The World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday said he expected the Guinea government to announce the end of its Ebola outbreak on Saturday, reported Reuters.
Ghebreyesus lauded the health workers in Guinea who helped to contain the outbreak at very high personal risk. He also thanked all international partners who provided financial and technical support.
The WHO chief said Guinea managed to contain the outbreak in just four months, and prevent it from spreading beyond its borders with the combination of community engagement, effective public health measures and the equitable use of vaccines.
Notably, Guinea was among the three countries that were affected by the devastating West African Ebola outbreak in 2014 and 2015. Nearly 11,000 people were vaccinated against Ebola.
Ghebreyesus said although the Ebola outbreak is over, the Guinean health authorities must continue to support survivors and monitor their health, without creating stigma. He said the WHO teams are finalizing a 90-day post-epidemic resilience plan to support local health authorities, health workers, and communities.
On Thursday, Guinea’s Health Minister Remy Lamah said the Ebola epidemic will be declared over on Saturday, hailing the rapid response to the second outbreak of the disease in the country.
“The availability of epidemic treatment centers built across the country has allowed us to quickly treat suspected and confirmed patients,” the minister said.
Guinea, a poor West African nation of 13 million people, announced an Ebola outbreak on February 14. It was the second such outbreak in the country since the devastating 2013-2016 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, which left 11,300 dead in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
The WHO and Guinea’s government launched a vaccination campaign just nine days after the declaration of an epidemic. Five people lost their lives due to the Ebola virus in the country this year.
