Ebola: Guinea Health Agency head declares 'pandemic' in February
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
The African country reported its first case of Ebola in more than 25 years on Saturday, in Abidjan. Another suspected case has now been identified. Authorities are vaccinating hundreds of people as they race to contain the spread of the deadly haemorrhagic fever in the country’s commercial capital.
WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the UN agency was “very concerned” that more cases may be detected in the country’s economic hub, with a population of more than four million.
Ebola, which is transmitted through close contact with bodily fluids, causes severe fever and, in the worst cases, unstoppable bleeding.
The confirmed case has been identified as an 18-year-old from Guinea who travelled overland, arriving in Abidjan last Wednesday aboard a bus.
When she left Guinea, she was already exhibiting symptoms that continued to intensify.
She was admitted to a hospital on Thursday with a fever and is currently receiving treatment.
Mr Jasarevic said: “Preliminary investigations and genomic sequencing to identify the strain show that it is likely the Zaire strain of the virus.
“Further investigations are required to confirm these early results.”
It came after Guinea, which declared an end to a four-month-long Ebola outbreak in June and marked the African continent as Ebola-free.
Mf Jasarevic said there was “no indication” that the case in Ivory Coast was linked to the cases in Guinea.
Ivory Coast began vaccinating high-risk populations within 48 hours of the report of the confirmed case.
Residents in the Deux Plateaux neighbourhood of her neighbourhood of Abidjan were among those vaccinated.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, added:
“It is of immense concern that this outbreak has been declared in Abidjan, a metropolis of more than four million people.”
But Dr Moeti said the Ivory Coast is one of six countries WHO worked with recently to enhance Ebola preparedness.
She said the quick diagnosis of this case is an indicator these preparations are paying off.
Health minister Pierre Dimba said: “This is a situation that is under control.”
He added that authorities will aim to aim to vaccinate 2,000 people by Wednesday evening.
The WHO also praised the speed of the rollout has been “remarkable”.
But the location of the outbreak has sparked concerns that the virus will have ample space to spread – both in Abidjan, where the woman arrived on August 11, and during her 500km journey.
Dr Merawi Aragaw Tegegne of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention added: “To be frank, because it is a big city like this, it’s really worrisome for us all.
“It can spread widely. Usually, these kinds of outbreaks are in the remote corners of rural areas.”
Source: Read Full Article
