The Public Health Ministry today reported the first suspected case of
the deadly Ebola virus in the country when the patient returned from
Ebola infected countries and has high body temperature.
But now the patient is under
quarantine, said Dr Narong Sahamethapat, permanent secretary of the
Public Health Ministry said today at a press conference.
The patient is a Guinean who arrived in Thailand on August 20 and consulted doctors after developing high body temperature.
Dr Narong said the first suspected case of Ebola was discovered yesterday.
The patient arrived from infected
country and had a high body temperature of 38.8 degree Celsius. The
patient had soaring throat and nasal mucus.
He said she is now under quarantine closely monitored under international standards by doctors.
Doctors have sent the patient’ s blood for laboratory test at the Department of Medical Science, and at Chulalongkarn Hospital.
The result of the blood test was expected to be known this afternoon, he said.
He said the second blood test would be conducted on Thursday for confirmation.
The ministry has despatched
surveillance rapid response ( SRRT) teams from the Communicable Disease
Control Department and provincial public health stations to locate
those who had associated closely with her and had found 16 persons.
They have no sign of fever but
they were all quarantined at hospital for a 21-day close monitoring
laid down as a normal standard to limit the areas of spread as much as
possible to ensure confidence for the communities.
They will be treated the same as cold and infectious patients under international standard.
Dr Narong said latest check of the
suspected case of Ebola showed the patient’ s condition has improved but
doctors continued to check the vital sign and body temperature every
four hours.
All doctors and nurses giving
treatment to the case were in protective clothing and all medical
equipment used were strictly pasteurised.
He sad if all laboratory tests of
the suspected case showed negative, they would be forwarded to a special
team to diagnose and discard from its monitoring system, and all
surveillance mission on contact people will be halted.
He asked the public not to be
alarmed as the Ministry has a strengthened network and system to watch
and keep the virus from spread.
He said the disease is not contacted easily.
It could be infected only through
direct contact with the patient’ s hands. The deadly virus is mainly in
the blood and body fluids.
He said living close to the house
or walking pass house of patients could not be infected unless direct
contact with the patient and his fluids or vomits.
From: Date: September 2, 2014 at 4:26:08 PM EDT To: undisclosed-recipients:; Subject: WHO Media Advisory: High-level United Nations delegation to update on Ebola outbreak (Washington, D.C., USA)
2 September 2014
Media Advisory
HIGH-LEVEL UNITED NATIONS DELEGATION TO UPDATE ON EBOLA OUTBREAK
WHAT: The
UN’s senior leadership on Ebola will give the latest update on the
situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Liberia,
Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, and take questions from media about
the newly committed UN surge and Roadmap for the global response.
WHO: Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization Dr David Nabarro, Senior UN System Coordinator for Ebola Disease Dr Keiji Fukuda, Assistant Director-General for Health Security, World Health Organization
WHERE: United Nations Foundation 1750 Pennsylvania Ave, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20006 USA
Please use the following numbers to join by phone: Toll-free US: 1-800-247-5110 Toll: 1-334-323-7224
WHEN: Wednesday, 3 September 2014, 10h30 EDT (Washington DC time)/16h30 CET (Geneva time)/14h30 GMT
WHY: Dr
Nabarro and Dr Fukuda just returned from a needs assessment in the
affected countries, in order to shape the new surge response plan that
the UN has committed to in the region. Dr Chan recently visited the
region and led the development of the WHO Roadmap for global response.
CONTACT: Christy Feig, Director of Communications, World Health Organization: feigc@who.int, +41.79.251.7055
Eric Porterfield, Senior Communications Director, United Nations Foundation: eporterfield@unfoundation.org, +1 202.352.6087
Donna Eberwine-Villagrán, Media and Communication, Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization: eberwind@paho.org, Tel. +1 202 974 3122, Mobile +1 202 316 5469
On July 24, I wrote on this blog
that the Ebola epidemic was spinning out of control and pleaded with
the international community to join my organization, Samaritan’s Purse,
on the front lines of the fight against this deadly disease.
Two days later, we
received word that one of our doctors, Kent Brantly, had tested positive
for Ebola. News of Nancy Writebol’s infection came shortly afterward.
In the ensuing days, our team worked to care for Kent and Nancy,
evacuate them to the United States, and continue to help Ebola-stricken
Liberians at our two case management centers. Tragically, the situation
on the ground became so out of control that we were forced to evacuate
our expatriate staff.
Kent and Nancy have now recovered and have been released from Emory University Hospital. Upon his release, Kent stated,
“I am forever thankful to God for sparing my life and am glad for any
attention my sickness has attracted for the plight of West Africa in the
midst of this epidemic.” He has definitely attracted global attention
to the epidemic, but unfortunately that awareness is still not
translating into effective action.
As Samaritan’s Purse and other organizations — most notably Doctors Without Borders
— continue to engage in the fight against Ebola, I would like to share
some of the lessons I have learned over the past few months.
Photo
Since
March, Samaritan's Purse staff have distributed nearly 200,000 posters
and pamphlets, worked with hundreds of schools and churches, and
provided radio messaging to combat the Ebola virus outbreak.Credit Samaritan's Purse
The
international community was caught off guard by this epidemic, and the
response remains inadequate to address realities on the ground.
Ebola in West Africa is moving faster than a racehorse. On August 7, I testified before a congressional subcommittee. That night, the U.S. Embassy in Liberia ordered the evacuation of non-essential personnel. The next day, the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency.
