The World Health Organization (WHO) is helping Guinea rebuild its vaccine program after a fire destroyed millions of doses at a storage facility in the capital Conakry, WHO announced this week. The fire wiped out about 36% of Guinea’s vaccine stock—more than 4 million doses worth $6.7 million. Three out of six cold storage units were destroyed. That cut the country’s storage capacity by 61%.
The fire also damaged medical equipment, computers, and other supplies worth another $2.4 million. Fire crews and security forces put out the blaze, but the damage was huge. Guinea now has to keep vaccination programs running while rebuilding its storage and distribution system.
WHO set up a crisis team and is working with Guinea’s health ministry, UNICEF, Gavi, the World Bank, and Doctors Without Borders to get new vaccines and fix the cold storage system. They’re also planning to restart vaccination campaigns that stopped because of the fire. Dr Jean Marie Kipela, WHO’s representative in Guinea, said the organization stands with Guinea after this incident and will help restore vaccination capacity quickly.
Guinea uses vaccines to protect against diseases like measles, polio, and yellow fever. The fire could disrupt routine shots for children and leave communities open to outbreaks. WHO and its partners are rushing to replace the lost vaccines and get the program back on track.
The fire shows how fragile vaccine supply chains can be, especially in countries that depend on just a few storage facilities to serve large populations.
