WHO reports another Ebola case in UgandaThe number of probable and confirmed Ebola fever cases in Uganda has increased by one, to 24, since Aug 10, while the death toll was unchanged at 16, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in an update yesterday. The count of lab-confirmed cases also stayed the same, at 10, the WHO said. Forty-three people, including one confirmed case-patient, have been discharged from the Kagadi isolation facility after treatment and recovery, the agency said. The patients received counseling before their discharge and have been reintegrated into their communities. The WHO said counseling of people in the patients' communities has been very important in that it "has allayed fears and reduced stigma, enabling them to be accepted back in the community." All reports of suspected cases outside Kibaale district have been investigated and ruled out, officials said. Meanwhile, social mobilization teams composed of Red Cross volunteers and village health teams have reached most of the households in the affected subcounties of Kibaale district.
Aug 14 WHO statement
DoD tells two companies to suspend work on Ebola drugs
The US Department of Defense (DoD) recently told two companies that are testing treatments for Ebola virus infections to suspend the research because of funding constraints, the companies said. The treatments are being developed by Sarepta Therapeutics (formerly AVI BioPharma), based in Cambridge, Mass., and Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp., based in Vancouver, B.C. In an Aug 7 statement, Sarepta officials said they received the stop-work order on Aug 2, while Tekmira reported the DoD order in a statement yesterday. Tekmira said it expects further word from DoD officials on the future of the program by Sep 1. Sarepta officials said the suspension does not apply to their DoD-funded work on a Marburg virus treatment. Meanwhile, experts quoted in a BBC News report today said availability of an Ebola vaccine is years away at best, even though vaccines have been tested successfully in animals. Gene Olinger, a virologist at the US Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Maryland, told the BBC, "With the current funding, if it doesn't change, I would say there should be a vaccine in five to seven years. It could double or triple it if the funding goes away." Also, Heinz Feldmann, MD, PhD, of Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana, a leading authority on Ebola, commented, "It is hard to say when a vaccine might be available, if ever." Uncertainty over funding and lack of interest from large pharmaceutical companies were cited as obstacles to vaccine development.
Aug 7 Sarepta Therapeutics statement
Aug 14 Tekmira statement
Aug 15 BBC News story
[link to www.cidrap.umn.edu]
statcounter
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Ebola haemorrhagic fever: alerts in Orientale Province
Tuesday, August 14, 2012 9:18
The epidemic raging in border district of Kibari in Uganda threatens the east and north-eastern DRC. The Health Minister, Felix Kabange Numbi, has decided to move up a gear by adopting urgent measures to bar the way to the progress of the epidemic to the DRC. The decision to strengthen epidemiological surveillance against the disease is part of planned preventive actions. As of August 11, at least 60 victims whose death was recorded in the Republic of Uganda.
All the effort aims to prevent progression towards Aru, DRC border district. This strengthening of the surveillance is even more crucial that the cases presented as warnings were reported in Orientale Province. The actions recommended by the Ministry of Health focused around awareness and community mobilization at the borders, especially in the axis Beni-Butembo (North Kivu) and in the territories of Aru, Dungu and Isiro (Orientale province).
Another important announcement is the creation of a joint team involving experts from the Ministry of Health, World Health Organization (WHO) and the organization Doctors Without Borders. Their mission is to take samples in the border areas to detect any suspected cases using appropriate equipment. To do their job safely, the team is equipped with protective equipment. "It is important that we can meet in the crisis committee to evaluate, analyze and take action in relation to the protection of the population. That is why it is important that we have this meeting epidemiological monitoring after which we took a series of measures, "said the minister.
In Kinshasa, where no alert is still being reported, it is time to evaluate the internal capacity to provide timely diagnosis that can not be disputed. Compared to this challenge, the health authority was keen to investigate the situation of operation of the National Institute of Biomedical Research. Felix Kabange Numbi visited the various departments of the National Laboratory (virology, entomology, bacteriology, biochemistry, parasitology, immunology and pathology).
A great event could change the lives of the institute in the coming months. "We will have a P3 level lab that was funded by WHO at the personal request of the Head of State, that after the last outbreak of Ebola in DRC. I came to visit the lab and see the space where this laboratory will be erected at the H3 level, "said the minister. As a reminder, of the 60 cases detected in Uganda, there were three health professionals. http://7sur7.cd/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35742:fievre-hemorragique-a-virus-ebola--des-alertes-dans-la-province-orientale&catid=8:depeche-de-brazzaville
Ebola Scare Hits Mbale
2012-08-15 18:19:22
John Waniaye, the Mbale District Health officer says the two patients are under close monitoring by the district health team
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44519#ixzz23ebifwQ4
John Waniaye, the Mbale District Health officer says the two patients are under close monitoring by the district health team
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44519#ixzz23ebifwQ4
Netherlands flags LPAI: 31,870 birds destroyed
//15 Aug 2012
LPAI H7N7 has been discovered on a farm just south of the Dutch city of Utrecht in the village of Hagestijn.
Dr Christianne Bruschke, chief veterinary officier attached to the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, has reported to the OIE an outbreak of Low pathogenic avian influenza with the serotype H7N7.
The outbreak, starting on the ninth of August on a free range farm, was discovered during a routine check. A positive PCR test by the Central Veterinary Institute in Lelystad confirmed the virus to be H7N7.
In total 31,870 free range laying hens were destroyed. There are no commercial holdings within one kilometre of the farm.
Standard quarantine measures have been installed. The OIE notes that the low pathogenic forms of avian influenza H5 and H7 in poultry is a notifiable disease, as per Chapter 10.4 on avian influenza of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2011). http://www.worldpoultry.net/news/netherlands-flags-lpai-31-870-birds-destroyed-10759.html
The outbreak, starting on the ninth of August on a free range farm, was discovered during a routine check. A positive PCR test by the Central Veterinary Institute in Lelystad confirmed the virus to be H7N7.
