H3N2v Influenza-UPDATE

H3N2v Influenza

Updated August 13, 2012
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported that since August 2011, 164 cases of H3N2v influenza infection of people have been reported in 9 states.
To date, the states affected (and the number of cases reported in each state) are Hawaii (1); Illinois (1); Indiana (120); Iowa (3); Maine (2); Ohio (31); Pennsylvania (3); Utah (1); and West Virginia (2). No deaths have been reported. For the cases reported in 2011, there was limited human-to-human transmission, but in all of the 2012 cases for which contact information was present, people reported contact with swine and/or attendance at a fair at which swine were present.
This shouldn't prevent you from attending fairs with animal exhibits, but it does mean that you should take precautions to protect yourself and your family. These precautions should be taken any time you are in contact with animal exhibits, regardless of whether or not you're in an area currently affected by this outbreak. And these precautions are recommended for any animal exhibit, but are particularly important when visiting swine (pig) exhibits.

• If you are pregnant; immunocompromised (e.g. by chemotherapy or other immunosuppressive drugs, cancer, HIV/AIDS, or other diseases that reduce your immune system's ability to fight off disease); already ill from another disease; have health conditions that increase your risk of complications from the flu (such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease); or elderly, you should consider viewing the exhibits (and particularly swine exhibits) from farther away or avoiding them altogether. If you choose to visit animal exhibits, you should take extra precautions to protect yourself. Consult with your healthcare provider about the recommended precautions.
• Do not allow very young children to come in contact with swine. Prevent your children from touching their mouths or faces while in the exhibit and until their hands have been thoroughly washed.Â
• Never take toys, pacifiers, spill-proof cups, baby bottles, strollers or similar items into pig areas.
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially before and after handling animals.Â
• While in the animal exhibit area, do not put your mouth or face in contact with any animals. Avoid touching your mouth and face during or after handling animals unless you have thoroughly washed your hands.Â
• Avoid close contact with animals that look or act ill. These animals may have runny eyes or noses; be coughing or sneezing; be acting lethargic; and/or may be separating themselves from other animals in the pen.
• Do not eat or drink in the animal exhibit.
• Do not take food or drinks into the animal exhibit.
• After leaving an animal exhibit area, wash your hands thoroughly before eating, drinking or putting anything in your mouth.Â
• Avoid contact with pigs if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms. Avoid contact for 7 days after symptoms begin or until you have been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications, whichever is longer.

To date, people infected with H3N2v influenza have shown signs indistinguishable from seasonal flu: fever, coughing, sneezing, sore throat, runny/stuffy nose, body aches, headache and fatigue. If you are showing any of these signs of illness, particularly after visiting an animal exhibit, notify your healthcare provider.Â
At this time, we are not aware of any pets infected or sickened by the H3N2v influenza. However, the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus was transmitted to a smalll number of pets by their ill owners and it is best to consider this a possibility with this virus until proven otherwise.
This influenza is not transmissible to people or pets through properly handled and prepared (cooked) pork and pork products.Â
Additional resources:
CDC

• Information on Influenza A (H3N2) Variant Viruses ("H3N2v")
• H3N2v influenza virus page
• Fact sheet: Protect Yourself against H3N2v
• What people who raise pigs need to know about influenza (flu)Â
• Evaluation of Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Tests for Influenza A (H3N2)v Virus and Updated Case Count - United States, 2012

National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV)

• Animal Contact Compendium
• Poster: Safety at Animal Exhibits
• Poster: Wash Hands When Leaving Animal Exhibits (also available in Spanish)
  https://www.avma.org/KB/Pages/H3N2v-Influenza.aspx

One under Monitoring for Ebola in Kisoro

2012-08-13 18:41:30
 Kisoro hospital medical superintendent Dr. Micheal Baganizi confirms the case and says that the hospital is working hard to ensure that the patient gets the care he needs. http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44411

DRC-Nine suspected cases of Ebola- NEGATIVE SO FAR

there were 9 suspected cases. we will see if true or not.

EASTERN: Nine suspected cases of Ebola, including 5 deaths, reported in Dungu and Isiro where a mission of the Ministry of Health, WHO and MSF to deploy to support the situation http://reliefweb.int/report/democratic-republic-congo/rapport-de-situation-humanitaire-sur-la-rdc-10-ao%C3%BBt-2012

DRC: Blood samples test negative for Ebola

 

Fears of an Ebola outbreak in northeastern DRC were dispelled after a World Health Organisation team sent to investigate found that suspected cases of the disease were not, in fact, Ebola, the agency stated on Monday. Blood samples from suspected Ebola victims were taken to the National Institute of virology in South Africa, where they tested negative for the Ebola virus, an official told IRIN. “It may take quite some time to establish which haemorrhagic fever caused those syndromes,” the official added. There had been persistent rumours of Ebola cases in Dungu, Bengadi, Isiro, Buta, Nyankunde and Bunia, the Inter Press agency reported on Monday. http://www.irinnews.org/printreport.aspx?reportid=16692

Schools handball event cancelled over Ebola

The East African Schools Handball Championship that was slated to start on August 25 in Burundi has been called off due to the recent Ebola outbreak in Uganda.
Sixteen people have so far died of Ebola in Uganda yet the country was to enter three schools in the Burundi event.




“We don’t need to be reminded of how dangerous this disease is,” Sheila Richardson, the handball federation president said while closing a coaches and referees’ course at Lugogo at the weekend.
[link to www.monitor.co.ug]

KEMRI CONFIRMS NO EBOLA IN MOMBASA .

