Feb, 17th 2021 – Nigerian authorities have put health workers on red alert following the re-emergence of the Ebola epidemic in Guinea. Health Minister Osagie Ehanire says they will monitor all entry points to pick out any suspected cases and follow developments in Guinea with concern.
He said Nigeria was ready to send volunteers to support the World Health Organization’s measures to contain the spread of the disease in Guinea.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti said, “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.”
Guinea, in 2014-2016 was one of the most affected countries in the West Africa Ebola outbreak. WHO and partners supported Guinea in response to the outbreak and build up the capacity to enhance development of crucial expertise.
Guinean health workers also played a key role in supporting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with its recent outbreaks, with teams of vaccinators helping to train health workers in the DRC.
WHO staff are already on the ground. Samples of the confirmed cases have been sent to the InstitutPasteur in Senegal for a full genome sequencing to identify the strain of the Ebola virus.
WHO is also supporting the country to procure the Ebola vaccine which has proven instrumental in controlling outbreaks in the DRC.