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Saturday, June 28, 2014

The committee against hemorrhagic fever clarifies the "out of control" Médecins Sans Frontières

Sat, June 28th, 2014, 10:12 p.m.
To the press on Saturday, the National Committee against the Ebola virus had to react to the latest communications Médecins Sans Frontières. No contradiction. But details, says Dr. Sakoba Keita, Division Prevention and Fight against Disease Guinean Ministry of Health, the expression "out of control" used by Médecins Sans Frontières is purely technical. "This is an epidemiological term," said Dr. Sakoba Keita.
 

According Sakoba Keita, "out of control" is mostly used due to the fact that the health control measures are not implemented in Sierra Leone and Liberia, the two neighboring countries affected by the disease. "First, these two countries do not have a treatment center. Secondly, contact tracing is not as well organized as is the case in Guinea, "said Sakoba Keita. Adding that patients from other countries leave their country to come to seek treatment Gueckedou. "In our treatment center Gueckedou, 30% of patients are Sierra Leoneans," said Sakoba Keita.
 
Marc Poncin, national coordinator of Ebola Emergency Doctors Without Borders, also returned on about his institution. According to him, "out of control" first to the three countries -. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, but especially when we talk about "an epidemic out of control", we talk about the rapid spread to the other two countries in which control measures are not effective today. "

By providing this clarification, Marc Poncin called to make a distinction between the case in Guinea and those in the other two countries. Guinea, according Poncin, the country is well organized to cope with the epidemic. In addition, partners are deployed and the Ministry of Health has developed real expertise to lead the response. This is not the case in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
 
Poncin said he was not worried by the situation in Guinea. But it is the two neighbors who care, and which raise the threat to Guinea. "Although households in Guinea is cleaned, it may at any time someone from Sierra Leone and Liberia that will bring the disease in Guinea ... It is on this that our Director of Operations is intended to alert the community International and ministries of health in the area, "said Poncin.
 
The National Coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières reported that the alert has even begun to bear fruit with the next organization in Accra a meeting of Health Ministers of ECOWAS. "We need to organize, but we must mobilize many resources, "said Marc Poncin.  http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fguineenews.org%2F2014%2F06%2Fle-comite-de-lutte-contre-la-fievre-hemorragique-clarifie-le-hors-de-controle-de-medecins-sans-frontieres%2F%3Futm_source%3DGuinee1%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter
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Ebola patients in Sierra Leone abandon hospitals in droves

Saturday, June 28, 2014
A nurse with ‘Doctors without Borders’ examines a patient at a centre for victims of the Ebola virus in Guekedou, Guinea. The disease has since spread to neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia. PHOTO | SEYLLOU
A nurse with ‘Doctors without Borders’ examines a patient at a centre for victims of the Ebola virus in Guekedou, Guinea. The disease has since spread to neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia. PHOTO | SEYLLOU  AFP
By KEMO CHAM, NATION Correspondent FREETOWN

Freetown, Sierra Leone
The Sierra Leone government has warned that anyone who harbours Ebola patients faces prosecution after it emerged patients admitted at the country’s leading Ebola treatment centre were once again forcefully discharging themselves.
This followed widespread rumours that medications administered by health officials were the causes of the deadly virus.
An unspecified number of patients have gone into hiding, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation said Friday, warning of the imminent danger of mass infection as a consequence.
As of Friday, 181 confirmed Ebola cases have been recorded, with 53 fatalities.
When the outbreak was first confirmed, the Health ministry had a problem containing it because of reluctance by locals to cooperate. Health personnel were pelted and driven away.
But the hostilities subsided when the government drafted law makers and other local politicians from the opposition dominated eastern region most affected by the outbreak.
However, the sudden rise of cases and fatalities across the country recently has rekindled feelings of greater uncertainty, so much so that even medical personnel have been reported abandoning their posts after witnessing their colleagues dying.
DISPERSE CROWDS
On Friday, state broadcaster SLBC reported that police used tear gas to disperse crowds who surrounded the Kenema government hospital, also in the east of the country, demanding the discharge of their family members.
“Any person who obstructs or interferes with the performance of the medical team in any of the Ebola observation and treatment centres would be guilty of an offence and liable to punishment,” the health ministry warned.
The regional death toll, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) figures, stands at 635, with 399 deaths.
This makes the West African outbreak the largest in terms of number of infections and geographical coverage, it said.
The West African outbreak was first confirmed in Guinea in February before engulfing neighbouring Liberia and then lately Sierra Leone.
WHO said the three governments had appeared to relax when the outbreak slowed in April which gave way for its sudden spike to current levels.
The world health body has therefore categorised the epidemic as a sub regional crisis and warned neighbouring countries of a possible spillover. “We want other countries in West Africa to be ready,” said Pierre Formenty, WHO Ebola specialist.
He singled out Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal and Guinea Bissau as particularly at risk because of their proximity. http://www.nation.co.ke/news/africa/Ebola-Outbreak-Health-Sierra-Leone-Hospitals/-/1066/2365386/-/rgar5/-/index.html
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Spread of Ebola Afriquede West: towards setting quarantaiene WHO ..


Published Saturday, June 28, 2014 10:33 p.m.
Written by KBarrie
Quarantine of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia prepares-as in West Africa? WHO calls a hint states of the sub-region to address the issue.

