Ebola death toll reaches 182 in Guinea

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in Guinea has reached 286, out of which 182 people have died, Health Minister Remy Lamah said over the weekend. The number of Ebola cases has been increasing despite efforts by the government and its health partners such as the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders (MSF). So far MSF has disbursed US$3 million (N$30 million) to help in the fight against Ebola in Guinea and in some other treatment centres created in neighbouring Sierra Leone. “We must organise and mobilise more resources to fight against this disease which has caused many deaths in the affected countries,” said Marc Poncin, MSF’s national emergency coordinator. The head of disease prevention unit in Guinea’s health ministry Sakoba Keita said 27 health workers had been affected by Ebola and 20 of them had died from the disease. This is why transportation and handling of bodies of Ebola victims is now exclusively being done by special Red Cross teams that have been well trained. To sensitise the population about the disease, the government has funded about 15 nongovernmental organisations to develop communication strategies and move from door-to-door advising the population on how to prevent themselves against the disease.