Date: Wed 8 Aug 2012
Source: CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy) News [edited]
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/swineflu/news/aug0812h3n2v.html
Variant H3N2 cases surge in Indiana, Ohio
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The count of swine-origin variant H3N2 influenza (H3N2v) cases in Indiana soared to 113 today [8 Aug 2012], a jump of about 100, while Ohio reported a total of 30 cases, double the previous number. But the states said they have not found any person-to-person transmission of the virus.
In a news release, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) said the 113 cases are scattered among 18 counties and predicted that more cases would be confirmed this week. Most of the previous cases have been in children who had contact with pigs at county fairs, but today's announcement gave no details about the patients' age range, swine exposure, or severity of illness. The Ohio announcement states, "There are currently 30 cases of H3N2v statewide; all individuals had direct contact with swine at fairs and no human-to-human passage of the virus has been confirmed." The counties and their case numbers are Butler, 16; Clark, 3; Gallia, 4; Greene, 4; and Hamilton, 3.
The Ohio patients range from 6 months to 36 years old, the statement said. It said one patient was hospitalized as a precaution but has since been released. One other H3N2v case was reported recently in Hawaii. With the new Indiana and Ohio cases, the apparent total for the past few weeks has now reached 144. However, Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cautioned that the growing case count in part reflects increased testing and that some of the cases may not ultimately be confirmed.
"The increase in Indiana and soon to be other states is because states are now reporting presumptive positive cases based on testing in their labs and part of this is because of increasing numbers of samples arrived for testing compared with last week," Skinner commented via e-mail. He added that the CDC believes most of the cases are still due to contact with pigs. "However, limited human-to-human transmission with this virus has been observed in the past, and we expect that some human to human spread will be observed in these current outbreaks," he said. The Indiana release said, "Health officials have not determined person-to-person transmission at this time, but continue to investigate the possibility."
Skinner and officials from the 2 states reemphasized the need to take precautions around pigs and when attending fairs. People should wash their hands before and after touching animals and should avoid eating, drinking, or putting anything in the mouth when visiting animal areas, officials said. They also reiterated that the virus is not spread through eating properly prepared pork. The CDC has said that people who have an increased risk for flu complications, such as the elderly, small children, and those with chronic diseases, should consider avoiding pigs and swine barns this summer. "It's important for folks to remember this is a mild illness with symptoms similar to what we see with seasonal flu," said State Health Commissioner Gregory Larkin, MD, in the Indiana statement today. The CDC has developed a candidate vaccine for the new strain, and clinical trials of versions made by two companies are expected this fall.
Indiana counties that have had H3N2v cases, according to today's announcement, are Bartholomew, Greene, Hamilton, Hendricks, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Kosciusko, LaPorte, Lawrence, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Porter, Scott, Tipton, Washington, and White. A report from Indiana Public Media today said 68 people in Monroe County have contracted the virus. Penny Caudill, administrator of the Monroe County health Department, said the virus does not appear to have spread from person to person, according to the story. The swine barn at the Monroe County Fair was closed last week because of sickness among the pigs.
[Byline: Robert Roos, Lisa Schnirring]
statcounter
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Medical workers’ tales of treating Ebola patients
Thursday, 09 August 2012 23:21
Dr Samuel Ssemanda Kazibwe sits outside an isolation unit deeply engrossed in his newspaper.
About ten grey tents have been set up and cordoned off as the isolation camp for suspected Ebola patients at Mulago hospital.
From where I and other people are standing, Dr Ssemanda could as well be sitting in a recreation park enjoying a best seller. When some people learn it’s the Ebola isolation camp, they run as fast as their legs can carry them. Before letting ourselves in, we ask if it’s okay to proceed. Where can we step or not? Do they have any protective gear we can wear?
“Do you see him wearing anything?” the askari asks, pointing at Dr Ssemanda who is wearing no more than a blue stripped shirt, black stripped trousers and black shoes.
“One can say knowledge is power. So, the main thing that protects us as medical workers is precautionary measures,” Dr Ssemanda says.
“We fear but we are brave. Some medical workers agreed to work with the team and others refused.”
But Ssemanda’s colleague, Dr Baterana Byarugaba, the executive director at Mulago hospital who has worked on Ebola cases and continues with this outbreak, is more reticent.
“Why don’t you ask why policemen go into riots and demonstrations? You go and ask the soldiers why they go to war even when there are flying bullets. Isn’t it their work? Then why ask me?” Byarugaba responds.
Just over the fence and outside from where Ssemanda is sitting, the public is in panic. No shaking hands, no touching, no kissing. Last week, President Yoweri Museveni advised people to avoid handshakes and casual sex.
He himself does not shake hands anymore. At Parliament, disinfectants are provided at the entrance and people must sanitise their hands before walking in least they carry the virus and put the lives of MPs and Parliament staff at risk.
Anyone entering or exiting the country must also wash with water and bleach or chlorine at the airport. While Ebola may not be as contagious as some other deadly diseases like Marburg, people live in fear of it. And you can understand why.
The disease kills in less than a week and the deaths are painful - severe fever, non-stop bleeding from all openings, diarrhoea and vomiting. Even more scary, there is no treatment and no vaccine. One has to rely on their immune response to fight off the disease.
But even with this frightening scenario, doctors, the most at risk group for secondary infection, know how to navigate the risks because they have the facts: transmission requires direct contact with infected bodily fluids, including blood, sweat or saliva.
When a case is announced, doctors know what to do; wear protective gear like gloves, gowns, boots, face masks, goggles. Do not touch anything that has come in contact with an infected person, keep a distance from the patient, and disinfect using chlorine.
“Whenever you are exposed to something for a long time, you lose fear. For me I have worked on several outbreaks like the Marburg, Ebola in Bundibugyo, and cholera,” Ssemanda says.
But Ssemanda concedes that medical workers are subjected to psychological torture at times. For instance, some of their colleagues tend to avoid them, often referring to them with the viral name. However, as professionals, they have to simply carry on with the work.
Ssemanda’s observations bring back memories of Dr Mathew Lukwiya who braved the Ebola outbreak at Lacor hospital in Gulu district where some 425 cases were reported and 224 people died.
But Lukwiya’s bravery cost him; a patient spat blood in his face as he coughed and the doctor caught the virus. He died shortly after. When the disease reoccurred in Bundibugyo, Dr Jonah Kule and other medical workers were caught unawares.
Ebola presented itself as a typical infection and the medical workers handled it as a mysterious disease. By the time it was identified, it was too late. Kule was moved to Mulago but his fate had been sealed - he died. In the recent outbreak, 13 doctors were isolated and monitored for possible infection.
Perhaps what is keeping Ssemanda calm is because all the 29 patients who were quarantined at the Mulago isolation camp were discharged because the laboratory tests done at the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe returned negative for the hemorrhagic fever. So far, 18 people have died and scores are being monitored in Kibaale district, where the disease is mostly concentrated.
“I work because I like helping people, I like challenges. I fear death but this is my profession. I am also a brave man,” Ssemanda says.
What is Ebola?
Dr Joseph Wamala, a senior epidemiologist at the ministry of Health, explains that Ebola is a Zonotic disease primarily found in bats and monkeys. It affects humans when a person gets in contact with an infected bat or something contaminated, like a fruit. This partly explains why it usually starts in the countryside.
The disease was first detected in 1976 when it broke out in the DRC and South Sudan. It is named after a river in the Congolese village where cases were first reported.
The first time Ebola was heard in Uganda was in 2000 when there was an outbreak in Gulu. Many people suspected that Ugandan soldiers returning from DRC had carried it over, but that link was never proven.
Cases were also reported in Masindi and Mbarara. By the time the disease came to light last week, it had killed 15 people in Kibaale district. Worldwide, some 1,800 people have been diagnosed with the disease, 1,200 of whom died.
When doctors receive a patient, they look out for symptoms such as high fever, weakness, nose bleeding, vomiting and diarrhoea. But the same symptoms can also manifest in many other ailments. Mulago hospital recently received a 32-year-old patient from Kyebando with these symptoms but on closer scrutiny, it wasn’t the dreaded Ebola.