 Sunday, 12 August 2012 11:03 The Star

.
Results of a suspected Ebola case reported in Mombasa have tested negative. Anisa Omar, Coast Provincial Director of Public and Sanitation says results from the Kenya Medical Research Institute indicated that the man was suffering from normal throat flu. The patient a truck driver had been quarantined at Mombasa’s Aga Khan Hospital on suspicion that he was infected with the virus upon arrival from Uganda.
http://www.the-star.co.ke/classicnews/89233-kemri-confirms-no-ebola-in-mombasa

DRC: 5 suspected cases of Ebola virus detected in Eastern Province

Sunday, August 12, 2012

DRC: 5 suspected cases of Ebola virus detected in Eastern Province





(Xinhua) - Five suspected cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever have been detected in Isiro, chief town of the district of Haut Uele, Orientale Province (north-eastern DRC), said Jean-Marc Madindi Sunday, provincial medical inspector of the Eastern Province.
"Another case where death ensued, was notified in Dungu, one of six areas that make up the district of Haut Uele. We are waiting for test results to diagnose the virus," said Mr. Madindi, adding that all cases are closely monitored in Dungu and Isiro, without giving further details.

The outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever (VHF) has emerged since last July, 200 km from Kampala in Uganda, killing 14 people on 20 confirmed cases.

Given the proximity between the Eastern Province and the eastern part of Uganda, and the intense traffic between the two countries, humanitarian actors in DRC has taken preventive measures to deal with this epidemic.

http://www.afriscoop.net/journal/spip.php?breve12773

Yet another suspected Ebola patient admitted in Mwanza

By Emmanuel Onyango

12th August 2012

 

Fears of a possible outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease are rising following fresh reports that another ‘suspect’ patient has been admitted at the Sekou Teure regional hospital in Mwanza city.

The patient is suspected to be suffering from severe symptoms that resemble those of the dreaded disease -- less than a week after news earlier broke in Karagwe district, Kagera region, claiming that a patient with similar symptoms was also hospitalized at Nyakahanga designated hospital in the region.

In the wake of last week’s reports from Nyakahanga, the government quickly dispatched a team of medical officers and nurses to the area, all fully equipped to thoroughly diagnose a patient whose symptoms had since not been fully confirmed to be that of the viruses that cause Ebola to date.

According to the Mwanza Regional Medical Officer (RMO), Dr Valentino Francis Bangi, the Mwanza case was first reported at the Sekou Teure regional hospital and later referred to Bugando referral hospital – before the patient was sent back for readmission at the Sekou Teure facility.

The RMO told The Guardian On Sunday in a telephone interview yesterday that his hospital had received a patient on Monday this week who, upon proper diagnosis, was found to be suffering from dysentery and severe abdominal pains. The patient also suffered from urethral strictures, as a result of which he had difficulty passing urine.

According to Dr Bangi, the first onset of strictures often cause ‘mental confusion’ among patients. Such symptoms, he added, also cause ‘fear among the people’ but he has urged them not to panic or to be afraid when they come across such patients.

“It’s a normal disease … despite its symptoms,” he says

He has also dispelled further fears of a possible outbreak of Ebola because his diagnosis on the patient, a young man aged between 23 and 27 years, displayed symptoms that were less severe than those seen in Ebola victims.

“I am 80 percent sure that the symptoms seen in the patient are not those of Ebola …,” he argued.

Even then, the RMO said he had since taken blood samples from the patient and flown them to Dar es Salaam (Friday night) for further investigation. The same samples would subsequently be sent over to a better-equipped facility at the Entebbe medical laboratory in Uganda for thorough medical check-up.

Meanwhile, the Mwanza regional hospital has warned people to take precautionary measures against any possible outbreak of the dreaded Ebola.

Efforts to clarify matters with the Minister for Health and Social Social welfare, Dr. Hussein Mwinyi, bore no fruit because his phone wasn’t answering at first, before it was finally disconnected.

However, deputy minister Dr. Seif Selemani Rashid noted that that “there are so many symptoms which resemble” those of the Ebola disease.

Even then, he added: “Experts in the ministry normally take blood samples from suspected patients for further medical check up in order to prove the presence of the real virus causing the disease … this is what we did with the blood samples of the patient at Nyakahanga hospital … which we received at headquarters (in Dar) last week.”

In view of these development, he asked all people living in ‘suspect’ areas to be calm but still take necessary measures in case of an outbreak.

A ministry spokesperson, Nsachriss Mwamaja, was recently quoted as saying that the ministry would soon announce the results of a blood samples taken from Nyakahanga hospital.  http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/?l=44666

How the deadly Ebola came back

Publish Date: Aug 12, 2012

• Health workers preparing to handle Ebola patients at Kagadi Hospital.

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• 
• 
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By Francis Kagolo and Ismael Kasooha

Fifty two days after the first patient died of Ebola in Kibaale district, the outbreak is still shrouded in mystery. A mother left her two-month-old baby sleeping in a mud and wattle hut and went to her crop garden.

On return, she found the baby dead. The baby’s left palm had the sign of an animal bite. Neighbours who spoke to Sunday Vision suspected that it could have been a monkey, but no one really saw it.

About 300 metres away from the family is a 10-acre forest and there are bushes in between, so it would be possible for a monkey or any other small animal to move unnoticed.

Two days later, a 15-year-old girl, Winnie Mbabazi, who touched the baby’s wound, became sick and died on June 21. Eventually, nine members of the family died but the baby’s mother did not become sick. Then the baby’s father, Fred Bahemuka and a paternal uncle fell sick.

According to the national Ebola task force, Mbabazi was the first patient.

However, the locals insist she got the disease from the baby. Medical theory indicates that an Ebola outbreak starts when an infected animal, most likely a monkey or a bat, infects a human being. Through direct contact, she/he then infects other people.

However, it is not clear how animals become infected and where the virus hides in the environment before infecting animals.

Critics have blamed the Ministry of Health for taking long to diagnose Ebola.

By the time the ministry announced it was Ebola on July 24, the epidemic had gone on for 37 days, killing 14 people including a clinical officer.

The ministry, on the other hand, says the outbreak was confusing because it did not show the typical symptoms. Tests have shown that the current epidemic has been caused by a strain of the virus known as Ebola Sudan. However, its signs are different from the previously known Ebola Sudan outbreaks.

