A/HRC/34/43 whom are accused of serious offences. The prison authorities have explained this situation by citing the high number of detainees and the lack of space. 24. In May, medical examinations given to detainees in Conakry prison detected 56 cases of beriberi, an illness that has led to the death of one inmate. Two of the caterers appointed by the Ministry of Justice to provide food for detainees informed the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that they were no longer able to feed detainees to an acceptable standard because they had not been paid for several months. The same situation has been observed in the country’s other prisons. The country office found five detainees in Guinée forestière who were suffering from paralysis of the legs. According to the detainees and the prison authorities, the paralysis was linked to various factors, including a lack of vitamins in their diet; overcrowding, which prevented recreational activities; and infrequent medical check-ups. The country office also noted shortages in the pharmacies at the Yomou and Lola prisons, leaving detainees without appropriate medical care. The judicial and prison authorities request support for partners operating in the area of health. 25. The country office is beginning to observe the positive effects of its awarenessraising sessions conducted through radio broadcasts and presented by human rights defenders. Indeed, citizens are submitting increasing numbers of cases to the country office through the monitors of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. These monitors are members of civil society whom the Office has trained to track the human rights situation during elections. For example, a group of parents contacted the country office after their children (seven young boys in total) were questioned by officers of mobile squadron No. 10 in Nzérékoré, who demanded payment of 100,000 Guinean francs (US$ 12) per child as a “summons fee”. 26. The country office’s intervention allowed the authorities to take over the case and to ensure compliance with the relevant procedures. D. Right to health 27. The Ebola virus disease, which had a significant impact on Guinea between 2014 and 2016, highlighted the weaknesses in the country’s health system. In March, after more than four months without a new case, the illness reappeared in Guinée forestière, causing the deaths of seven persons, including three women. The disease was contained by stepping up awareness-raising campaigns, particularly those aimed at women, who, according to partial statistics, are disproportionately affected by the disease, and by implementing isolation measures. The health authorities have launched a vaccination campaign for contact persons and health workers on the front line in the fight against the virus. In August, the World Health Organization declared the end of the Ebola epidemic in Guinea. 28. As part of the post-Ebola resilience plan that the country is currently implementing with the assistance of development partners, general reforms to the health system have begun. The Donka University Hospital in Conakry, the largest hospital in the country, has been undergoing renovations since 2015. The Government has also begun work to build improved health centres in Conakry and other areas of the country to facilitate the rapid treatment of diseases with the potential to cause an epidemic. 29. In August, the results of the competitive examinations organized in 2015 to recruit 2,950 health workers to the public sector were published. 30. In November, the first stone was laid in the construction of the Pasteur Institute. The Institute will permit the analysis of samples of infectious diseases; the lack of such a facility led to the rapid spread of Ebola between March 2014 and August 2016. 6 GE.17-00658