No new Ebola reported for 1st whole week since March 2014: UN

There were no new Ebola cases reported for the week that ended on Sunday, making it the first complete week with zero new cases since March 2014, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Thursday.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded in its latest report that no confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease were reported in the week to Oct. 4.

"While this news is very encouraging, there are still a number of high risk contacts," said Dujarric. "Previous experience indicates that at the tail end of an Ebola outbreak, we may see weeks with zero transmission interspersed with flare-ups."

The deadly Ebola epidemic hit West Africa in 2014, with Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea being the three most affected countries.

According to the WHO, since the beginning of the outbreak, there have been a total of 28,421 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected Ebola cases in the three countries up to Oct. 4, with 11,297 reported deaths.

Earlier in September this year, the WHO declared Liberia free of Ebola. The organization also said in Sierra Leone, all contacts have completed follow-up.

However, over 500 contacts remain under follow-up in Guinea, and several high-risk contacts associated with active chains of transmission in Guinea and Sierra Leone have been lost to follow-up.

There remains a near-term risk of further cases, the WHO said.

By Ruchi Singh