According to a press statement released by the health ministry last week, the number of people contracting Ebola had reduced significantly due to increased public awareness. No case has been reported outside Kibaale, says the statement signed by Dr. Denis Lwamafa on behalf of the Director General of Health Services.

By Thursday, 190 out of the 408 people being observed after coming in contact with ebola patients had been declared free of the disease after they did not become sick within 21 days, the maximum incubation period. The ward had only three Ebola patients, of whom one was recovering.

WHAT NEXT?

But the campaign has not been without challenges and, as Dr. Mbonye argues, the Kibaale outbreak should be a lesson.

“The Government should have an emergency fund for epidemics because every time we are faced with outbreaks, the ministry has to run to Cabinet and Parliament to ask for funds. This consumes a lot of time as people are dying. At least sh2b should be earmarked for epidemics annually,” said Mbonye.

Nearly half the budget for the campaign against Ebola (about sh800m) has come from donors, and offi cials argue it is disastrous to depend on donors for epidemics response.

Mbonye also says that Uganda needs permanent structures for isolation centres and standby equipment.

HEALTH MINISTRY’S TAKE

According to Dr. Anthony Mbonye, the commissioner for health service and head of community health, it is unusual for an Ebola patient to bleed after, rather than before death as was the case in Kibaale. The patients had high fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and stomach aches. Most of them were not bleeding until after death. It was initially mistaken for malaria.

Mbonye says the health ministry is preparing to conduct ecological studies in the area to investigate the cause of the outbreak. It might involve catching monkey, rodents, bats and other wild animals and testing them for the virus.

“We infer that Ebola spreads from primates, rodents and birds and the index case would be living near forests where such animals are.

But we have never understood the exact animal reservoir. In Luweero we slaughtered monkeys and birds in pursuit of the cause but the results were negative,” says Mbonye. “What we know is that Ebola is highly infectious.

If an infected monkey, for instance, ate part of a fruit, you don’t need to eat it to catch the virus; you can get infected if you touch it and don’t disinfect your hands.”

EFFECT ON TOURISM NOT AS BAD AS EARLIER FEARED

Although the current outbreak is small, it has a big impact on the economy. Already the tourism sector, which fetches about $800m to the national GDP annually, has begun feeling the pinch as some tourists cancel trips for fear of catching the deadly contagious virus.

The Associated Press last week quoted British businessman John Hunwick saying his clients were “absolutely petrified” and wanted to go home, and that he lost $6,000 in cancelled tours on July 31.

But Amos Wekesa, a private tour operator, commends the Government’s openness in combating the outbreak. Wekesa said tourists had started making bookings again after they were assured that the situation was under control.  http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/634018-how-the-deadly-ebola-came-back.html

Ebola Suspected Case in Lira District negative

Ebola Suspected Case in Lira District
 By Emmanuel Omona Workers in Lira Regional Referral  Hospital are in panic after the admission of a suspected Ebola patient . Henry Lewgalethe a resident of Rainbow trading center,Lira town was rushed to the facility on Wednesday night at around 11pm ...
http://www.ugandapicks.com/2012/08/ebola-suspected-case-in-lira-district-65044.html

I have been told this dude is negative

mombassa video

Published on Aug 11, 2012 by K24TV

Man admitted in Mombasa with Ebola symptoms
Panic has gripped Mombasa town after a middle aged man having symptoms similar to those of Ebola was admitted at the Aga Khan Hospital.As word went round that a suspected Ebola case had been reported in the hospital, security at the facility was heightened with more restriction being put on people walking in.

Uganda’s Deadly Ebola Outbreak Under Control

 

The outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Uganda appears to be under control, says the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).

The last confirmed death from Ebola took place 11 days ago, MSF epidemiologist Dr Paul Roddy told the BBC.
But he warned that if a pocket of the virus was missed it could erupt once more.
He said there had been 19 confirmed and probable deaths during the outbreak.
“We are still receiving admissions of individuals that meet the clinical and epidemiological case definitions, but http://redpepper.co.ug/welcome/?p=42125

Ebola affects schools’ sports participation

 

20120811 12:18:13 PM EST

Lira district has shied away from inter school sports competition that were to take place at the landing site in Entebbe citing fear of Ebola.

Students from doctor Obote college were supposed to represent Lira district in the volleyball tournament that the t kicked off yesterday.

It has emerged that Lira district blocked teams from the school from traveling for the tournament citing the out break of Ebola in Kibaale and some cases in some parts of Uganda.

The district education officials are worried about the lives of the students who the say might be exposed to Ebola

The district has also resolved not to have sent there teams to 4 coming national volleyball games competition in Masaka district.

http://www.ugpulse.com/uganda-news/sports/ebola-affects-schools-sports-participation/26710.aspx

Three more suspected Ebola deaths registered in Kibaale

Sunday, August 12  2012 at  01:00Kibaale.


Medical officials in Kibaale District on Friday registered three more suspected cases of people killed by Ebola, bringing the death registered in communities from suspected Ebola hemorrhagic fever to over 20.

The three died from three different areas of Bufunjo Sub-county, Kyenjojo District: Yerusalemu LCI, Kashagari Parish in Kyakabadiima Sub-county and Kahyooro village in Bwamiramira Sub-county.

The Kibaale District Health Officer, Dr Dan Kyamanywa, who confirmed the deaths, said the district Ebola taskforce sent a burial team to the respective villages to bury the deceased.

The residents of the areas where the deceased were residing were apparently terrified by the untimely death of the patients and petitioned the health officials to intervene.
“We sent the burial team which also obtained samples from the deceased,” Mr Kyamanywa told Sunday Monitor on Friday evening.

The samples were by press time being taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute for testing. While tests have confirmed that 16 people died of the hemorrhagic fever, medical surveillance teams say death registered in communities suspected to be as a result of Ebola continues to rise and is estimated to be over 20.
By press time, many residents of Kibaale were concerned that renewed infection rates could further worsen the prevalence of the disease. But Dr Kyamanywa urged the public to be calm, saying the medical team had intensified surveillance to detect any new infections.

