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World Health Organization declared the end of Ebola in Guinea on Tuesday. The virus emerged in West African country two years back and this is the first time no cases of the disease have been reported. The outbreak spread to neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia last year. Sierra Leone was declared free from the virus on November 7 this year and Liberia is on a countdown to mark the end of the epidemic on Jan 14. According to WHO, no new cases have been reported in the last 21 days, The Star reports.

"This is the first time that all three countries - Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - have stopped the original chains of transmission that were responsible for starting this devastating outbreak two years ago," said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. The experts, however, warn that the threat is far from over. There are still chances of the virus to emerge. So far, Ebola has killed more than 11,000 people all over the world. "We definitely cannot let our guard down," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It's certainly possible we will have more cases and more clusters in the coming months," as reported by WHO Africa

"WHO commends the Government of Guinea and its people on the significant achievement of ending its Ebola outbreak. We must render homage to the Government and people of Guinea who, in adversity, have shown extraordinary leadership in fighting the epidemic," says Dr Mohamed Belhocine, WHO Representative in Guinea. "WHO and its partners will continue to support Guinea during the next 90 days of heightened surveillance and in its early efforts to restart and strengthen essential health services throughout 2016."

"The coming months will be absolutely critical," said Dr Bruce Aylward from the WHO's Ebola response team.

"This is the period when the countries need to be sure that they are fully prepared to prevent, detect and respond to any new cases." WHO will keep a strict surveillance and maintain outbreak response teams in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia throughout 2016, added Dr. Aylward, said BBC News