In total 31,870 free range laying hens were destroyed. There are no commercial holdings within one kilometre of the farm.
Standard quarantine measures have been installed. The OIE notes that the low pathogenic forms of avian influenza H5 and H7 in poultry is a notifiable disease, as per Chapter 10.4 on avian influenza of the Terrestrial Animal Health Code (2011). http://www.worldpoultry.net/news/netherlands-flags-lpai-31-870-birds-destroyed-10759.html
Uganda Ebola Outbreak in Uganda - update 14 Aug 2012 PDF
Uganda
Ebola Outbreak in Uganda - update 14 Aug 2012
Report
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Map
—
World Health Organization
Download PDF (221.89 KB)
14 August 2012. The Ministry of Health of Uganda (MoH) continues to work with partners including WHO, CDC, Red Cross, MSF, World Vision, PREDICT, among others to control the outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Kibaale district. The national and district task forces continue to meet daily to coordinate the response to the outbreak.
http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Ebola%20map.pdf
Vietnam-A/H5N1 flu outbreak in humans threatened
Wednesday, 15.08.2012, 07:27 AM (GMT +7)
The transformation of the avian influenza virus in the vaccine is disabled patients have an increased risk of virus to mutate, spread from person to person. Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, Director of Preventive Health (MOH), said the bird flu are recurrent in some provinces such as Quang Binh and Ha Tinh and Hai Duong, Hai Phong and Ninh Binh is raised concerns about the A/H5N1 flu in humans. If people have no sense of preventing the risk of transmission to humans is very large. Potential risk of transmission
According to Binh, from the beginning of the year, the country has discovered four cases of influenza A/H5N1, including 2 deaths. These cases were discovered in the early months of 2012. This is also the time of influenza outbreaks in poultry.
Meanwhile, the Veterinary Department (MARD), explaining the results of analysis show that the latest gene appears branch new bird flu virus in North, Central and Western Highlands. The emergence of new strains means that the protective effect of the vaccine before a new strain of bird flu this decline, only 35% -40%.
. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tran Hien, Director of the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said that when the vaccine is not effective for prevention of diseases in poultry, the virus will quickly adapt and can easily spread to humans. According to Hien, another factor is particularly concerned that people just discovered the phenomenon of translation as dead sick poultry, and fresh bird flu virus is often overlooked because there is no manifest for identification. This is considered the most difficult to control pathogens and potential risk of transmission from poultry to humans.
Experts assess the epidemiology always appears at risk of additional cases of influenza A/H5N1 by husbandry practices of the people and practices in slaughtering, meat and poultry, especially duck dishes .
A/H5N1 People do not have immunity to influenza A/H5N1
Dr. Nguyen Tran Hien identify the origin of A/H5N1 flu...
According to Binh, from the beginning of the year, the country has discovered four cases of influenza A/H5N1, including 2 deaths. These cases were discovered in the early months of 2012. This is also the time of influenza outbreaks in poultry.
Meanwhile, the Veterinary Department (MARD), explaining the results of analysis show that the latest gene appears branch new bird flu virus in North, Central and Western Highlands. The emergence of new strains means that the protective effect of the vaccine before a new strain of bird flu this decline, only 35% -40%.
. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tran Hien, Director of the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said that when the vaccine is not effective for prevention of diseases in poultry, the virus will quickly adapt and can easily spread to humans. According to Hien, another factor is particularly concerned that people just discovered the phenomenon of translation as dead sick poultry, and fresh bird flu virus is often overlooked because there is no manifest for identification. This is considered the most difficult to control pathogens and potential risk of transmission from poultry to humans.
Experts assess the epidemiology always appears at risk of additional cases of influenza A/H5N1 by husbandry practices of the people and practices in slaughtering, meat and poultry, especially duck dishes .
A/H5N1 People do not have immunity to influenza A/H5N1
Dr. Nguyen Tran Hien identify the origin of A/H5N1 flu...
Recurrence of bird flu in Vietnam, killing several tens of thousand wings
2012/8/15 (19:29) (Electronic version) is 15 days, provinces Ha Tinh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Hanamu, of Buchan, bird flu has occurred in the city of Hai Phong, and been culled wings several tens of thousand chickens and ducks ever broadcast voice of the [Vietnam] Vietnam reported.
In the two ministries Hanamu, of Buchan, the bird flu virus highly pathogenic H5N1 type has been confirmed. http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsclip.be%2Fnews%2F2012815_035427.html
Vietnam-Bird flu recurs in some localities
A number of cities and provinces across the country have declared an outbreak of avian flu, resulting in the loss of tens of thousands of poultry.
The disease has spread over 11 hamlets in two communes of the central province of Ha Tinh, where it had been prevalent in the past but was not completely eradicated.
According to the provincial Animal Health Department, the rapid spread of the epidemic is due primarily to local people's lack of awareness about preventing the disease, as well as their outdated breeding methods.
Bird flu has also been discovered in other provinces, including Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Ha Nam, Bac Kan and Hai Phong.
The progress of the epidemic has become even more complicated with the emergence of the deadly H5N1 virus in some areas of Thanh Chau and Thanh Nguyen hamlets in Ha Nam and Yen Thuong commune in Bac Kan.
The localities have boosted drastic measure to fight and control the epidemic, including sterilizing farms and setting up checkpoints on major transportation routes to prevent illegal trafficking of infected poultry.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/en/society/25750/society-in-brief-15-8.html
DRC: Ebola virus kills 4 out of 7 cases recorded in Eastern Province
KINSHASA (Xinhua) - The Ebola haemorrhagic fever has killed four people on seven cases in the district of Haut Uele, Orientale Province (north-eastern DRC), said on Aug. 14 Jean-Marc Madindi , provincial medical inspector of the Eastern Province.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 | 13:48 UTC
According to Dr. Madindi, there were 3 deaths in 6 cases registered in Isiro, capital of the district of Haut Uele and 1 death in Dungu territory. "Samples from patients were sent to appropriate laboratories in Uganda for analysis and we expect results, "he said, adding that the provincial department of health has the support of MSF / Belgium, including equipment.