Dr. Pierre Formenty, disease specialist at the WHO: "people are driving and roads exist throughout West Africa. There are roads that go to Bamako, Abidjan and Dakar. Of course, there are controls, but we all know that these boundaries are actually very porous and that we must be cautious and prepare "

Quarantine of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia prepares-as in Africa West? WHO calls   a hint to the states in the sub-region to address the issue.
More than a week after the declaration of Professor Alpha Condé dramatized the presence of Ebola virus in Guinea; in terms that have shocked many specialists question: "Ebola is not the end of the world, this is not to be afraid" , the World Health Organization (WHO) informed neighboring countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the three countries affected by the epidemic of Ebola haemorrhagic fever, to prepare for the arrival of the deadly virus by infected travelers.
"People take the road and roads exist throughout the West Africa. There are roads that go to Bamako, Abidjan and Dakar. Of course, there are controls, but we all know that these boundaries are actually very porous and that we must be cautious and prepare, "explained Friday, Dr. Pierre Formenty, a specialist in disease WHO, during a press conference in Geneva.
Subtly, Dr. Pierre Formenty stressed quarantine of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau; immediate neighbors of the countries affected by the virus.
 
Yesterday, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, said that "It is more of a specific epidemic countries but a sub-regional crisis that requires action farm governments and partners. WHO is deeply concerned by the ongoing transmission of the epidemic in neighboring countries, as well as the potential for further international spread of the Ebola virus. It is imperative to strengthen response efforts, promote cross-border cooperation and information sharing on suspected cases and contacts, in accordance with the guidelines of the WHO, and mobilize all sectors of the community to ensure free access obstacle to the affected areas. It is in this way that we can effectively curb the epidemic. "
 
Lightness in the care and lack of coordination of the fight plunged Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in an unprecedented situation. However, in Sierra Leone, the government just bang your fist on the table. He warns provide shelter for people infected with Ebola virus is considered a serious crime. According to information received from the Ministry of Health, infected patients have left hospital in Kenema district, to the east of the country to go into hiding. Lack of clear information on the disease in the three countries affected people prefer to hide to avoid stigmatization.
Faced with the outbreak of the epidemic, WHO meet on 2 and 3 July in Accra, the Ministers of Health of eleven African countries and other partners to discuss ways to prevent the spread of the virus.
At June 23, 2014, a cumulative total of 635 cases had been notified for 399 deaths in the sub-region.
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The Ebola epidemic continues to ravage the West Africa



The situation is becoming increasingly critical in West Africa where the Ebola virus wreaked havoc since March. The French community seems protected, but the local people lack information.

Appeared in March in West Africa, the epidemic of Ebola virus continues to spread in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and has already 337 dead according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The situation is unique because of the number of victims, the total number of cases, which is 528 at the moment, and the geographic extent concerned.

"The epidemic is out of control, worries Dr. Bart Janssens, director of operations for Médecins Sans Frontières. With new outbreaks in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the risk of spread to other areas is now real. "

But the multiplication of affected areas makes it difficult to care for patients and control of the epidemic. MSF beautiful do everything possible to stop the epidemic, its human and material resources are limited.

"WHO, the authorities of the affected countries and neighboring countries should make efforts to match the scale of the epidemic, says Dr. Janssens. This includes making available trained medical staff, provide training to support the Ebola and intensify monitoring contacts and outreach to populations. "

Panic among the French

Because despite more than three months of crisis, viruses and modes of contamination are often little known inhabitants. The infection is spread by direct contact with blood, body fluids or tissues of infected humans or animals. And during an outbreak, more exposed to infection are health workers, their families and people in close contact with sick or deceased patients.

Infections in three countries take place in particular and increasingly during funeral rites practiced by local populations. During these rituals, many relatives of the deceased are brought to touch his body, causing widespread infection of all those present.

In this context, the French population present on site, estimated at about 2,000 people, trying to stay calm. "It is true that there has first been a panic in March at the beginning of the epidemic because all we have in mind horrific images when you think of Ebola recognizes Henri Ledoux, the representative of the Union of French abroad on site. But the Embassy of France quickly organized a large briefing during which doctors explained how the disease is transmitted and the precautionary measures to be taken. From there, people were quite reassured. "

The Embassy of France in Guinea very reactive

The Embassy in Conakry was indeed very reactive with the problem. In addition to the information to the French community, it has supported the authorities of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Missions and consulting have been implemented in the field of public health, a grant of 150,000 euros was given to the French Red Cross on-site medical equipment were delivered in Guinea and Pasteur Institute of Dakar based detection capabilities and viral analysis, accompanied by a team of emergency cell of the Pasteur Institute of Paris biological response. The Embassy also supports the efforts of WHO and MSF and strengthened airport systems (information, training, equipment such as cranes thermal detection).

"The embassy information and plays its role in supporting local government dispatching including doctors on site, said Henri Ledoux. From our side, LEU, it relays the information daily from our members. "

As might be expected, no French cases have been reported among patients listed. Everyday life has also been upset since the French school has not closed and that all services of the Embassy function normally.

Care of the problem has however not been as exemplary at the Guinean state. A real recognition of the magnitude of the epidemic by civil society, political and religious authorities, is still lacking, sorry MSF, who notes that very few influential personalities have made the message relay supporting the fight against the disease .

But the problem now affects the entire West African region. Without an exceptional mobilization of the governments of the countries concerned, as well as all aid agencies, the risk of the outbreak of Ebola virus persist is real.