The Ministry of Health on Wednesday cleared Kagadi Hospital in Kibaale District, which has been handling cases of Ebola patients, to resume normal routine. This was after Kibaale District health authorities on Tuesday discharged 10 patients who were admitted at Kagadi Hospital on suspicion of being infected with Ebola.

A total of 408 people, have been monitored for possible signs of Ebola. Of these, 190 have passed the 21 days necessary for monitoring and were cleared while 211 cases are still being followed up.
http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Three+more+suspected+Ebola+deaths+registered+in+Kibaale/-/688334/1477118/-/8xy57nz/-/index.html

Doctor: Uganda Ebola outbreak tapering off

Aug. 11, 2012 at 3:26 PM
KIGADI, Uganda, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- With no confirmed deaths in 11 days, the latest outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Uganda appears to be tapering off, a doctor says.

Dr. Paul Roddy, an epidemiologist with the French medical charity Doctors Without Borders, told the BBC the disease could flare up again and the outbreak will not be defined as contained until no cases have been confirmed for 42 days.


Read more: [link to www.upi.com]

Perfect storm: Did refugees fleeing Congo conflict bring Ebola with them?

Saturday, August 11 2012 at 16:03
The Ebola outbreak in western Uganda over the past two weeks reveals how violent conflict, porous borders and poor healthcare infrastructure have created the perfect storm to make the region particularly susceptible to the deadly disease.


The latest outbreak has deepened the puzzle for scientists who are wondering why in recent years the epicentre of the haemorrhagic fever appears to have shifted from the Congo and Central African Republic to Uganda.


The entire region is now on high alert with concern rising that the virus could spread to Kenya and Tanzania given the frequent movement of people between the three countries.


Two suspected cases are under investigation in Tanzania in Kagera Region near the border with Uganda, and another two suspected cases in Kenya—one in Central and the other in Western Province. None of the cases have been confirmed to be Ebola.

The latest outbreak in Uganda has been linked an influx of an estimated 20,000 refugees from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo fleeing fighting in North Kivu province. But a direct cause-and-effect link between the entry of refugees and the outbreak of the disease has not been established.??


Still, porous borders are a feature of the entire East African region, particularly when violent conflict pushes large numbers of people across borders.
Apart from the eastern DRC-Uganda border, other borders that have recently experienced the pressure of conflict are the Uganda-South Sudan border; the Kenya-Somalia border; and the Tanzania-Burundi border.


But it is not just conflict that drives people across borders; the search for better economic opportunities, too, has driven people to neighbouring countries in the EAC, particularly with the inauguration of the Common Market Protocol.

Even though scientists cannot put a finger on the next country that is likely to be hit, they consider Kenya and Tanzania, and to a smaller extent, Rwanda and Burundi, to be out of the Ebola virus’s geographical distribution.


According to Medecins Sans Frontiers’ Paul Roddy, despite the three instances in Uganda, claiming nearly 300 lives in total, the greater East African region largely remains free of Ebola because the virus’s concentration is in the Central Africa region.


Like Marburg, Ebola is a virus that is passed on from and/or by primates to humans, but the puzzle that scientists are trying to unravel is why especially Uganda, South Sudan and DR Congo, are the most susceptible to Ebola outbreaks.


Dr Roddy said that recent research shows that the geographical distribution of Ebola stretches across the African continent from Uganda to Gabon, and from Sudan all the way to Angola.


However, “evidence from individual cases shows that the virus is in circulation from Central African Republic.”


In essence, other regions in the greater East Africa are not prone to the Ebola virus because they lie out of its geographical loop despite the fact that humans in those regions also interact with the forests.
2 more full pages here [link to www.theeastafrican.co.ke]

Kenya says Homa Bay patient had pneumonia

Medics at Homa Bay District Hospital have allayed fears over an outbreak of Ebola after a patient suspected to have Ebola virus tested negative. The patient had been admitted at the hospital last week with symptoms similar to those of Ebola. The hospital's medical superintendent Ojwang Ayoma, said the 24-year old Atieno Obunga was suffering from acute pneumonia.  http://www.the-star.co.ke/local/western--nyanza/88985-fear-over-ebola-allayed-in-homa-bay

Swine Flu Cases Rising With New H3N2 Strain, Now Transmissible From Human

Swine flu is making a comeback as a new strain of the virus has begun spreading, with more than 100 U.S. cases reported this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The surprising culprit? State and county fairs. And doctors warn it has become much easier to transmit among humans...



.."This time of the year is the time when you have fairs around the country ... thousands of them," Bresee told CNN. "That accounts for the increased transmission more than anything else."

[link to www.ibtimes.co.uk]

Driver with 'ebola' symptoms quarantined in Mombasa

Health officials at the Aga Khan Hospital confirmed that
the 61- year-old man was admitted at the hospital on
Friday as soon as he arrived, and kept in isolation
.

MOMBASA, (Xinhua) -- A long-distance truck driver has been quarantined at a Mombasa hospital.

The patient was admitted that the Aga Khan Hospital after he was suspected to be infected with the deadly Ebola virus, a few days after his arrival from Kampala, Uganda.

Health officials at the Aga Khan Hospital confirmed that the 61- year-old man was admitted at the hospital on Friday as soon as he arrived, and kept in isolation...

http://www.coastweek.com/3532_ebola.htm

Fears of Ebola outbreak as patient admitted in Kenya's coast

English.news.cn 2012-08-11 00:55:38

Xinhua Weibo Facebook Twitter Reddit Diigo Delicious Digg Linkedin MySpace Sina Weibo Kaixin Renren Q-zone Tencent Weibo Sohu Weibo NetEase Weibo

MOMBASA, KENYA, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- Fears gripped Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa on Friday after a truck driver was quarantined at the local hospital.
The patient was admitted that the Aga Khan Hospital after he was suspected to be infected with the deadly Ebola virus, a few days after his arrival from Kampala, Uganda.
Health officials at the Aga Khan Hospital confirmed that the 61- year-old man was admitted at the hospital on Friday as soon as he arrived, and kept in isolation.
The Coast Provincial Director of Public Health and Sanitation Dr. Anisa Omar said the truck driver was admitted and found to be having symptoms of fatigue, sore throat and fever, prompting doctors to seclude him from the rest of the patients at the hospital.

