(ANSA) - ROME, MARCH 05 - The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the risk of an Ebola epidemic spreading in the countries bordering on Guinea is "very high" and claims that some of these are not prepared for the necessary campaigns vaccination.
WHO representative in Guinea Georges Alfred Ki-Zerbo, quoted by AlJazeera, said today during a virtual conference that 18 cases of Ebola have been detected to date, four of which have died from the virus.
In Guinea 1,604 people have been vaccinated against Ebola, on its first reappearance from the 2013-2016 epidemic that spread to several other West African nations, causing over 11,300 deaths.
WHO added that an assessment made in Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia showed gaps in their response to the virus.
"There are six countries bordering Guinea and we have conducted an assessment of their readiness. Two countries are not ready, one is at the limit and there are three countries more or less ready," the WHO regional director for emergencies said in a videoconference from Conakry. , Abdou Salam Gueye, adding that none of the neighboring nations are fully ready to start an Ebola vaccination campaign if necessary, and that in any case there are not enough vaccine dosages to start a prevention campaign, although these countries have agreed on cooperation and cross-border coordination to control the epidemic.
"We are dealing with rather fragile health systems," said Michel Yao, WHO director of strategic health operations, in relation to the double challenge of Ebola and Covid-19.
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