Credit card: Médecins Sans Frontières


Published on 06/28/2014 http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tamtamguinee.com%2Ffichiers%2Flivre12-999.php%3Flangue%3Dfr%26type%3Drub24%26code%3Dcalb26602%26num%3D
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Ebola in Guinea: 24 confirmed cases as of June 26

 28/6/2014

The IMC response to Ebola conducted Saturday in his weekly conference. It was for these health professionals to give the patterns of disease in the country. So according to statistics, 24 cases have been confirmed and 10 suspected cases as of June 26

Three months after its appearance in Guinea, the epidemic of Ebola virus that affects Liberia and Sierra Leone, was described Tuesday'' out of control'' by the Directorate of Doctors Without Borders, based in Brussels. If homes have recently been mastered, new have appeared. For emergency coordinator Ebola MSF Guinea, Marc Piggy, this statement shows that there is a strong human transmission in the region.
As of June 26, Guinea has recorded 286 confirmed cases including 182 deaths and 84 healed. It was also recorded, 89 probable cases and 81 deaths and 58 suspected cases including 27 deaths. Today, the number of hospitalized cases in different treatment centers in the country are Télimélé zero confirmed cases and three suspects, Gueckedou 18 confirmed and four suspected, Conakry 06 confirmed and 03 suspected. This makes a total of 24 new confirmed cases and 10 other suspects.

Three months of Hajj 2014, Saudi Arabia refused visas to pilgrims Guinea following the Ebola epidemic plaguing the country. The condition required by the Saudi kingdom, is that health institutions can be reassuring. Minister of International Cooperation, Moustapha Koutoub Sanoh was optimistic to see that this condition is met, with efforts are currently being made in the field.

A meeting of African Ministers of Health is due soon in Accra, Ghana to minimize the risk of spread of the disease on the continent.

Sayon Kourouma  http://www.tamtamguinee.com/fichiers/livre12-999.php?langue=fr&type=rub24&code=calb26602&num=
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FPA SNAPSHOT: First Look-Ebola Burial in Monrovia

FPA SNAPSHOT: First Look-Ebola Burial in Monrovia

Published: 28 June 2014
FPA SNAPSHOT: First Look-Ebola burial in Monrovia. A team of FrontPageAfrica Reporters witness health workers bury one of several Ebola victims in recent days. Ahead of next Monday's Edition, we give you a sneak peek how health workers are getting rid of the bodies amid numerous challenges by families finding it difficult to find burial spots as communities fear becoming contaminated. http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/photos-gallery/2103-fpa-snapshot-first-look-ebola-burial-in-monrovia
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Ebola Outbreak Now Most Deadly Ever in West Africa

DAKAR, Senegal — West Africa's first-ever Ebola outbreak in humans is now the most deadly and geographically widespread outbreak on record and is threatening to spread, health officials say.
According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been more than 635 cases of Ebola across three countries in the region since the outbreak was first declared in southeastern Guinea in March. It has since spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone. At least 399 people have died.
"It's very much a serious outbreak," said Daniel Epstein, spokesperson for the WHO. "I wouldn't say it's out of control, but the emergence of this outbreak definitely threatens regional public health security. We've ramped up our response, in so far as we can, but we have to continue to improve our work to contain this outbreak."
About 150 WHO experts are now on the ground, working alongside local health ministries and clinics as well as international partners to stop the transmission chain, prevent new cases and treat those currently affected.
WHO announced Friday that key players from 11 countries in the region will meet in Ghana starting Wednesday to discuss the outbreak, as well as how countries in the region can work together to step up response efforts.
Many challenges to fighting the virus have developed, stirring concern the outbreak could get worse because of ignorance, the free movement of people, local customs and suspicion of foreigner doctors.
"In some cases, we've had really bad experiences where we've sent teams of health communicators into villages: They've been run out of the town, stones have been thrown at them, they've been threatened with machetes and told to stay away," Epstein said.
That's because many people are suspicious of foreign doctors and nurses and often deny the existence of Ebola, he said.
Despite mass public health campaigns about the dangers of Ebola and the modes of transmission, many communities continue to practice traditional burial rituals, which can help spread the virus.
"People come to say goodbye, they touch the body, they kiss the body, they leave presents with the body," said Hilde De Clerck, a medical doctor with Doctors Without Borders who just returned from Guinea. "And since Ebola is spread through very close physical contact (via bodily fluids, such as sweat, saliva or blood), people who care for the sick or their bodies are particularly at risk."

Often, patients who are suspected of having Ebola will run away from treatment centers, fearing the stigma that may come along with the diagnosis, health officials say. Other times, family members who have been in contact with infected individuals will deny such contact when questioned by health workers, further complicating the process of cutting off the chain of contamination.

Cross-border transmission to neighboring countries also remains a concern, as people continue to travel freely from one country to another, even if sick.
"People have very big social networks in this region and they often move about, whether it's for work or to go to the market or to visit family," De Clerck said. "And since Ebola has an incubation time of up to three weeks, it means a person can be infected and move around and then fall sick elsewhere, sometimes quite far away."

Another challenge has been following up with those who have been potentially infected. For example, in Guinea's Guéckédou region, where the outbreak first began, health workers say they must take the vital signs of at least 500 people each day to make sure they have not become infected. Such efforts require extensive resources and manpower, which are now stretched thin.

While experts say these moves have been helping, they have not been enough to stop or contain the outbreak. Earlier this month, Ebola spread to Liberia's capital, Monrovia, for the first time and the death toll across all three countries, particularly in Sierra Leone, continues to rise.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which has been launching mass media campaigns and educating people door-to-door to spread information about the virus since the outbreak first began, says it's now time for all the countries in the region to work together.
"(This Ebola outbreak) has always been a critical emergency," said Dr. Maurice Hours, a health adviser for UNICEF in West and Central Africa. "But now there is a real danger that it could spread to neighboring countries, such as the Ivory Coast and Guinea Bissau. We are quite concerned." http://www.wltx.com/story/news/health/2014/06/28/ebola-outbreak-now-most-deadly-ever-in-west-africa/11626627/
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Ebola epidemic in Guinea: 'People think it's made-up'

26/06/2014 / GUINEA


A Unicef employee explains how to protect oneself from the Ebola virus, in April in Conakry. Photo : Unicef.

