Five years after the end of the previous epidemic, Ebola hemorrhagic fever is making a comeback in Guinea.

The boss of the local health agency, Sakoba Keïta, confirmed his resurgence on Sunday February 14 with the appearance in the south-east of the country of seven cases, including three fatal.

Saturday evening, the Minister of Health, Rémy Lamah, had mentioned a death toll of four.

Health officials did not immediately specify why this death toll had been reduced to three.

This is the first reported resurgence of the disease in West Africa, where the worst outbreak in history of the virus started, which killed more than 11,300 between 2013 and 2016.

"# Guinea is in a situation of #Ebola epidemic" declares Dr Sakoba Keïta, director of @ anss_guinee #Kibaro

- Carol Valade (@CarolValade) February 14, 2021

After an emergency meeting in Conakry, Dr Keïta, who heads the National Health Security Agency (ANSS), explained to the press that a person had died at the end of January in Gouecké, in the region of Forest Guinea, close to the border with Liberia.

"His funeral took place in Gouecké on February 1 and some people who took part in this funeral began to have symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, bleeding and fever a few days later," said the head of the health agency.

The first samples tested by a laboratory set up by the European Union in Guéckédou, in the region, revealed the presence of the Ebola virus in some of them on Friday, he said. 

"Very early this morning, the Conakry laboratory confirmed the presence of the Ebola virus", added Dr Keïta.

"In total, there were seven cases, including three deaths," he said.

WHO to the rescue

"This situation puts Guinea in a situation of an Ebola epidemic," said the doctor.

In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) will rapidly deploy resources, including doses of vaccines, to help Guinea cope with the resurgence of the epidemic, its representative in Conakry said.

"We will quickly deploy the necessary capacities to support Guinea, which already has a great experience," Professor Alfred George Ki-Zerbo told reporters after a meeting with the health authorities of this country of where the worst Ebola epidemic started in 2013.

With AFP

The summary of the week

France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 application

google-play-badge_FR