The surveillance period of 166 people who were at high risk of being infected with Ebola virus has now ended. With the end of the mandatory period Liberia has taken a step forward to declare an end to the epidemic.

The recent news could be a sigh of relief for residents of Liberia. The country has been declared Ebola free twice, once in may and once in September, but surprisingly new cases of the lethal disease again showed up.

Liberia was one of the three countries that were badly hit by Ebola along with Sierra Leone and Guinea, said experts.

The people who were kept under surveillance were healthcare workers who were treating the last case that had cropped up, or were the family of the victim.

Results have showed that none of the contacts under surveillance showed any symptoms of the disease after 21 days. This indicates that there is no one known to have the Ebola virus at this point.

Reports have shown that approximately 4,800 people died in the outbreak in Liberia alone. A total of 11,300 people became victim to the disease.

After hearing the good news, officials are hoping that it could be the third time for them to declare that the virus has eradicated from the country.

Sierra Leone has already officially ended its epidemic in November. Guinea has also sent home its last patient.

Since the Liberian Ministry of Health declared Ebola outbreak in March 2014, grassroots groups have taken charge to educate and equip Liberians to prevent and contain Ebola in their communities.