Three months after it first surfaced in Guinea, the Ebola virus epidemic – which has also hit Liberia and Sierra Leone – has been judged ‘out of control’ by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The virus has been eradicated from certain places only to spring up in others. For our Observers in Guinea, the real problem is raising public awareness.

On Tuesday, Doctor Bart Janssen – director of operations at MSF – warned that new outbreaks of the epidemic in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia indicated a real risk that the virus could spread even further.

Marc Poncin, emergency coordinator for MSF, in Conakry - told FRANCE 24 that “the epidemic has now taken on a regional dimension. It has spilled over into two neighbouring countries. A third of the patients in Gueckedou [the epicentre of the latest outbreak] come from Sierra Leone. The other big problem is that people aren't following proper control measures. Some of them even go so far as to question the existence of Ebola.” MSF says that control measures often aren’t respected during burials.


Delivery of medical equipment by the World Health Organization in April in Conakry. Photo:

In total, 60 outbreaks of the epidemic have been identified. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 635 presumed cases were recorded since the start of the year. Of those, 385 have been confirmed as being cases of the Ebola virus. The virus manifests itself through fever, diarrhea, vomiting, and bleeding and carries a mortality rate from 50% to 90%. It’s transmitted through direct contact with biological liquids, such as blood, sperm and saliva, or through the tissue of infected subjects. There is currently no treatment or vaccine that exists. In total, 399 people have died.

Map pinpointing main outbreaks of the epidemic. Source : MSF.

“In areas where the virus has disappeared, people think that Ebola is made-up”

Souleymane Bah is a journalist in Conakry for Espace radio and television. He has just finished reporting in Telimele and Kindia, to the north of Conakry.

On Saturday, in Telimele, there were no sick people in the isolation centre. The two cases under observation turned out to be negative and the situation seemed to be under control. Kindia was never affected.

But as a result, the fact that there are fewer cases had an impact on people’s behavior. Many think that the Ebola virus is make-believe, that it never existed. Hygiene measures are less respected than before: we saw at the market people shaking hands and kissing each other, doing things ill-advised. In most of the restaurants, small buckets of chlorinated water that allow people to wash their hands have disappeared. MSF and WHO have said not to claim victory yet, but that doesn’t seem to have affected people’s behavior. The number of deaths and cases reported by MSF has even been contested by local authorities [The Guinean minister of health, Remy Lamah, has himself rejected the declarations of MSF, saying that they don’t reflect the reality of the situation] which doesn’t encourage people to stay alert.

Marc Poncin explains that in Telimele the population had behaved exceptionally by sticking to the control measures. “We had healing rates that had never been reached before, with 3 out of 4 patients healed. We have to wait to make sure that the virus has been eradicated from the city, because the incubation time is 21 days.
Souleymane Bah 2

"Communication is limited to a few spots on the television and radio"

Mohamed lives in Conakry and works in a bank.

It’s not surprising that the virus is coming back and that new sources of the virus are appearing. People are becoming less vigilant here in Conakry. For me, the government is partly responsible for that: at the start of the epidemic, there was a big effort to communicate preventative measures to stop the virus from spreading. There were messages on the television, radio, posters. There were even people raising public awareness in the street. Communication has been limited now to a few publicity spots on the television and the radio. This situation worries me; we must double our efforts to counter the virus.
Mohamed Mouctar...

"Some even think that the virus was in the chlorinated water that we handed out"

Simon lives in Macenta. He has a diploma in medicine and works for an agricultural association. He raises public awareness of the virus amongst the residents of his city.

The appearance of the Ebola virus in Macenta around three or four weeks ago forced us to bolster prevention efforts, but the work is often complex. There were door-to-door handouts of chlorine and soap but people have to be persuaded to use them. Some even believe that the virus was in the chlorinated water. We try to explain to people how to safely dispose of rubbish because many tend to just throw it in the river, which raises the risk of the virus spreading. We explain how to sort the rubbish, and the importance of using bins. I also go in public cinemas and meeting places to remind people of the precautions to take. The rainy season also caused flooding in the city, leaving stagnant water which increases the risks. As a result, we’re extending the drainage system to evacuate the water.
Simon Gbanamou

"The belief rate is growing, but it takes a permanent effort"

Douokoro Kanivogui is a doctor-vet in Nzerekore.

There haven’t been any cases in my city, but we need to be all the more vigilant and pursue public awareness efforts, because we’re in an area threatened by the virus. The illiteracy rate is high in Guinea, so we must explain to people that the virus does exist, that it’s dangerous and can happen here like elsewhere. Some have difficulty believing it. They still think that it’s just bad fate and not a virus. They’re real Saint Thomas’s; they want to see it to believe it. The number of believers is growing, but it takes a permanent effort, and we can’t let up our efforts. http://observers.france24.com/content/20140626-ebola-epidemic-guinea-people-think-it-made
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Ebola - the trivializing of a deadly virus

June 28, 2014 | 10.26 clock Severe criticism of Government of Guinea
Ebola - the trivializing of a deadly virus 
 
Conakry. Largest hospital in Conakry, there is outrage. "You have such lies spread: Ebola is under control, Ebola is past," says Alphadio who works as a doctor at the Donka hospital in the capital of Guinea, West Africa. Because such statements deceptive government and authorities of the country of the blame.
According to WHO figures published on Thursday 635 cases were registered of hemorrhagic fever in the area affected by Ebola most violent Guinea and neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone since the beginning - 399 people died. The World Health Organization (WHO) called for "drastic measures" and convened a conference of eleven Health Minister of West Africa in Accra, Ghana for the July 2 and 3 a.  
"Through the fault of our government, whether they like it or not, has the disease spread into the interior of the country," says Alphadio who wants to name but his first name. "You have such a spread lies that our partners and even the population at some point put his hands in his lap. And that is the result, the epidemic is spreading throughout the country."
 