Moreover, the chief medical officer of health district Butembo, Dr. Mundama Witende, called the urban population of Beni and Butembo, along the border with Uganda, in strict compliance with preventive measures to avoid the contamination. He also forbade the people to consume the meat of primates and move to the neighboring Uganda and the DRC, without good reason.
http://www.afriquinfos.com/articles/2012/8/15/virus-ebola-personnes-enregistres-province-orientale-208346.asp
Ebola in Uganda – update MORE MADE UP NUMBERS
Ebola in Uganda – update
14 August 2012 -The Ministry of Health of Uganda (MoH) continues to work with partners including WHO, CDC, Red Cross, MSF, World Vision, PREDICT, among others to control the outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Kibaale district. The national and district task forces continue to meet daily to coordinate the response to the outbreak.
To date, 24 probable and confirmed cases including 16 deaths have been reported. 10 cases have been laboratory confirmed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe. The most recent confirmed case was admitted in Kagadi isolation facility on 4 August 2012.
Suspected cases which tested negative during the laboratory investigations have been discarded as Ebola patients, treated symptomatically for their ailments and discharged following recovery. A total of 43 people have been discharged from the isolation facility including one confirmed case. With the support of the psychosocial team, these 43 people have been counselled prior to discharge and reintegrated into the community. Even...
[link to www.who.int]
so it was 23 and I got about 40 on a list .. and they goback to 16??
14 August 2012 -The Ministry of Health of Uganda (MoH) continues to work with partners including WHO, CDC, Red Cross, MSF, World Vision, PREDICT, among others to control the outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Kibaale district. The national and district task forces continue to meet daily to coordinate the response to the outbreak.
To date, 24 probable and confirmed cases including 16 deaths have been reported. 10 cases have been laboratory confirmed by the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe. The most recent confirmed case was admitted in Kagadi isolation facility on 4 August 2012.
Suspected cases which tested negative during the laboratory investigations have been discarded as Ebola patients, treated symptomatically for their ailments and discharged following recovery. A total of 43 people have been discharged from the isolation facility including one confirmed case. With the support of the psychosocial team, these 43 people have been counselled prior to discharge and reintegrated into the community. Even...
[link to www.who.int]
so it was 23 and I got about 40 on a list .. and they goback to 16??
Kisoro Patient Under Ebola Monitoring Tests Negative
2012-08-15 10:52:10
Dr Micheal Baganizi, the Kisoro hospital medical superintendent, tells URN that while the tests for Ebola came back negative, the patient was discovered to be suffering from hepatitis.
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44506#ixzz23cfLrODG
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44506#ixzz23cfLrODG
Aru: nursing staff trained in surveillance of Ebola
| Last Update August 15, 2012 at 1:45 AM |
This two-day training is designed for chief medical officers of health zone, hospital directors, nursing supervisors and supervisors of the health district of Aru.. At the end of it, they can identify time Ebola haemorrhagic fever raging in border areas of Uganda. http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=fr&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://radiookapi.net/en-bref/2012/08/15/aru-le-personnel-soignant-forme-pour-la-surveillance-de-la-fievre-ebola/&usg=ALkJrhjrSF0offB6D_WxtlFA8Mur6simOQ
This two-day training is designed for chief medical officers of health zone, hospital directors, nursing supervisors and supervisors of the health district of Aru.. At the end of it, they can identify time Ebola haemorrhagic fever raging in border areas of Uganda. http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=fr&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://radiookapi.net/en-bref/2012/08/15/aru-le-personnel-soignant-forme-pour-la-surveillance-de-la-fievre-ebola/&usg=ALkJrhjrSF0offB6D_WxtlFA8Mur6simOQ
Ebola: 3 Lira Hospital Patients Samples Test Negative
2012-08-15 11:26:58
Samples of three patients who were being monitored for the Ebola virus at Lira regional referral hospital have tested negative for the contagious disease. The results were released by the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe.
Read more: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=44508#ixzz23cczROgk
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT ON THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO August 10, 2012
HUMANITARIAN SITUATION REPORT ON THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
August 10, 2012
Two health zones of the DRC in the Eastern Province reported suspected cases of VHF. Zone
Health Isiro reported from June 25, 2012 to date six suspected cases and four deaths, case fatality of 66.6%. Personnel health are not affected so far and contact information and followed up are not available.
The Health Zone Dungu reported three suspected cases and one death suspected VHF in the month of August. the
results of the investigation and charges are expected to improve learning of the situation
Warning: Medair also reported cases of bloody diarrhea in the area of Health Bokoyo (90 km north of
Banda) where 69 cases with 12 deaths (17.4%) were reported between June and July 2012. These cases have not been supported? °?? IM two reasons: difficult access to Bokoyo for security reasons and lack of medicines.
[link to reliefweb.int]
August 10, 2012
Two health zones of the DRC in the Eastern Province reported suspected cases of VHF. Zone
Health Isiro reported from June 25, 2012 to date six suspected cases and four deaths, case fatality of 66.6%. Personnel health are not affected so far and contact information and followed up are not available.
The Health Zone Dungu reported three suspected cases and one death suspected VHF in the month of August. the
results of the investigation and charges are expected to improve learning of the situation
Warning: Medair also reported cases of bloody diarrhea in the area of Health Bokoyo (90 km north of
Banda) where 69 cases with 12 deaths (17.4%) were reported between June and July 2012. These cases have not been supported? °?? IM two reasons: difficult access to Bokoyo for security reasons and lack of medicines.
