Ebola, snakes and witchcraft: stopping the deadly disease in its tracks

Jun 30, 2014

©IFRC/IdrissaSoumaré

They call him by his surname, Konneh. His manners are gentle and his voice calm. He’s a volunteer with the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, always willing to help.
The 21-year-old lives in Kenema, one of the largest cities in Sierra Leone. It’s a two-hour drive from his hometown of Daru, in the eastern district of Kailahun, which has been most affected by the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone.
As of 16 June, there were 92 confirmed cases of Ebola and 44 deaths in Kailahun, according to the World Health Organisation, while several cases have also been confirmed in the west of the country.
Konneh’s aunt and uncle, from Daru, both died from the disease.

First, they took his uncle to the treatment centre for Ebola in Kenema. Two days later, they brought his aunt.
“His wife was a nurse. My uncle got it from his wife,” Konneh says calmly. His cousin also died from the virus.
“When health workers start dying from Ebola, the entire health care system is affected,” says Amanda McClelland, an emergency health officer at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
“Doctors and nurses are afraid to go to work or to treat patients, which is what we are seeing in Sierra Leone at the moment.”
But with proper training and by taking adequate precautions, health care workers can safely treat Ebola patients. And the sooner treatment can start, the greater the chances of survival.

Konneh has lost three family members to Ebola – ©IFRC/Cristina Estrada

Most of the people affected by Ebola in Sierra Leone are women as they are the ones who take care of sick family members and relatives.
Women also care for the body of a person who has died, which can be highly infectious if not properly handled.
Fear and fable
There is a lot of fear, denial and stigma attached to the highly contagious disease, as it’s the first time it’s appeared in Sierra Leone.
“I’m scared. Ebola, it’s dangerous. People are saying Ebola does not exist but I’ve seen it,” Konneh says.
Some communities are denying entry to government and aid workers, while many of those who may have come into contact with the virus and need to be watched disappear and cannot be monitored.
Some believe that Ebola is caused by witchcraft. One of the most widespread stories related to the Ebola outbreak is this: a woman in a village went on a journey and left a box at home, instructing her husband not to open it.
The husband opens the box and finds a snake inside, which tells the husband not to reveal his presence or else the snake will kill everyone in the village.
The husband does not heed the warning and spreads the word about the snake’s presence. The snake goes on a killing spree.

The Red Cross is using radio to reach people in Sierra Leone with messages on how to protect themselves from Ebola – ©IFRC/Cristina Estrada

Another story that has been spread around Kenema is that of the doctors in the isolation ward administering lethal injections to people. In the eyes of villagers, this explains why people never come back from the isolation centre.
“If people believe Ebola is real, we can control it,” Konneh explains.
But a lack of understanding means people will often only believe what they see. 
And for those who accept that Ebola is a real disease, many believe it’s always fatal and therefore don’t seek medical help when they have the symptoms.

Fighting Ebola
However, to date, ten people have survived Ebola and have been discharged from the hospital in Kenema and are back home with their families.
“An increase in awareness raising and outreach to communities will be effective in dispelling erroneous stories and beliefs,” explains Amanda.
“Fighting stigma, changing behaviour and seeking hospital care as soon as possible are the key elements to fighting Ebola.”

Guinea Red Cross volunteers disinfect a hospital in Conakry – ©IFRC/IdrissaSoumare

As for Konneh, he knows what it’s like to receive help from the Red Cross. His path into the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society, which he joined four years ago, was born out of tragedy. His father was taken and killed during a time of conflict, along with his grandfather.
“The Red Cross came to my village and took care of us. When they asked who wanted to be a volunteer, I said yes,” he recalls. Today, it’s his turn to help take care of others.
This blog is an edited piece by Cristina Estrada, IFRC

• The IFRC is supporting the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society’s response to the Ebola outbreak, educating people about how to protect themselves from the virus and help prevent it spreading.
• Similar emergency operations have been launched in Guinea and Liberia. Preparedness operations are underway in the Ivory Coast, Mali and Senegal in case the virus spreads even further.
• The British Red Cross has sent a number of health workers to the region since the outbreak began – find out more.
• Read more: Awareness campaigns the key to halting outbreak.
• Read more: Ebola, a threatening disease for health workers.
• http://blogs.redcross.org.uk/emergencies/2014/06/ebola-snakes-and-witchcraft-stopping-the-deadly-disease-in-its-tracks/ 

