Fourth person dies of Ebola in Guinea

A young girl in Guinea has died from Ebola - the fourth person to die in the latest flare-up in the west African nation.

A fourth person has died of Ebola in Guinea in the latest flare-up of an epidemic that has killed more than 11,300 people in that country, Sierra Leone and Liberia since 2013 but now claims few victims.

"The young girl who was hospitalised at the Ebola treatment centre in Nzerekore is dead," said Fode Tass Sylla, spokesman for the centre that co-ordinates Guinea's fight against the virus.

Three others have died of the virus since February 29.

Health workers on Saturday also stepped up efforts to trace anyone who could have come into contact with the family.

The world's worst recorded Ebola epidemic is believed to have started in Guinea and killed about 2500 people there by December last year, at which point the UN World Health Organisation said it was no longer actively transmitted.

WHO warned, however, that Ebola could resurface at any time, since it can linger in the eyes, central nervous system and bodily fluids of some survivors.

It was not immediately clear how the villagers from Korokpara, around 100km from Nzerekore, had contracted the disease but the area had previously resisted efforts to fight the illness in the initial epidemic.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world