Two Brown University medical faculty members are sharing their
experiences online as they work in Liberia to help the country overcome
the Ebola epidemic.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Two Alpert
Medical School professors who have joined the fight against Ebola in
Liberia’s capital city Monrovia have been publishing poignant online
dispatches from the scene.
Dr. Adam Levine and Dr. Tim Flanigan are both veterans of global health work, including work in different parts of Africa.
Levine, assistant professor of emergency medicine, has already seen patients. In a blog entry at the Huffington Post, Levine said he found his first patient lying on the floor, tired and confused after wandering away from his bed.
“The physician with me calmly reassures him, and together we help
lift him to his feet and guide him back to his thin mattress in one of
the large white tents serving as an Ebola ward,” Levine wrote Sept. 1.
“He is profoundly weak, and as we walk, I notice that his pants are
soaked through with diarrhea, a hallmark of the disease.” Meanwhile Flanigan, professor of medicine who sent a shipment
of desperately needed personal protective equipment to Monrovia earlier
this summer, arrived in Monrovia Aug. 31 to begin work with local
Catholic organizations.
“In the afternoon we visited St Joseph’s Hospital, which was very moving,” Flanigan wrote Sept. 2.
They have been hard hit indeed. When Brother Patrick died, many of the
nurses, sisters, and brothers became ill suddenly with Ebola. I spent an
hour with a wonderful doctor who survived and told me the tale. The
hospital is closed and we’ll help in the reopening.”
In a very difficult time in West Africa, Drs. Levine and Flanigan are there to help. https://news.brown.edu/articles/2014/09/ebola
GENEVA (REUTERS) - Nigerian authorities are monitoring nearly
400 people for signs of Ebola after they came in contact with a Port
Harcourt doctor who died of the disease but hid the fact that he had
been exposed, a senior Nigerian health official said on Thursday.
Dr Abdulsalami Nasidi, project director at Nigeria Centre for Disease
Control, said there was a sense of "hopelessness" due to the lack of
proven drugs or vaccines to treat Ebola that has infected 18 people in
Africa's most populous nation.
In an interview with Reuters in Geneva, he said that more isolation
wards were being opened in the oil industry hub but voiced confidence
that there would not be "many cases" there.
After having contact with an Ebola patient and before his own death
on Aug 22, the Port Harcourt doctor, named by local authorities as Iyke
Enemuo, carried on treating patients and met scores of friends,
relatives and medics, leaving about 60 of them at high risk of
infection, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified six
countries as being at high risk for the spread of the Ebola virus
disease. It is working with these countries to ensure that full
surveillance, preparedness and response plans are in place. “The following countries share land borders or major
transportation connections with the affected countries and are therefore
at risk for spread of the Ebola outbreak: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte
d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Senegal,” the agency said in the
first in a series of regular updates on the Ebola response roadmap.
WHO’s Ebola Response Roadmap Situation Report 1 features
up-to-date maps containing hotspots and hot zones, as well as
epidemiological data showing how the outbreak is evolving over time. It
also communicates what is known about the location of treatment
facilities and laboratories.
It follows the release of an Ebola response roadmap that aims to stop the transmission of Ebola virus disease (EVD) within six to nine months.
The update noted that although the numbers of new cases
reported in Guinea and Sierra Leone had been relatively stable, last
week saw the highest weekly increase yet in Guinea, Sierra Leone and
Liberia, highlighting ‘the urgent need to reinforce control measures and
increase capacity for case management.’ http://www.continuitycentral.com/news07343.html
The hopes that Nigeria’s Ebola outbreak could be quickly stamped out have evaporated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) this afternoon issued its first
detailed report of the spread of the virus in Port Harcourt, Nigeria’s
oil hub. Last week, authorities announced that a doctor there had died of the disease,
after secretly treating a diplomat who had been infected in Lagos by a traveler from Liberia . The doctor had close contact with family, friends, and health care
workers during his illness, but he did not disclose his previous
exposure to the virus. His infection wasn’t confirmed until 5 days after
his death. Experts are now following hundreds of the doctor’s contacts, 60 of which had “high-risk or very high-risk exposure,” WHO says.
The diplomat had been instructed to stay in Lagos in quarantine. Instead
he flew to Port Harcourt, where he was treated—in a hotel room—by the
doctor from 1 to 3 August.
The diplomat survived and returned to Lagos, presenting himself again
to health authorities, who confirmed he was no longer was infected. He
did not tell them that he had sought treatment in Port Harcourt. The doctor who treated him became ill on 11 August. He continued
treating patients at his private clinic for 2 days, operating on at
least two of them. Between 13 and 16 August, he was ill enough that he
stayed home, but, according to the WHO report, he received multiple
visitors who came to celebrate the birth of a baby. On 16 August, he was hospitalized. He did not tell doctors there that he had been exposed to Ebola. The WHO report is grim: “During his 6 day period of hospitalization,
he was attended by the majority of the hospital’s health care staff,” it
says, and members of his church community visited and performed a
healing
ritual that apparently involved laying on of hands. “On 21 August, he
was taken to an ultrasound clinic, where 2 physicians performed an
abdominal scan. He died the
next day.” It was not until 27 August that tests confirmed he was infected with Ebola.
His wife (who is also a doctor) and another patient at the hospital
where he sought treatment are also infected. Twenty-one trained teams
are monitoring more than 200 contacts, and a 26-bed isolation facility
is set up.
WHO says two decontamination teams and a burial team “are equipped and operational.”