182 died of Ebola in Guinea -Official

June 30, 2014 by nan

Guinean Health Minister, Remy Lamah, has said the number of confirmed Ebola cases in Guinea has reached 286 out of which 182 people have died.
The number of Ebola cases has been increasing in spite of efforts by the government and its health partners such as the World Health Organisation and Doctors Without Borders.
So far MSF has disbursed $3m to help in the fight against Ebola in Guinea and in some other treatment centres created in neighbouring Sierra Leone.
“We must organise and mobilise more resources to fight against this disease which has caused many deaths in the affected countries,” Marc Poncin, MSF’s national emergency coordinator said.
The head of disease prevention unit in Guinea’s health ministry, Sakoba Keita, said 27 health workers had been affected by Ebola and 20 of them had died from the disease.
Keita said, “This is why transportation and handling of bodies of Ebola victims is now exclusively being done by special Red Cross teams that have been well trained.
“To sensitise the population about the disease, government has funded about 15 non-governmental organisations to develop communication strategies.
“Also by moving from door-to-door advising the population on how to prevent themselves against the disease.”http://www.punchng.com/news/182-died-from-ebola-in-guinea-official/

Fear, suspicion undermine West Africa's battle against Ebola

Mon Jun 30, 2014 1:19pm EDT

* Mistrustful of doctors, dozens flee treatment
* Guinea, S.Leone, Liberia face world's worst Ebola outbreak
* As doctors struggle, locals resort to herbal bracelets
* Regional states to meet to coordinate response
By Umaru Fofana
KENEMA, Sierra Leone, June 30 (Reuters) - When Mohamed Swarray contracted the deadly Ebola disease in June, he was confined to a tented isolation ward at Kenema in eastern Sierra Leone. But he didn't stay there long.
Suspicious of the doctors in their masks and body-length protective suits, he slipped out and fled to the capital Freetown 300 km (185 miles) away. There, he was nursed in a private home for a week before being traced by officials and hurriedly returned, weak and frightened, to the Kenema unit.
With West Africa facing the deadliest Ebola outbreak ever, with 400 dead so far, this kind of fear and mistrust is driving dozens of victims to evade treatment, frustrating foreign and local doctors trying to contain the epidemic.
The outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia has left some of the world's poorest states, with porous borders and weak health systems undermined by war and misrule, grappling with one of the most lethal and contagious diseases on the planet.
Dr. Amara Jambai, Sierra Leone's director of disease prevention and control, said at least 57 suspected and confirmed Ebola cases were "missing", the victims having fled or gone into hiding.
"When you lose cases that way, you will not know where the next case will appear," he told Reuters.
Ebola causes fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhoea, and can kill up to 90 percent of those it infects. Highly contagious, it is transmitted through contact with the blood or other fluids of infected people or animals.
"My biggest problem, as it stands, is getting people to accept the disease," said Sheik Umar Khan, the doctor tasked with leading the fight against Ebola in Kenema's hospital.
"These escapes, emanating from fear and misunderstanding, make our work even more difficult," he added.
Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says Ebola is "out of control", located in at least 60 places across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Guinea has rejected this warning, saying it has its epidemic under control. But governments' reluctance to fully admit and report the scale of outbreaks can also hamper containment.
The World Health Organization has called on other West African States to prepare to tackle the disease and is co-hosting a meeting of West African health ministers in Ghana this week to try to strengthen the region's response.
Swarray was tracked down in Freetown after messages about his escape were broadcast on local radio. The nurse friend treating him believed he had typhoid and is now being monitored for Ebola. His mother, who travelled with him, is still missing.
The outbreak has spread since it first started killing victims in Guinea's remote southeast in February. It reached the capital Conakry and moved into neighbouring Liberia.
For months, Sierra Leone said its own suspected cases tested negative. Then, late last month, it confirmed Ebola in its remote northeast. Since then, there have been 191 laboratory confirmed cases, including 63 deaths, with many more suspected.
here