His colleague Kankou Marah agrees: "We all know today that the Government upholds its interests and avoids the population to tell the truth, not to sell to investors." Even a religious leader in the Muslim Guinea criticizes: Thierno Ousmane Camara Imam calls "by the President, this disease, which unfortunately continues to make families unhappy not to belittle." In early April, Guinean President Alpha Conde declared at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. "Right now the situation is under control and we knock on wood, that there are no new cases" Until then, the death toll in the country at under a hundred was.
 
A few days later Condé welcomed the regional leaders at a meeting in Conakry, saying that he was grateful for coming, "despite all the noise about Ebola." This "noise" is used mainly by the aid organization Doctors Without Borders (Médecins sans frontières, MSF), which is active in the region since the outbreak of the epidemic. On Monday, MSF stated that the situation tools with a 60 outbreaks in Guinea "out of control". In response, Condé criticized the behavior of the MSF and other international organizations locally as "not perfect".
 
The Ebola virus is transmitted by blood and other body fluids. Infected suffering from fever, muscle aches, diarrhea to internal bleeding and organ failure. For some types of pathogen, the disease is fatal in up to 90 percent of cases. To date, there is neither a vaccine nor therapy. According to observations by journalists from the AFP news agency there in Conakry now no more awareness campaign, does not have radio or television was still on the streets. At the stations, the port and airport controls are kept to a minimum.
 
In neighboring Liberia, citizens outraged: "What does the health minister, to sensitize the population, most of whom are illiterate Nothing," says the 38-year-old secretary Sneh Magdel in the capital Monrovia. As in Conakry, there is also no explanation: "We have no budget for huge awareness campaigns," said an anonymous employee of the health system. In New Kru Town, the largest Ebola stove Liberia, says the inhabitants Peter Jleh: "We are Africans, we are used to living in the community, and we will continue to live together and shake hands." http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rp-online.de%2Fleben%2Fgesundheit%2Fnews%2Fkritik-an-guinea-ebola-die-verharmlosung-eines-toedlichen-virus-aid-1.4347761
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Health Ministry: Man catches bird flu in Minya

Thu, 26/06/2014 - 12:42

The Ministry of Health and Population announced that a 34-year-old man in Minya has been inflected with the A/H5N1 virus known as bird fllu.
 
It added the patient was currently on a ventilator at hospital and his condition was unstable.
 
The ministry said in a statement on Wednesday evening that it has taken preventive measures once the case was suspected and isolated the patient in Minya Fever Hospital. A sample for the patient was sent to Cairo labs for analysis and his infection with bird flu was confirmed according to results.
 
A team from the Preventive Medicine Sector was dispatched to the patient's residence in Minya, the statement said. His wife and children  were inspected and they are in good health and have no bird flu symptoms, according to the statement. They will be reinspected after 10 days, it added.
 
The patient was transferred to a Cairo hospital in Abbasiya and placed on a ventilator, said the statement.
 
Egypt has not witnessed bird flu cases since April 2013, according to the Health Ministry.http://www.egyptindependent.com//news/health-ministry-man-catches-bird-flu-minya
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Runaway Ebola Patient Strikes Terror


June 27, 2014.
 In Sierra Leone, EBOLA has become the main topic of household gossip and most, if not all, Sierra Leoneans now live in constant fear of the dreaded killer disease which is reported to have already claimed many lives in the country.
 In the South and Eastern cities of Bo and Kenema, EBOLA has permeated so much fear among the people that many now refuse to shake hands or eat bush meat which are regarded as some of the sources through which the virus is contacted.
  Recently in Kenema, an EBOLA patient called, Mohamed Swaray, of no. 6 Sandi Street, reportedly fled the Kenema Government Hospital after being diagnosed EBOLA positive. His escape from the hospital caused alarm, prompting the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to issue a press release warning all to beware of the EBOLA escapee and report his presence to prevent him from spreading the virus to others.
  Swaray reportedly fled along with his mother and other members of his family and was said to be in Bo, a report which unleashed terror in Bo City where many top government functionaries, including the Deputy Director of Education, John Amara Swaray, now use gloves and disinfectants while at work. Even the bank workers now use gloves while at work. The EBOLA fear has caused authorities of the Serabu Hospital to barricade the entire hospital, banning all visitors. 