In the weeks since then, the disease has claimed over 300 lives in
Liberia, and at least 100 more in Sierra Leone and Guinea. International
experts agree that these numbers are greatly underreported.
The number of
infections — and deaths — are increasing so dramatically that few
epidemiologists are publicly willing to project how many more may get
the disease. Some epidemiological reports I have read speculate that it
will be mid-2015 before this Ebola outbreak peaks.
One 20-bed facility in
the remote area of Foya recently had a patient load of 67. Recently,
they opened a new 120-bed facility just outside of Monrovia, and reports
say it is already overwhelmed.
Donor countries have
released some funds as an incentive for non-governmental organizations
to begin new programs to combat Ebola in West Africa, which is a good
start. The United States Agency for International Development announced
that they landed a plane with tons of supplies in Monrovia recently. The
military can also play a key role in providing logistical support and
airlifting essential items like soap, chlorine, protective equipment and
medical supplies.
Liberia has tragically
transitioned from an international public health crisis to a complete
humanitarian emergency. Normal health care is disrupted and in many
places halted. Insecurity and civil unrest is widespread. The World Food Program reports that up to one million people now need food rations.
Ebola was the catalyst for this catastrophe, but now these other
emergency needs are overshadowing the continued disease threat.
W.H.O., which is
widely known for its bureaucracy, infighting, academic perspective and
lack of implementation capacity, is the United Nations coordinating body
for the response to the Ebola crisis. If they fumble the ball many more
lives will be lost.
Local health authorities in the United States lack the knowledge and coordination necessary to deal with Ebola effectively.
As our evacuated staff
returned to the United States from Liberia, we found wide discrepancies
in how they were treated by local public health departments. One
physician was quarantined for 21 days and directed not to leave the
interior of the house under threat of a two-year imprisonment. In
another area, our personnel were “isolated” for 21 days but only told
not to leave the county. They were free to interact outside of their
homes. Public health concerns can mean that a doctor serving in Liberia
for two weeks may well end up missing five weeks of work.
We need to rethink how we are providing patient care and fighting to contain the virus.
The slum of West
Point, adjacent to Monrovia, was under a quarantine enforced by bullets
and barbed wire. Not long ago, some members of this community ransacked a
temporary isolation ward. Dozens of patients were chased out, and
rioters looted mattresses and sheets — the very materials that would be
loaded with Ebola virus. No doubt many were infected and are now at home
sick, dying or dead.
West Africans are
faced with a very hard decision if a loved one gets sick: take them to a
center where more than 60 of 100 patients die or try to care for them
at home. Many are choosing home care, which means sick people are
staying with their families in their houses where they will most likely
die and pass the virus to others.
We must explore the
possibility of alternative treatment options to help these caregivers.
Are there ways to educate them and provide essential materials to
improve their chances of remaining uninfected — and perhaps increase the
odds of survival for their sick loved one? Samaritan’s Purse is trying
to answer this critical question and think outside the box in developing
interventions to assist family caregivers.
I share these lessons
because I am frustrated about the continued lack of respect for this
disease among those who have the best resources to fight it. The problem
only seems to garner serious attention when Ebola victims are citizens
of a developed nation, like Kent and Nancy.
Those of us who are
still witnessing Ebola’s destructive path through West Africa are
committed to continuing the fight. We are taking the lessons we have
already learned and applying them to new strategies in areas such as
ground logistics, the deployment of skilled personnel, the provision of
fuel oil, payment of salaries, and the education and engagement of local
populations. I admit there are times when the battle feels
overwhelming. I pray the international community will immediately and
exponentially increase its efforts. There are still lives that can be
saved.
Ken Isaacs is Vice President of Programs and Government Relations for the international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse.
Patient dies in Lagos teaching hospital, LUTH untouched as Lagos bungles
suspected Ebola case. The patient was not even diagnosed and was given no
attention till died today.
Upon Nigeria’s claims of preparedness for Ebola, there was Total failure in
response to this patient who possibly did not even have Ebola. The patient who
was in respiratort distress was not given any assitance, not even drip,
according to our reportes.
The Infectious Diseases Center refused to come and pick up the patient; and
LUTH personell were too afraid to test and treat this sick person till he
died.
Does this mean every critically ill person in Nigeria will now die untouched
even if it is not Ebola?
From our story Yesterday:
Ill Inbound Passenger Causes Ebola Scare In Lagos; Hospitals Refuse To
Accept
There was an Ebola scare in Lagos Monday. The medical personnel at port health in the
Lagos international airport were called when there was a report of a patient who
they said was vomiting, on an Arik local flight from Jos to Lagos. The first response team from the international
wing put on their PPP uniforms and headed to the local wing. On arrival of
the flight from Jos, the doctors met the plane on the tarmac and assessed
the patient on the plane. He actually wasn’t vomiting on the plane, but
was having difficulty breathing and looked pale but with normal temperature,
according to our NewsRescue reporter. He was given oxygen and rushed to
LASUTH for further examination, but there they met a hostile reception; the
doctors and nurses were reluctant on receiving the patient. They said they
didn’t even have PPP or protective wear at all and no form of quarantine area.
Eventually after delaying for 2 hours they said
they didn’t have bed space. They then proceeded to LUTH. Here they met a
similar situation, and were asked to take the patient to the Yaba Infectious
Disease Center, IDS, quarantine center for Ebola.
It is worth noting that this patient had not yet
even been confirmed to have Ebola, and until some persistence from the team
before he was finally admitted at LUTH.