>HERBAL BRACELETS
Kenema, now on the frontline of Sierra Leone's fight against Ebola, is located in the diamond-rich east. Attacked by rebels during the 1991-2002 civil war, it has since become a bustling regional hub, the West African nation's third largest city.
Sierra Leone's first Ebola case was a so-called 'sowei', a traditional women's leader and healer who treated the sick crossing over from Guinea, according to Dr Mohamed Vandi, the chief medical officer for Kenema district.
By tradition, only women were allowed to touch or wash her dead body, so the majority of the next cases were also women.
Sierra Leone officials have since banned traditional funerals and the bodies of Ebola victims must now be buried by health workers clad in green protective suits and face masks.
Schools in the Kenema area are closed and travel restricted.
At the Moala checkpoint on the road to Liberia, masked health workers take the temperature of all travellers to monitor for anyone who might be carrying a fever.
But many still put faith in traditional methods.
At the same Moala checkpoint, police and soldiers tied herbal rope bracelets around travellers' wrists, telling them a local traditional healer had been told in a dream that doing so could ward off Ebola.
TERRIFYING RUMOURS
Posters on walls warn of Ebola symptoms, urging sufferers to go to hospital. But Sierra Leone's health system is weak - the country has the highest rate of maternal and infant deaths in the world, according to U.N. figures.
The Kenema isolation unit consists of two tents erected just metres away from the main hospital, where two doctors and two ambulances are based to cover a district of 800,000 people.
Donors and international health organisations have rushed specialised equipment to the zone but staff complain about shortages, even of basic items like gloves.
A local population with little knowledge of the disease can be easily spooked by rumours.
Vandi said stories were circulating that doctors were removing limbs of Ebola victims before burying them. Police have been deployed and last week fired tear gas at the hospital to prevent relatives from trying to retrieve bodies.
Terrified by such reports, Isata Momoh, who came down with symptoms of the disease, initially fled the ambulance sent to take her to the hospital. "When I thought I had the sickness I ran away into the bushes and hid," she told Reuters.
Momoh only emerged from hiding when the diarrhoea and vomiting became too bad to bear. She was treated and recovered.
Khan rejected MSF's statement that the disease was out of control in the region. He said more cases were coming to light because of improved official surveillance. "People are coming to terms with the fact Ebola is a reality," he said.
Vandi, the Kenema medical officer, said if the diamond town could beat the disease, the rest of Sierra Leone could do so.
Local people were wary of government reassurances, recalling similar statements during the civil war years when rebel raids, rather than disease, had traumatised the town.
"One day the government would say the rebels had advanced to within touching distance. The next it would say they had been repelled, and you'd see them entering the town," said Karmoh Kajue, an unemployed man nursing a beer at the Kenema Plaza bar.
(Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Pascal Fletcher and Peter Graff)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/30/health-ebola-leone-idUSL6N0PB4G120140630?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssHealthcareNews&rpc=401

Liberians face jail over Ebola

June 30 2014 at 06:23pm
By JONATHAN PAYE-LAYLEH

Comment on this story

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Associated Press

Health workers inform people about the Ebola virus and how to prevent infection in Conakry, Guinea. File picture: Youssouf Bah

Monrovia, Liberia - Liberia's president warned Monday that anyone caught hiding suspected Ebola patients will be prosecuted.

In an interview with state radio, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf expressed concern that some patients had been kept in homes and churches instead of receiving medical attention.

“Let this warning go out: Anyone found or reported to be holding suspected Ebola cases in homes or prayer houses can be prosecuted under the law of Liberia,” Sirleaf said.

Her comments came just days after Sierra Leone issued a similar warning, saying some patients had discharged themselves from the hospital and had gone into hiding.

Health workers have encountered resistance throughout the region ever since Ebola cases were first confirmed in March, and some have even been attacked.

The outbreak of the disease in West Africa is already the deadliest on record, with 635 cases and 367 fatalities, according to the latest World Health Organization numbers. A majority of the deaths - 280 - have been in Guinea where cases were first reported.

In an update released Monday, Liberia's health ministry said the country had recorded 49 deaths as a result of Ebola, 26 of which were confirmed by laboratory tests.

Sierra Leone has tallied 46 deaths, according to numbers released last week. That number was revised downward from 78, however, after Sierra Leone's government requested that the World Health Organization only report laboratory-confirmed fatalities.

Laboratory testing is the only way to definitively confirm the presence of Ebola, though not all patients are tested because some don't receive medical treatment and some die before samples can be taken, especially in the early stages of an outbreak.

There is no cure for the deadly disease caused by the Ebola virus which has an incubation period of two to 21 days and starts with fever and fatigue before descending into headaches, vomiting, violent diarrhea and then multiple organ failure and massive internal bleeding.

Some symptoms of the disease can be treated, however, and health workers also stress the importance of submitting patients for medical care so they can be isolated. Ebola spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, including blood and sweat.

