Will Africa’s healthcare systems cope with Ebola on top of COVID?
A renewed Ebola outbreak in Guinea is feared to be spreading across other African countries.
A resurgence of Ebola in Guinea is raising fears of an uncontrolled spread of the disease.
It has already been detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the World Health Organization (WHO) has asked six countries to be on high alert.
The crisis comes as Africa is seeing a sharp rise in COVID-19 deaths, with South Africa accounting for almost half of those on the continent.
Healthcare systems are also overstretched.
It is feared there could be more fatalities if Ebola is left unchecked.
The WHO has shipped more than 11,000 doses of vaccines to Guinea to help fight Ebola.
So, could fair access to COVID-19 vaccines help the continent?
Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra
Guests:
Helen Rees – Member of the South Africa Ministerial Advisory Committee for COVID-19 & COVID Vaccine.
Dr Richard Mihigo – Coordinator of the Immunization and Vaccines Development Programme at the WHO
John Johnson – Vaccination and Epidemic Response Referent at Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF)