After three Ebola cases were confirmed in Guinea, local health authorities declared an outbreak in the rural area of Gouéké in N’Zerekore on January 14.
In response to the newly reported cases, Doctors Without Borders (MSF, for its French acronym) announced it is putting together a mission to address the outbreak in Guinea.
“We know from past experience that the speed of the response is important, both in order to contain transmission and to provide treatment for people who have caught the disease,” said Frederik van der Schrieck, MSF’s head of mission in Guinea. “We also know that community engagement is vital.”
“We will try to get the right balance between responding quickly and taking steps to make sure the community is a willing and active participant in both prevention and response,” Van der Schrieck added. “Alongside treatment for Ebola, contact tracing and other community-based activities will be absolutely vital.”
This marks the first time Ebola has been reported in the country since the devastating 2014 outbreak in West Africa.