“A picture [of Ebola infection] can come but we have to evaluate before we can tell it is indeed Ebola,” says Dr Ssemanda, who is heading the Ebola team at Mulago.
“Anybody from an area with Ebola is an alert case ... we only got Ebola suspects whom we were treating as Ebola patients basing on clinical diagnosis. But when we got viral lab results from Entebbe, we discharged them. The Ebola cases are now in Kibaale.”
When suspected cases are received, the patients are given anti-malarials, antibiotics for bacterial infections, vitamins, anxiety drugs and anti-amoebic drugs. http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20302%3Amedical-workers-tales-of-treating-ebola-patientscoming-face-to-face-with-death&catid=34%3Anews&Itemid=114
HFMD eases in Vietnam, dengue and H5N1 take stage
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 08, 2012 05:40:00
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A child with blisters on his knee is examined for hand, foot and mouth disease at a hospital in Vietnam.
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Vietnam’s Health Ministry said the spread of hand, foot, and mouth disease is cooling its heels as dengue infects more people and bird flu threaten to recur.
The number of new HFMD cases has dropped and caused six deaths in July.
The ministry’s Preventive Health Department reported 7,461 infections in July, a 49.2 percent drop from June. The death rate meanwhile is nearly six times lower than the same period last year, news website VietNamNet reported Monday.
Local governments were asked to stay vigilant to contain any new outbreaks and the spread of current ones.
Vietnam recorded 57,900 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease over the first half of this year, including 29 casualties, the department said in a report. Last year, 110,000 people were infected including 169 deaths.
Most of the patients are children under five years old, falling sick first with mouth sores and blisters on the hands and feet.
The disease, which has no vaccine or specific medication, is caused by the Enterovirus, but health officials said HFMD in Vietnam is plagued by the most dangerous strain EV-71, which has caused all the fatalities and around 80 percent of the infections this year.
Meanwhile, the department warned about dengue fever outbreaks in southern Vietnam, where monsoon season has just begun.
A report from the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City listed 11 deaths out of 21,215 dengue fever cases in the south this year, a 20 percent increase year-on-year, according to a Nhan Dan report July 2. Three of the deaths and nearly 5,000 of the infections were from Ho Chi Minh City. The bird flu outbreak is also likely to recur as sick fowl were reported in northern Vietnam in recent months.
The bird flu outbreak is also likely to recur as sick fowl were reported in northern Vietnam in recent months.
Four people were infected with the virus in February and March, including two fatal cases from the Mekong Delta, one from Binh Duong Province outside Ho Chi Minh City and another from the Central Highlands’ Dak Lak Province. Four people were infected with the virus in February and March, including two fatal cases from the Mekong Delta, one from Binh Duong Province outside Ho Chi Minh City and another from the Central Highlands’ Dak Lak Province. http://www.thanhniennews.com/index/pages/20120808-hfmd-eases-in-vietnam-stage-given-to-dengue-fever-bird-flu.aspx
The number of new HFMD cases has dropped and caused six deaths in July.
The ministry’s Preventive Health Department reported 7,461 infections in July, a 49.2 percent drop from June. The death rate meanwhile is nearly six times lower than the same period last year, news website VietNamNet reported Monday.
Local governments were asked to stay vigilant to contain any new outbreaks and the spread of current ones.
Vietnam recorded 57,900 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease over the first half of this year, including 29 casualties, the department said in a report. Last year, 110,000 people were infected including 169 deaths.
Most of the patients are children under five years old, falling sick first with mouth sores and blisters on the hands and feet.
The disease, which has no vaccine or specific medication, is caused by the Enterovirus, but health officials said HFMD in Vietnam is plagued by the most dangerous strain EV-71, which has caused all the fatalities and around 80 percent of the infections this year.
Meanwhile, the department warned about dengue fever outbreaks in southern Vietnam, where monsoon season has just begun.
A report from the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City listed 11 deaths out of 21,215 dengue fever cases in the south this year, a 20 percent increase year-on-year, according to a Nhan Dan report July 2. Three of the deaths and nearly 5,000 of the infections were from Ho Chi Minh City. The bird flu outbreak is also likely to recur as sick fowl were reported in northern Vietnam in recent months.
The bird flu outbreak is also likely to recur as sick fowl were reported in northern Vietnam in recent months.
Four people were infected with the virus in February and March, including two fatal cases from the Mekong Delta, one from Binh Duong Province outside Ho Chi Minh City and another from the Central Highlands’ Dak Lak Province. Four people were infected with the virus in February and March, including two fatal cases from the Mekong Delta, one from Binh Duong Province outside Ho Chi Minh City and another from the Central Highlands’ Dak Lak Province. http://www.thanhniennews.com/index/pages/20120808-hfmd-eases-in-vietnam-stage-given-to-dengue-fever-bird-flu.aspx
CDC: 158 cases of new swine flu strain from pigs
This is not a pandemic situation," said Dr. Joseph Bresee of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
But any flu can be a risk for some people, and people should
be cautious when they can, he added.
The case count jumped from 29 a week ago to 158 this week,
thanks to a wave of new cases in Indiana and Ohio, said Bresee, the agency's
chief of influenza epidemiology.
Most of the infected patients are children - probably
because many were working closely with raising, displaying and visiting pigs at
the agricultural fairs, Bresee said.
The recent cases include at least 113 in Indiana, 30 in
Ohio, one in Hawaii and one in Illinois, Bresee said in a conference call with
reporters.
The count is changing rapidly. Indiana health officials on
Thursday afternoon said they had seven more confirmed cases than Bresee noted.
That would raise the grand total to 165 so far.
Also, diagnosis of cases has become quicker in the last
week. CDC no longer must confirm a case with its own lab. Now states are using
CDC test kits to confirm cases on their own on, speeding the process along. The
newly reported cases were likely infected a week or two ago.
The CDC has been ..
CDC: 158 cases of new swine flu strain from pigs H3N2
- Officials say there's been a five-fold increase of cases of a new strain of swine flu that spreads from pigs to people. The case count jumped from 29 a week ago to 158 this week, thanks to a wave of newMore >>Officials say there's been a five-fold increase of cases of a new strain of swine flu that spreads from pigs to people.More >>
Nebbi DHO: Deaths due to dysentery, not Ebola
The Nebbi District Health Officer Dr Oryema Jakor has clarified that the couple whose deaths on Monday sparked an Ebola scare in the district could have died of dysentery and not the deadly disease now reported in Kibaale district.
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44384#ixzz235Hfnr3L
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44384#ixzz235Hfnr3L
more on Chinese Company Abandons Work Over Ebola Scare
Chinese Company Abandons Work Over Ebola Scare
By 5 hours 45 minutes ago
This was after one patient in Masha, Isingiro died mysteriously last week, with residents suspecting Ebola was the cause of her death.
But when her blood was taken to Entebbe Virus Research Institute, it was found negative of the Ebola virus but this has not convinced the Chinese to get back to work.
Road construction trucks on the Isingiro road still lie idle where they are being guarded by private security personnel.
The construction works on Mbarara-Isingiro road started early this year after residents went on strike complaining about the deteriorating state of the murram road to the Uganda-Tanzania border.
The Ministry of Health on Tuesday started the reintegration of suspected patients into their communities after weeks of treatment and monitoring.
Health experts have also managed to successfully treat and save the lives of four Ebola patients while 3 have died since the breakout of the epidemic was confirmed late last month.
The Ministry of Health surveillance team is following up to 248 people who got in contact with the dead and suspects. http://www.chimpreports.com/index.php/people/health/5431-chinese-company-abandons-work-over-ebola-scare.html
Ebola outbreak is quelled — this time
..While the immediate crisis has been averted with only 60 diagnosed patients so far, this was an outbreak that had many in the international public health community concerned. The problem was the long lag in determining whether the mysterious deaths were, indeed, part of an Ebola outbreak. In the western Kibaale district, the possibility that Ebola was responsible for the first victim’s death was not immediately understood since the patient, and several others, did not have typical symptoms. They suffered from fevers and vomiting, but there was no sign of hemorrhaging.