[link to reliefweb.int]
Five suspected cases Isiro
Five suspected cases
Ebola detected
Isiro
The provincial medical inspector has
confirmed the detection of five cases
suspected haemorrhagic fever
Ebola Isiro in the territory of
High Uélé. Already, last weekend,
Minister of Health was
stepped into the breach to state
alerts. The virus would thus
well beyond the borders but
Department, the emphasis is on an element
major: the country is not
faced with an epidemic
http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/medias/dossiertele/PDF1555KIN.pdf
Ebola detected
Isiro
The provincial medical inspector has
confirmed the detection of five cases
suspected haemorrhagic fever
Ebola Isiro in the territory of
High Uélé. Already, last weekend,
Minister of Health was
stepped into the breach to state
alerts. The virus would thus
well beyond the borders but
Department, the emphasis is on an element
major: the country is not
faced with an epidemic
http://www.brazzaville-adiac.com/medias/dossiertele/PDF1555KIN.pdf
African Swine Fever Threatens All Europe
African Swine Fever Threatens All Europe
08 August 2012
ANALYSIS - The spread of African Swine Fever from the Caucasus to the east coast of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine presents an alarming and concerning situation, writes Chris Harris.
The latest outbreak, discovered at the end of July and confirmed through PCR tests on samples taken from back yard pigs in the Zaporozhye region, is worrying because it represents not so much a gradual spread of the disease, but a dramatic jump.
The outbreak has occurred 170 kilometres from the Russian border. Until now the disease has been found mainly in the Tver, Ivanovo and Rostov regions to the north of Moscow, Bryansk and Smolensk to the west of Moscow and the Volgograd and Krasnodar regions to the south as well as outbreaks in Georgia.
The furthest the disease had been found outside these regions where it has largely been confined to back yard farms and wild boar populations - although larger pig farms have been infected and have suffered severe losses - has been in the St Petersburg area where the incidence was traced to illegally dumped pig carcases.
The leap across the border is likely to mean that similar illegal transportation of pigs or pig meat products has taken place or that transport has travelled from infected regions without proper biosecurity measures being carried out.
The most concerning aspect of the latest outbreak in Ukraine, where three pigs on a back yard farm dies for the disease and two others were destroyed is that the disease has now spread to another mainland Eastern European country....
And the concern over the present incidence in Ukraine has placed other EU countries on alert.
The German Agriculture Ministry this week warned: "This epidemic in the Russian Federation and other neighbouring states has been rife for a long time and there is a risk that it might be introduced into the European Union. Already a number of measures at national and EU level have been taken to prevent this.
"At the external borders of the EU increased checks are being carried out and contingency plans to combat animal diseases have been adjusted."
Measures that have been taken include the ban on the import of live pigs and pork products from affected countries into the EU.
However the German Agriculture Ministry has warned that the pathogen can be carried on food such as pork, raw sausages and salami if they are brought in from regions that are at risk and the disease can be passed on in food waste and through the wild boar population.
The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection warns "Bring no such food from areas affected with the African swine fever."
Following the Ukraine outbreak a report from Dr Helen Roberts for the UK's Department of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs also warns that its cause is likely to be the movement of pigs, pig products or vehicles.
"The source of disease is not known but if genetic sequencing is carried out and shows the close relationship with the strains in the Caucasus, that will indicate movement of products in all likelihood either by road or by sea into this area. This latest jump is not entirely surprising, but does raise the issue of controlling imports of animal products and instigating swill feeding bans in backyard premises," Dr Roberts reports.
She adds: "We consider that the risk of introduction by legal trade in susceptible livestock or products is negligible as EU rules prohibit imports of such trade from Ukraine. It is therefore important to uphold the ban on swill feeding, to ensure adequate cleansing and disinfection of vehicles returning from infected regions and safe disposal of catering waste.
"Importing meat or meat products (including ham, salami, sausages and other delicacies) from Ukraine as personal imports is illegal and it is important that this control measure is observed.
"As we have previously stated, countries and regions where certain risk factors, such as a high proportion of backyard pig farms, wild boar contact, suitable vector (Argasid tick) populations or practicing swill feeding are at greater risk than those EU MSs with mainly high biosecurity commercial pig farms (such as the UK). Nevertheless, the persistence and geographic spread of ASF makes it a threat to the whole of the EU and it is imperative that control measures are applied effectively and regular exchange of information and expertise is maintained." http://www.thepigsite.com/swinenews/30524/african-swine-fever-threatens-all-europe
The outbreak has occurred 170 kilometres from the Russian border. Until now the disease has been found mainly in the Tver, Ivanovo and Rostov regions to the north of Moscow, Bryansk and Smolensk to the west of Moscow and the Volgograd and Krasnodar regions to the south as well as outbreaks in Georgia.
The furthest the disease had been found outside these regions where it has largely been confined to back yard farms and wild boar populations - although larger pig farms have been infected and have suffered severe losses - has been in the St Petersburg area where the incidence was traced to illegally dumped pig carcases.
The leap across the border is likely to mean that similar illegal transportation of pigs or pig meat products has taken place or that transport has travelled from infected regions without proper biosecurity measures being carried out.
The most concerning aspect of the latest outbreak in Ukraine, where three pigs on a back yard farm dies for the disease and two others were destroyed is that the disease has now spread to another mainland Eastern European country....
And the concern over the present incidence in Ukraine has placed other EU countries on alert.
The German Agriculture Ministry this week warned: "This epidemic in the Russian Federation and other neighbouring states has been rife for a long time and there is a risk that it might be introduced into the European Union. Already a number of measures at national and EU level have been taken to prevent this.
"At the external borders of the EU increased checks are being carried out and contingency plans to combat animal diseases have been adjusted."
Measures that have been taken include the ban on the import of live pigs and pork products from affected countries into the EU.