(Changes dateline to United Nations from New York, adds U.N.
and WHO comments) (Reuters) - The worst ever outbreak
of the Ebola virus will not be halted unless wealthy nations
dispatch specialized biological disaster response teams to West
Africa to stop its spread, the head of medical charity Medecins
Sans Frontieres said on Tuesday.
"Six months into the worst Ebola epidemic in history, the
world is losing the battle to contain it," MSF President Joanne
Liu said in a speech to United Nations member states. She said
aid charities and West African governments did not have the
capacity to stem the outbreak and needed intervention by foreign
states. The organization is known in the United States as
Doctors Without Borders.
The United Nations and its World Health Organization have
also appealed for more global help to stop the deadly disease.
Deputy U.N. Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said an
international response with more involvement of U.N. member
states may be needed, and referenced operations after the 2004
Indian Ocean tsunami and the Haiti earthquake in 2010. David Nabarro, senior U.N. coordinator for the outbreak,
said more health workers and treatment beds were needed, along
with food, money, equipment, materials, vehicles, training,
information systems support and communications guidance. "The way to deal with Ebola is well known; it's just a
question of putting it into practice," Nabarro said. "The
outbreak is advancing ahead of us, it's accelerating ahead, and
we in our control efforts, collectively, are falling behind."
"Every country in the world needs to be thinking 'what can
we do to help?' Because if we don't get on top of this outbreak
as a global community then this could effect all of us in
unexpected ways," he warned.
Governments and aid organizations are scrambling to contain
the disease, which has killed more than 1,500 since early this
year.
WHO director-general Margaret Chan said the outbreak was the
largest, most severe and complex ever seen in the 40-year
history of the disease. "The outbreak will get worse before it gets better and it
requires a well coordinated, big surge and huge scale up of
outbreak response urgently," she told the U.N. briefing. "The
whole world is responsible and accountable to bring the Ebola
threat under control." http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/02/health-ebola-msf-idUSL5N0R34QR20140902?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssHealthcareNews&rpc=401
NEW YORK, Sept 2 (KUNA) -- The International President of Medecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF) Joanne Liu told a meeting of member states on Ebola
Tuesday that it is impossible to keep up with the sheer number of Ebola
infected people pouring into facilities in West Africa. "Six months into the worst Ebola epidemic in history, the world is losing the battle to contain it," she said. The
MSF official stressed that Leaders are "failing to come to grip" with
this transnational threat, as cases and deaths continue to surge. Furthermore,
she affirmed that riots are breaking out and isolation centers are
overwhelmed, whereas the health workers on the front lines are becoming
infected and are dying in shocking numbers. The MSF has been ringing
alarm bells for months, she said, and the outbreak began six months ago,
yet it was declared as "Public Health Emergency of International
Concern" on August 8. She stressed that many of the member states
have already invested heavily in biological threat response, and
highlighted the political and humanitarian responsibility for immediate
utilization to such capabilities in Ebola-affected countries. She
called upon the member states to dispatch disaster response teams,
backed by logistical capabilities in order to get the epidemic under
control. "This is a transnational crisis, with social, economic and security implications for the African continent," she concluded. On
the same issue, the Director General of the World Health Organization
(WHO) Margaret Chan confirmed that this is the largest, most severe and
most complex Ebola outbreak ever seen in nearly 40 years in history of
this disease. She reported that as of this week, more than 3,500
cases reported in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia and more than 1,500
deaths. (pickup previous)
mao.bs
MOSCOW, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - The high rate of Ebola infections in West Africa
and the length of time the outbreak has lasted increase the likelihood
that the Ebola virus could become more transmissible through genetic
mutations, said CDC Director, Thomas Frieden in a press briefing on
Tuesday. “There is a theoretical risk, it may be very low, we simply don’t know, that Ebola
could become easier to spread through genetic mutation,” Frieden said
to members of the press. “That risk might be very low, but it’ probably
not zero. And the longer it spreads, the higher the risk.”...
... Frieden noted that while the threat of genetic mutation is possible, he
has no indications that it has occurred. “Nothing we have seen so far
indicates that Ebola is spreading differently in this outbreak.”..
A German shipping line is imposing an "Ebola inspection fee"
on shipments to and from West Africa, according to JOC.com, a maritime
news Web site.
The inspection fee, $250 for a 20-foot container and $350
for a 40-foot container, will apply to cargo to and from Senegal, Ivory
Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, the Web site reported. It will
take effect on Sept. 21 for most shipments. For cargo to and from the
United States, the fee will go into effect Sept. 29. (Read the full JOC.com report here).
Hapag-Lloyd, the world's sixth largest shipping
line by some estimates, is apparently imposing the fee as a consequence
of increased health inspections of ship crews by local authorities,
according to the report, which quoted a notice from the ship line to its
customers. Such inspections cause delays and operational issues,
imposing unexpected costs on the carrier.
Ebola has killed more than 1,500 people this year and the World Health Organization says there could be as many as 20,000 cases before the outbreak is contained.
Patrice Allégbé Ivorian authorities have "allowed" Monday the opening of humanitarian
corridors with Guinea and Liberia, two neighboring countries affected by
the outbreak of Ebola, but "hold" closed borders, according to a note
read on national television .
"Taking note of the developments of the epidemic of the disease Ebola
in the West African region, the National Security Council decided (...)
to the opening of humanitarian, economic and health corridors towards
affected neighboring countries, "the statement said.
Abidjan, fearing the risk of spreading the disease Ebola, decided in
August to the closure of land borders and suspended flights of the
national airline, Air Côte d'Ivoire to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
-Léone, countries affected by the epidemic.