Funerals for the victims, who appeared to die out of the blue, became large public events where exposed family members mingled with neighbors and friends, thereby increasing the likelihood that the virus would spread. (It passes through blood or other bodily fluid secretions.) An unsuspecting public health worker from the Kibaale district then travelled to the capital city of Kampala and died there. Kampala has about 1.5 million citizens.
At last tracking, the US Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and Uganda’s ministry of health (which has increased both access and communication with support from the Gates Foundation) have all deployed resources. They now believe that they have identified the 400 or so people who came into contact with exposed patients. Monitoring of these patients will last another 21 days until the virus is contained. This means, sadly, until it has finally killed all its victims and has no other place to go....
http://bostonglobe.com/opinion/2012/08/09/how-stop-deadly-virus/IPKgrWeXfYfyJpnFRvRvOO/story.html
Uganda Ministry of Health Ebola Update (8th August).wmv
Update:In the last 24 hours,1 new suspected case of Ebola.10 people discharged.179 people have completed the 21 day follow up period.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l_1cBHHZfc&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0l_1cBHHZfc&feature=plcp
17 patients cleared of Ebola, get Shs50,000
Dr Allan Niyonzima Muruta (L), the district health officer of Kiboga, and other health workers at Kiboga Hospital demonstrate how medics should dress while treating Ebola Thursday, August 9 2012 at 01:00
In Summary
Health workers are monitoring 400 people in communities suspected of having been in contact with Ebola patients.
Kibaale District health authorities on Tuesday discharged 10 patients who were admitted at Kagadi Hospital on suspicion of being infected with Ebola. The district health officer, Dr Dan Kyamanywa, said a total of 17 patients have been discharged from the hospital and re-united with their families.
Kibaale District health authorities on Tuesday discharged 10 patients who were admitted at Kagadi Hospital on suspicion of being infected with Ebola. The district health officer, Dr Dan Kyamanywa, said a total of 17 patients have been discharged from the hospital and re-united with their families.
“We have seven patients admitted in the high risk isolation ward out of which three have tested positive but they are clinically improving,” Mr Kyamanywa told this newspaper on Wednesday. He said medics were monitoring more than 400 people in communities suspected of having been in contact with Ebola patients. “Out of these, 94 have been monitored for 21 days and have been declared Ebola free,” Mr Kyamanywa added.
Those discharged were given blankets, mattresses, sauce pans, cups, plates, rice, among other items. Most of those discharged were admitted at the hospital on July 29 after showing signs similar to of Ebola but they tested negative.Also discharged were Aston Byamukama, Steven Byaruhanga and Robert Bitamazire inmates from Kibaale Prison. "That leaves 1 escapee and 1 still being monitered" They, however, were taken back to prison. Dr Kyamanywa said the World Health Organisation also gave start-up pocket money of Shs50,000 to each discharged patient.
Meanwhile, health personnel called police to close Muhorro and Nyamarunda markets which attempted to operate last weekend despite a ban. The district Ebola taskforce vice chairperson, Mr Stephen Mfashingabo, said traders reported to the markets in the morning. “We acted swiftly and police managed to enforce the ban on markets remaining closed until the district is declared Ebola-free,” Mr Mfashingabo said.
The district LC5 chairperson also banned social gatherings such as weddings to minimise possibilities of escalating further infections of the highly contagious disease.
Meanwhile, two people suspected to be suffering from Ebola have been admitted at Kisizi Missionary Hospital in Rukungiri District and put in an isolation unit.
Meanwhile, two people suspected to be suffering from Ebola have been admitted at Kisizi Missionary Hospital in Rukungiri District and put in an isolation unit.
One of the patients is said to have been in Kibaale District three weeks ago but later decided to go back to his home in Rukungiri where he later on fell sick and developed Ebola symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea.
He was admitted on Sunday. The second patient arrived at the facility on Tuesday. “The patients have been isolated and their samples have been sent to Uganda Virus Research Institute Entebbe for screening,” Sister Maureen Tumwebaze, the nurse in charge of the isolation section, said on Tuesday.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/17+patients+cleared+of+Ebola++get+Shs50+000/-/688334/1474490/-/jvqtp5z/-/index.html
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/17+patients+cleared+of+Ebola++get+Shs50+000/-/688334/1474490/-/jvqtp5z/-/index.html
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Another report of Chinese Contractors Flee Isingiro Over Ebola
Chinese Contractors Flee Isingiro Over Ebola
The Chinese contractors under the China Community Company halted work immediately after news spread late last month that a resident of Masha Isingiro district might have died of Ebola. Work on the road has now stopped completely. http://redpepper.co.ug/welcome/?p=41919
China is in Uganda doing some work for sure.. In Uganda, he said, there are about 11 Chinese companies involved in construction works out of which nine are government owned and actively compete for business in China. http://in2eastafrica.net/uganda-government-urged-to-involve-self-in-business/
a recent report of them building a school China to construct Chinese teaching school in UgandaPublish Date: Apr 11, 2012 http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/630281-china-to-construct-chinese-teaching-school-in-uganda.html
Lira Hospital on Alert as One Person is Admitted with Ebola-like Illness- UPDATE- POSSIBLE NEW SUSPECT- AWAITING TEST RESULTS
Medical workers and patients at Lira regional referral hospital are in a state of fear after one person was on Tuesday night admitted at the health facility with ebola-like symptoms.
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44340#ixzz22yDMQG5Y
here is an update from a Blog by Yvette Vreeker I got from here. The latest news report says Tues nite a patient came in.
this statement references a previous scare
..We were not only impressed by the performance of this woman. We also noticed that they are extremely well prepared for a possible inclusion of patients infected with Ebola. There is already a group of volunteers ready and the psychiatric department is already prepared to act as an isolation ward. They were just 'on high alert' last Saturday when a man was recorded with bleeding, but was too drunk to have a stomach bleeding and liver failure as a result. The Ebola test was also negative. They are so well prepared and that is reassuring. And Petua plays an important role in this, she knows exactly what to do. There appears Ebola does not spread from the dist target Kibaale in western Uganda, which is good news...
http://www.jehoel.eu/nl/node/57
I am still searching for confirmation on the latest suspect.
Update #3 Another new report of a suspect in Lira. This time he has a name. Waiting for test results
Ebola Suspected Case in Lira District
on August 9, 2012By Emmanuel Omona
Workers in Lira Regional Referrals Hospital are in panic following the admission of a suspected Ebola patient was admitted .
Henry Lewgalethe, suspected patient, is a resident of Rainbow trading centre, Aduku road just meters from Lira town was rushed to the facility on Wednesday night at around 11pm in a critical condition after he fell sick with Ebola like symptoms.
Grace Atim, Lira district Health Educator/Ebola taskforce spokesperson advised the residents in the hospital to remain calm.
Atim also urged the patients to remain calm saying that blood sample drawn from the patient has been sent to the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe for further investigations.
Mental Unit ward at Lira Referral Hospital has been set aside as an isolation centre for the Ebola patients.
http://www.ugandapicks.com/2012/08/ebola-suspected-case-in-lira-district-65044.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Rapid risk assessment: Outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Uganda
ABSTRACT
In the light of an outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever
in Uganda, ECDC has considered the risk to public health in the EU.
The risk of becoming infected is considered to be low unless a person is in direct contact with bodily fluids of dead or living infected persons or animals. It is therefore unlikely that EU citizens in Uganda will become infected. In the unlikely event that a traveller infected in Uganda arrives in the EU while incubating the disease and develops symptoms, they should seek medical attention and be isolated, which will prevent further transmission. http://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/Forms/ECDC_DispForm.aspx?ID=939
The risk of becoming infected is considered to be low unless a person is in direct contact with bodily fluids of dead or living infected persons or animals. It is therefore unlikely that EU citizens in Uganda will become infected. In the unlikely event that a traveller infected in Uganda arrives in the EU while incubating the disease and develops symptoms, they should seek medical attention and be isolated, which will prevent further transmission. http://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/Forms/ECDC_DispForm.aspx?ID=939
EBOLA VIRUS OUTBREAK IN UGANDA
On 24 July 2012, the Ministry of Health of Uganda reported an outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever from Kibaale district, Midwestern Uganda.
