Guinea health officials confirmed Sunday that three people have died from Ebola there, making this the first declared trace of the deadly virus since the nation was declared Ebola-free five years ago.
Four more people have been confirmed with Ebola, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health.
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Officials with the Ministry of Health were told that all seven positive cases went to a nurse’s funeral in Goueke on Feb. 1 and later showed Ebola symptoms including a fever, diarrhea and vomiting.
After hearing the news, locals in the capital told the Associated Press they were concerned that the country wouldn’t be able to handle another outbreak.
“The news about the Ebola outbreak in Guinea is worrying. We already have difficulties dealing with the coronavirus, now, the health system will be overwhelmed by two pandemics,” said Mamadou Kone, a Conakry resident in an Associated Press article.
Sources told the Associated Press that one reason the previous outbreak was as fatal as it was is that the virus wasn’t discovered quickly enough and local authorities and the international community were slow to respond when cases first appeared in rural areas of Guinea.
The government is currently acting quickly and working hard to identify individuals who may have come into contact with an infected person and isolating suspected cases.
The origin of the infections is still unknown, according to the Associated Press.
Below is the full statement from the Ministry of Health:
Conakry, le 14 février 2021. DECLARATION DU GOUVERNEMENT SUITE A LA DETECTION DE CAS DE FIEVRE EBOLA DANS LA...
Posted by Agence Nationale de Sécurité Sanitaire-ANSS on Sunday, February 14, 2021