Ebola to hit countries again – WHO raises alarm

The World Health Organization, WHO, on Thursday warned that a new outbreak of the Ebola virus is “inevitable”.

It, however, assured that the new vaccine and rapid-response measures will contain the expected outbreak.

The Ebola crisis, which began in December 2013, killed 11,300 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Speaking in Guinea at an event dedicated to individuals who fought to control the disease in their communities, WHO chief Margaret Chan thanked the Guinean government for its role in developing the vaccine announced in December.

She said: “Scientists do not yet know exactly where in nature the Ebola virus hides between outbreaks, but nearly all experts agree that another outbreak is inevitable.”

“When this occurs, the world will be far better prepared,” Chan added.

Chan emphasised that another positive outcome of the Ebola crisis was renewed focus and funding for vaccines against other contagious diseases, including the fatal Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) as well as the Lassa and Nipah viruses.

“These significant spillover effects strengthen the world’s collective defences against the never-ending threat from emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases,” she said.

Speaking at the event, President Alpha Conde said it was “time Africa benefited from cutting-edge technology, notably in the field of biomedical sciences”.

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