"Yes, it's true the man was in Kampala from Aug. 3 and when he arrived at the facility, he was found to be having those symptoms, " Omar said.
He said the truck driver decided to seek medical attention at Agha Khan Hospital where he was isolated from the other patients after being examined by the doctors.
"He is a truck driver and he is likely to have contracted the virus while on his trip. But what I can tell Kenyans is that our doctors are on high alert and that is why they were able to detect the symptoms. We are yet to confirm if indeed it is Ebola," said Anisa.

The driver only identified as Moses, was examined by doctors at the hospital who said he had symptoms resembling those of Ebola, but tests would be conducted to confirm the same.
Omar said that the patient's blood samples have been taken to Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi and the results will be relayed as soon as they are back.
She at the same time allayed fears of the virus spreading to other parts of the region urging that the situation was under control.
The incident comes a week after Public Health and Sanitation Minister Beth Mugo assured the country that the government was doing all it can to shield Kenyans from the deadly virus.
The development comes as a team of experts from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners are supporting the Ugandan government's response to an Ebola outbreak in the western part of the country.
The initial case was identified on July 28 in a family from the village of Nyanswiga, where 9 of the deaths were recorded. The total number has since risen to more than 15.
The deceased include a clinical officer who attended to a patient, and her 4 month-old child. Nine of the 14 deaths have occurred in a single household, according to WHO.
Both cases were admitted to hospital with fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Uganda has previously experienced outbreaks of Ebola fever, but the most recent outbreak was declared over in early 2008.
Last week, fears of an Ebola outbreak gripped the residents of Siaya and Eldoret Counties in Western and northwest Kenya respectively had caused panic in the country after words went round that suspect cases had been detected.
Experts say there is an urgent need to increase public awareness on this deadly disease as well as to put in place as strong surveillance mechanism to allow for proper follow-up of all the cases.
The East African nation has been full alert following the outbreak of the deadly disease in neighboring Uganda last week. The government has since established a taskforce to respond to the Ebola outbreak in neighboring Uganda.
The virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, secretions, other bodily fluids or organs of infected persons or animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys and antelopes, and it has an incubation period of two to 21 days.
Sufferers can experience fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat, as well as vomiting, diarrhoea, rashes and impaired kidney and liver function. In the most severe cases, the virus leads to both external and internal bleeding. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-08/11/c_131777040.htm

Kenya-Alert after truck driver exhibits Ebola symptoms

Alert after truck driver exhibits Ebola symptoms

A truck driver who recently returned from Uganda has been indisposed and medical practitioners are investigating if he has contracted ebola hemorrhagic fever.
Friday evening the Coast Provincial Public Health Officer Anisa Omar confirmed an unnamed patient who was bleeding from several orifices had been taken to a private hospital in Mombasa.

She told the Press patient returned from Uganda on August 3 and sought treatment after developing the symptoms.
Samples taken from him are being tested at the Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi.
The patient has been admitted and segregated at the private Aga Khan Hospital in Mombasa together with four other people, all Kenyan, including a nurse who came in close contact with him at the institution when he came to seek treatment. 
Medical authorities have been on the alert following the eruption of the fever in Uganda because thousands of Ugandans and Kenya live and gravel between the two East African nations.
There is no consensus about the patient’s nationality because some accounts in the Public Health ministry said the man is a Ugandan visiting Kenya.
The director of medical services, Dr Shahnaz Sharrif confirmed the hospital had taken samples to Nairobi for verification.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000063806&story_title=Alert-after-truck-driver-exhibits-Ebola-symptoms

200 H3N2v Cases In Gallia County Ohio

Recombinomics Commentary 14:00
August 10, 2012

The following update is currently available from Gerald E. Vallee, MD, Gallia County Health Commissioner, in regard to H3N2v virus:

There have been 200 suspected cases reported; 69 of those tested positive for Influenza A using the rapid flu test. Representative samples of the suspected cases have been sent for further testing.

There are currently 4 confirmed cases of H3N2v in Gallia County. All individuals had direct contact with swine at fairs.
The above comments from the Gallia County Health Department in Ohio provide insight on the relationship between the number of H3N2v cases and the number of confirmed cases. Earlier reports cited 62 cases confirmed by the influenza A rapid test, which suggested more than 150 cases were tested.
The above update increases the number of influenza A confirmed cases to 69, but as noted in the August 9 CDC telebriefing, seasonal influenza levels in the United States are low, so most state lab confirmed cases with be H3N2v, especially when linked to an outbreak at an agricultural fair.
Thus, it is likely that the 200 symptomatic cases were H3N2v infected, although CDC confirmation is lagging and only four confirmed cases from Gallia County have been reported and included in the CDC update. However, the CDC has ceded H3N2v confirmation to the state labs, so the number of “confirmed” cases is expected to increase significantly in today’s MMWR as well as future updates by state labs as well as the upcoming Friday updates by the CDC.
However, as seen in the above outbreak associated with the Gallia Junior County fair, many infected cases will not be tested, and the number of “confirmed” cases will significantly undercount large outbreaks.
However, the CDC has targeted testing of ILI cases associated with agricultural fairs, which limits detection of human to human transmission in clusters with too many to test. These largely outbreaks clearly demonstrate the ability of the current H3N2v to infect large numbers of humans.
The recently released sequences from confirmed cases in Hawaii, Indiana, and Ohio represent a novel sub-clade which was first reported at the West Virginia day care center in Mineral County in late 2011. This sub-clade (A/West Virginia/06/2011 and A/West Virginia/07/2011) had an NA gene that was distinct from the NA in the first human H3N2v cases in 2011, which has not been acknowledged by the CDC. The matching of this sub-clade with all 2012 human H3N2v sequences (from Utah, Hawaii, Indiana, and Ohio) signals human adaptation, as well as human to human spread as seen at the day care center were there was no swine exposure, but 23 of the 70 contacts of the index case had ILI, and H3N2v was confirmed in one of the classmates.
The recently flu outbreak at a summer camp in Glen Spey, New York, suggests this H3N2v sub-clade continues to spread in cases with no swine exposure.

