Our first glimpse of the Medecins Sans Frontieres clinic in Conakry is chilling.
Doctors in yellow and white bio-hazard suits move slowly around a
temporary complex of tents and outbuildings like extras in a science
fiction film.
Only their eyes are visible behind clear plastic eye guards. Extreme
vigilance is needed when dealing with one of the worst most virulent
diseases.
And we're here to report on the biggest outbreak of Ebola ever
recorded, that's now spread to Guinea's sprawling capital Conakry, a
city of two million people. Extreme vigilance has been required to deal with the deadly outbreak. Credit: ITV News
As you walk into the clinic in the grounds of the main hospital, you
can’t get past the security guards without washing your hands and the
soles of your shoes in a bleach solution. No-one goes in or out without
it.
Inside, there's another level of security altogether: a preparation
tent where doctors and nurses gear up to enter the high risk zone.
Carefully they put on Wellington boots, a plastic all-in-one suit, a
rubber apron, a plastic hood, plastic goggles and 2 pairs of rubber
gloves - no part of the face or body is exposed - because just one drop
of bodily fluid from an infected patient could pass on the virus. People entering the clinic have to wash their hands and soles of their shoes in a bleach solution before entering. Credit: ITV News
This Ebola outbreak in West Africa began here in Guinea in March. It
soon spread to neighbouring Sierra Leone and on to Liberia and is now
confirmed as the worst outbreak ever.
More than 750 cases have been reported and more than 445 deaths.
The symptoms can be horrific, they begin with fever and diarrhoea - but victims can bleed externally and internally. Shoes are seen in the clinic. Credit: ITV News
When the doctors enter the high-risk zone, they only spend about an
hour within it. The plastic suits are too hot for anything more and in
the month of Ramadan when many aren’t eating all day long - the risk of
overheating themselves is high. One doctor recorded a temperature in the
suit of 46 degrees centigrade. Doctors are only allowed to spend an hour within the high-risk zone. Credit: ITV News
We watch Monia Sayah, a French Nurse with MSF working quickly inside,
then, when her time is up, she comes through an exit tent, where she is
sprayed with chlorine.
She washes her hands in chlorine in between removing each separate
part of her security suit. No risks are taken. Only the goggles and the
apron are not incinerated, instead they are plunged into chlorine to
kill any trace of the deadly virus. She finally steps out, soaked in
bleach and sweat. She tells me how harrowing it can be inside. A nurse describes the 'harrowing' scenes she has witnessed. Credit: ITV News
The patients with Ebola are totally isolated, so she does what she
can to comfort them. She touches them through the plastic to give them
some human contact, even though they can’t see her face.
This clinic has seen Ebola victims of all ages. Even a
seven-month-old baby. He didn't have the strength to fight the deadly
disease.
The clinic has seen victims of all ages. Credit: ITV News
One of the patients is a woman called Mbalya. She is a traditional
healer and caught the virus treating others. She is old and frail, but
is fighting it.
We talk for a while across at a distance of two metres, separated by a
flimsy plastic fence. The virus is not airborne but it's disconcerting
that the doctors in the other side of the fence are fully suited and I
am not. Dan Rivers has travelled to report on the biggest ever outbreak of Ebola ever recorded. Credit: ITV News
Mbalya then insists on giving a message to others urging anyone with the symptoms to get medical help immediately.
Initially Ebola patients can appear to have Malaria. Victims suffer a
fever, headaches and muscle aches. But after a few days the virus can
result in haemorrhaging from their eyes, ears and genitals. By then it's
often too late to save them.
This is a virus that wastes no time. Symptoms can be sudden and
deterioration can be fast. The chances of survival are far greater if
help is sought immediately. If not then the chance of dying can be 90%.
But the clinic in Conakry is prepared for that. On one side - are the patients. On the other is the morgue. http://www.itv.com/news/2014-07-07/inside-the-chilling-clinic-treating-the-biggest-outbreak-of-ebola-ever-recorded/
WASHINGTON,
July 8, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Dr. Jill Biden has
arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone, her final stop on a three-country
visit to Africa.
In Sierra
Leone, Dr. Biden will highlight how her trip to Africa has focused on
the importance of girls’ education and women’s participation in
government, the economy, and civil society in accelerating economic
development, improving health and educational outcomes, strengthening
democratic governance, and fostering peace and security.
