CONAKRY – Health workers in Guinea announced that a young girl has died of Ebola, marking the fourth lethal victim in the latest flare-up that started in Feb. 29.
Over 11,300 people have died of the hemorrhagic virus in this country, Sierra Leone, and Liberia since 2013.
“The young girl who was hospitalized at the Ebola treatment center in Nzerekore is dead,” announced Fode Tass Sylla, spokesman for the center that coordinates the fight against the virus in Guinea.
Health officials on Saturday intensified efforts to trace anyone who might have come into contact with the little girl’s family.
The WHO advice affected countries to stay alert
Sierra Leone has been declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization (WHO), which has also warned that the country alongside Liberia and Guinea are still at risk of the virus.
The United Nations agency said in a statement released on March 17 that 42 days had already passed since the last patient in Sierra Leone tested negative for Ebola for the second time. The UN announcement marked the end of the latest flare-up in the West African country. The disease killed 3,590 only in Sierra Leone.
The risk of new Ebola flare-ups is mainly caused due to the fact that the virus persists for longer periods in some survivors, who continue carrying it inside their eyes, semen, placenta, amniotic fluid, central nervous system and breast milk for nine months or even longer in some individuals who have apparently recovered from the disease, according to data from clinical tests and observations of Ebola survivors.
The WHO urges affected nations to stay alert and ready to react to emerging flare ups. The organization also strongly recommends governments to maintain strict maintenance of hygiene practices not only in health facilities but also at home.
“Investments made in rapid response teams, surveillance, lab diagnostics, risk communication, infection prevention and control measures and other programs were put to the test and clearly paid off,” the WHO said about the situation in Sierra Leone.
The UN agency said it was committed to continuing its work alongside the Sierra Leone government and partners in order to ensure an effective health system that has the capacity to help in preventing, detecting and reacting in case of new outbreaks.
Source: Fox News