 Earlier, EBOLA terror plunged Bo City into chaos as parents ran helter skelter to take away their children from school following rumours that EBOLA immunizers have immunized to death a pupil of the Tony Blair International Academy. The whole thing turned out to be a false alarm as the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, MEST, and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation later issued a joint press release that no EBOLA immunization team visited any school and no pupil had died of EBOLA immunization.  By Joseph Milton Lebbie -http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/archives/68567

Runaway Ebola Patient Strikes Terror

Runaway Ebola Patient Strikes Terror thumbnail
By: SEM on June 27, 2014.
In Sierra Leone, EBOLA has become the main topic of household gossip and most, if not all, Sierra Leoneans now live in constant fear of the dreaded killer disease which is reported to have already claimed many lives in the country.
In the South and Eastern cities of Bo and Kenema, EBOLA has permeated so much fear among the people that many now refuse to shake hands or eat bush meat which are regarded as some of the sources through which the virus is contacted.
Recently in Kenema, an EBOLA patient called, Mohamed Swaray, of no. 6 Sandi Street, reportedly fled the Kenema Government Hospital after being diagnosed EBOLA positive. His escape from the hospital caused alarm, prompting the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to issue a press release warning all to beware of the EBOLA escapee and report his presence to prevent him from spreading the virus to others.
Swaray reportedly fled along with his mother and other members of his family and was said to be in Bo, a report which unleashed terror in Bo City where many top government functionaries, including the Deputy Director of Education, John Amara Swaray, now use gloves and disinfectants while at work. Even the bank workers now use gloves while at work. The EBOLA fear has caused authorities of the Serabu Hospital to barricade the entire hospital, banning all visitors.
Earlier, EBOLA terror plunged Bo City into chaos as parents ran helter skelter to take away their children from school following rumours that EBOLA immunizers have immunized to death a pupil of the Tony Blair International Academy. The whole thing turned out to be a false alarm as the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, MEST, and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation later issued a joint press release that no EBOLA immunization team visited any school and no pupil had died of EBOLA immunization.
By Joseph Milton Lebbie
- See more at: http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/archives/68567#sthash.PjNGDyOk.dpuf

Runaway Ebola Patient Strikes Terror

Runaway Ebola Patient Strikes Terror thumbnail
By: SEM on June 27, 2014.
In Sierra Leone, EBOLA has become the main topic of household gossip and most, if not all, Sierra Leoneans now live in constant fear of the dreaded killer disease which is reported to have already claimed many lives in the country.
In the South and Eastern cities of Bo and Kenema, EBOLA has permeated so much fear among the people that many now refuse to shake hands or eat bush meat which are regarded as some of the sources through which the virus is contacted.
Recently in Kenema, an EBOLA patient called, Mohamed Swaray, of no. 6 Sandi Street, reportedly fled the Kenema Government Hospital after being diagnosed EBOLA positive. His escape from the hospital caused alarm, prompting the Ministry of Health and Sanitation to issue a press release warning all to beware of the EBOLA escapee and report his presence to prevent him from spreading the virus to others.
Swaray reportedly fled along with his mother and other members of his family and was said to be in Bo, a report which unleashed terror in Bo City where many top government functionaries, including the Deputy Director of Education, John Amara Swaray, now use gloves and disinfectants while at work. Even the bank workers now use gloves while at work. The EBOLA fear has caused authorities of the Serabu Hospital to barricade the entire hospital, banning all visitors.
Earlier, EBOLA terror plunged Bo City into chaos as parents ran helter skelter to take away their children from school following rumours that EBOLA immunizers have immunized to death a pupil of the Tony Blair International Academy. The whole thing turned out to be a false alarm as the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, MEST, and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation later issued a joint press release that no EBOLA immunization team visited any school and no pupil had died of EBOLA immunization.
By Joseph Milton Lebbie
- See more at: http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/archives/68567#sthash.PjNGDyOk.dpuf
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WHO denies Ebola outbreak out of hands

Xinhua, June 28, 2014
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday denied the ongoing Ebola outbreaks took place in West Africa has got out of hand.
"The situation was not out of hand, and a lot of work had been done in the three affected countries - Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia - to tackle the situation and stop the transmission of Ebola virus," Dr Pierre Formenty, an expert from WHO's Department of Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Response told a press conference.
He said WHO with local authorities had been able to control the outbreak in different places, for example Telimele and Dabola in Guinea. Despite there were places where WHO was not totally successful, but other places where it had been successful in stopping the chain of transmission.
However, difficulties in identifying cases, tracing the point of contact and delivering the message to the population about the infection still existed in those affected countries, notably in the forest areas.
"Given the recent outbreak of the virus in Sierra Leone, and with people traveling to Liberia and elsewhere, WHO needed to address the possibility of continuous transmission between countries," he added.
He warned the other West African border countries, such as Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Senegal and Guinea-Bissau and others would be prepared in case people infected with the disease traveled to them.
As of Thursday, a total of 386 Ebola confirmed, probable and suspected cases had been reported in Guinea, including 280 deaths. Sierra Leone had reported 176 cases including 78 deaths. Liberia had reported 63 cases including 41 deaths.
In an effort to interrupt further spread of this virus in the shortest possible time, WHO will convene a special meeting between July 2 and 3 in Ghana to discuss the best way of tackling the crisis collectively as well as develop a comprehensive inter country operational response plan. http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2014-06/28/content_32799749.htm
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Liberia: Churches Are Not Hospital for Curing Ebola - Chief Medical Officer Warns

