Guinea, the country in West Africa, announced on Sunday that the Ebola virus had become an epidemic following the deaths of three people and hospitalizations of four others, according to a report.
Reuters reported that the country’s health system does not have the challenging task of responding to outbreaks of COVID-19 and Ebola. The report pointed out that although Ebola is much more deadly than the coronavirus, it is not transmitted by asymptomatic hosts.
The latest outbreak eventually killed about 11,300. The country of 12 million, which is one of the poorest in the world, is setting up treatment centers to deal with the potential for an increase in patients. The outbreak occurred in the southeastern region of the country. Health officials there believe the outbreak began during a funeral.
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Sakoba Keita, head of the National Health Security Agency, told the Washington Post officials are trying to work quickly to locate those who may have been in contact with an infected individual.
According to the newspaper, the country is also fighting outbreaks of yellow fever and measles. Keita told the Post: “We are facing four epidemics at once.”
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Last month, the World Health Organization said it was creating a worldwide emergency supply of about 500,000 doses of the Ebola vaccine to help ward off future outbreaks, but only 7,000 were available at the time of the statement. The Ebola vaccine that is stored is made by Merck.
“There are tools and systems that can be quickly mobilized to address these issues. The key is speed, to ensure that suitable people and materials are where they need to be,” said Donald Brooks, CEO of Initiative: Eau, An American aid group focused on water and sanitation, which worked on the establishment of public health emergency systems in West Africa.
Associated Press contributed to this report