Health Minister Mitoha Ondo’o Ayekaba said on Friday that Equatorial Guinea has confined more than 200 people and limited movement after an unknown sickness producing hemorrhagic fever killed at least eight people.
The outbreak was reported on February 7, and preliminary investigations revealed that the deaths were linked to people who all attended a funeral ceremony, according to Ayekaba, who added that the government had sent samples to neighbouring Gabon and will send others to Dakar, Senegal, for further testing.
According to him, authorities have limited travel around the two communities that are directly related, and contact tracing is happening. Over 200 people have been quarantined despite having no symptoms.
The indications of the unidentified illness included nasal bleeds, fever, joint discomfort, and other illnesses that resulted in death within a few hours, according to Ngu Fankam Roland, the district’s chief of health.
On Wednesday, Equatorial Guinea reported an exceptional scenario in Kie-Ntem province’s Nsok Nsomo district that resulted in nine deaths in two adjacent settlements in a short period of time.
Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea’s neighbour, limited movement along the border on Friday following unexplained deaths, said Health Minister Malachie Manaouda in a statement. Cameroon implemented the limits due to the significant risk of disease importation and in order to detect and respond to any instances at an early stage, according to Manaouda in a statement.