New cases of the Ebola virus are now suspected in Guinea, a West African nation, according to the World Health Organization.
“WHO has been informed of two suspected cases of Ebola in Guinea-Conakry, ”said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday night. “Confirmation test in progress. OMSAFRO and the WHO country office supporting preparedness and response efforts. “
The latest Reuters report, citing Guinean health officials, estimated the death toll in three people out of eight cases, noting that these are the first cases of Ebola in Guinea since the world’s worst outbreak in 2013-2016.
Local reports also estimate the death toll at three, with a small group of cases emerging in the southern Gouécké community. Gouécké and the center of Nzérékoré are not far from the borders with Liberia and the Ivory Coast.
Health Minister Rémy Lamah said at least one patient was taken to Conakry for treatment instead of being kept in isolation, a cause for concern while authorities await a second set of results to confirm Ebola infections.
Lamah promised a more comprehensive statement when tests, which are underway, are available.
Guinea’s first reports come at a time when officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo have announced a third case of a resurgence of an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the volatile east of the country.
The World Health Organization said this case was confirmed in Katwa, a few kilometers east of Butembo and the first new case reported there last week. These new cases have emerged since the Congolese authorities declared the end of Ebola in June, after an outbreak that claimed 2,300 lives, many in Katwa and Butembo.
Image: World Health Organization archive