of having Ebola virus after exhibiting symptoms of hemorrhagic fever following his visit to Guinea has tested negative for the virus for the second time. According to Inquisitr, he will be released from quarantine at the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases at the country's capital, Rio de Janeiro.

The outlet adds that the man began showing symptoms of the disease including muscle pain, headaches and fever as he went to be checked at the hospital two days after his arrival back from Guinea. He was admitted on Wednesday but will be released due to a negative result for the virus and will getting medical care for malaria. When he gets released, health authorities will monitor the people who he had in contact with in the country.