WHO alerts six African countries

The World Health Organization has asked six African countries to be alert for possible Ebola infections, as Guinea yesterday reported new cases and Democratic Republic of Congo said its new infections were a resurgence of a previous outbreak. 

Guinea declared an outbreak of the virus on Sunday in the first return of the disease there since the 2013-2016 outbreak, while Congo has confirmed four new cases this month. Guinea has so far recorded up to 10 suspected cases of Ebola and five deaths.

Health authorities have rushed to respond to the cases in Guinea, anxious to prevent a repeat of the last outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,300 people.

Guinea's neighbours include Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Further spread of the disease could cripple the regions' under-funded health systems which are also battling the coronavirus pandemic.

Since the devastating epidemic in West Africa, the development of vaccines and treatments has greatly improved survival rates and containment efforts.

The Ebola virus can cause severe bleeding and organ failure and is spread through contact with body fluids. It has a much higher death rate than COVID-19, but unlike the coronavirus it is not transmitted by asymptomatic carriers.