GUINEA One Health in action (2016-2020) Lessons learned from Ebola GUINEA EBOLA HOST PROJECT
Guinea, a country of approximately interface, as well as significant challenges source of Ebola and other devastating 12.9 million people on the Atlantic for disease prevention and control. filoviruses, and to investigate human coast of West Africa, is characterized behaviors associated with virus In 2013, somewhere in the Forest by several different climatic zones, spillover. Region of Guinea, one of these largely due to great geographic diversity. spillover events presumably sparked In Guinea, the PREDICT project’s There are more than 1,300 rivers in by human contact with an infected primary goal was to identify the wildlife the country. Many major rivers, such bat, spread across the Guinea-Sierra hosts of Ebola virus, investigate the as Niger, Senegal (Bafing), The Gambia, Leone-Liberia border region and grew distribution of the virus, and assess and as well as their main tributaries have into the largest Ebola virus epidemic characterize risks for future spillover their sources in Guinea, making this in history, leaving over 28,000 people and emergence. In partnership with country the “Water Tower” of West infected and more than 11,000 dead, the Government of Guinea, PREDICT Africa. Guinea has the largest reserves with 2,544 deaths in Guinea alone. also strengthened health security by of bauxite in the world and the largest This outbreak had devastating impacts supporting improvements in national untapped reserves of iron ore, gold on Guinea’s economy and health capacity for wildlife disease surveillance and diamonds. Despite its significant infrastructure and dramatically affected and bolstering disease detection natural resource potential, the Guinean the livelihoods of Guineans. capabilities. Through analysis of project economy remains very fragile and data and findings, the PREDICT project dependent on bauxite and agriculture. The West Africa Ebola epidemic was able to identify risks and educate catalyzed investments to identify the The majority of Guineans work in communities and health professionals animal source, or reservoir, of Ebola to the agricultural sector which employs on behavior change and intervention prevent future outbreaks. It has been more than 75% of the country’s active >40 years since the Ebola virus was strategies designed to protect people population (24% of GDP). More than first discovered in Central Africa and and wildlife from disease threats. Our half (55.2%) of Guineans live below the the scientific and health communities project’s legacy is prominent as our poverty line. The rural environment continue to search for the source. partners continue to use PREDICT as in Guinea continues to be preserved However, no standardized, large-scale, a model to promote One Health and thanks to a low population density longitudinal and multi-country study and limited industrialization. This engage with at-risk communities, and targeting multiple potential reservoir intersection of biodiversity, poverty, our team of One Health professionals hosts of Ebola virus had ever been and rural livelihoods dependent on continues to work on current national conducted. Rising to the occasion, the agriculture, subsistence hunting, and health security challenges, including USAID PREDICT project designed and extractive industries presents multiple COVID-19. implemented the Ebola Host Project in opportunities for viral spillover and Guinea, along with neighboring Sierra spread across the human-animal Leone and Liberia, to find the animal
LOCAL PARTNERS
• Institut de Recherche en Biologie Appliquée • Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la • Institut National de Santé Publique (INSP) Recherche • Institut Supérieur des Sciences et de Médicine • Ministère de l’Environnement, de l’Eau et des Vétérinaire de Dalaba Forêts • Laboratoire de Fièvres Hémorragiques en Guinée • Ministère de la Santé et de l’Hygiène Publique • Ministère de l’Elevage et de la Production Animale 0