On Sunday,
Dr. Biden will attend a reception hosted by Second Lady Khadija Sam
Sumana as part of Sierra Leone’s recognition of the significance of this
visit.
On Monday,
Dr. Biden will meet with President Ernest Bai Koroma at the State House
to discuss women’s empowerment; Sierra Leone’s participation in the
Equal Futures Partnership and its efforts to promote women’s political
and economic empowerment; the country’s work to crack down on
corruption; and a range of other issues facing Sierra Leone today. Upon
arrival at the State House, Dr. Biden will observe a female quarter
guard ceremony and then walk with President Koroma to the Cotton Tree, a
historic national landmark and enduring image of Freetown.
Later, Dr.
Biden will visit St. Joseph’s Secondary School where she will deliver
remarks on the empowerment of women and girls through education and
highlight important moments from her three-country tour of Africa.
Afterwards,
Dr. Biden will travel to the U.S. Embassy to meet with staff and
families. While at the Embassy, she will meet with human trafficking
survivors to discuss how local organizations and government officials
are working to prevent trafficking and provide assistance to survivors.
Dr. Biden will then depart Sierra Leone en route Washington, DC.
By KEMO CHAM in Freetown | Monday, July 7
2014 at
10:18
A picture taken on June 28, 2014 shows a member of Doctors Without
Borders (MSF) putting on protective gear at the isolation ward of the
Donka Hospital in Conakry, where people infected with the Ebola virus
are being treated. PHOTO | FILE
Sierra Leone Information and Communication Minister
Alhaji Alpha Kanu has asked citizens to give handshakes a none-month
break in light of the Ebola epidemic.
He compared the Ebola epidemic to the country’s
11-year civil war and said radical behavioural change was necessary to
contain it.
"This is like the rebel war. The only difference is you don't see the enemy. This is an invincible enemy," Mr Kanu said.
"It is not rude not to extend your hand. Let us leave it for a while. The Chinese and Japanese don't do it," he offered.
The Ebola outbreak which began in Guinea is also
pre-occupying the authorities in Liberia. The disease is transmitted
through contact with infected people and through bodily fluids.
As of Saturday, the death in Sierra Leone had gone up to 73, with a total of 254 laboratory cases confirmed.
Amidst the worsening of the situation and warnings
by the World Health Organization (WHO) of worse to come, West African
governments appear in dilemma as to best approach.
The government’s increasingly radical approach has been raising some eyebrows.
Both Liberia and Sierra Leone have criminalised sheltering of patients who refuse to seek medical treatment.
Proper hygiene
Last week, a 55-year-old Sierra Leonean in the eastern Kenema District became the first victim of the new law.
He was convicted of a "disorderly manner" for obstructing a medical official, the daily Awoko newspaper reported.
He was sentenced for one month in jail with an option of a fine.
Action Aid’s country director called the criminalisation approach heavy-handed and urged more sensitisation instead.
The government is however opposed to calls for closure of borders.
Sierra Leoneans hold the neighbouring countries,
particularly Guinea, responsible for letting the virus cross into their
territory.
The government believes closure of the borders will be an exercise in futility.
Mr Kanu said all the cases which have come into
the country came in through unofficial crossing points and closure will
only force people to take to these illegal routes.
The only way out, he insisted, was practising proper hygiene.
Say that there has to be a resurgence of Ebola virus in Guinea, is outside of science fiction.To believe, the latest figures supplied by the health authorities,
aided by their partners WHO and MSF, to date, epidemic has killed 307
people, reflecting an evolution of the count macabre due to this
disease.
Hence the urgency of a concerted strategy between Guinea and other countries in the West African sub-region.
