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Guinea Officially Declares Ebola Epidemic

Those affected took part on Feb. 1 in a traditional funeral, which normally involves washing the body of the dead.

The West African nation of Guinea has officially declared an Ebola epidemic after at least three people died and four others were infected with the deadly disease, according to the Associated Press. Some 11,300 people died during a previous Ebola outbreak that lasted from 2014 to 2016 and stretched across Guinea as well as neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia. The new cases were detected in the south of Guinea, after public health officials became aware of patients exhibiting symptoms of Ebola including vomiting and bleeding. Those affected had taken part on Feb. 1 in a traditional funeral, which normally involves washing the body of the dead. Ebola is transmitted between humans through direct contact with bodily fluids. “The government reassures the population that all measures are being taken to stem this epidemic as quickly as possible,” Guinea’s Minister of Health Remy Lamah said in a statement. “It invites the populations of the affected areas to respect hygiene and prevention measures and to report to health authorities in the presence of suggestive signs.”