Guineans
are expected to celebrate the landmark with concerts and fireworks.
The
disease killed more than 2,500 people in the West African state, and a further
9,000 in neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Liberia was
declared Ebola-free by the WHO in September, and Sierra Leone in
November.
However, Liberia has
had new cases since the declaration.
A
country is considered free of human-to-human transmission once two 21-day
incubation periods have passed since the last known case tested negative for a
second time.
"It's
the best year-end present that God could give to Guinea, and the best news that
Guineans could hope for," Ebola survivor Alama Kambou Dore told AFP news
agency.
Local
health workers echoed a warning from the WHO that vigilance was still vital
despite the mood of celebration.
"We
have to be very careful, because even if open transmission has been stopped,
the disease has not been totally defeated," said Alpha Seny Souhmah, a
Guinean health worker and Ebola survivor.
In a statement, the
WHO congratulated the Guinean government and people for showing
"extraordinary leadership in fighting the epidemic".
But
it also noted that there had been 10 new small outbreaks of the virus between
March and November.
"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."
The
WHO will maintain surveillance and outbreak response teams in Guinea, Sierra
Leone and Liberia throughout 2016, Dr Aylward added.
Analysis: Tulip Mazumdar,
health correspondent, BBC News
This is another
major milestone in the bumpy road to the end of the worst Ebola outbreak in
history. It all started in Guinea when the virus emerged, probably from fruit
bats, in a rural community deep in the forest.
Guinea
saw far fewer cases than neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone, yet the virus
has been circulating there for longer than anywhere else.
I
remember travelling through Guinea at the height of the outbreak, and there was
still a lot of denial about Ebola; people told me it was a made-up disease.
Suspicion is still rife in some communities, and many simply do not trust their
government.
Ebola
has made a comeback in Liberia after the country twice declared the end of the
epidemic, and there is every possibility it could return to Guinea. It will be
up to communities to keep the killer virus at bay, by reporting suspicious
deaths and encouraging loved ones to seek treatment if they show symptoms of
Ebola.
But
medical facilities also need to respond quickly, which will happen for the
extra 90-day "heightened surveillance" period. A key question is what
will happen after that, particularly for the thousands of Ebola survivors who
are still facing health problems.
More than 100 health
workers also lost their lives in the fight against the disease.
Many
survivors still live in fear of the stigma and long-term side effects
associated with the virus.
The
government in Guinea has blamed the virus for poor economic performance and
says it has also caused people to distrust the country's health services.
President
Alpha Conde has doubled the health budget since winning re-election in October.
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