At the meeting in Accra crisis recently, scholars have said that the
countries of the region need to mobilize immediate € 10 million to
combat the spread of the epidemic. As of July 7, 2014, therefore, according to the latest health bulletin
of the Guinean Ministry of Health and Public Health, in collaboration
with WHO and MSF, Guinea has recorded 408 cases of Ebola haemorrhagic
fever, for 307 deaths. These cases are distributed as follows: 294 confirmed cases and 195 deaths case; Probable cases: 96 cases and 96; Suspected cases: 18 cases and 16 deaths. It should be noted at the same time, it has been recorded cured in 84 treatment centers. Aboubakri http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mosaiqueguinee.com%2Findex.php%2Factu%2Fpolitique%2F2068-ebola-307-deces-en-guinee-a-la-date-du-07-juillet
A suspected case of Ebola disease detected at the Nyaho Medical
Centre in Accra on Sunday has tested "tentatively negative", according
to the Ghana Health Service. Head of Disease Surveillance at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Badu
Sarkodie, told Joy News more work would be done Tuesday before a
substantive conclusion would be announced. "What it means is that whatever they [scientists who tested blood
samples of the suspect victims] have done is not complete and there is
the need for follow up tests", said Dr Badu Sarkodie.
Four staff members of Nyaho Medical Centre have since been
quarantined after they came into contact with an American citizen
suspected to be carrying the deadly virus.
Blood samples of the suspected victim were subsequently taken for
test at the Nugouchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research, which has
given its preliminary report as negative.
By D. Ignatius Roberts, LINA Grand Cape Mount County Correspondent
ROBERTSPORT, July 6 (LINA) - The first suspected case of the deadly
Ebola disease has been recorded at the St. Timothy Government Hospital
in Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County.
...
Dr. Keita said following the submission of the testing result, it will
be established whether the patient is an Ebola patient or not.
He said the patient is still undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Meanwhile, Grand Cape Mount County Assistant Superintendent for Development, Tenneh Simpson Kpedebah, is
calling on the Ministry of Health to provide protective materials for
health workers to prevent them from contracting the Ebola virus.
... http://www.liberianewsagency.org/pagesnews.php?nid=1748
The Bo District Chairman, has appealed to the people of Bo not to
have any doubts whatsoever about the existence and reality of the Ebola
virus in the country.
Joseph Munda Rogers made his remarks in his capacity as chairman of an
awareness-raising march pass on Thursday, 3rd July organized by the
eleven Members of Parliament representing the district.
He said most of what he hears from members of public relating to the
Ebola virus, are indicative of the “wrong perceptions” many people have
about the virus in Bo and the entire country. He called on the people to
appreciate whatever they are told about the Ebola virus, while he
stressed the deadliness of the virus on its victims.
“Don’t be Doubting Thomases on Ebola. The disease is in Sierra Leone and
it is becoming “a plaque”,” he stressed in the Mende lingua franca.
He therefore applauded the awareness-raising move by the team of
Parliamentarians representing constituencies in the Bo district as “a
proof of the existence of the virus” and a move to raise the awareness
level of the people in order to guide and guard against infection.
The march pass which attracted students and youth organizations passed
through major thoroughfares in Bo city. The marchers displayed banners
and placards with inscriptions highlighting the existence of Ebola and
guiding against infection. The marchers who had assembled at three
meeting points in Bo later converged at the Coronation Field where
speeches were made.
Member of Parliament for Constituency 67 in the Bo City, Hon. Swaliho
Koroma in his brief speech told the people that he and his colleagues
believe that Ebola is real and that it is in the country. He expressed
delight that so far, the “evil hands of the virus” have not been
stretched to the districts. He called for general precautions to avoid
contraction of the virus.
He said those with wrong perceptions about the virus could cause more
harm than good to the general population if they continue propagating
their doubtful thoughts about the existence of the virus. “Such
skepticism could be dangerous for the health and safeguard of many
people in the future,” Hon. Koroma maintained.
He said they are in the district as a team to confirm the existence of
the virus in the country and to educate the people on how to prevent
contracting the virus.
Representing Constituency 075, Hon. Kuyembeh stated that Ebola since its
entry into the country has killed more people in their region and
prayed that it does not any toll on Bo district.
The Bo District Medical Officer, Dr. Alhaji Salieu Turay gave a lengthy
appraisal of the virus and how it attacks its victims. He informed the
eager crowd however that despite the fatal state of the virus, “it can
be cured”, but emphasized that this can only be achieved when the
sickness is detected earlier. The sickness he explained to the people
has stages 1, 2 and 3.
He informed that it is only in Kenema that a well-equipped laboratory
exists to diagnose and analyze the Ebola virus. He cautioned the people
to avoid those things that can cause contraction of the virus and
encouraged them to report symptoms earlier to the hospital.