By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway, 27 June 2014
 Liberia's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bernice Dahn, has warned churches in the country that are keeping people infected with the Ebola virus to desist immediately.
Dr. Dahn pointed out that people infected of the virus are being kept in door by churches on ground that they (patient) can be healed through prayer.
According to her, since the outbreak of the virus, many churches have considered the epidemic to be more spiritual rather than being medical.
The Liberia's Chief Medical Officer made these comments on Thursday, June 26, 2014 when the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare received some medical equipment for Ebola response from the Government of the United States of America (USA) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The equipment were presented to the WHO, which in turn presented it to the Ministry of Health.
Speaking further, Dr. Dahn disclosed that three persons suspected of the Ebola virus in the Borough of New Kru Town died in a church where they had gone for prayer.
But she fell short to state the name of the church in which the patients died.
She pointed out that the condition is deteriorating due to the refusal of Liberians to accept about the existence of the disease here.
"We must stop keeping people suspected of Ebola in our churches on ground that we can heal them. We are begging our pastors. The churches are not hospital. We need to take a stance to prevent the rapid spread of the disease," she added.
Speaking briefly, the Mission Director of USAID-Liberia, Mr. John Mark Winfield, said the donation is intended to help Liberia in its Ebola response.
For his part, the Country Representative of WHO, Dr. Nester Ndayiminje, lauded the United States government for its kind gesture.
He pointed out that the donation will boost the Ebola response in the country.
"We are very pleased to receive this. We want to say a very thank you to the US government for this gesture. It is important that everybody puts hands together for the response of Ebola," he stated.
Meanwhile, some of the donated items include: 13 cartoons and 50 pieces of disposable full flu shield, 22 cartoons of personal protector, 36 cartoons of respiratory mask, 27 cartoons of powder free examination glove, seven pairs of heavy duty glove and 100 pieces of digital thermometer.
The equipment donated are said to be in the range of US$30,000. http://allafrica.com/stories/201406270789.html
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Thursday, June 26, 2014

Liberia: Ebola Awareness Team Chased in Lofa

By Korboi Gbelewala, 26 June 2014Several health workers, who had gone create awareness about the Ebola virus recently in Lofa County, have been chased by some citizens of the county.
The health workers were chased by some citizens of Konia Town, Zeyeama Clan in Zorzor District, Lofa County where they (health workers) had gone to create sensitization on the deadly Ebola virus.
The citizens contended that reports about the outbreak of the Ebola virus were false.
Zorzor District Commissioner Henry Wolobah made the disclosure recently in a cell phone interview with the Liberia News Agency.
Mr. Wolobah has meanwhile, urged residents of the district to take preventive measures, adding that Ebola is a disease that is very dangerous and is easy to kill.
He is also appealing to the County Health Team not to be deterred by this development, and to continue its robust awareness in the district to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
In a related development, health authorities at the Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital in Voinjama, Lofa County have reported two suspected cases of Ebola at the Hospital in Voinjama.
The Nursing Directress of the hospital, Miss Genevieve Hilton, made the disclosure Tuesday during an Ebola coordination meeting held at the Lofa County Health Office in Voinjama City, Lofa County.
Miss Hilton told the gathering that the two suspects have been quarantined at the isolation Unit in Voinjama.
During the meeting, surveillance committees were set up, one in Voinjama and another in Foya, to monitor and collect specimens from individuals who show signs and symptoms of the disease. http://allafrica.com/stories/201406260556.html
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Ebola doctors assaulted Gueckedou

Dr Sakoba Keita on the case of doctors assaulted Gueckedou "they are all healed now»

Ebola doctors assaulted Gueckedou
Recently rushed to raise awareness Gueckedou, the epicenter of the epidemic of Ebola doctors were attacked by angry citizens who struck Guineenews learned from several sources.
Some of our sources even say that doctors were bound. Their only fault: he spoke of Ebola hemorrhagic fever. "Really, you do not understand these people. Sometimes they say it's okay, sometimes they say it will not. So when we will still continue to talk about this disease? People feel pissed here, "told us that we have a citizen on the phone Tuesday night.

According to our sources, it took the intervention of security forces to save narrowly emissaries of the Ministry of Health. They were rushed to Conakry, where they were admitted to the "chino Guinea Kipé hospital."

Reached by telephone Wednesday, Dr Sakoba Keita, member of the National Committee against the epidemic, reassured that doctors are discharged from the hospital there for it six days. "They are all healed now. They are discharged from hospital there of that five or six days, "said Dr Sakoba Keita.

( Guineenews.org )
Writing Emergency Live | 26.06.2014  http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emergency-live.com%2Ffr%2Fnouvelles%2Fmaxi-urgences%2Febola-medecins-agresses-a-gueckedou
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Wednesday, June 25, 2014

11 Week Sustained MERS Transmission - Jeddah To Tehran


Recombinomics Commentary 07:15
June 25, 2014
Tehran University of Medical Sciences has released partial N gene sequences from three recent MERS cases which appear to match the three cases described in WHO updates (June 11 and 13).  Two are sisters (50F and 52F) from Kerman (May 17 collections 82772-Kerman and 82769-Kerman) which exactly match each other and the sequence from the Jeddah export to Orlando, Florida (Florida/USA-2_Saudi Arabia_2014) via commercial airline with connections in London, Boston, and Atlanta. 

This sequence is closely related to a Jeddah export to Greece, as well as earlier sequences from cases in Jeddah and Mecca (six cases in Jeddah and Mecca (C7149 and C7770 from hospital A collected on April 3 and 7, respectively, as well as C7569 from hospital B collected on April 5, followed by Jeddah sequences C8826 and C9055 collected on April 12 and April 14 from hospital A and C, respectively, as well as Mecca (C9355) collected on April 15).

The third sequence from Iran (80946-Tehran) was collected a month after (June 17 and the prompt release of this important sequence by researchers in Tehran is to be commended) the Kerman samples, and is likely from the health care worker (35F) linked to Kerman sisters (described in the WHO June 13 update).  This sequence matched the Kerman/Orlando sequences, but had one additional polymorphism, C29329T which encoded T225I in the N gene.  All of the Jeddah sub-clade sequences had ORF 8b non-synonymous polymorphisms, L40P and K60N, confirming sustained transmission from April 3 in Jeddah to June 17 in Tehran.

