Guinea Declares Emergency Status Due to Ebola

Alpha Conde, the President of Guinea, has declared a health emergency for 45 days in five regions of the country to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus. In a statement on April 8, the President of this West African country noted that the epicenter of the outbreak has shifted to coastal areas. The five regions where the emergency status has been declared are located in the west and southwest of the country, including the area where the capital, Conakry, is situated. According to Mr. Conde, 'serious measures' have also been taken in the capital to prevent the spread of the disease. UNICEF reports that Ebola has infected, killed, or orphaned thousands of children in West Africa, and those who have survived face stigma in society. Since the latest outbreak of the Ebola virus began in Guinea in 2013, over 24,000 people have been infected in nine countries, with more than 10,000 fatalities. Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone were the main centers of the outbreak, with nearly all human casualties occurring in these countries. The new measures in Guinea to combat Ebola come as the World Health Organization announced about two months ago that the spread of the disease had been limited. In Liberia, a patient who had contracted Ebola a week ago died on Saturday, marking the first identified Ebola case in that country in the past month. In Sierra Leone, concerns about the resurgence of the disease have led the government to impose a three-day travel restriction, asking citizens, except for aid workers and medical personnel, to stay home from 6 AM to 6 PM.