A Nimba County Senator has disclosed that the deadly Ebola has
killed 41 persons in the county, while there are about 200 suspected
cases. Senator Thomas Grupee said,
Nimba County is the second county in the Republi r control. As a means of helping people of Nimba in the fight
against the deadly virus, citizens of county residing in Monrovia and environs hosted a fund-raising rally at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium at which time about U.S$12,000 was realized.
Last Friday, Mego Terzian, a senior official from Medecins Sans
Frontieres (MSF) warned that the current response from the international
community risks aggravating the crisis. "I am extremely pessimistic if
there is not a substantial international mobilization," Terzian told
Reuters in an interview in Paris. "The situation is getting worse. We
will have hundreds and thousands more people infected who will arrive en
masse
at health centers," he said. "In Guinea, eight regions have been hit.
In Sierre Leone, the situation is catastrophic and out of control and in
Liberia, let's not even talk about it." http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/2832-travel-ban-will-airlines-ease-blockade-on-virus-hit-nations
Written by Wade C. L. Williams, wade.williams@frontpageafricaonline.com
Published: 02 September 2014
Monrovia
- U.S. Ambassador to Liberia Deborah R. Malac has suggested that the
American government prefers a less forceful role by the Liberian
military in the ongoing Ebola crisis in the post-war nation. Addressing a news conference in Monrovia today, Ambassador Malac
stated: “We would like to see the AFL not being involved in a law
enforcement role. They have an appropriate role, in this Ebola response
as does the LNP, BIN and other security agencies because there is a
security aspect in other cases to this response. But the AFL was
intended to be an external defense force to external threats. We hope
that they will start to see more activity on the part of the LNP and
that they will continue to lead on the security aspect of this Ebola
response. We look forward to seeing the results of the investigation.”
Ambassador
Malac’s statement comes in the aftermath of the recent shooting of
15-year-old Shaki Kamara during a riots in West Point.
UHH....Prolly not a good idea if dogs are eating ebola victims
on /
By EMMANUEL OKOLIE AGBOR—THE number of people turning to dog meat (flesh and other
palatable parts derived from dogs) for its undocumented health and
spiritual benefits is snowballing, compelling sellers to open road side
joints where they butcher and sell the meat, fresh or cooked. From
Ibusa to Agbor, Ubuluku and Umunede in Delta State, you see men mostly
in hidden or open kiosks demolishing plates of dog meat pepper soup,
which they claim stands out from any other meats Dog meat joint
Dogs butcher at work
As
a group of people gathered round a giant size cooking pot in front of a
kiosk built with bamboo sticks at Abuedo Quarters, Ubulu-Uku, along the
Umunede Ogwashi-Uku Road, Aniocha South Local Government Area, it did
not strike one that they were negotiating the parts of a newly
slaughtered dog meat.
Some of the customers wanted to buy the parts and personally prepare them for their family members and friends. Different experience
“When
you buy dog meat that is prepared by the road side, you really enjoy
the meat, but it is a different experience when you use it to prepare
soup,” said Tony, a slim built bus driver, who parked his Toyota Hiace
bus, which he uses to ferry passengers from Agbor to Asaba to join the
‘dog meat’ queue. Immunization against malaria On
why he eats the meat, he said it serves as an immunization for his
family against malaria attack. “We use mosquitoes net in my house, but
somehow mosquitoes still find their way into the house, and I know that
dog meat fights malaria parasite,” he added. Foils witches’ attack For
some, dog meat prevents them from being attacked by witches and wizards
and even makes evil spiritual forces to flee from them. “I do not fear
witches because like dogs that have penetrating eyes, witches too see
and they feel I have powers that neutralizes their power,” said Ike
Azuka, a teacher who said, “ I visit dog meat joint at least three
times a week.” Traditional doctors’ favourite
At
Umunede, Ika North Local Government Area, Ansalem, who sells both
dog and goat meats, depending on the animal he gets for the day, told Niger Delta Voice that he sells the bitter part of dog meat to traditional medicine practitioners, who pay upfront for it. Increasing demand
He
also said that the increasing demand of the meat has led to the
increase in price. “In the past, we used to buy a big dog for N3, 000 or
N3, 500, but now people want to sell for N5,000 or more. That makes it
very hard to make more than N2000 after sale.”
A dog met seller in
Ibusa, Onyeka, who sometimes kills two dogs a day, and serves it with
cooked yam, prepared with heavily- spiced pepper soup, said that he has
heard some customers saying that dog meat eaters have fortified immune
system that wards off any form of infection.
Onyeka, whose kiosk
is proximate the Ibusa General Hospital, said that in the past, some
customers used to send people to pick the meat for them, but they now
walk in confidently to devour the meat. He said more people were eating
the meat because of the good it does to the body.
“Whenever I kill dog meat, people hardly wait for me to finish its preparation before they start making demand,” he said.
Another
seller, Success, who also runs a kiosk near Ibusa General Hospital,
said that he hardly meets the demand of his customers, who according to
him, range from the high to the low in the society.... http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/dog-meat-cures-malaria-repels-witches-eaters-ibusa-agbor-ubulu-uku-umunede/
Get your snak on!
/ By IKE UCHE Standard of living CALABAR—In
some communities in the Niger-Delta, eating dog meat is a taboo, but
among the Efiks in Calabar and other tribes in Cross-River and
Akwa-Ibom States, eating ‘404’, ‘J5’, ‘pepperoni’, among others, as
dog meat is prevalently known, is a way of life.