By Jenkins Bawoh Monday July 07, 2014http://awoko.org/2014/07/07/sierra-leone-news-bo-people-should-not-be-doubtful-about-ebola-bdc-chair/
(Reuters) - A
U.S. citizen suspected of having Ebola because he fell ill after
visiting West African states battling the disease has tested negative, a
senior Ministry of Health official told Reuters on Monday. The man, who has not
being named, is in quarantine at Nyaho clinic in Accra and the blood
tests were conducted at Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research
in the city. "It is
negative," Badu Sarkodie, head of disease surveillance at the Ghana
Health Service, told Reuters, adding that further tests would be
conducted.
Health
officials have called for regional action to halt the world's deadliest
outbreak of the disease, which has spread across Guinea, Liberia and
Sierra Leone, killing at least 467 people since February.
The
highly contagious Ebola virus causes fever, vomiting, bleeding and
diarrhoea and kills up to 90 percent of those it infects. It is
transmitted through contact with blood or other fluids.
A
previous suspected Ebola case in Ghana also tested negative in April.
link.reuters.com/fyj32w
The Ministry of Health has denied that there is an Ebola case at a private clinic in Accra.
In a statement, the P.R. O of the Ministry, Tony Goodman said, the
suspected fever case recorded at the facility has not been confirmed as
Ebola.
According to him, the sample has been sent to the Noguchi Memorial
Research Centre for examination and the result is expected to be out by
close of today.
In the meantime, Mr. Goodman said, precautionary measures have been
taken to ensure that it does not spread if it turns out to be true http://www.gbcghana.com/1.1775592
The Ministry of Health says the Noguchi Memorial Research Centre has not
confirmed the suspected fever case recorded at the Nyaho Clinic yet.
It says it has put in place every precautionary measure at that clinic,
including additional support of Public Health staff from the Ministry,
“to quarantine patient and clinical staff [and] supply of protective
gowns for staff of that hospital.”
The Ministry says it has also directed that the case should remain at
that clinic and re-treated until otherwise, while “we wait for the
laboratory result from the Noguchi Memorial Research Centre.”
A statement signed by the Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Tony
Goodman said: “We expect the general public to remain calm as we wait
for the result from the blood sample taken for test.”
A
US citizen is being tested for the Ebola virus in Ghana, which has had
no confirmed cases of the virus in the current West African outbreak.
The man has been quarantined at the private Nyaho Clinic in the capital, Accra, health officials say.
The virus has so far killed more than 460 people since it
broke out in Guinea in February and spread to neighbouring Liberia and
Sierra Leone.
It is the world's deadliest outbreak to date and there is no cure for Ebola. The US embassy in Accra said it had been informed that a US
citizen was being tested but would not give any more details, Reuters
news agency reports. 'Under control'
The man was believed to have visited Guinea and Sierra Leone in recent weeks.
Ghana's health ministry said it had put in place "precautionary measures" and people should stay calm.
Staff at the clinic had also been quarantined and provided with protective clothing, it added in a statement. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28192398
Suspected Ebola case in Ghana
The Ministry of Health wishes to inform the general public that the suspected fever case recorded at the Nyaho Clinic has not been confirmed yet by Noguchi Memorial Research Centre.
Meanwhile the Ministry has put in place every precautionary measures
at that clinic include additional support of Public Health staff from
the Ministry, directive to quarantine patient and clinical staff, supply
of protective gowns for staff of that hospital The Ministry has also directed that the case remain
at that clinic and retreated until otherwise whilst we wait for the
laboratory result from the Noguchi Memorial Research Centre.
We expect the general public to remain calm as we wait for the result from the blood sample taken for test
We will like to assure the general public that we have everything under control. Signed: Tony Goodman Public Relations Officer Ministry of Health
Marc Poncin, Coordinator activitiesMédecins
Sans Frontières against the Ebola epidemic in Guinea, said Saturday
that prevents them from working in Conakry and in several localities of
the country.
He
said that it is especially Gueckedou, the epicenter of the epidemic,
that people are hostile to health workers, including those of Doctors
Without Borders. "20 villages Gueckedou deny access to health actors" said Marc Poncin."But that is not all. This is a part of the population," he said.
