Health officials in Guinea are to begin vaccinations to try to contain the region’s first Ebola epidemic since the 2014-2016 outbreak. Vaccinations are being given in the capital Conakry and in Nzérékoré, the south-eastern city at the centre of the latest outbreak. Vaccinations are also to be provided in Siguiri, a city in the north-east near Mali’s border and on the main highway to Mali’s capital Bamako.
Guinea’s health agency reported on February 17 that six people had died of the virus. A confirmed case also has been reported in Lero, a mining town close to Siguiri. The person reportedly travelled from Nzérékoré. The patient and nine contacts have been transported back to Nzérékoré.
Neighbours Liberia and Sierra Leone say they are on alert, and Nigeria is stepping up border screening.