However the German Agriculture Ministry has warned that the pathogen can be carried on food such as pork, raw sausages and salami if they are brought in from regions that are at risk and the disease can be passed on in food waste and through the wild boar population.
The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection warns "Bring no such food from areas affected with the African swine fever."
Following the Ukraine outbreak a report from Dr Helen Roberts for the UK's Department of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs also warns that its cause is likely to be the movement of pigs, pig products or vehicles.
"The source of disease is not known but if genetic sequencing is carried out and shows the close relationship with the strains in the Caucasus, that will indicate movement of products in all likelihood either by road or by sea into this area. This latest jump is not entirely surprising, but does raise the issue of controlling imports of animal products and instigating swill feeding bans in backyard premises," Dr Roberts reports.
She adds: "We consider that the risk of introduction by legal trade in susceptible livestock or products is negligible as EU rules prohibit imports of such trade from Ukraine. It is therefore important to uphold the ban on swill feeding, to ensure adequate cleansing and disinfection of vehicles returning from infected regions and safe disposal of catering waste.
"Importing meat or meat products (including ham, salami, sausages and other delicacies) from Ukraine as personal imports is illegal and it is important that this control measure is observed.
"As we have previously stated, countries and regions where certain risk factors, such as a high proportion of backyard pig farms, wild boar contact, suitable vector (Argasid tick) populations or practicing swill feeding are at greater risk than those EU MSs with mainly high biosecurity commercial pig farms (such as the UK). Nevertheless, the persistence and geographic spread of ASF makes it a threat to the whole of the EU and it is imperative that control measures are applied effectively and regular exchange of information and expertise is maintained." http://www.thepigsite.com/swinenews/30524/african-swine-fever-threatens-all-europe
DRC: 5 suspected cases of Ebola in Orientale Province, not far from Uganda
Tuesday, August 14, 2012 at 24:21
. Five suspected cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever have been detected in Isiro, chief town of the district of Haut Uele, in Orientale Province (north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo), reported the Associated Press agency (APA ), received Tuesday in Brussels, quoting medical sources. http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=fr&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://www.levif.be/info/actualite/sciences-et-sante/rdc-5-cas-suspects-d-ebola-en-province-orientale-non-loin-de-l-ouganda/article-4000162590879.htm&usg=ALkJrhgV_6PKGUePMIgVfVmcjyS107LJDA
Ebola outbreak in Uganda: DRC strengthens border surveillance
Monday, August 13, 2012
In recent weeks, the epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever is rife in Uganda in the District of Kibari where 60 cases and 16 deaths were already registered. In 60 cases, there are three health professionals including one death.
Because the district Kibari in which the epidemic is raging in the neighboring district of Aru in the DRC, the Congolese authorities to turn this disease do not cross borders. The Ministry of Public Health, a crisis meeting was held on Tuesday bringing together partners including WHO and MSF, the fourth branch of the Ministry of Health responsible for the fight against disease and INRB.During the meeting chaired by the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi, the issue was not only to analyze the situation on land but also to develop strategies to strengthen surveillance at borders for this epidemic does not spread in the DRC.
"It is important that we can meet in the crisis committee to evaluate, analyze and take action in relation to the protection of the population. That is why it is important that we hold this meeting epidemiological surveillance at the end of what we have taken a package of measures ..., "said Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi.
To protect the Congolese population that is mostly in border district of Uganda Kibari against this epidemic, Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi called the people to be more vigilant. "We want to inform the Congolese population especially that of the province of North Kivu and Eastern Province to increase their level of vigilance against this epidemic that has ravaged Uganda. Especially when people are faced with a fever accompanied by abnormal bleeding and also explained the case of animals found dead in the forest. "
Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi also insisted on strengthening awareness. We decided, he says, to strengthen surveillance measures, awareness and community mobilization at the borders including the axis Beni-Butembo in the province of North Kivu and more at territory Aru, Dungu and Isiro in the eastern province
In addition to educating the community, the Minister of Public Health states that a joint team of Department of Public Health, WHO and MSF has been mobilized to make a descent in these border areas with sampling equipment for suspected cases but also with protective equipment
While stressing that these meetings be held regularly epidemiological surveillance to assess the situation on ground, Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi invited the medical staff to use all use universal precautions from now to all fever cases that would result in the hospital. "
The observance of hygiene rules is needed
Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a serious disease and short incubation period, it is advised people to observe basic hygiene rules for individual and collective self-preservation. It is advisable to wash hands with soap before preparing food, before eating and after using the latrine; boil water or disinfect with a solution chorea, eat only hot food and goods covered .
It is also advisable not to defecate near water sources, not to organize the funeral of a patient who died of Ebola hemorrhagic fever or touch his body.
Ebola is characterized by headaches, fatigue, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, muscle or joint pain loss of appetite.
http://www.groupelavenir.cd/spip.php?article46753
In recent weeks, the epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever is rife in Uganda in the District of Kibari where 60 cases and 16 deaths were already registered. In 60 cases, there are three health professionals including one death.
Because the district Kibari in which the epidemic is raging in the neighboring district of Aru in the DRC, the Congolese authorities to turn this disease do not cross borders. The Ministry of Public Health, a crisis meeting was held on Tuesday bringing together partners including WHO and MSF, the fourth branch of the Ministry of Health responsible for the fight against disease and INRB.During the meeting chaired by the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi, the issue was not only to analyze the situation on land but also to develop strategies to strengthen surveillance at borders for this epidemic does not spread in the DRC.
"It is important that we can meet in the crisis committee to evaluate, analyze and take action in relation to the protection of the population. That is why it is important that we hold this meeting epidemiological surveillance at the end of what we have taken a package of measures ..., "said Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi.