The guzzlers tell you bluntly that it is a delicacy that goes smoothly with beer besides the medicinal and healing power.
…Know no tribe
In a chat with Niger Delta Voice, Mr.
Ubong Udofia who has been in the business of dog meat since 1994,
said the delicacy knows no tribe as people from different ethnic
backgrounds, including Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Efik, Ibibio patronize the
joint.
Dog meat
“One
thing they share in common is the satisfaction they get from consuming
the meat, which for some is an everyday affair. We do not in this part
see dog meat as a taboo like in some places,” he said. Remedies Udofia added, “Most people here believe that it cures malaria and other forms of ailments due to the varieties of leave.. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/404-medicinal-chases-away-evil-spirits-c-river-akwa-ibom-consumers/
An elderly woman who was in the same hospital room with Late Dr Enemuo
who treated ECOWAS diplomat,Olu-Ibukun Koye ,has tested positive to
Ebola.She is one of the three persons quarantined in Oduoha, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.She contracted the virus in Good Heart Hospital, the health facility where Iyke Enemuo,died last week
The two others – a doctor and a pharmacist who are members of staff of Sam Steel Clinic,founded by late Enemou,tested negative.
The Commissioner of health also said,the sister of Late Enemou who ran to Abia state has been found .He said....
by Azubuike Azikiwe
A 19-year-old Law student at the Ahmadu Bello University has been diagnosed with the Ebola virus disease in Kaduna. Bilyaminu Umar, the spokesman for the, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, confirmed the case on Monday, 1 September. He revealed that the student was diagnosed at ABUTH, Shika, Zaria. He said, “Yes, there was a case of a suspected Ebola patient. He is
with the Faculty of Law, ABU, Zaria and will be placed on isolation. I
am out of town, but will confirm details on my return from a trip.” Meanwhile, a patient suspected of having the Ebola virus disease died
in Abuja, FCT on Friday, 29 August, after being admitted on Thursday,
28 August.
Asokoro District Hospital released a statement confirming the death,
while also reassuring the public that all those who came in contact with
the deceased are under surveillance. http://ynaija.com/ebola-19-year-old-student-diagnosed-ebola-kaduna-another-person-dies-abuja/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ebola-19-year-old-student-diagnosed-ebola-kaduna-another-person-dies-abuja
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – SIM USA (www.simusa.org) reported today that
one of its missionary doctors in Liberia has tested positive for the
Ebola virus. The American doctor was treating obstetrics patients at SIM’s ELWA
hospital in Monrovia. He was not treating Ebola patients in ELWA’s Ebola
isolation unit, a facility separate from the main hospital on the
mission organization’s 136-acre campus. It is not yet known how the
doctor contracted the virus specifically.
The doctor immediately isolated himself... is doing well and is in good spirits.
Upon onset of the symptoms, the doctor immediately isolated himself
and has since been transferred to the ELWA Ebola isolation unit. The
doctor is doing well and is in good spirits. “My heart was deeply saddened, but my faith was not shaken, when I
learned another of our missionary doctors contracted Ebola,” said Bruce
Johnson, president of SIM USA. “As a global mission, we are surrounding
our missionary with prayer, as well as our Liberian SIM/ELWA colleagues,
who continue fighting the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. We have gifted
Liberian doctors, medical staff and support staff who are carrying on
the fight.” SIM USA will hold a press conference at its Charlotte, N.C., headquarters on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 2:30 p.m. to provide additional and updated details.http://simusa.org/content/latest-new...tive_for_ebola
According to
reports, five persons, a man, two of his children and two others were
confirmed dead on Friday in the village of Uchenyim, Wanikade,North
Ukelle in Northern Cross River State after eating the meat of a dog.
Reports from the
area said the dog was fond of eating the eggs laid by native chicken in
the Odareko-Uchenyim village and one of the villagers allegedly laced
the eggs laid by his chicken with gamalin 20 insecticide and as
expected, “the dog ate the eggs and fell ill and when it was about to
die the owner quickly killed and prepared it into a delicacy which he,
his family consumed with some neigbours”. Ugbem Onawo, a villager
narrated to newsmen.
The man and his two
children and the two others who died, according to the report also ate
the intestines of the dog where incidentally the poison from the gamalin
20 is lodged leading to their taking ill and dying . “After the man
shared the intestines among his children and the two neighbours and they
ate death came calling and they all died though at different times,
which made some villager wrongly suspect the deadly ebola virus.
Home to more than 8,000 people, Barkedu is now under quarantine: no one can go in, and no one can go out.
The toll of the isolation is weighing heavily on the community.
"From the time we
started receiving death from Ebola -- every activity cease," says Musa
Sessay, the town's chief. "Because we do farm here and now there's been
no farming.".
China’s first drug against Ebola virus disease (EVD) has obtained
manufacturing approval for emergency use, a military newspaper reports. The drug, named JK-05, was developed by Professor Wang Hongquan with
the Institute of Microbiological Epidemiology under the Academy of
Military Medical Sciences, according to the PLA News.
“JK-05 is a micro-molecular chemical, and its pharmacological
mechanism is to selectively contain the RNA polymerase of the Ebola
virus to inhibit virus replication,” Wang told the newspaper.
Wang’s study showed JK-05 resisted the replication of Ebola cells in experiments and animal tests. The drug, after five years of study, has passed pre-clinical testing
and the clinical safety test. However, the drug currently is strictly
limited for emergency use only, Wang said.
