You probably still remember the images from 2014: an outbreak of Ebola in three countries in West Africa at that time caused more than 11,000 deaths – the deadliest Ebola epidemic in history. Guinea, where the outbreak started, was badly affected. At the same time as this new outbreak, new Ebola infections have also been detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo this week.
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At least four people have been infected and two people have been killed in eastern Congo. In Guinea this concerns at least ten infections and five deaths. The two outbreaks probably have nothing to do with each other, given the great distance between the two countries.
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So these are not very high figures yet. However called the country’s health minister said the situation was ‘very worrying’. The World Health Organization has labeled the outbreak in Guinea an epidemic.
1. How did the outbreak start?
Correspondent Saskia Houttuin: “It is still unclear how this new outbreak originated. It is possible that, just like in 2014, there is a link with infected bats. Animals that may be carriers of the virus live in Guinea. someone has been bitten or eaten an infected bat.
What we do know is that this outbreak originated in Goueké, a town in the southeast of the country. A nurse died of the virus there on January 28 and was buried four days later. “
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“Funerals are sources of Ebola contamination and can lead to a rapid and massive spread of the virus. Ebola can still be transmitted even after death by contact with the body. It seems that this has now happened. Several infected people were present at the hospital. funeral.”
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What is Ebola?
Ebola is a virus. According to the RIVM, outbreaks of the virus have so far only occurred in Africa. People spread it further to others through direct contact with blood, feces, urine, semen, vomit, and sweat.
Most of them develop complaints a week after infection. The main ones: fever, headache and muscle pain. Diarrhea and vomiting also occur, which causes dehydration. And typical of Ebola: internal and external bleeding. At that point, a patient is the most contagious.
Unlike the coronavirus, it has never been shown that the virus can be spread by air. Also different: Ebola is a lot more deadly. In Africa, more than half of the people who contract the virus die. And even if someone dies, they are still contagious.
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2. There is now a vaccine against the coronavirus. Is that also the case against Ebola?
“To prevent a repeat of the tragedy of 2014, a lot of work has been done to develop a vaccine. WHO two approved: Ervebo and Zabdeno / Mvabea.
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It is not the case that now mass punctures are taking place in West Africa and Congo. The course of the virus is too unpredictable for that and there is not enough in stock. WHO representative Alfred George Ki-Zerbo told AFP news agency he is in contact with the manufacturer to ensure that enough doses are available as soon as possible.
3. What other measures is Guinea taking?
“The national government immediately held a crisis meeting on Sunday press release they say they have already taken several steps, such as isolating ‘suspected cases’, a special fact-finding mission to be directed from the capital Conakry and opening an Ebola diagnosis center. “
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4. What are other African countries doing?
“The WHO has warned all six of Guinea’s neighbors, including of course Liberia and Sierra Leone, the two countries that were also hit hard in the previous outbreak. The president of Liberia has notified the country’s health authorities asked to be sharp. He wants residents of the regions not far from the Guinean border and the town of Goueké to be well aware of the risks. Sierra Leone speaks of an emergency and says to step up control in the border area with Guinea. “
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According to the RIVM, there is no cause for concern for the Netherlands. “As far as we know, it is not yet a serious health crisis and it is not expected to happen,” said a spokesman. “We expect the control to start well and quickly.”
“The outbreak in 2014 was serious, but there was no proper diagnosis at the time and no vaccines were available,” said the spokesman. “That is different now. There are therefore few consequences for us.”
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