UPDATE, 8 AUGUST 2012
As of 7 August 2012, 60 suspected cases, including 16 deaths, have been reported (See WHO updates on Ebola outbreak in Uganda). Ten cases have been laboratory confirmed as Ebola Sudan virus subtype by the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Entebbe, Uganda (See WHO Regional Office of Africa). Six of these confirmed cases were acute cases and four were convalescent cases.
One case was confirmed in the capital city of Kampala. This case was a healthcare worker from the Kibaale district, who was treated in the Mulago hospital in Kampala and who subsequently died.
There are currently 36 cases admitted in the isolation facility in Kagadi Hospital, of whom 29 are in a convalescent ward and soon to be discharged.
Of the 398 contacts identified, 84 have completed their monitoring period of 21 days and 292 are still under active follow-up. So far, all samples from other districts have tested negative for Ebola virus (including two suspected cases in Kenya). None of the seven health workers from Kampala referral hospital who attended to a fatal case has developed symptoms of the disease by day 16 of follow-up. This indicates that there has been no expansion of the outbreak beyond Kibaale District.
The Ugandan Ministry of Health has activated a National Task Force and is actively working with the World Health Organization, the US Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Doctors Without Borders (Médecin Sans Frontières) and the Red Cross to support the response operations. The neighbouring districts have been put on high alert and are enhancing surveillance of cases (See WHO Regional Office of Africa).
Likewise, neighbouring countries, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan and Rwanda, have strengthened their surveillance to detect and respond to the emergence of cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever. On 5 August 2012, local media report two suspected cases in the Kagera region of Tanzania (bordering Uganda). The cases are unrelated to each other. Both crossed the Ugandan-Tanzanian border but have no apparent epidemiological links to the Kibaale District.
It is likely that more cases will be idenIt is likely that more cases will be identified in the coming weeks, as active case-finding and contact monitoring is in place, and given the duration of the incubation period of up to three weeks. As of 8 August, the update on the epidemiological information does not change the conclusion of the risk assessment published by ECDC on 2 August. http://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/ebola_marburg_fevers/Pages/index.aspx
Chinese Contractors Flee Isingiro District over Ebola Scare
The Chinese contractors under the China Community Company halted work immediately after news spread late last month that a resident of Masha Isingiro district might have died of Ebola. Work on the road has now stopped completely.
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44349&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#ixzz22y2b3Kra
2 Admitted in Rukungiri for Ebola Monitoring
Two male patients have been admitted, isolated, and are being screened for the Ebola virus at Kisiizi Hospital in Rukungiri district, south western Uganda. The first patient was admitted on Sunday, July 5 while the second patient was admitted yesterday.
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44319&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#ixzz22xltIEcd
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44319&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#ixzz22xltIEcd
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Ebola Outbreak in Uganda Dr. Richard Besser Video
Ebola Outbreak in Uganda
Dr. Richard Besser reports from Africa, traveling with CDC experts.
Ebola claims nurse in line of duty
Ebola claims nurse in line of duty
Claire Muhumuza (L) and her family friends recently. PHOTO BY FRANCIS MUGERWA
By Francis Mugerwa (email the author)
In Summary
Tragedy. Claire Muhumuza, a nurse at Kagadi Hospital and her four-month-old baby died of Ebola which she contracted after attending to a patient with the highly contagious hemorrhagic fever.
Two weeks ago, Claire Muhumuza woke up and did domestic work before reporting for duty at Kagadi Hospital to attend to patients as she had done for over a decade.
Muhumuza, just like her family, could not anticipate that one of the patients she would attend to was infected with Ebola. At this time, the disease had not been diagnosed.
Two weeks ago, Claire Muhumuza woke up and did domestic work before reporting for duty at Kagadi Hospital to attend to patients as she had done for over a decade.
Muhumuza, just like her family, could not anticipate that one of the patients she would attend to was infected with Ebola. At this time, the disease had not been diagnosed.
The disease, which was reported as a strange illness in the media, had killed 13 people from one family in a matter of days. A resident of Nyanswiga Village in Nyamarunda Sub-county, who was admitted with high fever, vomiting and having diarrhoea later turned out to have the highly contagious Ebola hemorrhagic fever, which has killed 17 people and dozens are still hospitalised but are out of danger.
“When she returned home, she told us that she was puzzled by the excessive diarrhoea of one of the patients she attended to. She suspected the patient to have cholera,” Mr Joseph Kasigwa, Muhumuza’s brother in-law, said.
Her relatives said she washed herself with Jik detergent when she reached home and encouraged other family members to do the same as a preventive measure against cholera.
After three days, she developed fever and took anti-malarial drugs. Her situation only got worse. She developed diarrhoea, her eyes turned red and she began vomiting.
Misfortune
Several doctors in private clinics and at Kagadi Hospital attended to her both at her home and later at Kagadi Hospital. As her situation deteriorated, she was referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where she died on July 20 after two weeks of illness. She was buried on July 22 in Kahooro Village in Bwamiramira Sub-county.
The demise of Muhumuza has had huge impact on her family.
Misfortune
Several doctors in private clinics and at Kagadi Hospital attended to her both at her home and later at Kagadi Hospital. As her situation deteriorated, she was referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where she died on July 20 after two weeks of illness. She was buried on July 22 in Kahooro Village in Bwamiramira Sub-county.
The demise of Muhumuza has had huge impact on her family.
“Life has changed. People shun me. They think I also have Ebola. I feel traumatised and stigmatised,” Mr Posiano Zahura, her husband, said. Mr Zahura, a records assistant in Kibaale District’s planning unit, said he used to live with his wife and three children in Kagadi Hospital’s staff quarters but after medical confirmation that she died of the highly contagious disease, health workers have restricted his movements and their former residence has been condoned off.
“All our household items are locked in the house. I cannot access ATM cards and other necessities because I am not allowed to access that house anymore,” Mr Zahura said.
He has retreated to his ancestral home in Kyomukama Village in Kagadi Town Council, about five kilometres from Kagadi town, on the Kagadi-Isunga-Kibaale Road.
He has retreated to his ancestral home in Kyomukama Village in Kagadi Town Council, about five kilometres from Kagadi town, on the Kagadi-Isunga-Kibaale Road.
But even in the village, he claims neighbours have shunned his home. As he rehabilitates his house, he has an uphill task of accessing building materials.
“When I send a boda boda to buy for me cement or any other materials, he does not return. No one is willing to give me a lift. I feel troubled,” he said.
“When I send a boda boda to buy for me cement or any other materials, he does not return. No one is willing to give me a lift. I feel troubled,” he said.
The District Health Officer, Dr Dan Kyamanywa, said Mr Zahura is among the over 200 people who got exposed to Ebola patients and are under close surveillance.
Muhumuza had initiated some development projects in the community.
Muhumuza had initiated some development projects in the community.
She founded Kweyamba Group-Kamiranjojo, a savings and credit association where she was also a treasurer. Her death has left members of the association stuck since she was the principal signatory to the account. They are due to hold talks with bank officials on how to access their savings.
Family
Muhumuza was due to baptise Milka Ninsiima, her four-month-old baby in August. Ninsiima also died of Ebola. Besides her husband, she is survived by two children: Tony Agondeze,13, a Primary Seven pupil at Quality Primary School and Crispus Asasira, a Primary Five pupil at St Jude Primary School, Buseesa.
Muhumuza was due to baptise Milka Ninsiima, her four-month-old baby in August. Ninsiima also died of Ebola. Besides her husband, she is survived by two children: Tony Agondeze,13, a Primary Seven pupil at Quality Primary School and Crispus Asasira, a Primary Five pupil at St Jude Primary School, Buseesa.
“She wanted me to join the seminary and become a priest. I will struggle to fulfill her dream, ” Agondeze said. Muhumuza joined the civil service in the 1990s as a nurse and has been married to Zahura since 1994.