Liberia's health ministry has set up treatment centers and started a public service campaign to slow the spread of the disease, including training health professionals to use protective clothing while forbidding hospitals to turn away patients with Ebola symptoms.

Sirleaf's comments on Monday seemed partly intended to dispel rumors in Liberia that the outbreak isn't real.

“It is, as I speak, taking the lives of our citizens,” she said. “The disease is real and is in our country and can kill a lot of people.” http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/liberians-face-jail-over-ebola-1.1712043

AFRICANEWSWIRE.NET (June 30 2014)
Sylvain Baize, Director of the National Reference Centre for hemorrhagic fevers of the Institut Pasteur de Lyon, responded to questions from Brazzaville News epidemic of Ebola virus currently affecting eleven countries of West Africa. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are the countries most affected by the epidemichttp://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.africanewswire.net%2Fstory.php%3Ftitle%3Depidemie-d039ebola-la-menace-la-plus-importante-en-ce-moment-est-la-propagation

Liberia will observe Ramadan as of Sunday.

MONROVIA (AA) – Grand Mufti Sheikh Abu Bakar Sumaworo said Muslim in Liberia will observe the holy fasting month of Ramadan as of Sunday...
..
This year’s observance is putting special attention on sharing with the less fortunate, including offering prayers for the nation which has been plagued by the deadly Ebola virus.
Mufti Sumaworo is still hopeful that the outbreak would not prevent Liberian Muslims from travelling to the holy sites in Saudi Arabia.
“We pray that the Almighty Allah grants us mercy to travel to Mecca in the midst of Ebola in our country,” he said.
“We hope to send about five hundred people by the grace of Allah,” added the mufti.
Since the outbreak of the Ebola Virus in Liberia and neighboring Guinea, traveling to other countries has become a nightmare amid worries of taking the virus to other countries. http://www.newstimeafrica.com/archives/34564

Sierra Leone Ebola refugees putting others at risk

  There are fears that people who are escaping an Ebola outbreak in the eastern provinces of Sierra Leone are putting others at risk because they aren't being checked for the deadly virus.  Isata Sanoh ran away from Daru, a small town in the Kailahun district in the Eastern province of Sierra Leone, where there is an ebola outbreak.  She is now living in the capital Freetown, where she is staying with family members.  But Sanoh hasn't been checked for Ebola and so could potentially pass Ebola to the people around her. 

There is no cure for the deadly disease caused by the Ebola virus which has an incubation period of two to 21 days and starts with fever and fatigue before descending into headaches, vomiting, violent diarrhoea and then multiple organ failure and massive internal bleeding.  The virus can be transmitted through direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person, or objects that have been contaminated with infected secretions.  Ebola kills more than half of its victims and treatment largely consists of keeping the patient hydrated as the disease runs its course. 

Combating Ebola is a matter of stopping its spread by educating people about how to protect themselves and isolating the sick and dead since corpses are still contagious - and finding out who the infected have been in contact with to isolate them as well.  "I ran away from Daru because of the Ebola outbreak," Sanoh said. "A lot of people have died there and a lot of my family have died. A medical nurse who was with the dead body of her mother died. The men who buried her also died on Monday."

  Ebola was identified in Sierra Leone in late May just as it was hoped that the outbreak in Guinea and Liberia was winding down.  It has since spread to at least two districts with 176 cases claiming at least 46 lives.  Like the other countries, Sierra Leone formed a national task force with daily meetings and set up treatment centres in the affected areas.
  One of the main obstacles to stemming the disease has been combating popular fears which treated the disease as a "demonic" affair.  In one recent case in the village of Sadialu, residents burned down the treatment centre over fears that the drugs being administered to victims were actually causing the disease. 
The Health Ministry has also warned people that sheltering the infected is a crime and lamented that people were escaping from hospitals and hiding.  The local media has also highlighted that for the first month of the outbreak, the government was reporting a substantially lower death toll than the World Health Organisation (WHO) because it was only listing confirmed Ebola fatalities, rather than suspected cases, as had been the usual practice. 
 On Wednesday, the WHO announced that it was changing its methodology for reporting Ebola fatalities - just in Sierra Leone - at the government's request, reducing the death toll by 32.  The Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone is already the deadliest to date, with 635 cases and 367 fatalities, and is expected to be the longest on record, as some of the poorest countries in the world scramble to confront the fatal disease.  The WHO says there is an "urgent need" to coordinate the response across the borders and is convening a meeting in Accra, Ghana, on July 1 with the three countries involved, as well as other nations that have experienced outbreaks in the past. -http://www.tvcnews.tv/article/sierra-leone-ebola-refugees-putting-others-risk

