Guinea is expected to start vaccinating against Ebola on Monday, health authorities in the country say. The intention is that over 11,000 doses will arrive at the weekend from Geneva, where the World Health Organization (WHO) is located. Another 8,600 vaccines are shipped from the United States.
The disease has reappeared in Guinea after a five-year absence, particularly in the southeastern town of Nzérékoré. So far, six people have died from the infectious disease. The authorities have established more than 200 contacts of patients during source and contact investigations. The first cases came to light after the funeral of a health care worker.
One death has also been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There was the last outbreak last year under control declared.
Better prepared
Health authorities in both countries want vaccinations to prevent the deadly disease from spreading on a large scale and claiming thousands of lives again. The largest outbreak, between 2013 and 2016, killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa.
“We probably won’t get another situation like that,” said WHO regional director Matshidiso Moeti. She added that countries are now better prepared and have more resources. For example, no vaccine was available in the previous outbreak.
The Red Cross has hundreds of rescuers sent to Guinea to prevent further spread. This is done, among other things, by providing information about safe funerals, because Ebola is most contagious when a patient has died.
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