Sierra Leone has released its last known Ebola patient, according to the World Health Organization.

35-year-old Adama Sankoh was discharged from a treatment centre in the northern Bombali district on Monday morning.

The country hasn’t reported a new infection for more than two weeks, according the the National Ebola Response Centre (NERC).

However, a small number of cases are still being reported in neighbouring Guinea.

The milestone comes 15 months after the outbreak was declared in Sierra Leone. Almost 4,000 people have died of Ebola in that country since then.

The country’s President Ernest Bai Koroma attended the celebrations at the clinic run by International Medical Corps.

Vanessa Wolfman, the Medical Director at the facility, said: “Today is a day of hope. People hope this is the beginning of the end. We have fought for so long.”

But the celebrations are tempered with caution. The country still has 28 people in quarantine. They will continue to be monitored until the end of the week in case they develop symptoms.

OB Sisay, Director of the situation room of NERC, said: “We might have hidden cases, so we have to continue to be vigilant, continue our surveillance, maintain our discipline of hand-washing and temperature checks, screening and avoid over-crowding.”

The outbreak won’t be declared over until 42 days after the last Ebola patient either dies or is discharged. That 42-day limit is twice the incubation period of the virus.

Read the article “Sierra Leone Discharges Last Ebola Patient” on bbc.com.