Ivorian refugees in Liberia: Violence that caused their departure now mars their return
The United Nations has reported that the return of Ivorian refugees
from Liberia has been undermined by recent cross-border attacks into
Western Ivory Coast. The refugees would now have to wait as the
temporary halt in repatriation remains in place, according to UN
officials in Liberia, on Tuesday. More than 150,000 Ivorian refugees
fled to Liberia in 2010, in the wake of the post election violence in
the Ivory Coast. Among the 60,000 refugees remaining in camps are
fighters who supported former President Laurent Gbagbo. http://cmiliberia.org/blog/2013/03/27/border-incident-halts-refugee-return/
Exactly two months ago, when the initial ebola outbreak seemed to be subsiding in the country, I wrote an article entitled, When the Nurse Happens to Be Your Mom: More Reasons Why Environmental and Occupational Health Must be Prioritized.
It was published in the Daily Observer in May. While the intent of that
article was to review pertinent lessons learnt from the passing
epidemic and hopefully draw attention to the plight of health care
workers in the line of danger, little did I know that just few weeks
later, the very lessons I attempted to draw from the situation would be
the headlines of an even more tragic national outbreak. Little did I
also know that it would hit so close to home.
In late May, during a work related visit to Lofa, a colleague fell
ill and had to be taken to the Tellowoyan Hospital. It was with great
shock and sorrow that we found out that the pleasant young nurse who
attended to my colleague during his bout of malaria lost her life to
ebola just a few days ago. With an ever increasing spread and death
toll, the “rumor” many believed to be just another story has sadly
proven to be much more than fiction, but a real Greek tragedy which the
nation is struggling to grapple with.
Just think about it for a minute. How can we possibly live in a
country riding taxis and vehicles with four persons cramped in the
backseat and not exchange some amount of bodily fluids? How does a mother stop caring for her sick child even though that
child is showing possible signs of the disease? How does a husband not
care for a sick wife? How do you overcome the grief of not being able to
partake in the burial of your loved one lost to ebola? Indeed, this is
one epidemic which cuts to the very core of our humanity as a nation.
Ever more relevant today, I revisited my May article: “Lookin..http://www.liberianobserver.com/environment/ebola-%E2%80%9Crumor%E2%80%9D-proving-be-national-tragedy
Thursday July 10, 2014
The Bo District Medical Officer Dr Alhaji S. Turay has told
Journalists that “the people of Sierra Leone have got some good news to
celebrate about Ebola.” He made this disclosure to Journalists and the
11 Members of Parliament from the Bo District at the Endemic Disease
Control office on Wednesday July 2. Ever since the outbreak of Ebola, he explained that out of the 433
Screened Ebola cases, 211 have been confirmed positive of the dreadful
disease. Out of the 211, Kailahun he expressed has 165; Kenema has 42;
Kambia 1; Port Loko 2 and Bo 1.
And out of the 211 total infected cases within the country, 67, he revealed, have died of the disease.
Kailahun he narrated has recorded 57 deaths with the remaining 10 deaths happening in Kenema.
The 28 people that have survived the terrible disease he explicated did
so after having been put on “supportive treatment” at the Government
Hospital in Kenema which he over emphasized was the only Hospital in
Sierra Leone to diagnose and treat Ebola.
“The 28 people were put on supportive treatment and they have survived,”
Dr Turay stated. This he said was “good news to everybody concerned.” Meanwhile, he further stated that there were still 45 people admitted with Ebola at the Government Hospital in Kenema. He further revealed that at the newly established Ebola Tent Treatment Camp in Kailahun, 13 people were still admitted.
By Jenkins Bawoh http://awoko.org/2014/07/10/sierra-leone-news-28-people-survive-ebola-in-salone/
The
Deputy Director-General of WHO responsible for safety and the
environment, Dr Keiji Fukuba is on a working visit to Conakry, found on
site Guineenews.
Arrived
yesterday in 20 hours (note: local time), from Sierra Leone, Dr. Keiji
Fukuba will have a working session with the WHO Representative in
Guinea,the Special Representative of the Regional Director of WHOAfrica and the Coordinator of the emergency responsethe Ebola outbreak in Guinea.
When we put online this dispatch, he was going to visit the treatment center Ebola Donka.It
was after this visit that he could have a meeting with President Alpha
Condé, the Minister of Health and the Interministerial Commission
response to the epidemic that has307 deaths in 408 confirmed cases (according to the latest statistics).
It is also scheduled a meeting with the partners involved in the fightagainst the epidemic of Ebola haemorrhagic fever.
Before his scheduled departure on July 11, Dr. Keiji Fukuba could host a conference in the early evening on Thursday July 10.
Gambia Bird Airlines has announced the launch of services to three new destinations in West Africa. The new services will operate from Gambia Bird’s home base of Banjul, The Gambia, to Bissau, in Guinea-Bissau, Lagos, in Nigeria, Dakar in Senegal, and Douala, in Cameroon, as well as from each of the new destinations to points across the airline’s growing network. The new services will allow Gambia Bird to double the number of connections previously offered, with 25 connections each week from Dakar, 20 from Banjul, 20 from Freetown, 18 from Accra, 15 from Lagos and 18 from Monrovia. Flights to a fourth new destination, Conakry, in Guinea, will be launched as soon as local conditions allow. - See more http://www.ghanaiantimes.com.gh/gambia-bird-launches-3-new-destinations-west-africa/
Gambia Bird Airlines has announced the launch of services to three new destinations in West Africa.
