Guinea Alert: Ministry of Health declares Ebola outbreak in Goueke, Nzerekore Region in statement on February 14

Feb 2021

18:15 UTC

Please be advised:

According to a Ministry of Health statement published on February 14, three samples sent to laboratories in Gueckedou and Conakry have tested positive for Ebola. The statement indicates that seven people had shown symptoms of Ebola after attending the February 1 funeral of a nurse who died on January 28 in Goueke subprefecture of Nzerekore Region. The symptoms reportedly included diarrhea, vomiting, and bleeding.
The statement also claims that four of the suspected cases have been isolated at Nzerekore’s Centre for the Treatment of Potentially Infectious Epidemics (CTEPI) since February 11, and one has been isolated in Conakry CTEPI since February 12. Reports from February 14 citing state officials indicate that four of the patients have died.
The Ministry of Health announced that it will investigate suspected cases and take measures to identify additional cases as well as to isolate those who have been in contact with Ebola patients. The statement also claimed that steps are being taken to procure Ebola vaccines with a view to possibly establishing a vaccination belt in the affected areas.
Reports indicate that neighboring Liberia has raised its surveillance levels in response to the new Ebola deaths in Guinea. Reports also state that no Ebola case has been reported in Liberia at the time of writing.
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the organization is already ramping up its readiness to respond to the possible reemergence of Ebola in Guinea.

Assessments & Forecast:

This development is highly notable as it is the first reported outbreak of Ebola in West Africa since the last Ebola epidemic that was primarily in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone ended in June 2016. This is distinct from the recent outbreak in DRC, where the issue is more prevalent due to more frequent localized outbreaks. It is also notable that the cases were recorded in the very same area in southeastern Guinea where the virus first emerged in December 2013, indicating that the virus is naturally present in the region. The fact that these cases were only detected seemingly after several people have died of Ebola nearly two weeks ago suggests potential failures on the part of health monitors. This includes the surveillance efforts that are meant to be ongoing in West Africa to study animal reservoirs to anticipate possible outbreaks, as well as early warning systems if Ebola symptoms are detected.
Nonetheless, as Guinea dealt with the years-long Ebola epidemic between 2013-2016, it likely maintains much of the knowledge and procedural capacity to respond to this current outbreak. In addition, the fact that four Ebola patients were hospitalized at the Nzerekore CTEPI demonstrates the existence of some of the necessary infrastructure to treat the disease. However, due to nearly five years of the virus being absent, Guinea is likely to lack sufficient logistical preparedness that may affect its response.
This lack of preparedness could hinder their use of measures such as contact tracing and vaccination campaigns. Specifically, the announcement by the health ministry that it launched efforts to procure vaccinations suggests that such vaccines are not immediately available in the country. This is in addition to other expected logistical challenges in transferring health personnel, equipment, medicine, and vaccines to Goueke due to its remote location. The ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, including the closure of borders, may also hinder the efforts to mobilize medical personnel and equipment to Guinea. Despite this, with the WHO already responding to this outbreak, international experience and expertise will likely contribute significantly to the efforts to avert the spread of the disease. It is also possible that the authorities’ recent experience in contact tracing within the framework of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic will be used for Ebola patients.
The fact that Goueke is relatively remote with a low population density is significant, and may assist the authorities in their attempts to contain the latest outbreak. At the same, this may also create difficulties in mobilizing contact tracers and locating all relevant individuals who could have been connected to the patients. In this context, the fact that a patient is being treated in Conakry suggests that the individual may have traveled there after the funeral on February 1. This raises the possibility that the disease has already spread further than Goueke, including to the capital, where the dense living conditions may facilitate a more significant outbreak. This possibility is especially heightened by the fact that the patients were not isolated until February 11 despite having attended the funeral on February 1.
The location of Goueke in close proximity to the borders of both Sierra Leone and Liberia is also highly significant. While land borders have been officially closed due to COVID-19, the porous nature of borders in this region raises the possibility that attendees of the funeral or those in contact with them could have crossed into Liberia, Ivory Coast or Sierra Leone and creates the potential for cases to emerge over the border in the coming days. To that end, with Liberia already announcing enhanced monitoring measures, Guinea’s neighbors are likely to take concrete measures to limit the passage of individuals at the Guinean borders and to deploy medical teams to border regions in order to prepare in advance for a possible outbreak.

Recommendations:

Those operating or residing in Guinea on February 14 and over the coming weeks are advised to avoid nonessential travel to Nzerekore Region due to the Ebola outbreak.
Those remaining in Nzerekore are advised to practice stringent hygiene precautions and avoid all physical contact with those who have possible symptoms of an infection, which include high fever, muscle pain, and unexplained bleeding. Continue to monitor your health for 21 days after departing an area affected by Ebola due to its incubation period and contact medical professionals immediately if infection is suspected.

