Guinea, (Nzérékoré), 18 March 2016 - Two cases of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) out of four suspected cases admitted at the Nzérékoré Ebola Treatment Centre have just been confirmed. All the cases are from the same family in Koropara Sous-préfecture in the south of Guinea.
Alert and response

The investigation was launched following an alert of three successive community deaths within the same family (in less than 20 days) and was led by the Head of Koropara Health Centre. A mission led by the Governor of Nzérékoré visited Koropara Sous-préfecture to raise community awareness. The WHO surveillance team and the prefectoral Directorate of health visited the area to conduct an investigation on the basis of a strong suspicion of EVD. 

A joint country-level mission (the National Ebola Control Coordination Unit, WHO, CDC, UNICEF, ICRC, CRG) is presently in the area to lend its support to the local team.

However, it should be noted that a certain degree of misgiving is perceptible within the Koropara community and its vicinity. WHO has moved quickly to strengthen its team of Communicators, social/community engagement mobilisers and socio-anthropologists on the ground.

Emergency measures envisaged

For now, a number of emergency measures are envisaged, notably, revitalizing the prefectoral Ebola response coordination team, organizing public awareness campaigns in Koropara and Nzérékoré Préfecture, carrying on the investigation, organizing a micro “cerclage” in addition to the Infection Prevention and Control ring, conducting an active case search over a radius of 5 km, and lastly, organizing the vaccination of all contacts and contacts of contacts.

A previous Ebola outbreak source

Koropara Sous-préfecture has previously been a source of the Ebola Virus Disease epidemic and has ten (10) survivors to date, including two (2) breastfeeding women who are wives of survivors of the disease. The Sous-préfecture has a population of about 8,200 inhabitants. Koropara is one of the 10 sous-préfectures of Nzérékoré and is located 950 km from Conakry the capital.

The announcement of the two confirmed Ebola cases is coming at a time when the country finds itself in phase 3 of the Ebola outbreak control and within the 90 days of reinforced surveillance that would have ended on 31 March 2016. It was on 29 December 2015 that WHO declared the end of human-to-human transmission of the Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea.

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For additional information, please contact:

Dr Abou Beckr Gaye
WHO Representative in Guinea
Cel: + 224 622 72 68 84; E-mail:gayea [at] who.int
              
Dr Mamoudou Harouna Djingarey
Deputy WHO Representative in Guinea
In charge of Ebola Control
Cel. +224 624 827 386; E-mail:djingareyh [at] who.int

M. Konaté Issiaga
National Administrator in charge of Health Promotion, 
WHO Office Guinea, Tel: 00224 62 59 70 42; E-mail:  konatei [at] who.int