The new services will operate from Gambia Bird’s home base of Banjul,
The Gambia, to Bissau, in Guinea-Bissau, Lagos, in Nigeria, Dakar in
Senegal, and Douala, in Cameroon, as well as from each of the new
destinations to points across the airline’s growing network.
The new services will allow Gambia Bird to double the number of
connections previously offered, with 25 connections each week from
Dakar, 20 from Banjul, 20 from Freetown, 18 from Accra, 15 from Lagos
and 18 from Monrovia.
Flights to a fourth new destination, Conakry, in Guinea, will be launched as soon as local conditions allow.
- See more at: http://www.ghanaiantimes.com.gh/gambia-bird-launches-3-new-destinations-west-africa/#sthash.hmRO4Py6.dpuf
Gambia Bird Airlines has announced the launch of services to three new destinations in West Africa.
The new services will operate from Gambia Bird’s home base of Banjul,
The Gambia, to Bissau, in Guinea-Bissau, Lagos, in Nigeria, Dakar in
Senegal, and Douala, in Cameroon, as well as from each of the new
destinations to points across the airline’s growing network.
The new services will allow Gambia Bird to double the number of
connections previously offered, with 25 connections each week from
Dakar, 20 from Banjul, 20 from Freetown, 18 from Accra, 15 from Lagos
and 18 from Monrovia.
Flights to a fourth new destination, Conakry, in Guinea, will be launched as soon as local conditions allow.
- See more at: http://www.ghanaiantimes.com.gh/gambia-bird-launches-3-new-destinations-west-africa/#sthash.hmRO4Py6.dpuf
•A
total of 114 cases have been tested with 43 confirmed cases of Ebola
and 16 deaths. All deaths are confirmed cases from Kailahun District;
two (2) of which traveled from Kailahun to Kambia district. These
patients have been isolated and contacts are being traced.
Interventions
•The outreach medical team is still in the field searching for more cases
•Sensitization of the communities including the traditional healers is still on going.
•Ebola Physician Specialist from WHO Head Quarter now in Kenema to support case management at the treatment
•A
meeting with SLANGO (Sierra Leone Association of Non-governmental
Organizations) which includes faith based organizations and non-health
international NGO members was concluded today. The Minister was able to
get commitment from these organizations to support the fight against the
spread of the disease. http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200525558.shtml
As
a matter of fighting the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone or more so
stopping its transfer to Bo, the District Medical Officer has proposed
the stopping of the killing and sales of “bush meat” in the city of Bo.
The DMO, Dr Alhaji S Turay also proposed the putting up of check points
at some strategic entrance locations in the Bo City. The Paramount Chief
Prince Lappia Boima accepted the first proposal of “not selling bush
meat” in the city but held reservation towards the second proposal of
check pointsTherefore, a Task Force has been set up in the city for
monitoring the importation animals like “monkeys, baboons, bush cows,”
from which bush meats could be attained. As at present, the Market
Sellers Association has accepted the proposal too and is also helping
with the monitoring of the sales of bush meat in both the markets and
outside the market.
The Government of Liberia is in high-level consultations with the
management of Delta Airlines intended to explore options that will not
disrupt the experience and convenience of traveling via Delta.
A government delegation comprising Counselor Seward Cooper, Minister of State for Legal and Economic Affairs and Mr. Gyude
Moore, Deputy Chief of Office Staff in the Office of the President, is
in Atlanta, Georgia, to meet with the management of Delta Airlines,
after Delta informed the government of the suspension of its service to
Monrovia, effective August 31, 2014, due to weak passenger demand.
It
can be recalled that in 2010, Delta Airlines commenced direct flights
to New York from Monrovia via Accra, Ghana. While Nigeria and Ghana, two
other destinations of Delta Airlines, are netting 10,000,000 and over
2,000,000 passengers per year respectively, Liberia’s highest passenger level was only 205,000, recorded in 2013.
Delta
has informed the Liberian Government that the last eastbound flight
from New York will occur on August 30th, and the last westbound flight
from Monrovia will be on August 31st.
Thursday, 10 July 2014 01:38
E. J. Nathaniel Daygbor
Health workers in Liberia are said to be fleeing and returning from
their areas of assignment due to the increasing number of Ebola
patients. Some are said to have died from treating patients infected by
the deadly virus.
Speaking in plenary yesterday at the Capitol Building, Senate’s
Committee Chairman on Health, Dr. Peter Coleman disclosed that there
were 12 cases of health workers infected by the Ebola Virus- ten of whom
have already died; and as a result, trained and professional health
workers were leaving their areas of assignment at clinics and hospitals
for fear of being infected.
The Grand Kru County Senator noted
that the only option to maintain these health workers is for the
government to direct sufficient funds to efforts against the deadly
virus which has engulfed the sub region and could be uncontrollable for
months.
He said the Ministry of Health has proposed the amount of US$1.5 million to combat the epidemic or the population of the country could be in serious danger.
