Why Ebola is back in Guinea and why the response must be different this time

New reports of Ebola in Guinea are causing anxiety given the history of the West Africa outbreak of 2014-2016. This was the largest Ebola outbreak reported to date – 28,000 cases were recorded, including 11,000 deaths. It originated in Guinea and then spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia. The confirmed cases this time have been reported from the southeast of Guinea about 800km by road from the capital, Conakry, but only about 100km from various border points with Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire. The concern is that the virus could spread to other locations in Guinea as well as neighbouring countries if it is not rapidly contained. Jacqueline Weyer answers questions about the latest outbreak.

What’s been done to keep new outbreaks from developing since 2016?

The development, evaluation and registration of Ebola vaccines and antivirals have been major activities in the years following the 2014-2016 outbreak. Since then, two vaccines have been pre-approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and reg

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From The Conversation - February 21, 2021