The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday said it will send more than 11,000 Ebola vaccines to the West African nation of Guinea in the coming days after the country declared an Ebola outbreak last week, reported Africa News.
Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s regional director for Africa, told reporters that in addition to 11,000 jabs that are expected to land from Geneva, a further 8,600 will be shipped from the United States.
The vaccination campaign is likely to start as early as Monday.
“Thirty vaccination experts have already been mobilized locally and are ready to deploy as soon as Ebola vaccines arrive in the country,” Moeti said.
Earlier this week, the WHO called on six African countries to be on high alert for Ebola infections after both Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo recorded cases in recent weeks.
“The sub-region is on high alert and surveillance in neighboring countries is ongoing,” the WHO official said. “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.”
Guinea declared an Ebola epidemic on February 14 after seven people fell ill with diarrhea, vomiting, and bleeding after attending a burial in Goueke, near the Liberian border. So far five people have died from the disease.
Moeti said several health authorities and international organizations are taking immediate steps to assist Guinea to avoid a further spread of the disease, with more than 100 experts expected to be on the ground by the end of the month.
Health officials hope to curb the spread of Ebola in West Africa, which experienced the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history from 2014 to 2016 that killed more than 11,300 people, mostly in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