Maryland
County Senator H. Dan Morais called on the administration to decide on a
national state of emergency- an action that would enable officers of
the Armed Forces of Liberia along with health workers to be posted from
the Red-light via Gardnerville to the Gabriel Tucker Bridge for
inspection and testing to determine carriers of the virus.
The Liberian Senate, through a motion from Lofa County Senator George Tingbeh, agreed that the leaderships of the both House
of Representatives and Liberian Senate submit a resolution to President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, calling for the immediate provision of the US$1.5
million in order to combat the deadly. On July 1, 2014, a medical
practitioner from Uganda, involved with the fight against the spread of
the Ebola virus in Liberia, died... http://www.thenewdawnliberia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12101:health-workers-flee-ebola&catid=46:health&Itemid=60
A
high level delegation from the World Health Organization (WHO) led by
Dr Keiji Fukunda, Assistant Director General for Health Security paid a
courtesy call on President Dr Ernest Bai Koroma at State House on
Wednesday 9th July while on its mission to evaluate the situation on the
ground and how best to partner with the Ministry of Health and
Sanitation to contain the Ebola outbreak in the country.
The
delegation was accompanied by the Minister of Health and Sanitation,
Miatta Kargbo. Other members of the delegation included Dr Benido
Impouma, WHO Ebola Coordinator in West Africa and Dr Jacob Mufunda, WHO
Country Representative in Sierra Leone.
Welcoming
the delegation, President Koroma commended the efforts of the Ministry
of Health and Sanitation for putting trained personnel in the field to
handle cases of Ebola in the two affected districts of Kailahun and
Kenema. “By the update we are getting,” the President said, “the Ebola
virus is a serious matter and needs very serious attention. Even though
the number of deaths has increased, we have cases of people that have
been discharged which is an indication that something positive is
happening,” he stressed.
Meanwhile,
the President also reported on government’s collaborative efforts
through ministries, parliamentarians and political parties in addressing
the challenges, especially the perception of local communities that
Ebola does not exist; a situation that has been addressed with high
sensitization campaigns. Now that the people have fully realized that
Ebola is real, President Koroma strongly appealed to all including donor
partners to come onboard to get rid of this deadly disease. “I am sure
with those collaborative efforts we will be able to address it and in
this regard we direly need the support of the international community to
align their own intervention with ours so as to work as a team. We
don’t need to have parallel programs in this approach.”
“I
am happy that you indicated that the situation has not yet gone out of
control. We hope that WHO will do all that it can to ensure that the
issue of additional professional equipment, ambulances, protective
gears, the training of people that will handle the situation within the
affected areas and also those that we need to put in a state of
preparedness out of Kenema and Kailahun districts will enhance and
continue the overall sensitization,” said President Koroma.
In
response, Dr Keiji Fukunda said the visit was not only to do an
assessment with respect to the gravity of the situation on the ground,
but to discuss with President Koroma and the people of Sierra Leone
about what WHO and other partners can do to help the country in the
fight against the outbreak. Dr Fukunda reported that during a meeting in
Accra on the Ebola outbreak in the sub-region, it was noted that
President Koroma’s speech on the outbreak was considered to be a
critical step forward as it captured the attention of all participants
owing to the tone and gravity of the situation reported in the speech.
According
to the WHO representative, some of the major challenges of the outbreak
have to do with people and communities being scared and terrified by
rumours, which he said are the most difficult things to address in such a
situation. He commended the efforts of the Health Minister, saying that
she has been on top of the situation. “I know that this kind of
situation needs the right staff and expertise, and WHO will therefore
continue working closely with the ministry and other organizations
working here to bring as much of the world’s resources as possible to
attend to this bad disease”.
Allaying
the fears of the people, the WHO Assistant Director General for Health
Security who had travelled with the Health Minister to Kailahun and
Kenema, disagreed with the views that the Ebola situation in the country
is out of control. “I don’t believe that the situation is out of
control; I do believe however that the situation is urgent and serious,
but I believe that the right steps have been implemented,” adding that
it is a matter of more persistence and more work to get a turn around.
He
further intimated that Ebola is now a sub-regional issue. “This is
really now a sub-regional issue and I think working with your
counterparts will be very important.” Dr Fukunda also noted that
countries like Uganda and DR Congo which had been previously affected
can be called upon to provide expertise and technical assistance to help
with the fight against the disease. “The appropriate person to call for
such assistance is you, Mr. President,” he suggested. http://www.statehouse.gov.sl/index.php/component/content/article/34-news-articles/909-who-delegation-pays-courtesy-call-on-president-koroma
DENVER (Reuters) - A Colorado man
diagnosed with pneumonic plague, a rare form of the disease that is also
the most life-threatening, is the state's first confirmed human case of
the illness in a decade, officials said on Wednesday.
The man was found to have the
disease after the family dog died unexpectedly, and a necropsy concluded
the animal was afflicted with pneumonic plague, the Colorado Department
of Public Health and Environment said in a statement. The
unidentified man and his dog were believed to have contracted the
disease in an eastern Colorado county. There was no word on the man's
condition.
The bacteria that causes plague occurs naturally in the
western United States, particularly in Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona
and California, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The
plague is transmitted by fleas to rodents, usually prairie dogs. When
an infected animal dies, the disease is spread when the fleas find
another host.
