As Ebola Virus Slows in West Africa, Senegal Reopens Border to Guinea

The Ebola virus was running rampant throughout Guinea and eventually spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Mali. As a result, Senegal shut its borders to north Guinea on March 30 to prevent the virus from spreading throughout the country.

On Tuesday, Senegal reopened its border with Guinea following reports of the Ebola virus slowing down. For a little over a month, citizens from Senegal could not enter Guinea via the northern border and vice versa. Guinea's President Alpha Conde announced that the outbreak was now under control.

Since the first recorded case in December, the Ebola virus infected those mostly in Guinea, with 231 confirmed cases and 155 deaths. Much smaller numbers were recorded in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Mali - all countries that bordered Guinea. Senegal took the most drastic preventive measure and shut its border to Guinea because of the heavy traffic it generates each day.

The World Health Organization provided its latest report on the outbreak on May 3, which spoke of the status of the virus as well as the total number of those infected. Currently, only two people remain in isolation in Guinea's capital, Conakry, and three in Guekedou. Senegal's decision to close the border was effective, as they've reported zero cases of the Ebola virus.

Mbaye Sadi Diop, an advisor in Senegal's interior ministry, announced this morning that border crossings with Guinea are now open. This means the weekly markets will also reopen after a month-long hiatus. The Kolda Market is an integral part of commerce in West Africa, as thousands of people from various countries attend to trade and purchase goods at the border of Senegal and Guinea.

The outbreak that persisted for months has been described as one of the most challenging since the discovery of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976. Europe and the United States deployed health care workers to help with the efforts to mitigate the virus' spread. Additionally, an international team of researchers collected samples of the virus to try and identify its cause and spread.

But for now the outbreak is contained and health officials will continue to research its origin.