Coordinator
for the hostility to health actors means that there are people who are
not yet convinced of the existence of the disease.
Given the situation, Marc Poncin reassured that the institution will not give in to discouragement.Rather, it will continue the sensitization to convince the skeptics.In this work, Doctors Without Borders calls for the support of the Guinean authorities to access populations. "We discussed it with the authority to have access to people,"said Marc Poncin which listed some four areas of the country where the health players are not welcome among some citizens.Among these cities, the capital Conakry, Boffa and Gueckedou.
Medical personnel wipe hostility as they are among the first victims of the disease.Twenty of them died trying to save lives.
The
epidemic now totals 194 deaths of 292 confirmed cases, according to the
latest statistics provided by the National Committee for response.However, treatment centers have successfully cured 98 patients.
Monday, 7 July 2014
An American (name withheld) has been quarantined at the Nyaho clinic in Accra for a suspected Ebola case.
Citi News sources at the Health Ministry say the American who reported
at the hospital with fever had previously visited Guinea and Sierra
Leone...
The Health Ministry in a statement said “the suspected fever case
recorded at the Nyaho Clinic has not been confirmed yet by Noguchi
Memorial Research Centre”.
It further stated that: “the Ministry has put in place every
precautionary measure at that clinic, including additional support of
Public Health staff from the Ministry, directive to quarantine patient
and clinical staff, supply of protective gowns for the staff of that
hospital”.
Unconfirmed
reports reaching 233livenews indicates that, Nyaho Clinic, a private
hospital in Accra has recorded Ghana’s first case of the deadly Ebola
virus.
It
is reported that a patient (rumored to be from Guinea) is said to have
died of the disease at the hospital. All staff and medical officers who
attended to the victim have since been quarantined.
Unconfirmed reports reaching 233livenews indicates that, Nyaho Clinic, a private hospital in Accra has recorded Ghana’s first case of the deadly Ebola virus. It is reported that a patient (rumored to be from Guinea) is said to
have died of the disease at the hospital. All staff and medical officers
who attended to the victim have since been quarantined.
A source at hospital revealed that the case has been reported to the
Noguchi Institute for tests to confirm the virus strain since the
hospital cannot independently confirm the victim died of ebola virus.
The unnamed capricious ebola virus strain has since February 2014
spread throughout Guinea and beyond the nation’s borders in West Africa.
At least 779 infections and over 500 deaths have so far been reported.
Sierra Leone, Mali and Ghana identified suspected cases by mid-April,
but all clinical samples of suspected cases tested negative for the
ebola virus. http://233livenews.wordpress.com/2014/07/06/nyaho-clinic-records-ghanas-first-ebola-case/
Every GP in the country has been ordered to look out for symptoms of
the killer ebola virus in a scramble to stop the world’s deadliest
outbreak taking hold in Britain.
Doctors have been sent new guidelines on how to deal with suspected
cases of the virus, which kills nine out ten people it infects and is
now sweeping through west Africa. British health officials have been dispatched to the affected areas
in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, while Britain’s port authorities
have also been put on alert.
Although health officials say the risk is slight, they are concerned
about people returning here after visiting their families in west Africa
and Sierra Leone in particular. They are also worried about an influx
of visitors from the region this month for the Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow.
Prof David Haymann, head of global health security at the think-tank
Chatham House, said: ‘The virus appears to be stable but there’s a huge
family of fever viruses and there’s always a chance of a mutation.’
The virus was first detected in 1976 when it killed 280 people in the
Congo. It causes death through multiple organ failure and internal
bleeding and there is still no cure or vaccine.
It is spread through contact with bodily fluids but there is some
evidence it can be transmitted through water droplets in the air. The death toll from the latest outbreak is said to be 467 although experts fear this is a gross underestimate.
Prof Dilys Morgan, from Public Health England, said: ‘Because the
incubation period is up to 21 days there’s a slight risk that cases may
turn up in the UK but that risk is very low.’ http://metro.co.uk/2014/07/06/british-ebola-outbreak-doctors-order-to-look-out-for-deadly-symptoms-as-killer-virus-hits-uk-4789186/
akwasi sarpong @akwasisarpong1h
Public asked to be calm as "we wait for the result from
the blood sample taken for test". "...we have everything under control."