Her husband is wondering how he will care for the children given that their late mother did so diligently and used to pay school fees for them. “Before she died, she told me that her children should keep in school and that all her assets are for them,” Mr Zahura said.
“We have lost our dear one. She was more than a mother. She would also an earn income for the family. We request government to give us some compensation,” he said.
The vice chairperson of the District Ebola Task Force, Mr Stephen Mfashigabo, said the family’s request for compensation will be forwarded to the health ministry for consideration. http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Ebola+claims+nurse+in+line+of+duty/-/688334/1473700/-/qm3dw2z/-/index.html
The vice chairperson of the District Ebola Task Force, Mr Stephen Mfashigabo, said the family’s request for compensation will be forwarded to the health ministry for consideration. http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Ebola+claims+nurse+in+line+of+duty/-/688334/1473700/-/qm3dw2z/-/index.html
U.S. Embassy Kampala, Uganda Message for U.S. Citizens Ebola Outbreak Update
Message for U.S. Citizens
U.S. Embassy Kampala, Uganda
Message for U.S. Citizens
Ebola Outbreak Update
August 7, 2012
This Message for U.S. Citizens traveling and residing in Uganda is an update to the Emergency Message on July 28, 2012, regarding the confirmed case of Ebola virus in Uganda. Local and international media continue to report additional suspected cases of Ebola. The Ugandan Ministry of Health, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and international partners are monitoring and responding to the situation. As of August 5, 2012, there are a total of 52 cases associated with the outbreak, of which 16 have died. There are currently 36 people hospitalized in Kibaale District, of which 29 have recovered and have been moved to a convalescent ward. Of the total cases, six cases of Ebola virus have been confirmed by laboratory testing. At this time, the cases appear to be centered in Nyamarunda Sub County, Kibaale district. One probable case was transported from Kibaale district to Mulago Hospital in Kampala, where she subsequently died on July 22, 2012. Though suspect cases have been reported from a number of districts, all tests, to date, from these other districts have been negative.
In order to control the spread of the Ebola virus, the U.S. Government is collaborating with teams from the Ministry of Health and international partners to identify individuals who have been in contact with the people suspected or confirmed to have Ebola and obtain samples from those who had contact with victims. This includes those exposed in Kibaale as well as those potentially exposed at Kampala’s Mulago Hospital. The 7 Mulago health workers under observation in Kampala are not showing symptoms of Ebola.
Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids (blood, urine, saliva, etc.) of an infected person or the body of an infected person who has died, or by direct contact with items (bedding, clothing) contaminated with bodily fluids.
In addition to the information on protecting yourself from the Ebola virus provided in the July 28 Emergency Message, the CDC has released an Outbreak Notice and Advisory on the current Ebola virus outbreak in Uganda, available here: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/outbreak-notice/ebola-uganda-2012.htm. http://kampala.usembassy.gov/emergency_8072013.html
Tshikapa: an unknown epidemic kills 14 Congolese returned from Angola
|Last Update August 7th, 2012 at 8:25
Not yet an epidemic has already killed fourteen known Congolese among three thousand and fourteen returned to Angola via the border crossings and Kandjaji Tshitundu, localities 180 km south of the town of Tshikapa (Kasai Occidental). Local sources indicate that these Congolese out of Angola voluntarily flee the spread of this disease manifested by bloody diarrhea in communities Tshinguvu, Lukata and other mining areas of Lunda North
Reliance on the report of the health zone Kamonya, the chief medical officer of health district Tshikapa, Jean-Pierre Okambio, says the health status of three patients supported by the hospital Kamonya developing positively.
Jean-Pierre Okambio also asked health services operating at the border to take steps to prevent the spread of this epidemic unknown.
Local health authorities say that the patients reported are already supported in hospitals near the borders. http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=fr&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2012/08/07/tshikapa-une-epidemie-inconnue-tue-14-congolais-retournes-de-langola/&usg=ALkJrhgB0F1dwCreVSUzH2mc7eaW3ClNaA
Not yet an epidemic has already killed fourteen known Congolese among three thousand and fourteen returned to Angola via the border crossings and Kandjaji Tshitundu, localities 180 km south of the town of Tshikapa (Kasai Occidental). Local sources indicate that these Congolese out of Angola voluntarily flee the spread of this disease manifested by bloody diarrhea in communities Tshinguvu, Lukata and other mining areas of Lunda North
Reliance on the report of the health zone Kamonya, the chief medical officer of health district Tshikapa, Jean-Pierre Okambio, says the health status of three patients supported by the hospital Kamonya developing positively.
Jean-Pierre Okambio also asked health services operating at the border to take steps to prevent the spread of this epidemic unknown.
Local health authorities say that the patients reported are already supported in hospitals near the borders. http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=fr&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2012/08/07/tshikapa-une-epidemie-inconnue-tue-14-congolais-retournes-de-langola/&usg=ALkJrhgB0F1dwCreVSUzH2mc7eaW3ClNaA
Avian Flu linked to seals dying off along the N.H. seacoast
HAMPTON — Scientists studying why more than a hundred harbor seals died along the New England coastline last year have released a new report that shows the seals perished as a result of a new strain of avian flu capable of being transmitted from birds to mammals, possibly humans.
The report — Emergence of Fatal Avian Influenza in New England Harbor Seals — was released Tuesday by a team of experts tasked with uncovering why 162 young seals turned up dead on Seacoast beaches including Hampton Beach, last fall.
In the report, researchers identify the cause of death as an influenza A virus "H3N8," a new strain of the bird flu that can jump from birds to marine mammals, such as seals and sea lions.
The report was made possible by scientists at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, New England Aquarium, the U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center, SeaWorld and EcoHealth Alliance.
Research findings
Simon Anthony, a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University, was the lead author of the study.
"When initial tests revealed an avian influenza virus, we asked the obvious question: how did this virus jump from birds to seals?" Anthony said.
The report states that the emergence of new strains of influenza virus is always of great public concern, especially when the infection of a new mammalian host has the potential to result in a widespread outbreak of disease.
"This outbreak is particularly significant, not only because of the disease it caused in seals but also because the virus has naturally acquired mutations that are known to increase transmissibility and virulence in mammals," the report states.
W. Ian Lipkin, director of the Center for Infection and Immunity and John Snow, professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, said the findings reinforce the importance of wildlife surveillance in predicting and preventing pandemics.
"HIV/AIDS, SARS, West Nile, Nipah and influenza are all examples of emerging infectious diseases that originated in animals," he said. "Any outbreak of disease in domestic animals or wildlife, while an immediate threat to wildlife conservation, must also be considered potentially hazardous to humans."
Katie Pugliares, a senior biologist with the New England Aquarium's rescue program, also assisted in the new report.
Pugliares said that while the study indicated that the newly identified virus can be passed to mammals, so far there is no indication that humans are capable of contracting it.
"We don't believe this particular strain is harmful to people because of the number of personnel we had handling them — nobody got sick," she said.
Pugliares said at this point experts believe H3N8 is a mutation from a strain of bird flu, which is something she said happens, but only on rare occasions.
"Viruses mutate so they can jump from one host to the next," she said. "What's alarming is that it was able to mutate and adapt to mammals."
How die-off began
Pugliares said she remembers exactly when the surge in seal deaths became apparent last fall. It was a Wednesday evening and a beachgoer in Seabrook had called in to report a dead seal on the beach, according to Pugliares.
"(The beachgoer) took a photo and sent it to us," she said. "We immediately saw that something interesting was going on with that one animal."
Red flags began to pop up when experts noticed the dead seal appeared to be in good condition, Pugliares said. Shortly after receiving the image from the beachgoer, Pugliares said a staff member from New England Aquarium was dispatched to Seabrook to see what else he or she could learn.
While en route to the beach, Pugliares said the Boston-based aquarium got a phone call from an employee at a surf shop in Rye reporting that surfers were bumping into dead seals floating in the water.
When experts arrived at the local beach, Pugliares said six dead seals were found scattered across the sand. While dead seals washing ashore is considered routine, Pugliares said it was clear something strange was happening.
.....
Then, in December, Pugliares said experts discovered that an Influenza A-type virus was responsible for the seal deaths.
