The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned African countries to beware of potential cases of Ebola after new outbreaks in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo, a spokesman said on Tuesday 16th.
Guinea declared a new Ebola outbreak on Sunday 14th, the country’s first resurgence since the 2013-2016 outbreak, while the Democratic Republic of Congo reported new cases of the virus on February 7th.
Health officials in the N’Zerekore district in southeastern Guinea said seven people who attended a nurse’s funeral had tested positive for the disease and had symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding.
Three of them died after the funeral on February 1st. It is not clear whether the nurse, who worked at a local health center, died of Ebola.
“We have already warned countries around Guinea, including, of course, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and they are acting very quickly in preparing and watching for any potential infection,” said WHO’s Margaret Harris.
Harris added that health officials have identified almost 300 cases of Ebola in Congo and 109 in Guinea.
COMMENTS