Signed:PRO
African Story
Challenge Winner| Radio France International Correspondent |AFP| Dep.
Dir. News Programming,Citi FM| Business News| nanaboakye4@yahoo.co.uk
CONAKRY-Doctors Without Borders (MSF) released the latest statistics from the state of Ebola hemorrhagic proud in Guinea.According
to this organization, to the date of July 3, 2014, Guinea has recorded
292 confirmed cases of Ebola including 194 deaths and 98 healed, learned
Africaguinee.com. As of July 3, 2014, the number of hospitalized cases in different treatment centers are: Gueckédou: 6 confirmed cases including 4 Gueckédou and 2 from Sierra Leone. Conakry: 3 confirmed including 2 from Boffa.The date of the last confirmed case dates back to June 26 in Conakry and 29 June Gueckédou. According to MSF's what makes a total of seven confirmed cases in treatment centers. Five
(5) previously affected prefectures (Télémélé, Kissidougou Dabola
Dinguiraye and Kouroussa) have not notified new cases this week. According
to Marc Poncin National Emergency Coordinator for Ebola doctor without
borders, Gueckédou is the area where the epidemic is still more severe. '' There has been an upsurge of cases, while in May, we saw that the epidemic was decreasing.So, the quote on the epidemic remains serious Gueckédou perspective.Unfortunately we are facing particular difficulties, access to all areas where the epidemic has he said. The
Minister of Health and Public Hygiene, Rémy Lamah, then handed local
authorities to facilitate open access to all areas and villages affected
by the epidemic. http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.africaguinee.com%2Farticles%2F2014%2F07%2F06%2Febola-en-guinee-les-dernieres-statistiques-de-l-epidemie%23.U7murysr8tM.twitter
Written by Jake Buller and the photos are by Bethany Fankhauser.
Published: 04 July 2014
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Consider partnering with ELWA by making a donation to the ELWA Hospital Ebola Response Fund
The first rumors of Ebola in Liberia began to seep into conversation
in the middle of March. Before the month closed, there were cases being
reported from Lofa, and papers all over the capital city carried
headlines with “Ebola” in the title. As the situation grew more serious,
ELWA Hospital prepared an isolation unit and prayed it would not be
needed.
At first it seemed that the prayers
had been answered. The outbreak experienced a short lull, and for a time
there were no new confirmed cases in Liberia. But on June 11th, ELWA
Hospital received their first suspected case of the Ebola Virus Disease
(EVD), an indication of a resurgence that has lasted weeks and shows
signs of continuing for much longer.
“We have an obligation to take care of
these patients, in order to maximize their chances for survival and
relieve their suffering. There is a need for a place to put them in
order to protect their families and the community at large from
contracting the disease.” Dr. Debbie Eisenhut, SIM surgeon in charge of EVD response for ELWA Jake Buller, Photos by Bethany Fankhauser
Since May 29, at least 33 new cases of
EVD have been confirmed, 12 of which were in Montserrado, either in or
near the capital city of Monrovia. Five of these cases have been treated
at ELWA Hospital in ELWA’s isolation unit. The ward currently has two
patients, and both have been confirmed as having EVD.
Right now
there are three doctors working with the EVD patients, along with nurses
and aides. In addition, these doctors and nurses have support from the
outside through their decontamination team. This team gets supplies,
helps the doctors and nurses dress in their protective gear, and
decontaminates them when they come out as well as mixing the bleach that
is used in the process.
Dr. Debbie Eisenhut, a SIM surgeon in
charge of the EVD response for ELWA, shares that the workers at the
hospital “have an obligation to take care of these patients, in order to
maximize their chances for survival and relieve their suffering. There
is a need for a place to put them in order to protect their families and
the community at large from contracting the disease.”
“The
greatest danger to our hospital staff,” she continues, “is the
possibility of missing a case of Ebola that comes to our ER. The
symptoms of Ebola are very non-specific—fever, gastrointestinal
symptoms, headache, fatigue, etc. So great vigilance is needed to
realize that a patient might be a suspected case so that he/she can be
isolated and not admitted to the regular ward. This takes careful
screening and many questions about the history and contacts. We have a
protocol in place to minimize the probability of inadvertent admission
of an Ebola patient to our regular wards. We also have a security
protocol in place in front of the ER to reduce traffic and to help
screen patients appropriately. All of this takes vigilance and attention
to detail in order to keep our hospital staff safe.”
