Sierra Leone has been declared free of Ebola 18 months after the country was first ravished by the devastating disease.
Thousands of children have been left orphaned as families were torn apart by the unprecedented outbreak, which took 3,955 lives.
The country, which was where British nurse Pauline Cafferkey contracted Ebola, recorded around half of the cases in an epidemic that has infected 28,600 people across the three hardest-hit West African nations.
Residents took to the streets to celebrate after the World Health Organisation made the announcement this morning following a 42-day monitoring period. The country will be under heightened surveillance for 90 days.
It comes as touching pictures of those who fought the disease were published for the first time by charities and health organisations celebrating the news.
One intimate shot shows Fatmata Kamara standing with some of a 60-strong safe and dignified burial team after they fought tirelessly to ensure bodies did not contaminate healthy areas.
Speaking about the outbreak, Fatmata recalled: ‘When I saw my first dead body I was terrified.
'But we have all worked as a disciplined team. We say together, "Do it correct or don’t do it at all" and "when you are in doubt you ask".' Experts say it is this attitude that kept workers healthy.
Meanwhile, Albert Foday-Kamara and Bai Turay, from the country's health ministry, spent months overseeing a storeroom housing burial team equipment including protective suits.
As they stare confidently at the camera, the body bags behind them are a reminder of the devastating effect Ebola has had.
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