The celebration surrounding West Africa being Ebola free was short lived – in fact, it lasted less than 24 hours. The spokesperson for the Office of National Security in Sierra Leone confirmed a 22-year-old woman had died of Ebola earlier in January. The test came back positive just hours after the announcement from the Word Health Organization was made, declaring the area Ebola free. Since a country has to be free of Ebola transmissions for 90 days, Sierra Leone is back under surveillance.
The woman reportedly contracted Ebola while at a town bordering Guinea, and went to a medical clinic in Northern Tonkolili District for treatment. Authorities are tracing her steps, searching for other Ebola cases.