To protect the Congolese population that is mostly in border district of Uganda Kibari against this epidemic, Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi called the people to be more vigilant. "We want to inform the Congolese population especially that of the province of North Kivu and Eastern Province to increase their level of vigilance against this epidemic that has ravaged Uganda. Especially when people are faced with a fever accompanied by abnormal bleeding and also explained the case of animals found dead in the forest. "
Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi also insisted on strengthening awareness. We decided, he says, to strengthen surveillance measures, awareness and community mobilization at the borders including the axis Beni-Butembo in the province of North Kivu and more at territory Aru, Dungu and Isiro in the eastern province
In addition to educating the community, the Minister of Public Health states that a joint team of Department of Public Health, WHO and MSF has been mobilized to make a descent in these border areas with sampling equipment for suspected cases but also with protective equipment
While stressing that these meetings be held regularly epidemiological surveillance to assess the situation on ground, Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi invited the medical staff to use all use universal precautions from now to all fever cases that would result in the hospital. "
The observance of hygiene rules is needed
Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a serious disease and short incubation period, it is advised people to observe basic hygiene rules for individual and collective self-preservation. It is advisable to wash hands with soap before preparing food, before eating and after using the latrine; boil water or disinfect with a solution chorea, eat only hot food and goods covered .
It is also advisable not to defecate near water sources, not to organize the funeral of a patient who died of Ebola hemorrhagic fever or touch his body.
Ebola is characterized by headaches, fatigue, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, muscle or joint pain loss of appetite.
http://www.groupelavenir.cd/spip.php?article46753
North Kivu: the provincial government enacts precautions against Ebola
...The provincial government asked the people of North Kivu to avoid eating meat from chimpanzee, gorilla and other monkeys and any non-visit to Uganda.
[b]This weekend, the deputy director of the Ugandan Minister of Health stated that the hemorrhagic fever was under control. However, the foreign press referred to two new cases of Ebola at the same time.[/b] The epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever is rife in Uganda in the Kibale district where sixty cases including sixteen deaths have been recorded in recent weeks.
Already in the district of Aru in the Eastern Province, Congolese authorities have begun to turn in recent days that the disease does not cross the border, since the district in which Kibari raging epidemic is close to Aru.
Since the end of July, Uganda is facing a new epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever since July. One death was recorded at Mulago Hospital in Kampala. President Museveni had also been broadcast July 30, 2012 an audio message calling his countrymen to be vigilant.
http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2012/08/13/nord-kivu-le-gouvernement-provincial-edicte-des-mesures-preventives-contre-la-fievre-debola/#.UCpf1ciQ96s.twitter
[b]This weekend, the deputy director of the Ugandan Minister of Health stated that the hemorrhagic fever was under control. However, the foreign press referred to two new cases of Ebola at the same time.[/b] The epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever is rife in Uganda in the Kibale district where sixty cases including sixteen deaths have been recorded in recent weeks.
Already in the district of Aru in the Eastern Province, Congolese authorities have begun to turn in recent days that the disease does not cross the border, since the district in which Kibari raging epidemic is close to Aru.
Since the end of July, Uganda is facing a new epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever since July. One death was recorded at Mulago Hospital in Kampala. President Museveni had also been broadcast July 30, 2012 an audio message calling his countrymen to be vigilant.
http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2012/08/13/nord-kivu-le-gouvernement-provincial-edicte-des-mesures-preventives-contre-la-fievre-debola/#.UCpf1ciQ96s.twitter
North Kivu: the provincial government enacts precautions against Ebola
North Kivu: the provincial government enacts precautions against Ebola
Kinshasa, 14/08/2012 / Health
. The population of North Kivu is required to observe strict measures to prevent contamination of Ebola haemorrhagic fever reported in Uganda.
. The provincial Minister of Health, Mutete Mundenga prohibited the population to consume the meat of primates.. They were also asked to avoid travel to the neighboring country to the DRC, without good reason. The provincial Minister of Health has enacted such measures at the end of the provincial council of ministers held Saturday, August 11 in Goma.
The health minister said the epidemic in Uganda is at the door of the province of North Kivu. Mutete . Mutete Mundenga insisted that any case of fever accompanied by hemorrhage apparrait in villages is reported to the health center.
He has released several preventive measures:
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalcongo.net%2Farticle%2F85517
The health minister said the epidemic in Uganda is at the door of the province of North Kivu. Mutete . Mutete Mundenga insisted that any case of fever accompanied by hemorrhage apparrait in villages is reported to the health center.
He has released several preventive measures:
. "Avoid touching blood, fluids or other secretion of diseases suspected of being infected with Ebola.. The provincial government asked the people of North Kivu to avoid eating meat from chimpanzee, gorilla and other monkeys and any non-visit to Uganda.
. Also avoid touching or washing a patient who would be carrying the disease.”. Also avoid touching or washing the bodies of people who allegedly died of Ebola. "
http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalcongo.net%2Farticle%2F85517
Ebola Suspected Case at Kayunga Hospital
on August 14, 2012
A suspected Ebola case at Kayunga hospital has caused panic among patients ,many of them who heard about the case on Tuesday morning have escaped from the hospital.
The 2 year old baby was admitted with Ebola like similar symptoms which included; vomiting blood, blood oozing out of the nose, ears and mouth and passing out bloody stool.
Health workers, support staff, patients and care takers have vacated the hospital.Doctors have said that the symptoms portrayed by the baby are similar to those of Ebola but they have not yet confirmed whether it is Ebola or not.
Hospital officials said that the baby is to be transferred to Mulago hospital for specialized treatment .
The Ebola fight in Kibaale district where 17 people succumbed to the disease has been successful for far with no death reported in a period of more than a week.Other suspected Ebola cases in Gulu district, Mbarara, Ntungamo were confirmed to be Ebola free.
http://www.ugandapicks.com/2012/08/ebola-suspected-case-at-kayunga-hospital-63485.html
Another Ebola Case Suspected In Jinja
Another case of Ebola has been reported in Jinja, Eastern Uganda on Thursday.