More than 1,500 people in West Africa have recently been killed by
EVD. No cases have been reported in China so far, but authorities are on
guard and have developed test kits and a treatment plan.
A study published in the journal Nature showed that 18 monkeys
treated with ZMapp, an experimental drug, all survived. and three that
did not take the drug died.
The ZMapp drug is one of several vaccines and medications being
developed. GlaxoSmithKline and the US National Institutes of Health are
planning to start human trials of an Ebola vaccine as soon as this week.
Inserm, the French national health institute, is talking with Guinea
health authorities about human trials of drugs from Fujifilm Holdings
and Tekmira Pharmaceuticals. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1582834/ebola-virus-approved-mainland-emergency-use-only
President
Obama urged West Africans in areas affected by the Ebola virus not to
touch the corpses of loved ones who had succumbed to the deadly disease
in a public service announcementreleased by the State Department on Tuesday.
"When
burying someone who has died from this terrible disease, it's important
to not directly touch their body," Obama says. "You can respect your
traditions and honor your loved ones without risking the lives of the
living."
Public
health officials in Africa have expressed concern that death rituals on
the continent — which can include washing, touching, and kissing the
dead — have helped spread the deadly disease.The World Health Organization warned
last week that the outbreak was accelerating and could affect some
20,000 people before being brought under control. Already, more than
1,500 people have died from Ebola in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and
Nigeria.
In the video, Obama offers the prayers of the American
people to "those of you who have lost loved ones during this terrible
outbreak of Ebola." But he also pledges American assistance to West
African governments grappling with the disease.
"You are not alone," Obama says. "Together we can treat those who are sick with respect and dignity."
The
focus though of the president's video is prevention techniques. The
president urges those in the affected region to seek immediate medical
care if they suspect they have contracted Ebola, noting half of those
who do so survive the virus.
"If you feel sick with a high fever, you should get help right away," Obama said.
The
president also looked to dispel common myths about how the disease is
spread — again encouraging extra caution around the sick and remains.
"The
most common way you can get Ebola is by touching the body fluids of
someone who is sick or who has died from it," Obama says. "Like their
sweat, saliva, or blood. Or through a contaminated item like a needle."
The
president's video comes as the WHO says West African countries are
“struggling to control the escalating outbreak against a backdrop of
severely compromised health systems, significant deficits in capacity,
and rampant fear.”
"The 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak continues to evolve in alarming ways," the international health organization warned. http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/216378-obama-to-africans-dont-touch-ebola-corpses
DRC: 31 dead, new assessment of the Ebola outbreak
published there 9:00, 14 minutes | Last Update September 2, 2014 at 7:54
The
new statistics of the epidemic of Ebola plaguing the health area Djera
in Equateur province virus, report 31 deaths out of 53 cases recorded,
reported Monday, September 1 at the Mbandaka Minister of Public Health, Felix Kabange Numbi.
Only the health area Djera still affected and the situation is under
control with contingency measures put in place by the Congolese
government, he said. "We are 51 cases, 13 laboratory-confirmed cases, 19 probable cases and 21 suspected cases.To date, we have 31 deaths.We have 15 samples, including 13 positive for Ebola and we are monitoring 185 cases of contact ", detailed the Minister Kabange Numbi. He said the case contacts are people who have had contact with sick Ebola. "We
must follow every day for 21 days, because -when you are in contact
with someone with Ebola - you can make the disease within two to
twenty-one days," said the same source.
The Minister of Health reiterated that the outbreak was confined to Djera. "The Government of the Republic and the provincial government are set to protect Mbandaka Ebola," Has he said after his meeting with the acting governor of Ecuador, Sébastien Impeto.
Moreover, the Minister of Public Health also urged people in Mbandaka
and the entire province to observe the preventive measures against the
epidemic.
These include the quarantine of Djera, prohibition of contact with
patients and their liquid, hand washing and denunciation of all visitors
who come from the infected area. The report published last Thursday, August 28 by Felix Kabange reported seven new cases of Ebola confirmed by laboratory tests.
Bringing to thirteen the number of people affected by the virus in the
area Djera where the epidemic was officially declared four days before
people. https://translate.google.com/translate?depth=2&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2014/08/21/equateur-mal-inconnu-fait-65-morts-en-4-semaines-djera/
Ebola outbreak: call to send in military to West Africa to help curb epidemic
Head of Médecins sans Frontières urges UN to dispatch disaster response teams as cases and deaths continue to surge
Tuesday 2 September 2014
Medical workers of the
John F Kennedy hospital of Monrovia show the aprons they have been
wearing during a strike. Photograph: Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images
Military teams should be sent to West Africa immediately if there is to be any hope of controlling the Ebola epidemic, doctors on the frontline told the United Nations
on Tuesday, painting a stark picture of health workers dying, patients
left without care and infectious bodies lying on the streets.
The
international president of Médecins sans Frontières, Dr Joanne Liu, told
member states that although alarm bells had been ringing for six
months, the response had been too little, too late and no amount of
vaccinations and new drugs would be able to prevent the escalating
humanitarian disaster.
"In West Africa, cases and deaths continue
to surge," she said. "Riots are breaking out. Isolation centres are
overwhelmed. Health workers on the frontline are becoming infected and
are dying in shocking numbers.
"Others have fled in fear, leaving people without care for even the most common illnesses. Entire health systems have crumbled." She said Ebola treatment centres had been reduced to places where people went to die alone. "It
is impossible to keep up with the sheer number of infected people
pouring into facilities. In Sierra Leone, infectious bodies are rotting
in the streets," she said. "Rather than building new Ebola care centres
in Liberia, we are forced to build crematoria."