Pneumonic plague is the same bacteria that causes
bubonic plague, but it infects a person's lungs. Symptoms include fever,
headaches, shortness of breath, chest pains and a cough.
It is
the most serious form of the disease, Colorado health officials said,
adding that it is the only form of plague that can be transmitted
person-to-person, usually through infectious droplets from coughing.
Since
1957, 60 human cases of pneumonic plague have been identified in
Colorado, and nine were fatal, the health department said.
"Although
human cases occur infrequently, plague is severe and potentially
life-threatening if not detected and quickly treated with common
antibiotics," the department said.
Medical Superintendent of the Nixon Hospital Dr. Tamba Missa
Residents of Kailahun especially in Segbwema
Town had been living in a state of panic since one of the major teaching
hospitals; Nixon Memorial Hospital permitted its students to go on
French Leave.The hospital which also serves as a major referral hospital
and its services almost came to a halt since the dreadful Ebola Disease
commenced a death race in the Kailahun District. Even though there has
been no report of Ebola patients in that Community, yet many residents
are now asking critical questions as to whether the hospital is not
prepared to fight the Ebola Disease.
In
times of war, when a barracks closes down, it is always a cause for
concern especially when there are not enough boots on the ground and
when the enemy is advancing. In most cases it is called tactical
withdrawal; but for strategic locations like these, the answer should be
to defend at all cost. Such sites should be well fortified to bring
security to its environs. The fall or capture of a major military
location is dangerous. The people are hoping that the Nixon Memorial
Hospital be re-opened to meet the challenges of the epidemic and be used
as a spring board to effectively contain the spread of the virus with
the supply of all necessary gargets to fight Ebola.
The morale of our frontline fighters (medical personnel and first handlers) must not be demoralized.
According
to the MP for Constituency 07, Hon. Abu Jajua, the people in his
constituency have complied with the government public notice to close
all schools and centres which gather people in large numbers. He said
the closure of the Nixon Memorial Teaching Hospital was due to lack of
medical equipment and protective gears to support staff to safely and
effectively handle Ebola cases that may be referred to the hospital.
Hon.
Jajua, said his constituents fear that all fever symptoms are now
regarded as suspected Ebola cases, and since Ebola treatment is free,
they can visit the hospital and take treatment without paying. When
asked whether medical students and staff should take part in the
effective training for this outbreak and any similar outbreak, he said
government should provide more support and training for staff and
students at the hospital and also noted that the hospital is running at a
loss because since the outbreak started no payment has been made for
any treatment as patients now claim that because of the Ebola,
government has made free treatment for all of them no matter their
ailment.
This he said has however greatly reduced the capacity of the hospital to administer generally to the people.
The
Manager of the Nixon Memorial Hospital, John Saffa told our reporter
recently in Segbwema that the absence of students in the hospital had
created panic among community members and the entire Eastern Province.
He said 80% of the job is being done by students as part of their
practicals and since they all went abandoned post, everything has come
to a standstill. According to him there were only 8 patients in the
entire hospital owning to the absence of the students. “The staff is
just there to support but the students do the bulk of the job” he
stated.
The Manager said they were earlier asked by the Nurses Board to close the Nixon Memorial Hospital.
Though they were reluctant, the local authorities later came in and compelled them to do so.
The
Councilor for Ward 24 Amos Kai said the closure of Nixon Memorial has
brought some doubt among the people of Kailahun and Segbwema in
particular. He said Nixon was a major referral and teaching hospital and
if a dreadful disease is now ravaging the lives of people in that area
the best they could have been done was to train the student nurses well
in order to properly handle the containment of the outbreak rather than
taking leave.
He
used this medium to appeal to the Government of Sierra Leone to
intervene immediate by ensuring that Nursing Students of Nixon Memorial
go back to work and be recruited for awareness raising and well trained
to combat the Ebola outbreak. He disclosed that nurses fight diseases as
soldiers fight wars but if they withdraw it will adversely affect the
people they are suppose to protect and such a situation will cause
panic.
In
his contribution, the Medical Superintendent of the Nixon Hospital Dr.
Tamba Missa said even though they are contributing immensely to the
health service delivery of Sierra Leone, but most often the District
Health Management Team in Kailahun always neglect them. He disclosed
that as a missionary hospital they rendered free TB services for the
people but they always find it difficult to receive their drug
supplies.According to him, the hospital deserves to be equipped in order
to fight Ebola. http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200525732.shtml
The Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Immigration Service, Francis
Palm Deti has said new arrangements have been put in place at major
entry points to screen foreigners visiting the country.
He said at the Elubo border, personnel of the Ports Health Authority
(PHA) have started carrying out initial screening of passengers onboard
buses before they enter the country.
According to him, it is a way of ensuring that possible carriers of the
deadly Ebola virus which allegedly killed an American Monday afternoon
at the Nyaho Clinic are identified and immediately handled properly.
Meanwhile, as a result of the American’s death, Ghana’s Health Ministry
met with stakeholders Tuesday to strategize on how to contain the
deadly Ebola virus, should it break out in the country.
The man arrived from Guinea on Sunday and reported at the infirmary for medical attention.
Mr Deti said there were no visible quarantine zones available yet to
keep suspected carriers of the virus but assured the PHA would have such
a facility somewhere around the entry point to serve as a useful hub to
detain persons who have all kinds of ailments.
