Ebola Outbreak Is Unstoppable for Now

04 September 2014

By Rachael Rettner
A doctor who just returned from treating Ebola patients in West Africa predicts the current Ebola outbreak will go on for more than a year, and will continue to spread unless a vaccine or other drugs that prevent or treat the disease are developed.
Dr. Daniel Lucey, an expert on viral outbreaks and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Medical Center, recently spent three weeks in Sierra Leone, one of the countries affected by the Ebola outbreak. While there, Lucey evaluated and treated Ebola patients, and trained other doctors and nurses on how to use protective equipment.
The current Ebola outbreak, which is mainly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, has so far killed at least 1,552 of the more than 3,000 people infected, making it the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in history. It is also the first outbreak to spread from rural areas to cities. Strategies that have worked in the past to stop Ebola outbreaks in rural areas may not, by themselves, be enough to halt this outbreak, Lucey said.
“I don’t believe that our traditional methods of being able to control and stop outbreaks in rural areas … is going to be effective in most of the cities,” Lucey said yesterday (Sept. 3) in a discussion held at Georgetown University Law Center that was streamed online. While the World Health Organization has released a plan to stop Ebola transmission within six to nine months, “I think that this outbreak is going to go on even longer than a year,” Lucey said. [5 Things You Should Know About Ebola]
In addition, without vaccines or drugs for Ebola, “I’m not confident we will be able to stop it,” Lucey said. There are a few studies of Ebola treatments and prevention methods under way, but more research is needed to show whether they are safe and effective against the disease.
One strategy that could help with the current outbreak is to implement public health “command centers” whose job it is to make sure that tools and equipment sent to the affected regions are properly distributed to places that need them, Lucey said.
When Lucey was in Sierra Leone, protective equipment for health care workers made its way to the capital city, but not to the hospital where he was working, he said. “We did not have gloves that I felt safe with,” Lucey said, noting that the gloves would tear easily. “We didn’t have face shields. We had goggles that had been washed so many times you couldn’t see through them,” Lucey said.
Another important factor in stemming the outbreak will be community engagement and education to help people in the region understand the behaviors that spread the disease, said Dr. Marty Cetron, director of Global Migration and Quarantine at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is also important to understand the culture of an area so that control strategies are culturally acceptable, Cetron said.
This large Ebola outbreak could have been prevented with an effective public health response at the beginning, said Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. But the weak health systems of the affected countries left them unprepared to respond to the outbreak, Gostin said.
The international community should have been more generous in supporting poorer countries so they could develop the response capacities needed to contain the outbreak, Gostin and colleagues wrote in a recent briefing for the O’Neill Institute.
To help with the current outbreak, and prevent future ones, Gostin called for the establishment of an international “health systems fund,” which would be supported by high-resource countries. The money would be used to strengthen the health systems in those countries, he said.
“We want to avoid leaving these countries in the same kind of fragile health condition” that they are in now, and that is being worsened, Gostin said. http://thefielder.net/en/04/09/2014/ebola-outbreak-is-unstoppable-for-now/#.VAiRnBRkoos.twitter

Assessing the International Spreading Risk Associated with the 2014 West African Ebola Outbreak

...Conclusions

We show by a modeling effort informed by data available on the 2014WA EVD outbreak that the risk of international spread of the Ebola virus is still moderate for most of the countries. The current analysis however shows that if the outbreak is not contained, the probability of international spread is going to increase consistently, especially if other countries are affected and are not able to contain the epidemic. It is important to stress that the presented modeling analysis has been motivated by the need for a rapid assessment of the EVD outbreak trends and contains assumptions and approximations unavoidable with the current lack of data from the region.

 The results may change as more information becomes available from the EVD affected region and more refined sensitivity analysis can be implemented computationally. Furthermore, the modeling approach does not include scenarios for the identification and isolation of cases, the quarantine of contacts, and the proper precautions in hospital and funeral preparation that would be relevant in discussing optimal containment strategies. Such a modeling effort however calls for better and more detailed data not available at the moment.

First suspected case of Ebola in Thailand

| September 2, 2014

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.

Washing hands after going to toilets is  strictly advised, he added.  http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/first-suspected-case-ebola-thailand-reported/

WHO Media Advisory: High-level United Nations delegation to update on Ebola outbreak

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.


RSVP:
Mariam Khan: mkhan@unfoundation.org, +1 202.887.9040


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

Lessons Learned from the Ebola Epidemic

By KEN ISAACS

September 2, 2014 2:22 pm

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.

Doctors Without Borders is fighting a tough battle, especially in Liberia.

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.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control pledged to dispatch 50 emergency responders to West Africa within 30 days. I would not qualify sending 50 people over the course of 30 days as a true “emergency” response.

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.

 http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/09/02/lessons-learned-from-the-ebola-epidemic/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Ebola: Untouched Patient Dies As Lagos Bungles In fear of Ebola

By: Temidayo Osikoya on 9/02/2014 10:25:00 pm

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.

UPDATE 1-Wealthy nations must send medical teams to halt Ebola -Medecins San Frontieres

Tue Sep 2, 2014 4:21pm EDT

(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

Impossible to keep up with Ebola infections in W. Africa - MSF Pres.