The current
isolation unit is small, a converted chapel. But ELWA, with the
technical and financial assistance of Samaritan’s Purse, is converting a
building of the new hospital into a larger isolation unit with improved
care facilities. God willing, it should open sometime next week.
Here are some ways you can pray for Liberia, and ELWA Hospital in particular:
Pray for protection for all of the hospital staff members. Pray that
no cases of EVD will be missed in the ER and be inadvertently admitted
to the regular wards.
Pray for healing for the patients who have been admitted.
Pray
for rest and stamina for those working double duty—doctors, nurses and
the workers helping outside the unit. For the missionaries, their
regular jobs haven’t stopped. They continue to keep up their regular
work even while staffing the Ebola unit.
Praise for all the help—supplies and personnel—that Samaritan’s Purse is providing.
Pray
that Liberia will become more aware of the situation. Pray that
Liberians will understand what causes EVD and take the proper
precautions to prevent its spread.
By M.B. Jalloh, Press Attaché, Saudi Arabia Senior
Government officials currently in Islam’s holiest city of Mecca have
called on Sierra Leone’s Muslim population to take advantage of the holy
month of Ramadan, to offer prayers and sacrifices for divine mercy to
stop the spread of the Ebola virus in the West African nation. In a joint appeal to the Muslim Community after Friday, 4th July,
2014 congregational prayers at the Grand Mosque of Mecca (Al-Masjid
al-Ḥaram), Sierra Leone’s Minister of Social Welfare who also doubles as
Chairman of the 2014 Sierra Leone Hajj Affairs, Hon. Alhaji Moijue
Kaikai, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, H.E
Alhaji M.S. Kargbo and Special Assistant to H.E The President on
Political and Religious Affairs, Hon. Nuru Deen Sankoh –Yillah asked
Muslims to multiply their prayers, offer sacrifices and read the Holy
Qur’an during this blessed month of Ramadan for the elimination of the
deadly virus in their country.. http://www.salonemonitor.net/minister-ambassador-others-call-for-prayers-against-ebola/
Inspector General of Police, Francis Munu has sanctioned the
Sierra Leone Police as an integral part of the effort to fight the Ebola
Virus. His statements came in support of the affirmation given to the
Police by His Excellency the President in his address to the nation on
Tuesday 1st July 2014. In his address, His Excellency
recognized the role of the Police as an integral part of the fight
against the spread of the Ebola virus in Sierra Leone.
He mentioned specifically that while tracing suspected cases and
taking them to observation and treatment centres are integral to the
fight against the disease, the main way to stop the spread of the virus
is by preventing contact with persons with the virus. In the event, the
Police force together with health personnel is expected to be at the
fore front of combating this scourge in Sierra Leone. President Koroma
went on to stress that he had instructed the police to “ensure that all
vehicles and their passengers entering and leaving Kailahun and Kenema
Districts subject themselves to screening.”
In supporting Government’s efforts to combat the disease, IG Munu has
instructed that adequate and appropriate information be released to all
rank and file police officers and more specifically for chlorine to be
made available at all frontline stations and police posts in the
affected areas. He also stressed the need for vigilance within the force
and for personnel who are apprised of any suspect situation or casualty
to report such cases immediately to local health experts and not to
touch or attempt to move such fatalities without proper protective
apparel. He noted that this directive is necessary because it has been
declared that the virus is at its most vicious stage within a dead body.
Senior members of the Sierra Leone Police also rendered their support
to the IGP in a meeting of the police Executive Board Meeting held to
discuss the outbreak and the police strategic response. AIG Kalia Sesay,
Director of Peacekeeping indicated that the matter of containment
should be given a priority and that the Sierra Leone Police must use
their best endeavors to support health officials in containing the
disease and help in tracing and surrendering of suspected cases for
treatment.
Inspector General Munu informed his senior staff that their mandate
is now guided by the President’s call for national action and that all
stakeholders should not relent in this fight against the deadly disease.
He noted particularly that His Excellency has buttressed police powers
to uphold the law, specifically in relation to the provisions of the
Public Health Order Act of 1960. This law states that anyone who
obstructs or interferes with the performance of the medical team in
relation to an outbreak such as Ebola is guilty of an offence and liable
to punishment.