He said prohibited immigrants who refused to submit to medical
screening when needed would be put back on the flight refused entry into
Ghana.
Initial tests run on the American at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for
Medical Research (NMIMR), according to hospital sources, was
inconclusive because the officials used the wrong reagent (chemical).
Hospital sources told Joy News “the test should have taken Noguchi not more than five hours.”
The final results of his blood samples are yet to be made public.
Myjoyonline.com also learnt that the samples were likely to be flown to
Atlanta in the United States for further testing.
There have been some 467 deaths out of 759 cases reported in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia as at June 30, this year.
The Public Relations Officer of the Health Ministry, Tony Goodman
earlier told Myjoyonline.com that the Ministry had requested for some
reagents from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to
help the investigations.
TNN
|
Jul 9, 2014, 01.44 AM ISTPassengers
flying in from the Middle East and West Africa will be screened for
Mers-Cov and Ebola virus at all Indian airports from September. The move
comes after WHO advised all countries to step up surveillance of
respiratory illnesses and monitor unusual patterns.
The
government plan to start stepping up screening procedures at airports
and hospitals comes ahead of the Haj season, which is likely to see
around 1,36,000 Indians visit Saudi Arabia and return. The Haj season
this year is between October 1 and 6.
"We have requested
airport authorities to start informing us when Haj pilgrims start
returning to the country," said deputy director of public health A
Somasundaram. "But we intend to start screening all passengers returning
from Saudi Arabia at least a month earlier," he added. A team from the
state's public health department will be posted at all the international
airports in the state from September. "All the state governments in
other states will also be doing the same in their respective
international airports," he said.
While passengers from Saudi
Arabia will be screened for Mers-Cov (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
Coronavirus), all passengers from Sierra Leone and Guinea will be
screened for Ebola virus. Though no case of Mers-Cov or Ebola
has been reported in India, Mers cases were seen in the United States in
May this year. "All the cases in the US had a history of travel to
Saudi Arabia. Some had worked in hospitals that treated patients with
this condition," said the World Health Organization website.
Mers-Cov was first seen in 2012. Transmitted through air, it presents
itself through cough and fever, and shortness of breath. It causes a
condition called atypical pneumonia. WHO has recorded 701 cases and 249
deaths worldwide.
Ebola is a disease caused by a virus by that
name. Symptoms start two to three weeks after contracting the virus. It
begins with fever, muscle pain and headache, and slowly adds diarrhea
and nausea.
The state's public health department met on Monday
to review the control of epidemics. "WHO has issued a red alert of three
viruses—dengue, Mers-Cov and Ebola. Since all these viruses spread
easily, we will initiate measures for detection, quarantine and
treatment," said a public health department official.
GENEVA, July 8 (Reuters) - Fifty new cases of Ebola and 25
deaths have been reported in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea
since July 3,as the deadly virus continues to spread, the World
Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
In a statement, the United Nations agency said that the
latest figures from health ministries in the three countries
showed a total of 844 cases including 518 deaths in the epidemic
that began in February.
Guinea's ministry reported two deaths since July 3, but no
new cases in the past week, the WHO said, calling the situation
in the affected region of West Africa a "mixed picture".
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Louise Ireland) http://af.reuters.com/article/liberiaNews/idAFL6N0PJ3H820140708
...Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has said that at least 41 persons have
now been confirmed killed by the virus since the outbreak was reported
in Liberia on March 22. However, the Ministry also said that 46 other
deaths, have reported to be in the “probable” and “suspected” cases;
this brings the total number of deaths to 87 in the “confirmed, probable
and suspected” category.
Of the number of deaths in all the cases, 47 are reported to have
taken place in Lofa, five in Margibi and 35 in Montserrado. Among these
deaths are 11 health workers.
The Ministry further said it has so far confirmed 63 nationally to
have contracted the virus and additional 38 and 30 fall within the
probable and suspected cases, making it 131 cases in all the cases,
including “probable, confirmed and suspected.” http://www.liberianobserver.com/news/good-news-ebola-fight-least-five-have-%E2%80%98successfully-recovered%E2%80%99
Dr. Jill Biden, wife of the Vice President of the United States of
America, Joe Biden has arrived in Freetown on a-two day working visit.
The visit of Dr. Biden to Sierra Leone accompanied by Catherine Russel,
US Ambassador at-large for Global Women’s Issues marks the end of
a-three country tour of Africa following visits[...] http://awoko.org/2014/07/07/sierra-leone-news-salone-welcomes-us-vice-presidents-wife/
An Ebola virus patient being carried on a stretcher
The American who was suspected to be carrying the Ebola virus at the
Nyaho Clinic in Accra is reported dead after blood testing on him
revealed signs of the disease were glaring. The said American, name withheld, died yesterday afternoon while under surveillance at the infirmary. He arrived from Guinea on Sunday and reported at the clinic for medical attention. As a result, Ghana’s Health Ministry is currently having a crunch meeting with stakeholders on the matter. The said meeting is supposed to strategize on how to contain the deadly Ebola virus, should it break out in the country.
There have been some 467 deaths of 759 cases reported in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia by the close of June 30, this year. The initial tests run on the American, now deceased, according to the
source, was inconclusive because the officials used the wrong reagent. The sources, who are medical practitioners, told Joy News “the test should have taken Noguchi not more than five hours.”
