Global Health warns of the spread of Ebola from Guinea to neighboring countries

Geneva - Sana

The World Health Organization warned today that the risk of the Ebola virus spreading from Guinea to its neighboring countries is "very great" at a time when these countries suffer from shortcomings in their ability to cope with outbreaks or organize vaccination campaigns in the future.

Reuters quoted the representative of the Health Organization in Guinea, George Alfred Key Zerbo, as saying in an online statement that 18 cases of the virus were detected in Guinea, four of whom have died so far in the new outbreak of the epidemic in the country.

In turn, Abdel Salam Jouey, Director of Emergencies at the organization, said, "There are six countries neighboring Guinea, namely Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia, and we have made an assessment of the degree of readiness, two of which are unprepared, one in a swing state, and three countries are somewhat prepared while all of these countries are unable to." Starting a vaccination campaign if necessary, as there are not sufficient doses of vaccines in any case to start preventive vaccination.

The new outbreak of the Ebola virus in Guinea is the first return of the virus there since the outbreak between 2013 and 2016, which was the worst in the world, when the virus spread to several other countries in West Africa and killed thousands.

Ebola causes severe vomiting and diarrhea, and the virus is transmitted through contact with body fluids.