IPNews-Monrovia: The President of the Republic, Dr. George Manneh Weah has mandated the Liberian health authorities and related stakeholders in the sector to heighten the country’s epi- surveillance and preventative activities in the wake of reports of the emergence of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease in neighboring Guinea.

Guinean Health Minister told some local and international news outlets on Saturday, February 13, 2021 that about four people have died of the virulent disease in the Guinean town of Gouècke which is in proximity of Liberia’s northeastern border.

However, no case of the disease has so far been detected in the country.

The President’s instruction is intended to ensure Liberia acts proactively to avoid any epidemic situation, the kind Liberia witnessed in 2014.

President Weah also mandates the health authorities to immediately engage communities in towns and villages bordering Guinea and increase anti-ebola measures.

While the health authorities are urged to increase their alert level, the general public is assured that there is no case of Ebola in Liberia and that the government is undertaking all measures to ensure that the public remains safe from the deadly virus.
The public is asked to remain calm. The government will issue updates on the situation regularly.

As of last evening, at least four persons are feared dead of Ebola in the provisional city of Goueke, 45 km from N’Zérékore, Republic of Guinea, in the first resurgence of the disease within five years, the health minister has stated.

Remy Lamah, Guinea’s Health Minister said officials were “really concerned” about the deaths, the first since a 2013-16 epidemic – which began in Guinea – left 11,300 dead across the region.

One of the latest victims in Guinea was a nurse who fell ill in late January and was buried on 1 February, National Health Security Agency head Sakoba Keita told local media. “Among those who took part in the burial, eight people showed symptoms: diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding,” he said. “Three of them died and four others are in hospital.”

The four deaths from Ebola hemorrhagic fever occurred in the south-east region of Nzerekore, he said.

Keita also told local media that one patient had “escaped” but had been found and hospitalised in the capital Conakry. He confirmed the comments without giving further detail.

The World Health Organization has eyed each new outbreak since 2016 with great concern, treating the most recent one in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as an international health emergency.

DRC has faced several outbreaks of the illness, with the WHO on Thursday confirming a resurgence three months after authorities declared the end of the country’s latest outbreak.

The country had declared the six-month epidemic over in November. It was the country’s 11th Ebola outbreak, claiming 55 lives out of 130 cases.

The widespread use of vaccinations, which were administered to more than 40,000 people, helped curb the disease.

The 2013-16 outbreak sped up the development of a vaccine against Ebola, with a global emergency stockpile of 500,000 doses planned to respond quickly to future outbreaks, the vaccine alliance Gavi said in January.

Detail on the suspicious cases of ebola in Guinea:

Information on suspected cases of Ebola reported in N’zerekore prefecture.

Following a burial, 8 cases of diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding have been reported including 3 deaths in the sub-prefecture of Goueke, 45 km from N’Zérékore.

Samples were taken and sent to the laboratories in Gueckedou and Conakry (hemorrhagic fever).

4 patients are currently isolated at CTEPI in N’ZEREKORE since February 11th, and one in Conakry on February 12th.

The laboratory in Gueckedou has provided a first result revealing the presence of the EBOLA virus.

A second confirmation is in progress at the Conakry haemorrhagic fever laboratory.

Information on the history of cases:

A nurse from the health centre in Goueké fell ill. She was consulted by the head of the centre and referred to the N’Zerekoré centre, where she died between 27 and 28 January 2021.

She died between 27 and 28 January 2021. Her funeral took place on 1 February in Goueké.

It is among the people who took part in this burial that the 08 cases were counted.

Measures taken:

Isolation of all suspected cases at the CTEPI in N’Zerekore and Conakry.

Investigation of the cases to clarify the data, identify other suspicious cases, and identify and isolate all contacts.

A fact-finding mission left for Goueke on 13 February.

Initiate procurement of Ebola vaccines from the WHO and CDC with a view to eventually carrying out belt vaccination in the affected areas.

A statement will be made upon reconfirmation.

It may be recalled, between 2014–2016, outbreaks within West Africa was the largest and most complex, including the Ebola outbreak following the discover since 1976. There were more cases and deaths in this outbreak than all others combined. … A person infected with Ebola cannot spread the disease until they develop symptoms.