But Myjoyonline.com learnt from the Public Relations Officer of the
Health Ministry, Tony Goodman that his outfit had requested for some
reagents from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to
further help with the investigations. Signals are that the blood samples could also be flown to Atlanta in the United States for further testing. Early on, Head of Disease Surveillance at the Ghana Health Service,
Dr. Badu Sarkodie told Joy News more work would be done later today on
the sample before a substantive conclusion could be determined. http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2014/July-8th/nyaho-clinic-suspected-ebola-virus-patient-dies.php
Our first glimpse of the Medecins Sans Frontieres clinic in Conakry is chilling.
Doctors in yellow and white bio-hazard suits move slowly around a
temporary complex of tents and outbuildings like extras in a science
fiction film.
Only their eyes are visible behind clear plastic eye guards. Extreme
vigilance is needed when dealing with one of the worst most virulent
diseases.
And we're here to report on the biggest outbreak of Ebola ever
recorded, that's now spread to Guinea's sprawling capital Conakry, a
city of two million people. Extreme vigilance has been required to deal with the deadly outbreak. Credit: ITV News
As you walk into the clinic in the grounds of the main hospital, you
can’t get past the security guards without washing your hands and the
soles of your shoes in a bleach solution. No-one goes in or out without
it.
Inside, there's another level of security altogether: a preparation
tent where doctors and nurses gear up to enter the high risk zone.
Carefully they put on Wellington boots, a plastic all-in-one suit, a
rubber apron, a plastic hood, plastic goggles and 2 pairs of rubber
gloves - no part of the face or body is exposed - because just one drop
of bodily fluid from an infected patient could pass on the virus. People entering the clinic have to wash their hands and soles of their shoes in a bleach solution before entering. Credit: ITV News
This Ebola outbreak in West Africa began here in Guinea in March. It
soon spread to neighbouring Sierra Leone and on to Liberia and is now
confirmed as the worst outbreak ever.
More than 750 cases have been reported and more than 445 deaths.
The symptoms can be horrific, they begin with fever and diarrhoea - but victims can bleed externally and internally. Shoes are seen in the clinic. Credit: ITV News
When the doctors enter the high-risk zone, they only spend about an
hour within it. The plastic suits are too hot for anything more and in
the month of Ramadan when many aren’t eating all day long - the risk of
overheating themselves is high. One doctor recorded a temperature in the
suit of 46 degrees centigrade. Doctors are only allowed to spend an hour within the high-risk zone. Credit: ITV News
We watch Monia Sayah, a French Nurse with MSF working quickly inside,
then, when her time is up, she comes through an exit tent, where she is
sprayed with chlorine.
She washes her hands in chlorine in between removing each separate
part of her security suit. No risks are taken. Only the goggles and the
apron are not incinerated, instead they are plunged into chlorine to
kill any trace of the deadly virus. She finally steps out, soaked in
bleach and sweat. She tells me how harrowing it can be inside. A nurse describes the 'harrowing' scenes she has witnessed. Credit: ITV News
The patients with Ebola are totally isolated, so she does what she
can to comfort them. She touches them through the plastic to give them
some human contact, even though they can’t see her face.
This clinic has seen Ebola victims of all ages. Even a
seven-month-old baby. He didn't have the strength to fight the deadly
disease.
The clinic has seen victims of all ages. Credit: ITV News
One of the patients is a woman called Mbalya. She is a traditional
healer and caught the virus treating others. She is old and frail, but
is fighting it.
We talk for a while across at a distance of two metres, separated by a
flimsy plastic fence. The virus is not airborne but it's disconcerting
that the doctors in the other side of the fence are fully suited and I
am not. Dan Rivers has travelled to report on the biggest ever outbreak of Ebola ever recorded. Credit: ITV News
Mbalya then insists on giving a message to others urging anyone with the symptoms to get medical help immediately.
Initially Ebola patients can appear to have Malaria. Victims suffer a
fever, headaches and muscle aches. But after a few days the virus can
result in haemorrhaging from their eyes, ears and genitals. By then it's
often too late to save them.
This is a virus that wastes no time. Symptoms can be sudden and
deterioration can be fast. The chances of survival are far greater if
help is sought immediately. If not then the chance of dying can be 90%.
But the clinic in Conakry is prepared for that. On one side - are the patients. On the other is the morgue. http://www.itv.com/news/2014-07-07/inside-the-chilling-clinic-treating-the-biggest-outbreak-of-ebola-ever-recorded/
WASHINGTON,
July 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Dr. Jill Biden has
arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone, her final stop on a three-country
visit to Africa.
In Sierra
Leone, Dr. Biden will highlight how her trip to Africa has focused on
the importance of girls’ education and women’s participation in
government, the economy, and civil society in accelerating economic
development, improving health and educational outcomes, strengthening
democratic governance, and fostering peace and security.
On Sunday,
Dr. Biden will attend a reception hosted by Second Lady Khadija Sam
Sumana as part of Sierra Leone’s recognition of the significance of this
visit.