Medium

Goueke, Nzerekore Region, Guinea

High

Confirmed

Please be advised:

According to a Ministry of Health statement published on February 14, three samples sent to laboratories in Gueckedou and Conakry have tested positive for Ebola. The statement indicates that seven people had shown symptoms of Ebola after attending the February 1 funeral of a nurse who died on January 28 in Goueke subprefecture of Nzerekore Region. The symptoms reportedly included diarrhea, vomiting, and bleeding.
The statement also claims that four of the suspected cases have been isolated at Nzerekore’s Centre for the Treatment of Potentially Infectious Epidemics (CTEPI) since February 11, and one has been isolated in Conakry CTEPI since February 12. Reports from February 14 citing state officials indicate that four of the patients have died.
The Ministry of Health announced that it will investigate suspected cases and take measures to identify additional cases as well as to isolate those who have been in contact with Ebola patients. The statement also claimed that steps are being taken to procure Ebola vaccines with a view to possibly establishing a vaccination belt in the affected areas.
Reports indicate that neighboring Liberia has raised its surveillance levels in response to the new Ebola deaths in Guinea. Reports also state that no Ebola case has been reported in Liberia at the time of writing.
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that the organization is already ramping up its readiness to respond to the possible reemergence of Ebola in Guinea.

Assessments & Forecast:

This development is highly notable as it is the first reported outbreak of Ebola in West Africa since the last Ebola epidemic that was primarily in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone ended in June 2016. This is distinct from the recent outbreak in DRC, where the issue is more prevalent due to more frequent localized outbreaks. It is also notable that the cases were recorded in the very same area in southeastern Guinea where the virus first emerged in December 2013, indicating that the virus is naturally present in the region. The fact that these cases were only detected seemingly after several people have died of Ebola nearly two weeks ago suggests potential failures on the part of health monitors. This includes the surveillance efforts that are meant to be ongoing in West Africa to study animal reservoirs to anticipate possible outbreaks, as well as early warning systems if Ebola symptoms are detected.
Nonetheless, as Guinea dealt with the years-long Ebola epidemic between 2013-2016, it likely maintains much of the knowledge and procedural capacity to respond to this current outbreak. In addition, the fact that four Ebola patients were hospitalized at the Nzerekore CTEPI demonstrates the existence of some of the necessary infrastructure to treat the disease. However, due to nearly five years of the virus being absent, Guinea is likely to lack sufficient logistical preparedness that may affect its response.
This lack of preparedness could hinder their use of measures such as contact tracing and vaccination campaigns. Specifically, the announcement by the health ministry that it launched efforts to procure vaccinations suggests that such vaccines are not immediately available in the country. This is in addition to other expected logistical challenges in transferring health personnel, equipment, medicine, and vaccines to Goueke due to its remote location. The ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, including the closure of borders, may also hinder the efforts to mobilize medical personnel and equipment to Guinea. Despite this, with the WHO already responding to this outbreak, international experience and expertise will likely contribute significantly to the efforts to avert the spread of the disease. It is also possible that the authorities’ recent experience in contact tracing within the framework of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic will be used for Ebola patients.
The fact that Goueke is relatively remote with a low population density is significant, and may assist the authorities in their attempts to contain the latest outbreak. At the same, this may also create difficulties in mobilizing contact tracers and locating all relevant individuals who could have been connected to the patients. In this context, the fact that a patient is being treated in Conakry suggests that the individual may have traveled there after the funeral on February 1. This raises the possibility that the disease has already spread further than Goueke, including to the capital, where the dense living conditions may facilitate a more significant outbreak. This possibility is especially heightened by the fact that the patients were not isolated until February 11 despite having attended the funeral on February 1.
The location of Goueke in close proximity to the borders of both Sierra Leone and Liberia is also highly significant. While land borders have been officially closed due to COVID-19, the porous nature of borders in this region raises the possibility that attendees of the funeral or those in contact with them could have crossed into Liberia, Ivory Coast or Sierra Leone and creates the potential for cases to emerge over the border in the coming days. To that end, with Liberia already announcing enhanced monitoring measures, Guinea’s neighbors are likely to take concrete measures to limit the passage of individuals at the Guinean borders and to deploy medical teams to border regions in order to prepare in advance for a possible outbreak.

Recommendations:

Those operating or residing in Guinea on February 14 and over the coming weeks are advised to avoid nonessential travel to Nzerekore Region due to the Ebola outbreak.
Those remaining in Nzerekore are advised to practice stringent hygiene precautions and avoid all physical contact with those who have possible symptoms of an infection, which include high fever, muscle pain, and unexplained bleeding. Continue to monitor your health for 21 days after departing an area affected by Ebola due to its incubation period and contact medical professionals immediately if infection is suspected.

Medium

Goueke, Nzerekore Region, Guinea

High

Confirmed

Guinea Alert: Ministry of Health declares Ebola outbreak in Goueke, Nzerekore Region in statement on February 14

Please be advised:

Assessments & Forecast:

Recommendations:

Please be advised:

Assessments & Forecast:

Recommendations:

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