- West Africa COVID-19 fatalities up 193%
- WHO describes situation in West Africa as ‘catastrophic’.
- Ebola and Marburg virus complicate anti-COVID campaign.
Deaths from COVID-19 virus in West Africa increased by 193%. The number of deaths peaked in the entire infection pandemic. The catastrophic situation was discussed at the latest briefing of the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO officials also noted new cases of acute Ebola and the Marburg virus, which complicate the epidemiological situation. In addition, more and more cases of cholera and other dangerous diseases are recorded in West Africa.
There are especially many outbreaks of infections in:
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Guinea
- Nigeria
Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti commented on the situation: “The situation with COVID-19 is further complicated by the fact that patients with dangerous diseases have been identified in two countries of the region: Ebola fever in Côte d’Ivoire and Marburg fever in neighboring Guinea.”
In 2015, WHO announced that it had eradicated polio, but an outbreak of the disease was discovered in Uganda on August 17 of this year. According to WHO officials, this was due to the COVID-19 pandemic that caused the rate of vaccination against other viruses to decline.