Côte d’Ivoire reported the country’s first case of Ebola in more than 25 years on Saturday, in Abidjan — a city of more than 4 million people.
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The patient had traveled by road from Guinea, which declared an end to a four-month-long Ebola outbreak in June and marked the African continent as Ebola-free.
The last case in Côte d’Ivoire was a scientist infected by a chimpanzee in 1994.
The dangers of Ebola in urban areas: The World Health Organization expressed concern that the case was identified in a densely populated urban area as during the massive West Africa outbreak of 2014-2016, Ebola entered Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, and the outbreak quickly accelerated beyond control.
“It is of immense concern that this outbreak has been declared in Abidjan, a metropolis of more than 4 million people,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, in a press release.
But health responders in the region have learned a lot about controlling the disease since that outbreak and now have access to vaccines and treatments. WHO is transferring 5,000 vaccines from Guinea to Côte d’Ivoire for use by health workers, first responders, and those who’ve had contact with the positive case.
West Africa reports its first case of Marburg, an Ebola-like virus
Guinea has confirmed that a patient has Marburg — the first case of the disease ever reported in West Africa.
And there is an expectation new cases will continue to emerge in the region. While health researchers knew the virus can persist in survivors, through bodily fluids, they’ve recently discovered it's likely it can survive longer than they thought.
The virus responsible for the most recent outbreak was linked back to bodily fluids of survivors from the West Africa outbreak, which was then transmitted between humans.
Moeti said Côte d’Ivoire is one of six countries WHO worked with recently to enhance Ebola preparedness. She said the quick diagnosis of this case is an indicator these preparations are paying off.
Another West Africa outbreak: This news comes less than a week after Guinea confirmed a case of Marburg virus disease — a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola. This is the first case of the disease ever reported in West Africa.
About the author
Sara Jervingsarajerving
Sara Jerving is a Senior Reporter at Devex, where she covers global health. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, VICE News, and Bloomberg News among others. Sara holds a master's degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism where she was a Lorana Sullivan fellow. She was a finalist for One World Media's Digital Media Award in 2021; a finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists in 2018; and she was part of a VICE News Tonight on HBO team that received an Emmy nomination in 2018. She received the Philip Greer Memorial Award from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2014.