This sustained transmission was suggested in the WHO announcement associated with the 6th PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concerns), which noted that there was no evidence for sustained MERS transmission in communities.  The addition of the “community” qualifier indirectly acknowledged sustained transmission in health care settings.  This sustained transmission was indirectly acknowledged in WHO explanations for the spike in MERS cases, which was attributed to infection control issues.

However, the exported case to Greece, as well as the three cases in Iran, which were directly or indirectly linked to a symptomatic pilgrim who returned to Iran after performing Umrah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) support sustained transmission outside of hospital settings, WHO qualifiers and proclamations notwithstanding.
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Ebola kills 46 in Sierra Leone


By  15:24  No comments

Chief Medical Officer, Sierra Leone Ministry of Health, Dr Brima Kargbo, verbally expressed on Wednesday in Freetown that 46 people had died of the Ebola virus in the country.

He verbalized as at Wednesday there were 163 substantiated cases of Ebola, while 15 patients had been discharged from the Regime Hospital in Kenema.

Kargbo verbally expressed that most of the affected were proximate relatives of those who had died from the disease.

He verbally expressed that 142 out of the 163 cases emanated from the Kailahun District.

“It is a disease of contact and those affected range from three years to over 60 years or more. If only people report to hospitals without delay, their chances of survival are high,” he verbalized.

Kargbo verbally expressed the outbreak had become worrisome because the type of Ebola strain appeared to be different from the one in DR Congo and for this 30 blood samples of the strain to Harvard University for identification.

He verbalized that regime had admonished that any person shielding suspected Ebola patients were transgressing the law.

Kargbo verbalized that the admonition had become imperative because there were reports of suspected Ebola patients being obnubilated in the houses of their families.

“Such act engenders a potential risk for the spread of Ebola disease among families and the country at immensely colossal,” he verbalized.

“Members of the public are advised to report any suspected Ebola case to opportune health ascendant entities for timely and felicitous treatment with the view of averting the spread of the disease,” he integrated.

A report from Kailahun verbally expressed the area remained tensed and had come to a standstill.

It verbally expressed that the outbreak had coerced the Ministry of Education to defer the Basic Education certificate examinations.http://excessgist.blogspot.com/2014/06/ebola-kills-46-in-sierra-leone.html
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Sen. Chuck Schumer calls on CDC to issue health alert, urges DHS to declare a ‘public emergency’ for chikungunya threat

Mon, Jun 23rd, 2014

With the World Cup ending next month, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to issue an immediate health alert for medical professionals in New York and around the country that includes recommendations for identifying, treating and containing Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne virus that is rarely fatal but causes severe fevers, arthritic-like joint paint, muscle pain, headaches, joint swelling and rashes.
Sen. Charles Schumer Image/US Government
Sen. Charles Schumer
Image/US Government
Second, Schumer called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to declare a “public emergency” for the developing threat in the Caribbean and other countries, so that the United States can deploy specific protocols and resources at our borders and elsewhere to prevent the spread of the virus in the U.S.. Schumer said that these protocols would allow federal agencies to take specific actions - like increased inspections at U.S. ports of entry and additional scans of imported food products that could carry mosquitoes - and should be similar to those activated as the swine flu took hold in Mexico in 2009.
“With the large influx of people into and out of Brazil for the World Cup, the painful mosquito-borne virus called Chikungunya could spread rapidly and further increase the number of cases here in the U.S. and New York,” said Schumer. “With three confirmed cases of Chikungunya in New York already, I am calling on the federal government to help contain and prevent the further spread of this virus with by activating protocols similar to those used in 2009 when the Mexican swine flu outbreak threatened to spill over into the United States. I’m urging the CDC to issue a health alert so doctors can first, better identify and treat symptoms and second, educate individuals on how to prevent the spread of Chik-V. Third, the Department of Homeland Security should increase port of entry inspection measures for the virus, and fourth we must boost food inspection to better detect this mosquito.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of June 17, there were 57 imported chikungunya cases in the US, although that number is somewhat higher with new cases reported from states on a daily basis.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reported in their weekly /update, 189,055 autochthonous chikungunya cases in the Caribbean. Brazil, the home of the 2014 World Cup, has reported 11 imported cases.'
 http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/sen-chuck-schumer-calls-on-cdc-to-issue-health-alert-urges-dhs-to-declare-a-public-emergency-for-chikungunya-threat-53163
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Ebola outbreak in West Africa is deadliest ever

  • 25 June 2014
"OUT of control." That is how aid agency Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has described the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The epidemic, which began in Guinea at the beginning of the year, has spread to 60 locations, including some in Sierra Leone and Liberia. According to the World Health Organization, the virus, which causes fever, diarrhoea and internal bleeding, has infected 567 people, with 350 deaths.
That is a higher death toll than any other outbreak since the virus first infected humans in Africa in 1976. MSF says that people are frightened but view health facilities with suspicion. There is limited understanding that the disease spreads from person to person through body fluids.
If those infected are rehydrated rapidly they can recover, but MSF say it is overextended and can no longer send teams to new outbreaks.
"There are a lot of cases – we are really stretched. My worry is that this is the tip of the iceberg," says Anja Wolz, MSF emergency coordinator. "Education and training are key to stopping this outbreak, so we are telling people what to look for and how they can prevent further spread. There are still a lot of people in the region who don't believe that Ebola exists."

Stopping the disease from spreading further is vitally important. At the moment, the virus is not readily transmissible, but a large outbreak gives it more chances to evolve to spread more easily between humans. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22229751.800-ebola-outbreak-in-west-africa-is-deadliest-ever.html#.U6tHQLGWrSi
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