Guinea on Alert as New Ebola Outbreak Emerges

Guinea’s health authorities have declared a new outbreak of Ebola in the rural community of Gouéké, located in N’Zerekore prefecture, after three confirmed cases were identified by the national laboratory. This marks the first resurgence of the disease in Guinea since 2016, when the country was declared Ebola-free following the devastating West Africa outbreak.

Initial investigations revealed that a local nurse died on 28 January 2021. After her burial, six people who attended the funeral began showing Ebola-like symptoms; two have since died, and four remain hospitalized.

Guinea was one of the three countries most affected during the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, the largest since the virus was first identified in 1976.

“It is deeply concerning to see Ebola re-emerge in Guinea, a country that has already endured so much,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “However, the expertise gained during the previous outbreak means Guinea’s health teams are well-prepared to trace the virus and contain its spread. WHO is helping authorities establish testing, contact-tracing, and treatment systems to accelerate the response.”

Since the last outbreak, Guinea has significantly strengthened its capacity to fight Ebola. The country’s health professionals even assisted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during recent outbreaks, providing vaccination and training support.

WHO personnel are already on the ground to reinforce surveillance, improve infection prevention in health facilities, and engage local communities in response efforts. The organization is also supporting the procurement of Ebola vaccines, which have proven crucial in controlling outbreaks in the DRC.

Samples from the confirmed cases have been sent to the Institut Pasteur in Senegal for genome sequencing to determine the virus strain.

Given that the current outbreak’s epicenter lies near Guinea’s borders, WHO is collaborating with Liberia and Sierra Leone to intensify surveillance and testing in border regions, while also alerting Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal, and other neighboring countries to strengthen preparedness.

During the 2014–2016 epidemic, Ebola infected over 28,000 people and caused 11,000 deaths, beginning in Guinea before spreading to Liberia and Sierra Leone.