02/09/2014   |   11:21 PM

Impossible to keep up with Ebola infections in W. Africa - MSF Pres. 02/09/2014   |   11:21 PM | World News 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

RIIIIIGGGHHTT...

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.”..  


 http://en.ria.ru/world/20140902/192575798/Ebola-Mutation-Possible-But-Has-Not-Occurred---CDC-Director.html

German ship line imposes Ebola fee on Africa shipments

2 Hours AgoCNBC.com

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.

Ebola virus: the Ivory Coast "authorizes" the opening of humanitarian corridors with Guinea and Liberia

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

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. 

The National Security Council "welcomes the availability of the entire UN system and bilateral and multilateral partners to support the government in the areas of security, logistics and border surveillance partners," says text.
He again invited the Ivorian people "not to panic because the disease is transmitted by direct contact with body fluids of sick people or handling or consumption of game."
In the West African region, the presence of the virus was previously confirmed in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal, where more than 1,500 people died, according to a report from the World Organization for Health published in late August.
The Ivorian government "takes note" also of the Conference of Health Ministers of ECOWAS, which deems "unproductive" closed borders, the statement, which calls for "strengthening epidemiological surveillance" in the country.
The National Security Council, which brought together several members of the government, army officers and public companies in Ivory Coast leaders, was chaired by the head of state Alassane Ouattara. https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.connectionivoirienne.net%2F102731%2Fvirus-ebola-cote-divoire-autorise-louverture-couloirs-humanitaires-guinee-liberia%3Futm_campaign%3Dvirus-ebola-la-cote-divoire-autorise-louverture-de-couloirs-humanitaires-avec-la-guinee-et-le-liberia%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&edit-text=

Ebola kills 41 in Nimba

Ebola kills 41 in Nimba

Monday, 01 September 2014 00:00 ND

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.

“Mr. Musa Bility provin .. http://www.thenewdawnliberia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12520:ebola-kills-41-in-nimba&catid=46:health&Itemid=60

We will have hundreds and thousands more people infected who will arrive en masse at health centers

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

Eyeing Probe: U.S. Slams Army Role in Liberia Ebola Response

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.

The Food and Agriculture Organization on Mo  http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/2870-eyeing-probe-u-s-slams-army-role-in-liberia-ebola-response

Dog Meat: It cures malaria, repels witches – Eaters in Ibusa, Agbor, Ubulu-Uku, Umunede

UHH....Prolly not a good idea if dogs are eating ebola victims

on September 02, 2014   / 

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!

 September 02, 2014   /
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/

U.S. govt agency to accelerate development of Mapp's Ebola treatment

Sept 2 Tue Sep 2, 2014 1:52pm EDT

A U.S. government agency said on Tuesday that it would accelerate the development of an Ebola treatment from Mapp Biopharmaceutical.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that work on the Ebola drug would be funded by a contract worth up to $42.3 million.
It said that Mapp would manufacture a small amount of the drug for early stage safety studies.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/02/health-ebola-mapp-idUSL1N0R31HT20140902?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssHealthcareNews&rpc=401

Ebola- Late Dr Enemuo's sister who fled to Abia found & quarantined , elderly woman tests positive

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....

#Ebola: 19-year-old student diagnosed with Ebola in Kaduna || Another person dies in Abuja

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

SIM Missionary Doctor in Liberia Tests Positive for Ebola

September 2, 2014

Liberia, Africa, Ebola 

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

Ebola Scare : Five Die After Eating Dog Meat In Cross River

bola Scare : Five Die After Eating Dog Meat In Cross River

By Samuel Oghogho 5:18 PM  

1 comment

 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

Quarantine zone

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.".

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/01/world/africa/ebola-ghost-town/index.html?sr=sharebar_twitter 

China-Ebola virus drug approved on mainland for emergency use only

PUBLISHED : Monday, 01 September, 2014,

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

Obama to Africans: Don’t touch Ebola corpses

By Justin Sink - 09/02/14 11:34 AM EDT

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 announcement released 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

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.

See also: Felix Kabange: "The secret of Ebola management is to break the chain of contact"

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

Ebola: Panic at LUTH over death of patient

September 2, 2014 by Bukola  Adebayo

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:

So yeah we just confirmed the rumour is true..a suspected ebola case in luth.. we can’t say more due to px confidentiality..
— Doctors Magazine Nig (@doctorsmag) September 2, 2014
http://www.punchng.com/news/fear-over-suspected-ebola-death-at-luth/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Ebola Patient Flees Clinic In Search For Food

Chaotic scenes as an infected man wanders into a Monrovia market to look for food are captured on video.

2:25pm UK, Tuesday 02 September 2014

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."   video http://news.sky.com/story/1328891/ebola-patient-flees-clinic-in-search-for-food

Myanmar Ebola suspects’ blood samples sent to lab in India

Ebola suspects’ blood samples sent to lab in India

Published on Saturday, 30 August 2014 19:50

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.

But doctors have said he has recovered from the fever and they have found no symptoms of the deadly disease – on him, or the four who had contact with him. http://www.elevenmyanmar.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7376:ebola-suspects-blood-samples-sent-to-lab-in-india&catid=44:national&Itemid=384