However, such recent cases and clusters have not been reported by the CDC.
http://www.recombinomics.com/News/08101203/H3N2v_Gallia_200.html

Avian influenza – situation in Indonesia – update

Avian influenza – situation in Indonesia – update
hat tip Michael Coston
10 August 2012 - The Ministry of Health of Indonesia has notified WHO of a new case of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus.

The case is a 37 year old male from Yogyakarta province. He developed fever on 24 July 2012, was hospitalized on 27 July and died on 30 July.

Epidemiological investigation on the case found that the case had four pet caged birds in his home, which is about 50 metres from a poultry slaughter house and near a farm.

Infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus was confirmed by the National Institute of Health Research and Development (NIHRD), Ministry of Health and reported to WHO by the National IHR Focal Point.

To date, the total number of human influenza A(H5N1) cases in Indonesia is 191 with 159 fatalities, 8 (all fatal) of which occurred in 2012.

Nebbi deaths due to dysentery, not Ebola – health authorities

Publish Date: Aug 10, 2012

Clinical examinations ruled out Ebola as the cause of the Nebbi couples death

 

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By Benedict Okethwengu in Nebbi

The Nebbi district health officer Dr. Oryema Jakor has clarified that the couple whose death last Sunday sparked off an Ebola scare in the district could have died of dysentery and not the deadly hemorrhagic fever now reported in Kibaale district.

Luciano Opio, 81 and his wife Celestina Ongoja, 75 both residents of Obat village succumbed to death at Angal Hospital due to occasional sores in the mouth, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and bloody diarrhea which ignited fears that they could have died of Ebola.

Dr. Jakor told New Vsion that they have clinically examined the two deaths and noted that there are strong indicators that dysentery was the cause of the ageing couple’s death.

"There is no need for the team of experts from Kampala to come into the district. This couple could have died of dysentery,” he said.

He noted that they were keeping a close watch on the members of the family and the health workers who handled the deceased.

The police from Parombo police post on Monday rushed to the funeral place of the couple to prevent the people from getting into contact with the dead bodies.

They did so after the district health authorities had informed and requested for Ebola experts from the ministry which caused panic among Nebbi health workers and residents in the district.

Ebola is a highly contagious viral infection, which comes with high fever and bleeding tendencies.

The symptoms include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, red eyes, bleeding from openings and measles-like rash.

It spreads fast when one gets in contact with body fluids of an infected person.

Meanwhile, Jakor appealed to the people in the district to be on alert and report any person showing signs and symptoms of Ebola to the nearest health center.

"We need to be on the lookout because most of businessmen dealing in local Waragi go to Kibaale. Therefore, Ebola is not far from us," he cautioned.

Apparently all the suspected Ebola cases in the country handled by the health workers have all turned out to be negative after its outbreak was reported in Kibaale and that it had claimed18 lives.

http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/633983-nebbi-deaths-due-to-dysentery-not-ebola--health-authorities.html

Ebola in Uganda – update

10 August 2012 -The Ministry of Health (MoH) is continuing to work with partners to respond to the Ebola haemorrhagic fever outbreak in Uganda. As of 8 August 2012, the MoH has recorded a total of 23 probable and confirmed cases, including 16 deaths. Of these, 10 cases have been laboratory confirmed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe.
The most recent confirmed case was isolated in Kagadi isolation facility on 4 August 2012. So far, samples from other districts tested have been negative for Ebola. Suspected cases that tested negative during the laboratory investigations have been treated for their ailments and discharged following recovery.
All people who came into contact with probable and confirmed cases of Ebola are being followed-up for a period of 21 days. Among the contact persons, 190 have completed 21 days of close monitoring, while 185 are still being closely monitored for any possible sign or symptom of illness.

Response

The Government is closely working with partners to implement interventions to respond to the outbreak. The partners include African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), EMESCO Foundation (a local NGO), Infectious Diseases Institute (IDI), Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), and WHO. WHO is also coordinating with Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) partners.
Efforts are in progress to mobilize additional resources to respond to the outbreak.
With the support of MSF, a temporary isolation facility for suspected cases has been established in Kagadi, Kibaale district.
Active surveillance is ongoing in and around Kibaale district, where the index case was identified. Teams are also being trained to provide psycho-social support to families affected by the outbreak.
Campaigns to raise awareness about prevention and control of Ebola are being carried out throughout the country. The MoH is advising the public to take measures to avert the spread of the disease and to report any suspected patient to the nearest health unit. Public announcements are being disseminated in 11 local languages on 20 radio stations at the national level. At the local level, over 120 URCS volunteers are conducting active door-to-door and community campaigns in over 85 villages.

Neighbouring countries

Countries sharing a border with Uganda are taking steps to enhance surveillance regarding Ebola; at the time of this update, none of them have reported any confirmed cases.
WHO does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions are applied to Uganda. http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_08_10/en/index.html#.UCUAuaoKxAE.twitter

198 Ebola Contacts Cleared to Go Home

One hundred ninety eight of the 410 suspected Ebola contacts in Kibaale district have been declared free of the hemorrhagic virus and reunited with family and community members. Dr Dan Kyamanywa, the Kibaale district Health Officer, says the contacts were declared Ebola free after 21 days elapsed without them showing the disease signs and symptoms.

Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44396#ixzz2396Xx5jh

Health Ministry: 2 Ebola Patients In “Acute Condition”

Health Ministry: 2 Ebola Patients In “Acute Condition”

The Health Ministry has Thursday given the latest update on steps being taken to combat the deadly Ebola Epidemic.