Sierra Leone Ebola refugees putting others at risk

There are fears that people who are escaping an Ebola outbreak in the eastern provinces of Sierra Leone are putting others at risk because they aren't being checked for the deadly virus.
Isata Sanoh ran away from Daru, a small town in the Kailahun district in the Eastern province of Sierra Leone, where there is an ebola outbreak.
She is now living in the capital Freetown, where she is staying with family members.
But Sanoh hasn't been checked for Ebola and so could potentially pass Ebola to the people around her.
There is no cure for the deadly disease caused by the Ebola virus which has an incubation period of two to 21 days and starts with fever and fatigue before descending into headaches, vomiting, violent diarrhoea and then multiple organ failure and massive internal bleeding.
The virus can be transmitted through direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person, or objects that have been contaminated with infected secretions.
Ebola kills more than half of its victims and treatment largely consists of keeping the patient hydrated as the disease runs its course.
Combating Ebola is a matter of stopping its spread by educating people about how to protect themselves and isolating the sick and dead since corpses are still contagious - and finding out who the infected have been in contact with to isolate them as well.
"I ran away from Daru because of the Ebola outbreak," Sanoh said. "A lot of people have died there and a lot of my family have died. A medical nurse who was with the dead body of her mother died. The men who buried her also died on Monday."
Ebola was identified in Sierra Leone in late May just as it was hoped that the outbreak in Guinea and Liberia was winding down.
It has since spread to at least two districts with 176 cases claiming at least 46 lives.
Like the other countries, Sierra Leone formed a national task force with daily meetings and set up treatment centres in the affected areas.
One of the main obstacles to stemming the disease has been combating popular fears which treated the disease as a "demonic" affair.
In one recent case in the village of Sadialu, residents burned down the treatment centre over fears that the drugs being administered to victims were actually causing the disease.
The Health Ministry has also warned people that sheltering the infected is a crime and lamented that people were escaping from hospitals and hiding.
The local media has also highlighted that for the first month of the outbreak, the government was reporting a substantially lower death toll than the World Health Organisation (WHO) because it was only listing confirmed Ebola fatalities, rather than suspected cases, as had been the usual practice.
On Wednesday, the WHO announced that it was changing its methodology for reporting Ebola fatalities - just in Sierra Leone - at the government's request, reducing the death toll by 32.
The Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone is already the deadliest to date, with 635 cases and 367 fatalities, and is expected to be the longest on record, as some of the poorest countries in the world scramble to confront the fatal disease.
The WHO says there is an "urgent need" to coordinate the response across the borders and is convening a meeting in Accra, Ghana, on July 1 with the three countries involved, as well as other nations that have experienced outbreaks in the past.

- See more at: http://www.tvcnews.tv/article/sierra-leone-ebola-refugees-putting-others-risk#sthash.BqNeZy9R.ydJ9O0Mt.dpuf

Guinea: the balance of the Ebola outbreak reaches 182 deaths out of 286 confirmed cases (Official)

By: | Tags: Guinea
French.china.org.cn | Updated 29-06-2014

In Guinea, the country most affected by the current outbreak of Ebola, the record stands at 286 confirmed cases including 182 deaths, until June 27, despite efforts by the Guinean government and health partners whose WHO and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said Saturday the Guinean Minister of Health, Remy Lamah.

Since the appearance of this malaidie in Guinea there about six months, 84 patients were grueries, while there were 89 probable cases and 86 suspected cases including 27 deaths.

Thanks to the synergy of action between partners fight against Ebola, five prefectures (Dabola Dinguiraye, Macentra, Kissidougou and Kouroussa) have not recorded new cases this week, welcomed Dr. Lamah.

However, in some foci of the epidemic, such as Guékédou Prefecture (south), the number of deaths increases with 60% mortality, said Marc Poncin, Ebola national emergency coordinator for MSF.

In this border town, 30% of inpatients come from villages in Sierra Leone.

MSF has provided about $ 3 million to meet expenses related to the response against Ebola in Guinea and a processing center located in Sierra Leone.

"We must organize and mobilize much funding in the fight against this epidemic that made many victims in the populations of the affected countries," said Mr. Poncin.

