CONAKRY: An Ebola epidemic which has already killed dozens of people in Guinea’s southern forests has spread to the capital Conakry, the United Nations Children’s Fund said yesterday.
“At least 59 out of 80 who contracted Ebola across the West African country have died so far. Over the past few days, the deadly haemorrhagic fever has quickly spread from the communities of Macenta, Gueckedou, and Kissidougou to the capital, Conakry,” Unicef said in a statement.
Conakry, a vast, sprawling port city on Guinea’s Atlantic coast, is estimated to have a population of between 1.5 and two million.
To date, no treatment or vaccine is available for Ebola, which kills between 25 and 90 percent of those who fall sick, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the World Health Organisation.
The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, faeces or sweat, or by sexual contact or unprotected handling of contaminated corpses. Unicef said at least three victims of the outbreak, which began on February 9, were children.
“This outbreak is particularly devastating because medical staff are among the first victims, so far it has killed at least eight health workers who have been in contact with infected patients, hindering the response and threatening normal care in a country already lacking in medical personnel,” Unicef said.
The organisation said it had rushed five tonnes of aid, including medical supplies, to the most affected areas in Guinea’s south.
“In Guinea, a country with a weak medical infrastructure, an outbreak like this can be devastating,” said the organisation’s Guinea representative, Mohamed Ag Ayoya. “Unicef has pre-positioned supplies and stepped up communication on the ground to inform and sensitise medical staff and the population on how to avoid contracting Ebola.”
AFP