On Monday,
Dr. Biden will meet with President Ernest Bai Koroma at the State House
to discuss women’s empowerment; Sierra Leone’s participation in the
Equal Futures Partnership and its efforts to promote women’s political
and economic empowerment; the country’s work to crack down on
corruption; and a range of other issues facing Sierra Leone today. Upon
arrival at the State House, Dr. Biden will observe a female quarter
guard ceremony and then walk with President Koroma to the Cotton Tree, a
historic national landmark and enduring image of Freetown.
Later, Dr.
Biden will visit St. Joseph’s Secondary School where she will deliver
remarks on the empowerment of women and girls through education and
highlight important moments from her three-country tour of Africa.
Afterwards,
Dr. Biden will travel to the U.S. Embassy to meet with staff and
families. While at the Embassy, she will meet with human trafficking
survivors to discuss how local organizations and government officials
are working to prevent trafficking and provide assistance to survivors.
Dr. Biden will then depart Sierra Leone en route Washington, DC.
By KEMO CHAM in Freetown | Monday, July 7
2014 at
10:18
A picture taken on June 28, 2014 shows a member of Doctors Without
Borders (MSF) putting on protective gear at the isolation ward of the
Donka Hospital in Conakry, where people infected with the Ebola virus
are being treated. PHOTO | FILE
Sierra Leone Information and Communication Minister
Alhaji Alpha Kanu has asked citizens to give handshakes a none-month
break in light of the Ebola epidemic.
He compared the Ebola epidemic to the country’s
11-year civil war and said radical behavioural change was necessary to
contain it.
"This is like the rebel war. The only difference is you don't see the enemy. This is an invincible enemy," Mr Kanu said.
"It is not rude not to extend your hand. Let us leave it for a while. The Chinese and Japanese don't do it," he offered.
The Ebola outbreak which began in Guinea is also
pre-occupying the authorities in Liberia. The disease is transmitted
through contact with infected people and through bodily fluids.
As of Saturday, the death in Sierra Leone had gone up to 73, with a total of 254 laboratory cases confirmed.
Amidst the worsening of the situation and warnings
by the World Health Organization (WHO) of worse to come, West African
governments appear in dilemma as to best approach.
The government’s increasingly radical approach has been raising some eyebrows.
Both Liberia and Sierra Leone have criminalised sheltering of patients who refuse to seek medical treatment.
Proper hygiene
Last week, a 55-year-old Sierra Leonean in the eastern Kenema District became the first victim of the new law.
He was convicted of a "disorderly manner" for obstructing a medical official, the daily Awoko newspaper reported.
He was sentenced for one month in jail with an option of a fine.
Action Aid’s country director called the criminalisation approach heavy-handed and urged more sensitisation instead.
The government is however opposed to calls for closure of borders.
Sierra Leoneans hold the neighbouring countries,
particularly Guinea, responsible for letting the virus cross into their
territory.
The government believes closure of the borders will be an exercise in futility.
Mr Kanu said all the cases which have come into
the country came in through unofficial crossing points and closure will
only force people to take to these illegal routes.
The only way out, he insisted, was practising proper hygiene.
Say that there has to be a resurgence of Ebola virus in Guinea, is outside of science fiction.To believe, the latest figures supplied by the health authorities,
aided by their partners WHO and MSF, to date, epidemic has killed 307
people, reflecting an evolution of the count macabre due to this
disease.
Hence the urgency of a concerted strategy between Guinea and other countries in the West African sub-region.
At the meeting in Accra crisis recently, scholars have said that the
countries of the region need to mobilize immediate € 10 million to
combat the spread of the epidemic. As of July 7, 2014, therefore, according to the latest health bulletin
of the Guinean Ministry of Health and Public Health, in collaboration
with WHO and MSF, Guinea has recorded 408 cases of Ebola haemorrhagic
fever, for 307 deaths. These cases are distributed as follows: 294 confirmed cases and 195 deaths case; Probable cases: 96 cases and 96; Suspected cases: 18 cases and 16 deaths. It should be noted at the same time, it has been recorded cured in 84 treatment centers. Aboubakri http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mosaiqueguinee.com%2Findex.php%2Factu%2Fpolitique%2F2068-ebola-307-deces-en-guinee-a-la-date-du-07-juillet
A suspected case of Ebola disease detected at the Nyaho Medical
Centre in Accra on Sunday has tested "tentatively negative", according
to the Ghana Health Service. Head of Disease Surveillance at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Badu
Sarkodie, told Joy News more work would be done Tuesday before a
substantive conclusion would be announced. "What it means is that whatever they [scientists who tested blood
samples of the suspect victims] have done is not complete and there is
the need for follow up tests", said Dr Badu Sarkodie.
Four staff members of Nyaho Medical Centre have since been
quarantined after they came into contact with an American citizen
suspected to be carrying the deadly virus.
Blood samples of the suspected victim were subsequently taken for
test at the Nugouchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research, which has
given its preliminary report as negative.
By D. Ignatius Roberts, LINA Grand Cape Mount County Correspondent
ROBERTSPORT, July 6 (LINA) - The first suspected case of the deadly
Ebola disease has been recorded at the St. Timothy Government Hospital
in Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County.
...
Dr. Keita said following the submission of the testing result, it will
be established whether the patient is an Ebola patient or not.
