Leaving a hospital bed is reason enough to celebrate, but it rarely gets the doctors and nurses dancing too. That is, unless the event marks a huge milestone in the international effort to bring a deadly disease under control. On 24th August 2015, a woman named Adama was discharged from an International Medical Corps Ebola Treatment Centre in northern Sierra Leone. With her exit, the country reached the milestone of ZERO confirmed Ebola cases since the outbreak began in May 2014. 

Now, if that’s not a reason to get up and dance, I don’t know what is. I hope you’re joining the Sierra Leoneans from behind your screen and busting some victory moves right now. Go on, you know you want to. 

Although this is fantastic news, the fight against Ebola does not end with this celebration. Sierra Leone must go 42 days with no new cases reported before the country can be declared Ebola-free.

“We have seen many setbacks before, and nobody should be complacent about the challenge that lies ahead for the people of Sierra Leone,” said Sean Casey, International Medical Corps Regional Director for West Africa Ebola Response. “But today is without doubt a day for celebration and reflection on the thousands of lives lost during this devastating crisis.” 

Once the country is officially declared ebola-free, the process of recovery will continue as families seek to rebuild their lives from the pain of losing loved ones and their livelihoods to the disease. Almost 4,000 people have died from Ebola in Sierra Leone over the last 15 months, a trauma that will take a long time to heal. The international community must invest in strengthening health systems - from medical infrastructure to preventative vaccines - in order to make sure the devastation wreaked by Ebola does not happen again. 

However, this is a momentous occasion and it’s beautiful to see faces once again filled with hope. Now that Sierra Leone’s last Ebola patient has walked (or danced) her way out of hospital, the nation can begin its journey to recovery.