The World Health
Organisation estimated last week that 20,000 people in Guinea, Liberia
and Sierra Leone have been infected over three months. Médecins sans
Frontières has doubled its staff of volunteer doctors in the region but
is unable to cope.
The epidemic can be stopped, said Liu, but only if governments send in their biohazard teams and equipment.
"Many
of the member states represented here today have invested heavily in
biological threat response," she said at the UN. "You have a political
and humanitarian responsibility to immediately utilise these
capabilities in Ebola-affected countries. "To curb the epidemic,
it is imperative that states immediately deploy civilian and military
assets with expertise in biohazard containment. I call upon you to
dispatch your disaster response teams, backed by the full weight of your
logistical capabilities. This should be done in close collaboration
with the affected countries. Without this deployment, we will never get
the epidemic under control." Money is no longer the main issue,
according to MSF, and voluntary help is not enough. Skilled and well
equipped teams are needed on the ground.
Governments should send
in military and civilian experts who can scale up the numbers of
isolation centres and deploy mobile laboratories that can be used to
diagnose more cases.
Military-style operations are required to
establish dedicated air bridges to move personnel and equipment around
West Africa and a regional network of field hospitals must be built to
treat medical staff who are infected or suspected of being infected.
About a tenth of the deaths have been among health workers.
"We
must also address the collapse of state infrastructure," Liu said. "The
health system in Liberia has collapsed. Pregnant women experiencing
complications have nowhere to turn.
"Malaria and diarrhoea, easily
preventable and treatable diseases, are killing people. Hospitals need
to be reopened and newly created."
Lastly, she said, there must be
a change of approach by affected countries. "Coercive measures, such as
laws criminalising the failure to report suspected cases, and forced
quarantines, are driving people underground. "This is leading to
the concealment of cases, and is pushing the sick away from health
systems. These measures have only served to breed fear and unrest,
rather than contain the virus."
Liu was speaking as nurses in Liberia went on strike for better pay and equipment to protect themselves from Ebola. John
Tugbeh, spokesman for the strikers at John F Kennedy hospital in
Monrovia, said the nurses would not return to work until they are
supplied with "personal protective equipment (PPEs)", the hazmat-style
suits that guard against infectious diseases. "From
the beginning of the Ebola outbreak we have not had any protective
equipment to work with. As a result, so many doctors got infected by the
virus. We have to stay home until we get the PPEs," he said. The
surgical section at John F Kennedy hospital is the only trauma referral
centre in Liberia. The hospital closed temporarily in July owing to the
infections and deaths of an unspecified number of health workers who had
been treating Ebola patients.
"We need proper equipment to work with [and] we need better pay because we are going to risk our lives," Tugbeh said.
The
UN has also warned of serious food shortages as a result of
restrictions on movement in the Ebola-hit countries. "Access to food has
become a pressing concern for many people in the three affected
countries and their neighbours," said Bukar Tijani, Food and
Agricultural Organisation regional representative for Africa.
"With
the main harvest now at risk and trade and movements of goods severely
restricted, food insecurity is poised to intensify in the weeks and
months to come." http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/02/ebola-outbreak-call-send-military-curb-epidemic
The
death of a patient, who is suspected to have Ebola, has caused panic
among patients and doctors at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital,
Idi- Araba, Lagos State.
A reliable source, who confirmed this development to our
correspondent in Lagos on Tuesday, said the patient was brought in by
members of the health authorities at the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Ikeja, to the hospital on Monday. According to the doctor who was on duty when the patient was admitted
into the Accident and Emergency Unit, the patient was vomiting blood
and stooling, symptoms which are similar to that of an Ebola patient,
before he died in the early hours of Tuesday at the Spill-Over ward of
the hospital. He said, “They rushed him to the Accident and Emergency Unit, and
since he was vomiting and purging and he also had high fever, we quickly
took his temperature, it was very high. We were all scared to take his
blood samples because we were not wearing any Protective Protective
Equipment.
“We had to take him out of the emergency ward to the other spill-over
ward to avoid any form of contamination. We also reported to the
Lagos State Government so that they can take him to the Infectious
Diseases Hospital in Yaba for proper treatment. But he had started
vomiting blood by this morning , and few hours after he died.”
The doctor said that the body has being transferred to the Mainland
Hospital, Yaba, for testing and confirmation of the cause of death.
The source said, “Like I said, we could not take any blood sample
when he was alive because we were not wearing PPE, and we could not
manage him effectively because of the severity of the symptoms we saw
and considering the fact that he was coming from the airport. He could
have been coming from an Ebola-affected country.
“They will need to establish the cause of death, so as to be able to
know whether to quarantine those that he had contact with from the
airport to the hospital. LUTH does not have the facilities to handle any
suspected case of Ebola, government should know that, so they don’t
keep bringing suspected cases here. All suspected cases should be taken
to IDH.”
When contacted, the LUTH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Akin
Oshibogun, said the death of the patient is still being investigated.
Oshibogun said, “We have been able to establish that this patient has
no history of Ebola or any contact with a person that had Ebola. We are
only trying to investigate the patient. If there is any new thing, we
will let you know. As long as we are in the hospital, from time to time,
we will always have high index suspicion and most times these patients
turn out to be negative.
“There is a difference between suspected or confirmed cases . We are
only investigating the case to protect our people. We have had that
situation two times in the hospital now. If we have a case we will
announce it. In the case of this patient, for the fact that a patient
has high index suspicion does not make the patient an Ebola patient.