He said the patient is still undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Meanwhile, Grand Cape Mount County Assistant Superintendent for Development, Tenneh Simpson Kpedebah, is
calling on the Ministry of Health to provide protective materials for
health workers to prevent them from contracting the Ebola virus.
... http://www.liberianewsagency.org/pagesnews.php?nid=1748
The Bo District Chairman, has appealed to the people of Bo not to
have any doubts whatsoever about the existence and reality of the Ebola
virus in the country.
Joseph Munda Rogers made his remarks in his capacity as chairman of an
awareness-raising march pass on Thursday, 3rd July organized by the
eleven Members of Parliament representing the district.
He said most of what he hears from members of public relating to the
Ebola virus, are indicative of the “wrong perceptions” many people have
about the virus in Bo and the entire country. He called on the people to
appreciate whatever they are told about the Ebola virus, while he
stressed the deadliness of the virus on its victims.
“Don’t be Doubting Thomases on Ebola. The disease is in Sierra Leone and
it is becoming “a plaque”,” he stressed in the Mende lingua franca.
He therefore applauded the awareness-raising move by the team of
Parliamentarians representing constituencies in the Bo district as “a
proof of the existence of the virus” and a move to raise the awareness
level of the people in order to guide and guard against infection.
The march pass which attracted students and youth organizations passed
through major thoroughfares in Bo city. The marchers displayed banners
and placards with inscriptions highlighting the existence of Ebola and
guiding against infection. The marchers who had assembled at three
meeting points in Bo later converged at the Coronation Field where
speeches were made.
Member of Parliament for Constituency 67 in the Bo City, Hon. Swaliho
Koroma in his brief speech told the people that he and his colleagues
believe that Ebola is real and that it is in the country. He expressed
delight that so far, the “evil hands of the virus” have not been
stretched to the districts. He called for general precautions to avoid
contraction of the virus.
He said those with wrong perceptions about the virus could cause more
harm than good to the general population if they continue propagating
their doubtful thoughts about the existence of the virus. “Such
skepticism could be dangerous for the health and safeguard of many
people in the future,” Hon. Koroma maintained.
He said they are in the district as a team to confirm the existence of
the virus in the country and to educate the people on how to prevent
contracting the virus.
Representing Constituency 075, Hon. Kuyembeh stated that Ebola since its
entry into the country has killed more people in their region and
prayed that it does not any toll on Bo district.
The Bo District Medical Officer, Dr. Alhaji Salieu Turay gave a lengthy
appraisal of the virus and how it attacks its victims. He informed the
eager crowd however that despite the fatal state of the virus, “it can
be cured”, but emphasized that this can only be achieved when the
sickness is detected earlier. The sickness he explained to the people
has stages 1, 2 and 3.
He informed that it is only in Kenema that a well-equipped laboratory
exists to diagnose and analyze the Ebola virus. He cautioned the people
to avoid those things that can cause contraction of the virus and
encouraged them to report symptoms earlier to the hospital.
By Jenkins Bawoh Monday July 07, 2014http://awoko.org/2014/07/07/sierra-leone-news-bo-people-should-not-be-doubtful-about-ebola-bdc-chair/
(Reuters) - A
U.S. citizen suspected of having Ebola because he fell ill after
visiting West African states battling the disease has tested negative, a
senior Ministry of Health official told Reuters on Monday. The man, who has not
being named, is in quarantine at Nyaho clinic in Accra and the blood
tests were conducted at Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research
in the city. "It is
negative," Badu Sarkodie, head of disease surveillance at the Ghana
Health Service, told Reuters, adding that further tests would be
conducted.
Health
officials have called for regional action to halt the world's deadliest
outbreak of the disease, which has spread across Guinea, Liberia and
Sierra Leone, killing at least 467 people since February.
The
highly contagious Ebola virus causes fever, vomiting, bleeding and
diarrhoea and kills up to 90 percent of those it infects. It is
transmitted through contact with blood or other fluids.
A
previous suspected Ebola case in Ghana also tested negative in April.
link.reuters.com/fyj32w
The Ministry of Health has denied that there is an Ebola case at a private clinic in Accra.
In a statement, the P.R. O of the Ministry, Tony Goodman said, the
suspected fever case recorded at the facility has not been confirmed as
Ebola.
According to him, the sample has been sent to the Noguchi Memorial
Research Centre for examination and the result is expected to be out by
close of today.
In the meantime, Mr. Goodman said, precautionary measures have been
taken to ensure that it does not spread if it turns out to be true http://www.gbcghana.com/1.1775592
The Ministry of Health says the Noguchi Memorial Research Centre has not
confirmed the suspected fever case recorded at the Nyaho Clinic yet.
It says it has put in place every precautionary measure at that clinic,
including additional support of Public Health staff from the Ministry,
“to quarantine patient and clinical staff [and] supply of protective
gowns for staff of that hospital.”
The Ministry says it has also directed that the case should remain at
that clinic and re-treated until otherwise, while “we wait for the
laboratory result from the Noguchi Memorial Research Centre.”
A statement signed by the Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Tony
Goodman said: “We expect the general public to remain calm as we wait
for the result from the blood sample taken for test.”
![Reuters]({"default":"http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/4a/e07b8dadb83df2faa22fa8d5ea4068/_h17_w0_m6_otrue_lfalse.gif"})
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