Guinea declared an Ebola outbreak on February 15, 2021. It started in the border area of Guinea. West Africa is now on high alert due to the outbreak. In the past week, there have been seven cases and three deaths. The cases took place in a nurses funeral home where seven people ended up testing positive and starting experiencing symptoms of Ebola such as diarrhea. About a week before the outbreak in Guinea, a case was confirmed in Butembo.
According to the WHO, about 50% of people who are ill with Ebola will die. The WHO has been helping parts of Africa to procure the Ebola vaccine and to ensure infection prevention. The organization has also increased surveillance around Guinea by partnering up with health officials in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The region of N’Zerekore has opened an Ebola treatment center as well. “It’s a huge concern to see the resurgence of Ebola in Guinea, a country which has already suffered so much from the disease. However, banking on the expertise and experience built during the previous outbreak, health teams in Guinea are on the move to quickly trace the path of the virus and curb further infections,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa.
Furthermore, Moeti stated that 11,000 vaccine doses are being shipped to Guinea. The first vaccine doses arrived on February 21 and vaccinations have been distributed in Butembo as well. “Our collective quick action is crucial to averting an uncontrolled spread of Ebola amid the COVID-19 pandemic which has already pushed health workers and health facilities to the edge,” said Moeti.
Later on February 27, the CDC announced that travel restrictions have been placed in countries that are currently experiencing Ebola. Travel is particularly being limited to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea. People who are planning to travel to the two countries will have their airlines to collect their information about COVID-19. The data will be shared with the CDC and local health departments for monitoring purposes and safety.