"It was at that point that we knew this was an infectious disease," she said.
Scientists tasked with identifying the virus then determined that the next closest flu came from a species of birds that was identified in 2002.
Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration then declared the seal deaths an "unusual mortality event," which prompted attention at the national level and eventually resulted in the recent study.
On the lookout
The late summer months are perhaps the busiest times... http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120807/NEWS/208070346/-1/NEWSMAP
Report From The Front Lines In Uganda
August 5 But now a new challenge strikes our community. As you may have read in the news, there has been an outbreak of ebola in western Uganda which is affecting our communities. It was first reported about two weeks ago but since then several people have died. Others have been taken to a quarantined areanear the Hospital. The disease is just in our area and at our health center we have had few suspected cases as mentioned above. We are trying to engage some protective measures for our staff but the problem is that we do not have real protective gear. They have only been supplied to the government Hospital – not to the outlying clinics like ours.
The impact of the Ebola outbreak on us as nurses and other health workers at our facility is that we are working under a lot of risk and fear for our lives because we do not have enough protective gear as we should. For example, one medical worker who had been very involved in the care and treatment of the first people who died of Ebola in recent weeks also died. The health center administration is trying its best to provide some gear but it is hard to get enough due to financial constraints as it was not something that was planned for. The task force team that was set up at the neighboring government hospital promised to give us some gear more than a week ago but we have received nothing up to now. Yet we continue to handle a lot of suspected cases including pregnant mothers.
We imagine that soon movement will be limited or prohibited to avoid infection. So the health center may have to look into a possibility of transporting the nurses instead to the villages to reach out to the mothers if we are to attend to them. I do not know if the health center will manage such extra expenses.
http://everymothercounts.org/blog/201208/report-front-lines-uganda
The impact of the Ebola outbreak on us as nurses and other health workers at our facility is that we are working under a lot of risk and fear for our lives because we do not have enough protective gear as we should. For example, one medical worker who had been very involved in the care and treatment of the first people who died of Ebola in recent weeks also died. The health center administration is trying its best to provide some gear but it is hard to get enough due to financial constraints as it was not something that was planned for. The task force team that was set up at the neighboring government hospital promised to give us some gear more than a week ago but we have received nothing up to now. Yet we continue to handle a lot of suspected cases including pregnant mothers.
We imagine that soon movement will be limited or prohibited to avoid infection. So the health center may have to look into a possibility of transporting the nurses instead to the villages to reach out to the mothers if we are to attend to them. I do not know if the health center will manage such extra expenses.
http://everymothercounts.org/blog/201208/report-front-lines-uganda
Uganda: Police Conducts Ebola Sensitisation in Kampala
7 August 2012
The Police have embarked on an anti-Ebola awareness drive within Kampala to restrain the spread of the deadly virus in the city.
The programme involves the dissemination of basic facts about the epidemic and aims to equip the masses with knowledge on how to avoid contracting the deadly disease.
According to the Kampala Extra Police spokesperson, Ibin Ssenkumbi, the campaign is to be conducted in Police stations in Kampala city and it will pass-on basic information about the epidemic like the symptoms and how to handle suspected patients.
"The awareness exercise is being conducted at Police Stations in Kampala city and is intended to enable the public to identify, handle and report any cases of Ebola," Ssenkumbi on Tuesday.
The exercise comes against the background of an Ebola outbreak in Kibaale district that has necessitated the entire nation to respond through preventive measures such as mass sensitisation on the epidemic.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201208071224.html
EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER - UGANDA (13)
EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER - UGANDA (13)
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A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
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A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
[1] Date: Tue 7 Aug 22012 Source: Times Live, South African Press Association (SAPA)/Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) report [edited] http://www.timeslive.co.za/africa/2012/08/07/uganda-ebola-outbreak-under-control-who An outbreak of the deadly ebolavirus in Uganda, which has killed 16 people has been stemmed, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) official The outbreak started in western region of Kibaale in the East Africa nation in July [2012]. Some 300 people who were in contact with those who were infected are likely to still remain under observation. "The cases are now confined only to Kibaale. The [ebolavirus] outbreak is now under control. But there is need to make follow-ups of the contact cases. Surveillance should be intensified over these cases because we can only be sure that they are safe after 21 days," Solomon Fisseha, WHO deputy head in Uganda, told SAPA DPA press agency. The outbreak had forced hundreds of schools to close and in the worst affected areas even social gatherings were banned. This is the 4th outbreak of [ebolavirus] in the country since 2000, when it killed 224 people. About 40 people died of the disease in villages along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008, while another isolated death occurred last year [2011, in Uganda]. Ebola [hemorrhagic fever], which has no known cure, is highly infectious and symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and external and internal bleeding. It was first identified in 1976 in Congo near the River Ebola. [Byline: Henry Wasswa] -- Communicated by: ProMED-mail****** [2] Date Tue 7 Aug 2012 Source: New Vision (Uganda) [edited] http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633833-29-cleared-of-Ebola.html A total of 29 people in Kibaale district, who were initially suspected of having contracted a deadly ebolavirus [infection], have been cleared to return home, the Health Ministry has said. Of the 36 cases that are in isolation, only 3 have been confirmed to have ebolavirus [infection], the Health Ministry spokesperson, Rukia Nakamatte, told New Vision online. She said health experts are still monitoring the condition of those that will be discharged before allowing them to return home. However, 9 were discharged on Monday [6 Aug 2012], New Vision has learnt. "We are finalising plans to allow 29 of the cases to return home because they tested negative for ebolavirus," she said. Nakamatte explained that while no new cases have been recorded, the ministry surveillance team is still on high alert. Nakamatte also disclosed that health experts were monitoring 398 cases believed to have come into contact with people who died of Ebola [hemorrhagic fever]. Of these, 84 have passed the 21- day period during which signs of infection would have shown, although they are still being monitored. Dr Joseph Amonye, the national coordinator of the Ebola task force, said the samples taken from these people were negative and there was no reason of confining them at the isolation centre. "We have tested their samples and found out that they do not have Ebola [hemorrhagic fever]," said Amonye. Meanwhile, Mulago Hospital has discharged a suspected Ebola patient who was admitted at the isolation camp. Speaking in an interview with the press at Mulago, the hospital's executive director, Dr Baterana Byarugaba, said: "This suspected patient had gone to Kibaale. He developed features similar to malaria and people thought that he had Ebola [hemorrhagic fever]. But we have since established that the gentleman does not have [the disease]." [Byline: Taddeo Bwamba Le, Violet Nabatan Zi, Ismael Kasooha] -- Communicated by: ProMED-mail Rapporteur Kunihiko Iizuka ***** [3] Date: Tue 7 Aug 2012 From: Daniel Bausch [edited] [Re: ProMED-mail Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Uganda (12) 20120806.1230691] A comment on bleeding in hemorrhagic fever ------------------------------------------ Regarding bleeding in Ebola hemorrhagic fever, during the Ebola outbreak in Gulu, Uganda in 2000-2001, we collected detailed clinical information on over 100 patients with laboratory confirmed Ebola Sudan virus infection. Excluding subconjunctival bleeding/injection, hemorrhage was noted in only approximately 20 percent of the patients and virtually always occurred in the later stage of illness. Hematemesis and bleeding from the gums were the most frequent hemorrhagic manifestations. Many patients die without visible hemorrhage although, when present, hemorrhage does confer a poor prognosis. Studies done in the isolation ward demonstrated that [ebolavirus] was shed in a wide variety of bodily fluids during the acute period of illness but that the risk of transmission from fomites or from convalescent patients was low (Bausch et al, J Infect Dis. 2007 Nov 15; 196 Suppl 2:S142-7). This information may be helpful to those combating the present outbreak in Kibaale. -- Daniel Bausch, MD, MPH&TM Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine New Orleans USA [From these and other recent reports it seems probable that this outbreak in the Kibaale District of Uganda has been contained. There have been at least 16 fatalities, but the suspected cases and their contacts are gradually being released provided they show no symptoms during the 21-day surveillance period post exposure. Dr Daniel Bausch's commentary on hemorrhage is particularly relevant in assessment of the progress of the Kibaale outbreak. The news story in part [1] of the post above includes an interesting photograph of containment arrangements at Kigadi Hospital in Kibaale. A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map can be accessed at http://healthmap.org/r/2Xz8 http://www.promedmail.org/
Another Ebola Case Confirmed At Kagadi Hosptal
The Ministry of Health has Tuesday started the reintegration of suspected patients into their communities after weeks of treatment and monitoring.
