By Tabora Bojang
The Gambia’s Ministry of Health has said it has taken notice of the new Ebola outbreak in Guinea as experts meet to outline plans to prevent, detect and respond to the disease, which left 11,300 dead when it tore through West Africa between 2013 and 2016.
Guinea’s health minister Remy Lamah reported on Sunday that at least three people have died in the first resurgence of the disease in the country after five years.
The resurgence reportedly started after the funeral of a nurse who contracted the disease and died last week. Eight others who also took part in the burial have tested positive and while three of them died, four others are in hospital with one patient escaping and later found and hospitalised in Conakry.
The acting director of Health Services, Dr Mustapha Bittaye, told The Standard that last evening the Ministry of Health convened a technical surveillance meeting with officials of the World Health Organisation and other health officials including laboratory, surveillance and case management officials to put together a preventive framework to prevent the spread of the disease into The Gambia.
According to Dr Bittaye who is an obstetrician and gynaecologist, the meeting is expected to come out with guidelines to setting up efficient surveillance mechanisms in response to the prevention of the disease as well as increase surveillance across border areas.
The Gambia was spared in the last outbreak following efficient surveillance mechanisms and border closures among others during the time of former president Yahya Jamme