According to an Eye Report by our reader, a one Nyanzi, a baby which was admitted at Jinja Hospital Children’s Unit died on Monday.
“Parents have been refused to take their baby for burial,” Nyanzi told our news desk today morning.
If true, the development could expose the health ministry’s failure to contain the deadly epidemic and also confirm reports that it is spreading to different parts of the country.
However, according to Dr Ruth Jane Aceng, Director General of Health Services at the Health Ministry, there has been no confirmed Ebola for the last ten days in the country.
“The last confirmed case of Ebola was admitted on August 4, 2012 in Kagadi hospital. So far, a total of 43 patients have been discharged from the isolation facility at Kagadi hospital,” she said Tuesday.
Aceng says the total number of patients on admission is 11.
“Of these, two are confirmed cases of Ebola while 9 are suspected cases currently undergoing investigations. The discharged patients have been supported to reintegrate into the communities are being followed by our surveillance teams,” she notes.
“The Ministry of health wishes to inform the public that no confirmed Ebola case has been reported outside Kibaale district. We appeal to the general public to be vigilant and report any suspected cases to the nearest health facility or call the following hotlines 0781295308, 0750996034,” Aceng concludes. http://www.chimpreports.com/index.php/people/health/5499-exclusive-another-ebola-case-suspected-in-jinja.html
No Ebola case confirmed in the last ten days
No Ebola case confirmed in the last ten days
Publish Date: Aug 14, 2012
The Ministry of health wishes to update the general public on Ebola outbreak in Kibaale district. The last confirmed case of Ebola was admitted on 4th August 2012 in Kagadi Hospital. There has been no confirmed case of Ebola for 10 days in the Country ..Read full release here
Publish Date: Aug 14, 2012
The Ministry of health wishes to update the general public on Ebola outbreak in Kibaale district. The last confirmed case of Ebola was admitted on 4th August 2012 in Kagadi Hospital. There has been no confirmed case of Ebola for 10 days in the Country ..Read full release here
Monday, August 13, 2012
EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER - UGANDA (17) (KIBAALAE)
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Uganda (17): (KI)
Archive Number: 20120813.1241762
EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER - UGANDA (17) (KIBAALAE)
************************************************
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: Sun 12 Aug 2012
Source: New Vision (Uganda) [summ., edited]
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/634018-how-the-deadly-ebola-came-back.html=
The outbreak of Ebola [fever] in Kibaale district is still shrouded in mystery 52 days after the 1st patient died. A mother left her 2 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 [328 yards] away from the family is a 10-acre [4 ha] forest and there are bushes in between, so it would be possible for a monkey or any other small animal to move unnoticed.
A 15 year old girl who touched the baby's wound, became sick 2 days later, and died on 21 Jun 2012. Eventually, 9 members of the family died but the baby's mother did not become sick. Then the baby's father and a paternal uncle fell sick. According to the national Ebola task force, the 15 year old girl was the 1st patient. However, locals insist she got the disease from the baby. Medical theory indicates that an Ebola [fever] outbreak starts when an infected animal, most likely a monkey or a bat, infects a human being. Through direct contact, s/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 [ebolavirus infection]. By the time the ministry announced it was Ebola [fever] on 24 Jul 2012, 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 [that is, little haemorrhage]. Tests have shown that the current epidemic has been caused by a strain of the virus known as Sudan ebolavirus. However, its signs are different from the previously known Sudan ebolavirus outbreaks.
According to a press statement released by the health ministry last week [week of 6 Aug 2012], the number of people contracting [ebolavirus] 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 Thu 19 Aug 2012, 190 out of the 408 people being observed after coming in contact with Ebola fever 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 3 ebolavirus infected patients, one of whom was recovering.
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 funds should be earmarked for epidemics annually," said Mbonye. Nearly half the budget for the campaign against [the current ebolavirus outbreak] has come from donors, and officials argue it is disastrous to depend on donors for epidemic responses.
According to Dr Anthony Mbonye, the commissioner for health service and head of community health, it is unusual for an Ebola [fever] 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. 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 ebolavirus 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."
Although the current outbreak is small, it has a big impact on the economy. Already the tourism sector has begun feeling the pinch as some tourists cancel trips for fear of catching the deadly contagious virus.
[byline: Francis Kagolo, Ismael Kasooha]
-- communicated by: ProMED-mail rapporteur Mary Marshall
[At this time ProMED-mail has seen no independent information to verify this account of the early events in the outbreak of Sudan ebolavirus infection in Kibaale.
Kibaale District is a district in Western Uganda. It is named after its principal town where the district headquarters are located. Kibaale can be located on the map of the districts of Uganda at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Districts_of_Uganda. A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map can be accessed at http://healthmap.org/r/2Xz8. - Mod.CP]
Archive Number: 20120813.1241762
EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER - UGANDA (17) (KIBAALAE)
************************************************
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: Sun 12 Aug 2012
Source: New Vision (Uganda) [summ., edited]
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/634018-how-the-deadly-ebola-came-back.html=
The outbreak of Ebola [fever] in Kibaale district is still shrouded in mystery 52 days after the 1st patient died. A mother left her 2 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 [328 yards] away from the family is a 10-acre [4 ha] forest and there are bushes in between, so it would be possible for a monkey or any other small animal to move unnoticed.
A 15 year old girl who touched the baby's wound, became sick 2 days later, and died on 21 Jun 2012. Eventually, 9 members of the family died but the baby's mother did not become sick. Then the baby's father and a paternal uncle fell sick. According to the national Ebola task force, the 15 year old girl was the 1st patient. However, locals insist she got the disease from the baby. Medical theory indicates that an Ebola [fever] outbreak starts when an infected animal, most likely a monkey or a bat, infects a human being. Through direct contact, s/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 [ebolavirus infection]. By the time the ministry announced it was Ebola [fever] on 24 Jul 2012, 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 [that is, little haemorrhage]. Tests have shown that the current epidemic has been caused by a strain of the virus known as Sudan ebolavirus. However, its signs are different from the previously known Sudan ebolavirus outbreaks.