The announcement came just hours before the government of Malawi cancelled a match with Cranes, citing 'the escalation of the deadly Ebola disease' in Uganda.

The government of Malawi further advised their FA to identify another team which is 'not a health risk' to the people of Malawi.

Below is the full statement by Health Ministry.

The Ministry has informed the general public that Kagadi Government Hospital has resumed its routine service, receiving and is attending to general patients.

The hospital had for the past two weeks been shunned by patients due to the inflow of suspected Ebola patients.

The reduction in Ebola suspected cases is due to the intensive sensitization of the public about the signs and symptoms of the disease.

Currently, there are still three conformed Ebola cases admitted at the hospital isolation unit. One patient is reportedly progressing well while the two are still in acute condition. The hospital recorded one suspected case yesterday bringing the current number of admissions in the isolation facility to 32.

A total of seven more patients who tested negative are being prepared by doctors and the psychosocial support teams for discharge.

So far, 17 people have been discharged from the hospital isolation facility.

A total of 408 people who got contact with the dead have been listed and monitored for possible signs since the onset of the outbreak.

Of these, 190 have passed the 21 days necessary for monitoring meaning that they did not contract the diseases.

The Ministry surveillance team, however, continues to follow up 211 cases. Five teams have been deployed in 26 villages to conduct contact listing and follow up.

The Ministry of Health wishes to clarify that no confirmed case has been reported outside Kibaale district since all alert and suspect cases from other parts of the country have tested negative.

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 3rd and admitted in the acute section of the isolation facility. All samples tested since August 3rd have tested negative for Ebola.

The Ministry of Health wishes to further clarify that that since the onset of the epidemic, 10 cases have been confirmed to have Ebola.

Of these, three died, three are still admitted at Kagadi Hospital Isolation Facility while four recovered from the highly deadly contagious disease.

All confirmed cases are from Kibaale district as samples taken from other 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 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 2,000 400sets sets of Personal Protective Equipment and body bags donated by the World Health Organization, MSF and the U.S. Center for Disease Control have been distributed to Kagadi Hospital, Mulago National Referral Hospitals and some regional referral hospitals.

Ministry of Health mobile van, airing short messages on Ebola prevention and control have has so far covered nine sub counties.

A total number of 62 village health teams and Red Cross volunteers were trained on Ebola prevention and control in Kibaale Town Council.

The Ministry of Health calls on the public to stay calm as assures the general public that all necessary measures have been put in place are being done to contain the spread of the epidemic and there should be no panic.  http://www.chimpreports.com/index.php/people/health/5448-health-ministry%3A-2-ebola-patients-in-%E2%80%9Cacute-condition%E2%80%9D.html

Dallas County declares state of emergency due to West Nile

WFAA

Posted on August 9, 2012 at 8:40 PM

DALLAS - Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins declared a public health emergency in Dallas County Thursday due to the West Nile virus epidemic in the area.

Jenkins instructed the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Department to file a local disaster declaration with the state.

“This declaration will expand our avenues for assistance in our ongoing battle with West Nile virus," Jenkins said. "We are in constant communication with our state and regional partners. We will continue to make data and research driven decisions in seeking to supplement the outstanding work of Dallas County’s director of Health and Human Services (DCHHS) Zachary Thompson."

Jenkins organized a work session on Friday, August 10, with county, state and federal health and emergency management officials to discuss their response to the virus outbreak. They will hold a press conference afterward to share any pertinent information, updates and decisions reached.

 

http://www.wfaa.com/news/health/Dallas-County-declares-state-of-emergency-due-to-West-Nile-165675936.html

Kagadi Hospital cleared as Iganga Hospital gets a new suspect

     Kagadi Hospital cleared as Iganga residents panic
Friday, August 10 2012 at 01:00

KIBAALE Kagadi Hospital in Kibaale District, which has been handling cases of Ebola patients, can now resume normal routine after officials yesterday gave it a go-ahead.

“The ministry wishes to inform the general public that Kagadi Government Hospital has resumed its routine service; receiving and are attending to general patients,” Dr Denis Lwamafa, a senior ministry official, said in a statement.

“There are still three confirmed Ebola cases admitted at the hospital isolation unit. One patient is reportedly progressing well while the two are still in acute condition. The hospital recorded one suspected case yesterday bringing the current number of admissions in the isolation facility to 32.”

But as Kagadi was sighing with relief, in Iganga, the situation was tense at the main hospital when a three-year-old girl was admitted with Ebola-like symptoms.
“The patient was oozing blood from the nose, mouth and other body parts, with high fever and high body temperatures which made us suspect that could be Ebola,” said Dr Siraji Kizito, the medical superintendent.

He said that the health ministry directed the hospital to isolate the victim as they send a team of experts to take samples and establish whether it was Ebola.
A total of 408 people who got contact have been monitored for possible signs . Of these, 190 have passed the 21 days necessary for monitoring and were cleared while 211 cases are still being followed up. http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Kagadi+Hospital+cleared+as+Iganga+residents+panic/-/688334/1475548/-/gglqks/-/index.html

Uganda Ministry of Health Ebola Update (9 august).wmv

The bird flu has appeared in five northern provinces

 According to the Veterinary Department, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, avian flu has hit the province of Ninh Binh. So far there were five provinces recurrence of avian influenza, Quang Binh and Ha Tinh and Hai Duong, Hai Phong and Ninh Binh.  Spray disinfection for ducks. (Photo: Lake Bridge / VNA)

 Specifically, 27/7, avian influenza occurred in Rural Nho Hao, Yen Lin, Yen Mo District, Ninh Binh province 730 children infected poultry. Then, on 31/7, avian influenza continue to be found in Yen Son, Tam Diep town makes 985 sick ducks, dead ducks and destruction of 1282.  Soon after discovery, Veterinary Department in cooperation with local authorities to conduct the entire destruction of infected poultry.  Animal Health Department said today the bird flu began appearing in some provinces in the Red River Delta region and some of North Central Province. The outbreak appears small, scattered, mainly on waterfowl forum in households. In the future, the outbreak may continue to appear scattered on poultry in areas at high risk. Up to now, almost 3 million doses of bird flu vaccine has been granted to the local and the number of dead poultry and local destruction of nearly 100,000. Veterinary Department also asked the local implementation of measures, not to drastically prevent the outbreak.  http://www.xaluan.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=449406

Uganda: interview with Ebola survivor, Kiiza Isaac

 

Date Published: 09/08/2012 12:32

Nurse Kiiza Isaac is no stranger to the deadly Ebola virus – he caught it and survived. Kiiza was infected with a new strain of the virus, named after his home district of Bundibugyo in western Uganda, as he helped fight a outbreak of the disease there in 2007.

