'Quick action is crucial': WHO to send over 11,000 Ebola vaccine doses to Guinea

The World Health Organization said that it will be sending more than 11,000 Ebola vaccinations to the West African nation of Guinea in upcoming days. This comes after the head of Guinea’s health agency on February 14 announced that the country is declaring an Ebola “epidemic” with seven cases confirmed in the West African country nation. On Thursday, February 18, WHO regional director for Africa Dr. Matshidiso Moeti said  that 11,000 Ebola vaccines are being prepared in Geneva and are expected to arrive in Guinea over the weekend. Also,  8,600 doses will be shipped from the United States.

Moeti said, “Thirty vaccination experts have already been mobilized locally and are ready to deploy as soon as Ebola vaccines arrive in the country”. She added, “The sub-region is on high alert and surveillance in neighboring countries is ongoing. Our collective, quick action is crucial to avert an uncontrolled spread of Ebola amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has already pushed health workers and health facilities to the edge”.

Ebola outbreak in South Africa 

The WHO has warned six African countries to be on high alert for Ebola infections. The United Nations also announced that it is releasing $15 million from its emergency relief fund to help Guinea and Congo. On February 7, Congo announced four cases of Ebola in the eastern part of the country. This is the first outbreak since the year 2020. Also, over 8,000 Ebola vaccine doses are available in Congo and a vaccination campaign began in Butembo on Monday.

Read: Guinea Declares Ebola Epidemic After At Least Four Deaths And Seven Cases

WHO African Region also tweeted about the Ebola outbreak. The WHO said that the staff is already on the ground supporting surveillance, infection prevention, and community engagement. The UN agency also said that it is supporting Guinea to procure the Ebola vaccine which has proven instrumental in controlling outbreaks in the DRC. Moreover, WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also tweeted that the organisation has activated all levels to coordinate support, including access to the Ebola vaccine. 

Read: Guinea: 3 Dead, 5 Hospitalised As Ebola Virus Resurges, Experts Concerned

The Ebola virus was first identified in the 1970s in the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. The latest outbreak occurred between 2013 and 2016, which was declared an epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). The outbreak primarily affected Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, which posted a combined death toll of 11,308. The disease was also detected in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and the United States, where at least 1 person died.  

Read: WHO: 13 Mideast Nations Have All 3 Coronavirus Variants Cases; Situation ‘critical’

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(Image Credits: UNICEF/AP)