New Ebola outbreak declared in southern Guinea
- Details
- Published: Wednesday, 17 February 2021 10:58
The World Health Organization has reported that Guinean health authorities have declared an outbreak of Ebola in a rural community in the south of the country, with at least seven people infected, two of whom died.
WHO says that:
- This is the first time the disease has been reported in the country since the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa.
- Staff from WHO are already on the ground, assisting surveillance, and infection prevention and control efforts.
- WHO personnel are also reaching out to communities to ensure they take a key role in the response. In addition, the agency is also helping Guinea procure the Ebola vaccine which has proven instrumental in controlling outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
- As the epicentre of the current outbreak in a border area, WHO is also working with health authorities in Liberia and Sierra Leone to step up community surveillance of cases in their border districts as well as strengthening their capacity to test for cases and conduct surveillance in health facilities.
- WHO is also reaching out to Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal and other countries at risk in the region.