According Sakoba Keita, Division prevention and fight against the disease, 27 health workers were affected and 20 of them lost their lives.

It is for this reason that the transport and management of corpses Ebola people are now assigned exclusively to specialized teams of the Guinean Red Cross trained and equipped.

To raise awareness, the government has funded a dozen NGOs that develop communication strategies to close by going door to door in order to reach a larger target and break the barrier of distrust and reluctance. End http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffrench.china.org.cn%2Fforeign%2Ftxt%2F2014-06%2F29%2Fcontent_32803163.htm

Monkey Meat and the Ebola Outbreak in Liberia

Sierra Leone unlocks EUR 1.3 million against Ebola

Saturday, June 28, 2014 by Agence France-Presse (© AFP)

A team of Doctors Without Borders in center victims of Ebola Guekedou Guinea, April 1, 2014 afp.com - SEYLLOU
Sierra Leone announced Friday the award of 8 billion leones (about 1.32 million euros) in the fight against the epidemic of haemorrhagic fever in large part due to Ebola has done since the beginning of the year nearly 400 dead in three West African countries.
This funding is for the awareness and prevention of the epidemic, but also logistical needs of the teams deployed in the context of the fight, told AFP an official of Sierra Leone Ministry of Health, Abubakarr Kamara.
According to him, the amount will in particular make-to-door and mobilize stakeholders in all districts affected by the epidemic.
It will also help in the management of medical and logistical equipment, including the purchase of necessary for the protection of personnel in contact with living patients or responsible for the burial of deceased patients, as well as looking for people who have been in contact with suspected cases.
This brings to 14 billion leones (2.31 million) funding from the government of Sierra Leone in the fight against Ebola, according to a source at the Ministry of Finance.
The epidemic affects Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. According to a toll released Thursday by the World Health Organization (WHO), these three neighboring countries account since the beginning of the year 635 cases of hemorrhagic fever (a little more than half of the cases were confirmed by analysis as being due to Ebola virus), including 399 deaths.
According to the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health, Sierra Leone recorded since early March 338 cases of hemorrhagic fever which 179 were tested positive for Ebola virus and causing 49 deaths. The same source, 18 people survived and healed, left the hospital in Kenema (East). 51 patients are still admitted in the hospital.
Kenema and Kailahun (east) are among the most affected by the epidemic.
From June 13 until further notice, schools Kailahun district are closed and public gatherings banned by the government.
According to residents, the fear of Ebola has pushed people to reduce their travel there and avoid physical contact to a minimum.
In Liberia, the government warned Friday against persons claiming to cure Ebola by spiritual or religious rituals.
"In this country, we have + spiritual healers + or pastors who say they can cure all diseases" in "the + spiritual centers +" installed "in Monrovia and its environs. They claim to have the solutions to all problems. Three of these + + healers have died of Ebola, "said the Deputy Minister of Health, Tolbert Nyensuah, national radio, without specifying where and when.
Through their actions and through their "+ + centers", these individuals "create many difficulties in the fight against the Ebola virus" and contribute to its spread. "We ask people to go to the hospital in case of illness, instead of going to these centers + +. (...) The situation is deteriorating with the many cases that have been recorded in a very short time" in the country, said the deputy minister.
According to WHO, until Thursday, 63 cases of hemorrhagic fever (41 deaths) were recorded in Liberia, mostly in the regions of Lofa (northwest) and Montserrado (west), where is located the capital Monrovia . Some cases have also been reported from Margibi (northwest) and Nimba (north). http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.afriscoop.net%2Fjournal%2Fspip.php%3Farticle12203

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

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  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

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.

• Saturday, June 28, 2014 0:00

Professor Alpha Condé: "Ebola is not the end of the world, this is not to be afraid" ;

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 "

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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.

GUINEEINFORMATION http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nrgui.com%2Findex.php%2F43-international%2F2941-dissemination-d-ebola-en-afriquede-l-ouest-vers-la-mise-en-quarantaiene-par-l-oms

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

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=

FPA SNAPSHOT: First Look-Ebola Burial in Monrovia

FPA SNAPSHOT: First Look-Ebola Burial in Monrovia

Published: 28 June 2014

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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

Ebola Outbreak Now Most Deadly Ever in West Africa

Jennifer Lazuta, Special for USA TODAY

2:56 p.m. EDT June 28, 2014

(Photo: CELLOU BINANI AFP/Getty Images)

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/

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