When you create panic many nurses may decide to abandon the patients.”
A twitter handle monitored by PUNCH ONLINE also confirmed the incident. See tweet below:
Chaotic scenes as an infected man wanders into a Monrovia market to look for food are captured on video.
Video: Ebola Victim Flees Quarantine To Visit Market
Video has emerged of
Liberian ebola clinic workers dressed in contamination suits chasing an
escaped patient through the streets after he left a treatment centre to
visit a market.
There were chaotic scenes as crowds followed infected man, who was
wearing a wristband to show he had tested positive for the disease, and
some stallholders argued with him as he approached.
The patient escaped from Monrovia's Elwa hospital, which last month was
so crowded with cases of the deadly disease that it had to turn people
away.
One woman at the scene said: "The patients are hungry, they are starving. No food, no water.
"The government needs to do more. Let Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf [the President of Liberia] do more." Crowds followed the escaped ebola patient at a distance
Onlookers cheered as health workers arrived in their protective outfits and try to convince the patient to give himself up.
The man, who shows no outward signs of the diarrhoea and bleeding that
the virus causes, refuses to return with the health workers and they
eventually grab him and carry him away to a waiting ambulance.
At least 1,552 people have been killed by the current ebola outbreak,
with 3,062 patients infected overall, according to the latest figures
from the World Health Organization.
The UN agency has warned that more than 20,000 people could be infected with ebola before the outbreak comes to an end. The patient was eventually confronted by health workers
There has been widespread panic buying, a shortage of staple foods and
severe prices in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia since movement
restrictions were imposed to stop the spread of the virus.
At one market stall in Liberia, a nation which has suffered 694
fatalities so far, the price of cassava skyrocketed by 150% in a matter
of days.
And despite the UN's World Food Programme launching an emergency
operation to get 65,000 tonnes of supplies sent to deprived areas, many
patients in quarantined areas are starving. The UN has launched an operation to feed people in deprived areas
To compound the problem, labour shortages are expected in all three
West African countries, weeks before the main harvesting season for
maize and rice begins.
The production of other crops such as rubber, palm oil and cocoa could
also be seriously affected, sending thousands of vulnerable people
further into poverty.
Vincent Martin of the FAO added: "Even prior to the ebola outbreak,
households in some of the affected areas were spending up to 80% of
their incomes on food.
"Now these latest price spikes are effectively putting food completely out of their reach." videohttp://news.sky.com/story/1328891/ebola-patient-flees-clinic-in-search-for-food
Passengers being tested for Ebola at
a ferry dock in Maungdaw, the entrance gate between Myanmar and
Bangladesh, seen on the last week of August (Photo - Win Maung/EMG)
Blood samples taken from a
Myanmar man suspected of possibly having Ebola – and four others said to
have had contact with him – were sent to a laboratory in Pune, in
India, on Friday, the Health Ministry has said.
Ministry officials said blood samples
from patient Zin Min Oo and four people who allegedly had contact with
him were sent in accordance with International Air Transport Association
standards for bio-safety, after initial difficulties in doing this were
overcome.
The laboratory in India is recognized by
the World Health Organisation. The samples may be forwarded to the
Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, in the US, and labs in Hamburg in
Germany, they said.
Zin Min Oo recently returned from West
Africa, which has been hit hard by a deadly Ebola outbreak, with a
fever. He was initially feared he may have Ebola, and he was put in a
unit in Weibergi Hospital.
GATINEAU, Que. – A girl has been put in isolation at a hospital in
Gatineau, Que., as a precautionary measure and is being tested for Ebola after coming down with a fever following a recent trip to West Africa.
Karelle
Kennedy, a spokeswoman for Outaouais region public health, says a blood
test was sent to a laboratory Friday afternoon and that the results
should be back Saturday.
In a bid to check the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the Lagos
State Government on Saturday warned residents against urinating and
defecating in drains, dumpsites and empty areas.
Mr Tunji Bello, the Commissioner for the Environment gave the warning
on Saturday when he led some state officials to monitor the monthly
sanitation exercise across the state.
He said open urination and defecation could further spread of the virus.
“People can contract the virus through urine and faeces. Residents
should keep their environment clean and take the other preventive
measures to reduce the risk of being infected. “ Now Ebola is a serious health issue in the country and there are
things our people need to do and should not do to help contain the
spread of the disease. “Residents must stop defecating or urinating in public. This should
stop because if somebody is infected and he goes out to urinate in open
places that is just the easiest way to spread it,’’ Bello told newsmen. “If we are able to stop the unhygienic habits and do the right thing, then we are on course in the fight against the disease.’’
On indiscriminate dumping of waste by residents, Bello warned them to
desist from such practices, saying it is a major cause of flooding and
other environmental problems in the state.
He condemned dumping of refuse in unauthorised places in Isolo area
of the metropolis and said that the government would fence off some
affected locations as part of efforts to discourage such habits.
Bello said some residents, who had erected structures on flood-prone
areas had been notified to remove such structures immediately for public
safety.
On the monthly sanitation, the commissioner
urged the people to participate actively in the exercise.
“Participating in the exercise regularly should be a duty of all.
“We see people playing football and doing some things during the exercise. We have cautioned them.
“Some would listen, some would not. But those who would not comply the law enforcement agents will take care of them,’’ he said. http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/08/ebola-lasg-warns-residents-open-defecation/
by Azubuike Azikiwe