Health experts have also managed to successfully treat and save the lives of four Ebola patients while 3 have died since the breakout of the epidemic was confirmed late last month.
Below is the full statement issued Tuesday by the Health Ministry.
The Ministry of Health wishes to clarify on media reports alleging that three more cases at Kagadi government Hospital were yesterday confirmed to have Ebola.
There are no new confirmed cases as the people being referred to were confirmed by August 3 and admitted in the acute section of the isolation facility. All samples tested since August 3 have tested negative for Ebola.
The Ministry of Health wishes to further clarify that since the onset of the epidemic, 10 cases have been confirmed to have Ebola.
Of these, three died, three are still admitted at the Kagadi Hospital isolation facility while four recovered from the highly deadly contagious disease.
All confirmed cases are from Kibaale district as samples taken from parts of the country tested negative.
All patients that tested negative are being discharged and re-integrated into their communities as per the discharge protocol.
Every discharged case receives a discharge package including new beddings, clothing, kitchen ware, jerry cans and many others.
Yesterday, the hospital registered one more suspected case bringing the current number of admissions to 30.
The Ministry of Health surveillance team is following up to 248 people who got in contact with the dead and suspects.
A total of 84 people have completed the 21 days for monitoring meaning that they did not contract the disease and are therefore presumed free from the disease.
A total of 400 sets of personal protective equipment and body bags donated by the world Health Organisation were yesterday delivered to Kibaale hospital to reinforce the safety control programme.
The Ministry of health mobile vans, airing short messages of Ebola prevention and control have so far covered nine sub counties.
A total number of 62 village health teams and Red Cross volunteers were yesterday delivered to Kibaale Town Council.
The ministry of heath assures the general public that all necessary measures are being done to contain the spread the epidemic and there should be no panic. http://www.chimpreports.com/index.php/people/health/5411-another-ebola-case-confirmed-at-kagadi-hosptal.html
WHO-Ebola in Uganda Press release
Ebola in Uganda
B. Sensasi
“We immediately sent a team with specialists and supplies to Kibaale district, where the outbreak began,” explains Dr Joaquim Saweka, the WHO Representative in Uganda. “Thus we were able to assist the district with the immediate response and effective coordination in the field.”
Ebola a highly infectious virus
B. Sensasi
In the Kibaale District, located about 220 km west of Ugandan’s capital Kampala, as of 7 August 2012, 60 suspected cases of Ebola have been identified, including 16 deaths. Ten cases have been confirmed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe, Uganda. WHO, together with the Ministry of Health and international partners, has been able to contain the infection and prevent the outbreak from expanding beyond Kibaale District. But more support is needed.
Additional resources are needed
“To pay for the additional health workers and supplies needed to care for probably infected people we need more funds,” underlines Dr Saweka. “We are also looking for additional resources to broadly inform people about ways to protect themselves and their families.”As a result of the joint efforts of all partners, the WHO office in Uganda hopes that it will be possible to stop this outbreak, without it spreading further, in the coming months if not weeks. http://www.who.int/features/2012/ebola_uganda/en/
Ebola Scares Korean Tae-kwon-do Trainers
The four Korean Taekwondo trainers who a have been in Uganda since last month have abandoned coaching because of feat of the Ebola.
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44304#ixzz22rgxDb60
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44304#ixzz22rgxDb60
West Nile Residents, health workers on Ebola Alert
Residents and health workers in the various districts of West Nile have been put on high alert following the outbreak of the highly contagious Ebola hemorrhagic fever in some districts of western Uganda.
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44251#ixzz22rgkaUw1
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44251#ixzz22rgkaUw1
Taiwan's Foreign ministry warns travelers to Uganda of Ebola outbreak
Foreign ministry warns travelers to Uganda of Ebola
outbreak
2012/08/07 15:45:32
Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) Taiwanese planning on visiting Uganda should be aware of an outbreak of Ebola virus there that has left more than a dozen people dead, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.
"Those who are traveling to the African country should pay close attention to the situation," said Wang Chien-yeh, the director-general of the ministry's Department of African Affairs.
As of Aug. 3, there were 53 suspected cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, including 16 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
The seriousness of the Ebola outbreak has even prompted Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to urge residents of the country to avoid unnecessary physical contact and unsafe sex, Wang said at a routine press conference.
"Ebola spreads by contact when you contact each other physically. ... Avoid shaking of hands, because that can cause contact through sweat, which can cause problems," AFP quoted Museveni as saying in a state broadcast.
Currently, about 20 Taiwanese businessmen and their families reside in Uganda.
The Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected persons. Transmission has also occurred by handling sick or dead infected wild animals.
The Ebola virus can cause severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in humans and has a fatality rate of up to 90 percent. http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201208070019
2012/08/07 15:45:32
Taipei, Aug. 7 (CNA) Taiwanese planning on visiting Uganda should be aware of an outbreak of Ebola virus there that has left more than a dozen people dead, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Tuesday.
"Those who are traveling to the African country should pay close attention to the situation," said Wang Chien-yeh, the director-general of the ministry's Department of African Affairs.
As of Aug. 3, there were 53 suspected cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, including 16 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
The seriousness of the Ebola outbreak has even prompted Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni to urge residents of the country to avoid unnecessary physical contact and unsafe sex, Wang said at a routine press conference.
"Ebola spreads by contact when you contact each other physically. ... Avoid shaking of hands, because that can cause contact through sweat, which can cause problems," AFP quoted Museveni as saying in a state broadcast.
Currently, about 20 Taiwanese businessmen and their families reside in Uganda.
The Ebola virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected persons. Transmission has also occurred by handling sick or dead infected wild animals.
The Ebola virus can cause severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in humans and has a fatality rate of up to 90 percent. http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201208070019
Traders urge Govt to intensify screening along the Kenya-Uganda borders
Local residents have continued undertaking their activities as usual without fear folowing the Ebola alert in Uganda. [PHOTO | Frankline Bwire | West Fm]
The Cross-Border Traders Association has called on the government to intensify the screening exercise of visitors along the Kenya-Uganda border following the Ebola alert in Uganda.
The national chairman David Erulu urged the government to increase the number of health personnel undertaking the exercise on the Busia-Uganda border to ensure it is successful.
“The government on both sides of the border should increase surveillance and border-control as well as medical personnel to facilitate effective screening,” said Erulu while speaking to West FM in Busia town.
He called upon the traders to remain watchful and report any symptoms of Ebola observed to the health officers for quick intervention.
“Traders and other local residents should report immediately any symptom related to the Ebola disease to the medical personnel,” said the cross-border chairman.
Erulu also challenged police officers in the area to beef up security along the border to ensure all visitors entering the country use the official routes so that they can be screened.
Local residents who spoke to West FM said they were satisfied with the precautionary measures put in place by the district medical team, to ensure the disease confirmed in Mid Western Uganda does not spread into the country.
“The 24 hour screening exercise of travelers coming into the country from Uganda is quite good for the safety of the inhabitants,” said Patrick Ouma a local resident.
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Read more: http://westfm.co.ke/index-page-news-bid-6347.htm#ixzz22qbeiA9p
President’s Office on Alert Following Ebola Outbreak
In the wake of the Ebola scare that has hit the country, president office together with parliament have also joined several government departments to step up health security measures to avoid further spread of this disease.
At president’s office, all workers especially security officers have been given protective gear like gloves which they use to while searching people who come to this office.
The same office has mounted two points where everyone who wants to cross to this office has to first wash his or her hands before accessing the gate.
At parliament, the same measures have been introduced with cops also given gloves to check all visitors before accessing parliament premises.
