Monrovia – Health authorities in Liberia are calling for calm amid reports of a suspected case of the deadly Ebola virus originating from Guinea next door.
An official from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare confirmed to FrontPageAfrica early Thursday that tests are currently being conducted on a suspected case of the killer virus. The result, according to the source, was ready at the end of the workday Thursday.
The patient, a woman, apparently came from Guinea on Wednesday night and is currently in Redemption Hospital waiting for laboratory work.
The potential patient with an index case was reportedly returned from Nzerkoure, one of the problems in Guinea a few days ago with high fever and stomach, and was in a local clinic in the FDA community in Paynesville for about three days treating medicine before going to MEDICOVER Clinic. .
According to the official, the patient spoke anonymously because they did not give the green light to publicly comment on the case, saying the patient is being treated at the MEDICOVER clinic, Soul Clinic branch, and is currently in isolation. The clinic is also being monitored and awaiting the outcome of Redemption Hospital.
Authorities confirmed that the family members of the patient who accompanied her to the clinic were being held in solitary confinement.
The potential patient with an index case was reportedly returned from Nzerkoure, one of the problems in Guinea a few days ago with high fever and stomach, and was in a local clinic in the FDA community in Paynesville for about three days treating medicine before going to MEDICOVER Clinic. .
Dr. Wilhemina Jallah, Minister of Health and Social Welfare, was reportedly briefed on the matter and is said to be making efforts to bring the situation under control.
The report on the alleged case comes amid growing calls on the George Weah-led government to close the border with Guinea and Sierra Leone, which have reported positive cases of the deadly virus over the past few days.
Liberia’s next by Guinea, on 14 February 2021, notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of a group of cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the sub-prefecture of Gouécké, Nzérékoré region, Guinea between 18 January and 13 February 2021 The cases show symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding after the funeral of another family member (a 51-year-old nurse) on 1 February 2021.
The index case of the group was a nurse who originally appeared on January 18, 2021 in a health center in Gouécké with headaches, physical weakness, nausea, vomiting, appetite, abdominal pain and fever. Typhus was diagnosed in her. On January 23, 2021, she sought a second consultation at a health institution in Nzérékoré for fever, vomiting, liquid stools, and physical weakness, and she was diagnosed with malaria. On January 24, she consulted a traditional practitioner in Nzérékoré, and she passed away on January 28, 2021. She was buried unsafe on February 1 in Gouécké. The other six cases are the five family members and the traditional practitioner she visited.
Guinea’s Nzérékoré region shares borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia, where EVD outbreaks have occurred in the past.
Despite some movement restrictions over official border crossings due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a significant part of the cross-border movement is still occurring and carries a risk of EVD spread. It is therefore essential that neighboring countries assess their preparatory capacity and apply preparedness / response measures.
Among the seven cases in Guinea, five were killed (4 probable and 1 confirmed). The other two confirmed cases are currently in isolation in dedicated health care facilities in Conakry and Gouécké, Nzérékoré region.
As of February 15, Guinea has identified one hundred and ninety-two (192) contacts, including 164 contacts in the N’Zérékoré district and 28 in the Ratoma health district, Conakry. To date, it has been reported that no contacts have traveled in neighboring countries. However, Nzérékoré is the second largest city in Guinea and lies at the intersection of roads from Ganta (in Liberia), Danané (Ivory Coast), and roads to other major hubs in Guinea such as Kankan and Macenta (Guinea). Therefore, there are concerns about the export of EVD business to neighboring countries.
The next door, Sierra Leone, also reported a suspected case of the virus, but the result is negative.
A statement from the Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone reported on Wednesday that the case, a man, is currently in the Battalion Clinic. The patient was admitted with fever, anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea, but has no history of traveling outside of Sierra Leone. However, the patient travels to Freetown on 2 January 2021 and stays on 9 February where he attended a friend’s 40th birthday.
Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone have all activated the health emergency system to Level II (Enhanced Surveillance, Active Research and Robust Community Involvement).
Ebola is a serious, often fatal disease in humans. The virus is thought to be transmitted to humans from wild animals and spread in the human population through human-to-human transmission. It can be transmitted through human contact with body fluids of a person infected with the virus.
Major symptoms of the disease may include: fever, sometimes unexplained tendencies to bleed from nose, gums, vagina, skin or eyes, as well as vomiting and diarrhea.
The World Health Organization, which considers the risk of spread in the country to be very high, given the unknown size, duration and origin of the outbreak; potentially large number of contacts; potential spread to other parts of Guinea and neighboring countries; limited reactivity currently on the ground; and unknown virus strain. In addition, there are ongoing challenges to the public health system due to the COVID-19 epidemic, and recent yellow fever and outbreaks of measles.
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