Guinea confirms new Ebola cases

Name: WORLD
Price range: $

Guinea declared an Ebola epidemic Sunday after health officials recorded seven cases, including three deaths. The Health Ministry said all seven infected people had attended a nurse’s funeral on Feb. 1 in the town of Goueke and started to experience Ebola symptoms, including vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. It marks the first time the West African nation has seen any new infections since the deadliest Ebola outbreak ended in 2016.

How have authorities responded? The government isolated suspected cases and started contact tracing. Alfred George Ki-Zerbo, the World Health Organization country representative, said the agency is working to get vaccine doses as quickly as possible. The last epidemic that began in 2013 killed more than 11,300 people across the region. In a separate case last week, the Democratic Republic of Congo reported new infections just three months after authorities declared an end to the country’s latest outbreak.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archive, read my World Tour report on the outbreak in Congo.

Onize Oduah

Onize is WORLD’s Africa reporter and deputy global desk chief. She is a World Journalism Institute graduate and earned a journalism degree from Minnesota State University–Moorhead. Onize resides in Abuja, Nigeria.

@onize_ohiks