Kiiza Isaac, a 42-year-old Ugandan nurse who contracted Ebola and survived in 2007.© Agus Morales

Although Kiiza survived the outbreak, Ebola has claimed more than 1,500 lives since its discovery in 1976. The disease is spread via contact with infected bodily fluids and, without a known cure, can cause terror among infected communities.
As Kiiza’s story shows, health workers are often the first to fall victim to the virus. He is now working alongside Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) to help others who have contracted the virus in the nearby town of Kagadi, where an outbreak of the disease was declared at the end of July 2012.
Question: Ebola outbreaks are often hard to identify due to the virus’ non-specific symptoms. What happened when the virus broke out in Bundibugyo?
Kiiza Isaac: In August 2007, a strange disease was identified in Bundibugyo. Deaths within the community became rampant and people were going to the health centres with high temperatures, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and fatigue. They were not responding to anti-malarial treatment.
What were you doing at the time?
I was working as a nurse at Kikyo health centre, in Bundibugyo district. The Ministry of Health was informed about a strange disease in the area and their epidemiologists came and advised that the patients should be taken to hospitals.
How did people react to the outbreak?
The community did not know what was happening – they thought that the affected were bewitched. This continued until October, when we had 18 people admitted in Kikyo health centre.
Were you in close contact with the patients?

Emergency logistic coordinator Henry Gray helps a colleague into protective clothing during the Ebola outbreak. © MSF

I was collecting blood samples from them. I contracted Ebola because we did not have enough protective equipment to use. But at that time I did not know. I developed the same symptoms as the patients.
Blood samples were taken from me but the malaria test proved negative. I had a persistent fever. I was ill for three weeks. On 19th November 2007, I received the laboratory confirmation – I had contracted Ebola. It was a new strain, not the Sudan or Zaire strain; they named it Bundibugyo Ebola.
How did you become involved with MSF?
MSF came to Bundibugyo and they were running a treatment centre like the one here in Kagadi. Many patients were cared for in their treatment centre. Thank God, I survived.
After my recovery, I joined MSF and the Ministry of Health in the case management of Ebola patients until 2nd February 2008, when Bundibugyo was declared Ebola free.
With Ebola being transmitted through close contact with people, did anyone in your family catch the virus?
I was the head of the household and my infection was not yet confirmed. Three of my children and I contracted Ebola. We all survived.
But a cousin who was also a nurse at Kikyo and was taking care of me also contracted the virus. He was rushed to the hospital and died on 3rd November, before my results were confirmed.
How did your life change after this experience?
When I recovered, I continued treating others and doing psycho-social support until the district was declared free of Ebola. Currently, I am working at Bundibugyo hospital as a nurse.
When the outbreak was declared in Kibaale at the end of July, the World Health Organisation (WHO) requested the district to send a team of seven people who had worked in the isolation centre in 2007. So now I am giving my help to the Ministry of Health and the WHO.
What can patients learn from your story?
We tell patients that this is a disease. It has nothing to do with witchery. They should not fear.
When there is an outbreak, people just need to avoid contact with bodily fluids. But if they recover, after 21 days they are not patients any more – they are free of Ebola.
People should not fear them. They can have a normal life. http://www.msf.org.uk/articledetail.aspx?fId=interview_with_Ebola_survivor_20120809

AVIAN INFLUENZA (49): CAMBODIA, POULTRY, SOIL AND DISEASE TRANSMISSION

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: Wed 8 Aug 2012
Source: Emerging Infectious Diseases journal [edited]
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/18/9/12-0402_article.htm


Ref: Gutierrez RA, Buchy P: Contaminated soil and transmission of influenza virus (H5N1) [letter]. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the internet]. 2012 Sep [date cited]
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Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus (H5N1) has been responsible for 603 confirmed human cases worldwide, including 356 that resulted in death, and for over 7000 epizootic outbreaks (1,2). Direct contact between hosts is the main mechanism of transmission for avian influenza viruses, but the possible role of the environment as a source of HPAI virus (H5N1) infection has been rarely studied, particularly in the context of countries where the virus is enzootic or epizootic (3-7). To determine if contaminated soil contributes to the transmission cycle of HPAI virus (H5N1), we used experimental and simulated field conditions to assess possible transmission in chickens.

All experiments were conducted by using HPAI virus (H5N1) strain A/chicken/Cambodia/LC1AL/2007 (GenBank accession nos. HQ200574-HQ200581). All animal experiments were conducted in the biosafety level 3 laboratory of Institut Pasteur in Cambodia (IPC), in compliance with the European Community 86/609/CEE directive and approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of IPC (permit: AEC/IPC/003/2010). Specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens were provided by the National Veterinary Research Institute of Cambodia.

We used 3 types of soil: 1) sandy topsoil collected from around rice fields in Phnom Penh Province, Cambodia; 2) building sand purchased from a local building company; and 3) soil-based compost purchased from a local tree nursery. Physicochemical and microbiologic parameters were measured for water extracts obtained for each type of soil (Technical Appendix Table [available at the source URL above]), and low- and high-dose contamination protocols (Technical Appendix Figure [available at the source URL above]) were used to experimentally contaminate each soil type. In brief, we seeded the soil samples with 1-56 infectious units of contaminated feces; one infectious unit was