Published 20:02 IST, February 18th 2021
'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.
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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.
🇬🇳: "We expect to have more than 100 national & international experts on the ground by the end of the month. 30 vaccination experts have already been mobilized locally are ready to deploy as soon as the #Ebola vaccines arrive in the country." - Dr @MoetiTshidi
— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) February 18, 2021
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.
🇨🇩: "The vaccination of people at high risk was officially launched in Butembo on Monday... The quick roll-out of vaccines is a testament to the enormous local capacity built in the previous outbreaks by @WHO & partners." - Dr @MoetiTshidi
— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) February 18, 2021
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.
#Guinea has many years of experience battling #Ebola, with skilled incident managers and vaccinators who trained #DRC colleagues. Government is taking action. One of the first steps will be ensuring community understands the risks and will join in response. Their role is crucial. https://t.co/ObbcsLGT8b
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 14, 2021
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.
(Image Credits: UNICEF/AP)
20:05 IST, February 18th 2021