Gouecke, Guinea – Guinean authorities are racing against time to limit the spread of an Ebola outbreak after several infections from the deadly disease were discovered in the country’s far southern region last week.
The West African country declared an Ebola epidemic on Feb. 14, two weeks after the sick attended a nurse’s funeral in the town of Gouecke and later showed symptoms of the disease, including fever, diarrhea and vomiting.
Among the confirmed and suspected cases – the nurse, five of her relatives, and a traditional healer she consulted – five have died and two are currently being treated in isolation.
Despite a ban on gatherings of more than five people, including weddings and weekly markets, people in Gouecke seemed skeptical of government guidelines and the resurgence of a disease that killed about 2,500 Guineans during an earlier epidemic that spread through West between 2014 and 2016. -Africa withdrew. .
“We are not afraid and we are not worried,” said Paul Lamah, who was one of the residents who defied the ban and attended Gouecke’s weekly market on Saturday.
“We know that God is with us. When authorities want to lie to get their partners’ money [aid organisations], they can’t say that. But as far as we are concerned, there is no Ebola. ”
Echoing his sentiments, Fatoumata Diabate, a red oil seller from N’Zerekore, said the containment measures announced by the government posed a threat to people already struggling to survive.
“Our husbands have finished their studies, but have not found a job. We are responsible for our families, which is why we came to sell our products, to find something to eat, ”said Diabate to the market.
“We must stop tiring ourselves with this story about the Ebola outbreak. Moreover, we do not believe in this disease. These are just rumors as we have never seen a patient or a person who died of this disease. “
Community involvement ‘essential’
Against this background, the Guinean authorities are working with international experts to determine the full extent of the outbreak.
The efforts include tracking down people who may have come into contact with Ebola patients to monitor their health and stop the chain of transmission. Security forces have also set up checkpoints to record temperatures and isolate those who appear to be ill.
Neighboring countries are also very vigilant to avoid a repeat of the previous outbreak that killed more than 11,300 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The authorities in Sierra Leone sent workers to the entry points across the border into Guinea to assist border patrols and health workers, while Liberia raised threat levels and took “more surveillance and preventive activities.”
A resurgence of Ebola could paralyze the already tense health care systems of the countries in the region at a time when they are also fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Health experts emphasize that communicating good and clear health education information is key at the start of an Ebola response, but in Gouecke, some residents argued that the seemingly confusing reporting has played a role in people’s reluctance to follow the authorities’ guidelines. to follow.
“Why do they want to stop the market when there are still kids in school, three or four sitting on the same couch all week,” said Foromo, a resident of Gouecke.
An official at the prefecture who spoke on condition of anonymity told Al Jazeera that authorities were considering sending security forces to enforce the ban, but in the end decided not to take the step.
The source said a major factor in the decision was fear of an escalation of tensions and possible clashes between security forces and market visitors, something that happened in 2014.
This was confirmed by a gendarmerie commander who said the security forces had not been ordered to enforce the ban.
“Community involvement is extremely important,” said Anja Wolz, the Ebola Emergency Coordinator who oversees the response of MSF, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). “You have to put time and energy into talking – and listening – with the communities in the affected areas. You have to adapt the response to what they say, and you have to adapt it to the risks of Ebola. It should be a two-way conversation. “
Listening to and connecting with locals is also key to the success of rolling out a successful vaccination campaign to help fight the hemorrhagic fever epidemic, experts say, citing the current existence of Ebola vaccines as one of the main differences from the latest outbreak.
The expected arrival in the country of about 11,000 doses of the Merck-developed vaccine was delayed due to bad weather on Sunday, and vaccinations are now starting on Tuesday instead of Monday.
But even then, authorities fear that locals may not sign up for the vaccination program.
“People don’t want to believe [in Ebola] and associate the disease with something else. No one plans to take the vaccines, ”a prefecture official said through local media.
“The citizens don’t want to hear from us and that worries us about the vaccination.”
Health Minister Remy Lamah, born in Gouecke, arrived in his hometown on Saturday to convince people of the merits of the vaccine, the source said.
“It all comes back to community involvement,” said Wolz of MSF. “We have seen this many times in the past. If a community feels engaged, heard, and empowered, an Ebola response is likely to go well, with or without vaccines. But if a community feels sidelined, unheard of, and becomes nervous or suspicious, an Ebola response is likely to face multiple problems, with or without vaccines.
Konate reported from Gouecke and Ramy Allahoum from Doha