London, Oct 20 (IANS): The World Health Organisation (WHO) Monday officially declared Nigeria free of the Ebola virus disease after six weeks with no new cases.

WHO representative Rui Gama Vaz, speaking in the capital Abuja, said it was a "spectacular success story", BBC reported.

The last reported case in Nigeria was detected Sep 5.

The outbreak began in Nigeria when Patrick Sawyer, an American-Liberian citizen, was diagnosed with the illness in July.

Nigeria declared a national public health emergency and Sawyer later died of the disease, followed by seven Nigerians.

The WHO had also officially declared Senegal Ebola-free last Friday.

The outbreak has killed 4,550 people in West Africa, mostly in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.

Meanwhile, European Union (EU) foreign ministers are meeting in Luxembourg to discuss how to strengthen their response to the threat posed by Ebola.

The WHO can declare an Ebola outbreak over if two incubation periods of 21 days pass with no new cases.