Health authorities scramble to halt new Ebola outbreak as west Africa braces for new epidemic
The last big outbreak in the region killed 11,000 people; experts say it’s crucial to contain this one rapidly
15 February 2021 • 6:26pm
It was an outbreak in Guinea that sparked the world’s worst Ebola outbreak which raged across west Africa between late 2013 and 2016.
Credit: AHMED JALLANZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Global authorities are scrambling to transport vaccine and personnel to Guinea in a bid to stem the spread of Ebola, after at least four people died.
It was an outbreak in Guinea that sparked the world’s worst Ebola outbreak, which raged across west Africa between late 2013 and 2016.
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JOHANNESBOURG
Two new outbreaks of Ebola in two weeks – first in the Democratic Republic of Congo and now in Guinea – have sent health teams scrambling to try to contain the spread of the deadly disease, ramping up contact tracing and medical support to local authorities.
Guinea declared an Ebola epidemic on 14 February after three people died and four others became ill in the rural southeast of the country – the first reported outbreak in West Africa since a region-wide pandemic ended five years ago after claiming more than 11,000 lives.
The initial case in Guinea’s new outbreak involved a nurse in rural Gouéké who died on 28 January, and the six other reported cases were people who had attended her 1 February funeral – with unsafe burials a known danger in Ebola transmission.
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Feb 15, 2021 02:54 AM EST
Guinea announced a new Ebola outbreak on Sunday when tests arrived positive for the virus following three individuals deaths and four falling ill in the southeast. This marks the first resurgence of the disease since the world s worst outbreak between 2013 and 2016.
Guinea Declares New Ebola Outbreak
Seven people reportedly fell ill with vomiting, diarrhea, and bleeding following attending a Goueke burial near the Liberian border. According to the health ministry, the infected patients have been secured in isolation in treatment centers. They stated, Faced with this situation and in accordance with international health regulations, the Guinean government declares an Ebola epidemic, reported India TV.
NZEREKORE: Guinea on Sunday (local time) has declared an Ebola epidemic after four people died and seven others became ill in the southeastern region of Nzerekore.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, seven people fell ill with diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding after attending a burial in Goueke, near the Liberian border.
The infected patients have been kept in isolation in treatment centres, the health ministry said. Faced with this situation and in accordance with international health regulations, the Guinean government declares an Ebola epidemic, the ministry said in a statement.
Speaking on how the epidemic began, Dr Yuma Taido, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told Al Jazeera, We are preparing to manage the outbreak. We cannot explain yet how this epidemic came about. The response teams are heading to the epicentre of the outbreak from today.