Parliament last week issued a directive suspending all would be trips to parliament by groups of people a development which has affected even those who wanted to petition parliament on specific issues.
The directive was made by the public relations manager at parliament Mrs. Helen Kawesa.
Elsewhere MPs have also stopped greeting themselves by shaking hands with a fear that they might also get Ebola through shaking hands. http://www.ugandapicks.com/2012/08/presidents-office-on-alert-following-ebola-outbreak-87470.html
At president’s office, all workers especially security officers have been given protective gear like gloves which they use to while searching people who come to this office.
The same office has mounted two points where everyone who wants to cross to this office has to first wash his or her hands before accessing the gate.
At parliament, the same measures have been introduced with cops also given gloves to check all visitors before accessing parliament premises.
Parliament last week issued a directive suspending all would be trips to parliament by groups of people a development which has affected even those who wanted to petition parliament on specific issues.
The directive was made by the public relations manager at parliament Mrs. Helen Kawesa.
Elsewhere MPs have also stopped greeting themselves by shaking hands with a fear that they might also get Ebola through shaking hands. http://www.ugandapicks.com/2012/08/presidents-office-on-alert-following-ebola-outbreak-87470.html
EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER - UGANDA (12)
EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER - UGANDA (12)
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A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
*************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Sat 4 Aug 2012 Source: The East African [abbrev., edited] http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/EA+in+panic+as+Ebola+strikes+again+in+Uganda+/-/2558/1471392/-/15qobmx/-/index.html? East Africa in panic as Ebola strike again in Uganda ---------------------------------------------------- So far what we see is that it is atypical. Its behaviour is 'very suspicious' Dr Anthony Mbonye the Commissioner for Health Services at the Ministry of Health told The East African, explaining that unlike the typical Sudan strain, victims in the latest [outbreak] suffer fevers without the bleeding normally associated with the virus. The Uganda Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Ebola in Kibaale district, about 160km [100 miles] west of Kampala. Confirmatory test results were done at the Centres for Disease Control, Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) laboratory in Entebbe. The authorities have been following 176 people that came into contact with the deceased while another 38 suspected cases were under observation. Although it is confirmed as the Ebola Sudan strain, a viral haemorrhagic fever, it is presenting with less bleeding or haemorrhage, as should be the case with Ebola. "We are not seeing much of the bleeding this time," said Dr Jackson Amone, the Assistant Commissioner Integrated Services at the Ministry of Health who was travelling to Kagadi Hospital in Kibaale, western Uganda, where the 1st cases were reported. Ebola typically presents with fever, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhoea, joint pains and bleeding. "Most of the patients bleed when they are about to die with the cases we are handling. Sometimes you can confuse it for malaria because there is a high fever, vomiting, diarrhoea," said Dr Amone. According to health workers, in the absence of body fluids the latest strain is easier to manage because Ebola virus is transmissible through contact with body fluids -- saliva, vomit, sweat, blood or other fluids -- in the body of an infected person. As more investigations are ongoing, samples have been sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (VHF) laboratory in the USA. Results are expected after one week. "CDC is sending samples to Atlanta to do additional sequencing. But the indication now is that it is not a new strain. It is the Sudan strain based on PCR testing, which is specific, said Erik Friedly, the associate head of communication at CDC-Uganda. CDC health experts said the bleeding is not always present, even though that is what people think of with viral haemorrhagic fevers so less bleeding this time round does not necessarily mean "anything in particular." Dr Denis Lwamafa, the Director General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health, said that although Ebola is a highly infectious disease, which kills within a short time, it can also be prevented if detected early enough and if people adhere to precautionary measures. The Ministry of Health has advised against direct contact with people suffering from Ebola, public gatherings and eating dead meat especially from monkeys. Neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Kenya have also dispatched medical teams and gear to border towns to help in mitigating spread of the viral disease. [Byline: Esther Nakkazi; Evelyn Lirri] -- Communicated by: ProMED-mail Rapporteur Mary Marshall [It remains to be seen whether the reduced haemorrhage associated with this outbreak will make the disease easier to contain and eliminate. The results of the genome sequencing being undertaken at present are awaited with interest. -http://www.promedmail.org/
The Latest Ebola Outbreak: How is the Ministry of health handling the challenge.
Published on Aug 6, 2012 by radioonefm90
Spectrum Thursday August 2nd 2012
Topic: The Latest Ebola Outbreak: How is the Ministry of health handling the challenge plus other sector concerns that make health service delivery a big challenge?
Host: Edmond Kizito
Guest: Hon Dr Christine Ondoa: The Minister of health
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwXu-5nG8CATopic: The Latest Ebola Outbreak: How is the Ministry of health handling the challenge plus other sector concerns that make health service delivery a big challenge?
Host: Edmond Kizito
Guest: Hon Dr Christine Ondoa: The Minister of health
Mulago hospital discharges Ebola suspect
Mulago hospital discharges Ebola suspect
20120807 1:28:01 AM EST
Mulago referral hospital has discharged an Ebola suspect who has been admitted in the Isolation camp for three days.
The man whose identity has not been disclosed came from Kibaaale district and had shown symptoms of Ebola.
The hospital’s Executive Director, Dr Byarugaba Baterana says after close examination and monitoring the man tested negative for Ebola.
Dr. Byarugaba adds that since Sunday they have not registered any new cases and they do not have any of their health workers in the isolation camp.
He says they are ready to handle any suspected Ebola cases since they have got drugs and other medical equipments in plenty.
http://www.ugpulse.com/uganda-news/health/mulago-hospital-discharges-ebola-suspect/26629.aspx
20120807 1:28:01 AM EST
Mulago referral hospital has discharged an Ebola suspect who has been admitted in the Isolation camp for three days.
The man whose identity has not been disclosed came from Kibaaale district and had shown symptoms of Ebola.
The hospital’s Executive Director, Dr Byarugaba Baterana says after close examination and monitoring the man tested negative for Ebola.
Dr. Byarugaba adds that since Sunday they have not registered any new cases and they do not have any of their health workers in the isolation camp.
He says they are ready to handle any suspected Ebola cases since they have got drugs and other medical equipments in plenty.
http://www.ugpulse.com/uganda-news/health/mulago-hospital-discharges-ebola-suspect/26629.aspx
Hoima Residents Reject Ebola Isolation Unit
2012-08-07 07:48:30
Residents and local leaders in Busiisi Division, Hoima municipality, have rejected the establishment of the Ebola isolation centre in their area.
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44293#ixzz22qBfVqs3
29 cleared of Ebola
Publish Date: Aug 07, 2012
- Health workers preparing to handle Ebola patients at Kagadi Hospital.
By Taddeo Bwamba Le, Violet Nabatan Zi and Ismael Kasooha
A total of 29 people in Kibaale district, who were initially suspected of having contracted the deadly Ebola virus, have been cleared to return home, the health ministry has said.
Of the 36 cases that are in isolation, only three have been confirmed to have the Ebola virus, the health ministry spokesperson, Rukia Nakamatte, told New Vision online
She said health experts are still monitoring the condition of those that will be discharged before allowing them to return home. However, nine were discharged on Monday, New Vision has learnt.
“We are finalising plans to allow 29 of the cases to return home because they tested negative for the Ebola virus,” she said.
Nakamatte explained that while no new cases have been recorded, the ministry surveillance team is still on high alert.
Nakamatte also disclosed that health experts were monitoring 398 cases believed to have come into contact with people who died of Ebola. Of these, 84 have passed the 21- day period during which signs of infection would have shown, although they are still being monitored.
Dr. Joseph Amonye, the national coordinator of the Ebola task force, said the samples taken from these people were negative and there was no reason of confining them at the isolation centre.
“We have tested their samples and found out that they do not have the Ebola virus,” said Amonye.
Meanwhile, Mulago Hospital has discharged a suspected Ebola patient who was admitted at the isolation camp.
Speaking in an interview with the press at Mulago, the hospital’s executive director, Dr. Baterana Byarugaba, said:
“This suspected patient had gone to Kibaale. He developed features similar to malaria and people thought that he had Ebola. But we have since established that the gentleman does not have Ebola.”
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