According to a press statement released by the health ministry last week [week of 6 Aug 2012], the number of people contracting [ebolavirus] 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 Thu 19 Aug 2012, 190 out of the 408 people being observed after coming in contact with Ebola fever 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 3 ebolavirus infected patients, one of whom was recovering.
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 funds should be earmarked for epidemics annually," said Mbonye. Nearly half the budget for the campaign against [the current ebolavirus outbreak] has come from donors, and officials argue it is disastrous to depend on donors for epidemic responses.
According to Dr Anthony Mbonye, the commissioner for health service and head of community health, it is unusual for an Ebola [fever] 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. 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 ebolavirus 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."
Although the current outbreak is small, it has a big impact on the economy. Already the tourism sector has begun feeling the pinch as some tourists cancel trips for fear of catching the deadly contagious virus.
[byline: Francis Kagolo, Ismael Kasooha]
-- communicated by: ProMED-mail rapporteur Mary Marshall
[At this time ProMED-mail has seen no independent information to verify this account of the early events in the outbreak of Sudan ebolavirus infection in Kibaale.
Kibaale District is a district in Western Uganda. It is named after its principal town where the district headquarters are located. Kibaale can be located on the map of the districts of Uganda at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Districts_of_Uganda. A HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map can be accessed at http://healthmap.org/r/2Xz8. - Mod.CP]
DRC: Alert Ebola outbreak- Tests are negative so far
Monday, August 13, 2012Last update: 3:53 p.m. GMT
DRC: Alert Ebola outbreak
Kesseng by Rachel - 13/08/2012
Five suspected cases of the deadly hemorrhagic fever were reported in Eastern Province
The Ebola virus is back in the DRC. According to the provincial medical inspector of the Eastern Province Five suspected cases of haemorrhagic fever caused by Ebola virus said, were detected in Isiro, chief town of the district of Haut Uele in Orientale Province in north-eastern DRC. Another case, whose death ensued, was notified in Dungu, one of six areas that make up the district of Haut Uele. We are awaiting test results to diagnose the virus as it always.
http://journaldekin.com/article.php?aid=1288
DRC: Alert Ebola outbreak
Kesseng by Rachel - 13/08/2012
Five suspected cases of the deadly hemorrhagic fever were reported in Eastern Province
The Ebola virus is back in the DRC. According to the provincial medical inspector of the Eastern Province Five suspected cases of haemorrhagic fever caused by Ebola virus said, were detected in Isiro, chief town of the district of Haut Uele in Orientale Province in north-eastern DRC. Another case, whose death ensued, was notified in Dungu, one of six areas that make up the district of Haut Uele. We are awaiting test results to diagnose the virus as it always.
http://journaldekin.com/article.php?aid=1288
Ban on public gatherings in Kibaale District continues
Gatherings such as these could pread Ebola. Contact with a person with Ebola spreads the virus
Ultimate Media
Public gatherings continue to be banned in Kibaale district despite significant progress made in handling the Ebola disease.
Kibaale district woman Member of Parliament Robinnah Nabbanja says local leaders continue to disseminate warnings against public gatherings because the country has not yet been declared Ebola free.
She says although there has been some remarkable achievement in the fight against Ebola with only 3 confirmed cases under treatment, chances of reporting new cases due to gatherings are still very high.
Nabanja attributes the success to the fast response and vigilance of the different government bodies and aid agencies like the Uganda Red Cross Society.
The disease has so far killed over 16 people and over 100 persons who got in contact with Ebola patients are still being monitored.
However businessmen are not happy with the continued ban on markets and weddings saying that they have failed to meet loan obligations due such bans. They have now threatened to demonstrate against the ban. http://www.ugpulse.com/uganda-news/health/ban-on-public-gatherings-in-kibaale-district-continues/26726.aspx
IDI donates protective gear for lower health facilities in Kibaale
20120813 11:53:53 AM EST
The Infectious Disease Institute has donated medical equipment worth 25 million to Kibaale district to prepare lower level health facilitates for Ebola Response.
The Items include protective gear, disinfectants, cleaning materials and drugs.
According to the Executive Director of the Institute, Dr Alex Cotinho the donation is to benefit at least 53 health centers 4, 3 and 2 s in the district.
Dr. Cotinho adds that the equipment will assist in handling the highly contagious disease at community level before suspected cases are referred to Kagadi hospital.
The highly infectious disease presents with high grade fever and bleeding, head headache vomiting abdominal pain and kills within just a short time. http://www.ugpulse.com/uganda-news/health/idi-donates-protective-gear-for-lower-health-facilities-in-kibaale/26743.aspx
The Infectious Disease Institute has donated medical equipment worth 25 million to Kibaale district to prepare lower level health facilitates for Ebola Response.
The Items include protective gear, disinfectants, cleaning materials and drugs.
According to the Executive Director of the Institute, Dr Alex Cotinho the donation is to benefit at least 53 health centers 4, 3 and 2 s in the district.
Dr. Cotinho adds that the equipment will assist in handling the highly contagious disease at community level before suspected cases are referred to Kagadi hospital.
The highly infectious disease presents with high grade fever and bleeding, head headache vomiting abdominal pain and kills within just a short time. http://www.ugpulse.com/uganda-news/health/idi-donates-protective-gear-for-lower-health-facilities-in-kibaale/26743.aspx
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.
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
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.
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
- 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
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
Sunday, August 12, 2012
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]
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
.
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
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
12th August 2012
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.
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
Saturday, August 11, 2012
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
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.
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.
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
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