IG Munu also reiterated the police duty to protect life and their
mandate to uphold the law by drawing senior staff attention to the
President’s ban on all Lumas or trade fairs until the virus has been
effectively contained. This task, he told his senior staff is to be
disseminated to all local police units across the country. The police,
he added are central to this battle against Ebola and he encouraged all
rank and file of the sierra Leone police to adhere to medical and public
health guidelines at all times
Inspector General Munu also confirmed that the Sierra Leone Police is
sending one police support unit to Kenema to increase the number of
police necessary to operationalize the President’s directives. The
Sierra Leone Police will also deploy two additional police vehicles to
Daru and Kailahun to support medical staff and to deal with any
incidence of public disorder that may occur. These measures the
Inspector General of Police added are in addition to putting together an
operational plan for any ensuing public disorder.
Finally, the IG
confirmed that in complementing government’s efforts across the country,
the police is carrying out its own internal sensitization on how to
handle the disease and prevent police personnel from getting infected by
the virus. http://standardtimespress.org/?p=5251
A-55 year old businessman, Sani Mohamed of Mano Junction in
Nongowa Chiefdom in Kenema District was on Wednesday, 2nd July 2014
convicted for behaving in a “disorderly manner” thereby obstructing the
work of a medical personnel working on Ebola.
The accused man was sentenced to one month imprisonment or pay a fine of
Le 10, 000 (one hundred and fifty thousand Leones) at his first and
last appearance before presiding Magistrate, Alhaji S. Koroma in the
Kenema Magistrate Court According to the particulars of offence, the accused on Wednesday 25th
June, 2014 at Mano Junction checkpoint did behave in a disorderly manner
there by obstructing the work of a medical personnel working on Ebola.
He was arrested for his misbehaviour and charged to court on two counts
charges to wit: behaving disorderly contrary to Section 12 of the Public
Order Act No.46 of 1965 as amended by Section 15 of Act No. 2 of 1973,
count two for obstruction contrary to Section 39 (1) of Police Act No. 7
of 1964. He was found guilty of the offence and he pleaded for mercy.
The matter was prosecuted by Assistant Superintendent of Police, Sahr
Didi Lahai of the Legal and Justice Support Department of the Kenema
Police Division.
By Saffa Moriba
Friday July 04, 2014 http://awoko.org/2014/07/04/sierra-leone-news-ebola-wahalaman-jailed-for-obstruction-of-ebola-staff/
Kenya Airways has regular weekly
flights to and from West African countries, which are currently at the
epicentre of the deadly outbreak.
About 759 people have been infected with the virus in Guinea, Liberia and Sierre Leone and 467 of them have since died.
By MIKE MWANIKI
Public health officials and nurses at
the Eldoret, Kisumu, Moi and Jomo Kenyatta international airports are on
high alert following the outbreak of the deadly Ebola that has so far
killed 467 people in West Africa.
Ministry of Health
Directorate of Preventive and Promotive Diseases Head William Maina on
Saturday said the airport health officials were carrying out random
sampling of passengers who were arriving from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone to guard against what has become the world’s deadliest disease
outbreak.
“They are asking the travellers some
questions and checking if they had any fever. At the same time, we have
acquired the necessary protective gear as a precaution,” Dr Maina said
in a telephone interview.
Currently, Kenya Airways has
regular weekly flights to and from West African countries, which are
currently at the epicentre of the deadly outbreak.
At
the same time, Dr Maina announced that a joint response team comprising
of officials from the World Health Organisation, Centre for Disease
Control, Kenya Medical Research Institute and Ministry of Health was on
stand-by.
The team is led by an Epidemiologist in the Ministry of Health’s disease control unit, Dr Ian Njeru.
On Friday, health ministers from 11 West African countries adopted a common strategy to fight the deadly disease.
At
an emergency meeting in Ghana, the ministers promised to better
collaboration to fight what has become the world’s deadliest outbreak,
killing people in a short time.
About 759 people have been infected with the virus in Guinea, Liberia and Sierre Leone and 467 of them have since died.
Our first glimpse of the Medecins Sans Frontieres clinic in Conakry is chilling. 
francis white
akwasi sarpong 