The diplomat, associated with the Economic Community of West African States, may face manslaughter charges,
according to Nigerian press reports. http://www.seyipeters.com/who-issues-its-first-detailed-report-of-the-spread-of-ebola-to-port-harcourt/
..Minister Brown, addressing the daily Ebola Briefing session held at
the Ministry of Information yesterday, the total suspected cases of
Ebola stands at 512, total probable cases at 847 while cumulative
confirmed, probable and suspected cases is at 1,771.The statistics
further revealed that cumulative cases among health-care workers are 150
while cumulative death among health-care workers is 76.
Minister Brown said total death in confirmed cases are 396, total
death in probable cases 381 total death in suspected Ebola cases 238
while the total death in confirmed, probable and suspected cases are
1,015.
The statistics which comes from the Ebola Situation Report number 109
also said the Cumulative Fatality Rate (CFR) from March 22 to September
is 617... http://allafrica.com/stories/201409041539.html?viewall=1http://allafrica.com/stories/201409041539.html?viewall=1
Lucana
Kurvah, a mental health clinician, helps a psychosocial team explain to
community members in Zango town, Lofa county, why they need to
immediately report any sick family members.
As
the Ebola crisis worsens in West Africa, Liberians in Virginia are
growing more concerned about loved ones back home. In response, a group
has launched Virginia in Action for Liberia Against Ebola to gather
supplies and donations for the stricken country. Catherine Komp has more
for Virginia Currents. Learn More: Find information on the Virginia in Action for Liberia Against Ebola (VALAE) campaign and contact the intiative by emailing valae2014@gmail.com or calling (804) 714.7450. Transcript:
At First Baptist Church in Richmond, a multicultural group sings,
prays and listens to leaders of faith rally the congregation about the
need to respond to the Ebola crisis. First detected in Guinea last
March, at least 1,500 people have died including more than 100 health
care workers, according to the World Health Organization.
But officials warn that’s likely an underestimate and it will take
months to contain the virus, which is transmitted through the exchange
of bodily fluids. (Music: Liberia Will Be Saved) Prayer Vigil at First Baptist ChurchAs
part of the vigil, seven Liberian youth light candles and the crowd
sings “Liberia will be Saved.” The event was the public launch of
Virginia in Action for Liberia Against Ebola (VALAE), which is
partnering with the Virginia Baptist Mission Board to spread the
campaign throughout the Commonwealth. Dr. Calvin Birch is chair of new
initiative and founder of the African Christian Community Church.
Birch: The world has become a global village and therefore Ebola
has become a global episode that everyone has to respond and react based
upon the United Nations projection that it has become an international
public health emergency issue that needs a desperate and urgent
response.
Outside the Church, members of the Liberian community wrap up tall
moving boxes filled with donations of soap, bleach and other
disinfectants. Lydia Bull is originally from Liberia’s Montserrado
county and has been in the US since 1994. Bull has four generations of
family members in Liberia, who she says are growing more fearful as food
becomes scarce and the healthcare system collapses. Lydia Bull, Associate Minister, African Christian Community ChurchLydia Bull: My
concern is about the youth, the little children not seeing a future and
about the whole country because even though some of us are here we
still got the majority of our family back home. So when one is affected
all is affected.
Patrick Taylor: People dying everywhere, everywhere you go people dying.
The Ebola crisis has directly affected some Richmond residents.
Patrick Taylor just lost his sister Beatrice to the virus. The pastor of
Fountain Baptist Church said she ran a pharmacy where she often came in
close contact with people, checking their temperature and vitals. Taylor: She was 36 years old, she left four children, she was
involved with the healthcare profession, so I guess that’s how she
contracted that virus, but we we didn’t know that it was [Ebola] until
the end, almost when she was about to die that’s when we discovered it
was [Ebola]. Richmond resident Patrick TaylorTaylor
said initial tests indicated his sister may have had malaria or
typhoid, and when her conditioned worsened to the point where she
couldn’t talk, there was no hospital or clinic willing to admit her. She
died in the car, while her family members were frantically searching
for medical attention. Now every one of Taylor’s family members who were
in contact with his sister have been quarantined.
Taylor: Getting medication to them is very difficult, it’s a very
fragile situation over there. Event getting help for them was very
difficult and even up to now since my sister passed, the team that
treats people has not been able to go to their house to start treating
them and monitoring them.
And back in Taylor’s home village in Lofa county, he knows more than a
dozen who died. Liberia is one of the hardest hit countries with more
than 1,300 suspected cases of Ebola and more than 700 deaths. The
population was already dealing with extreme poverty, unemployment and
the lasting effects of civil war. Now entire communities are quarantined
and curfews imposed; schools, markets and borders are closed; and
prices for food and basic necessities have soared. Adam Kyne is
President of Liberian Ministerial Association of Virginia. Youth sing "Liberia Will be Saved"Adam Kyne: It
is very important for us in America to also understand that just
sanitizer now in Liberia is very expensive, so just one bottle of
sanitizer can actually be a help to people. There are business people in
Liberia who raised prices of every sanitary product to an extent that a
poor person can’t afford. There’s already hunger, a person is just
struggling to just buy water to drink, and then you’re talking about
sanitizer that costs close to five dollars because the price has gone
up.
Virginia in Action for Liberia Against Ebola is calling on
individuals, hospitals, schools and companies to get involved in the
donation drive. In addition to sanitizers and soaps, they’re collecting
safety goggles, face shields, disposable aprons, latex gloves and
hospital masks as well as monetary donations.
Reverend Birch is hoping Virginia’s historical connection to Liberia
will help motivate the people of the Commonwealth to take action. The
country’s capital city, Monrovia, was named after US President and
Virginia native James Monroe. Rev. Birch at the Ebola Prayer VigilBirch: Most
Virginians probably don’t know, but this state has an outstanding
relationship, historical tie with Liberia. Liberia’s first president
Joseph Jacobs Roberts, was a descendent from Petersburg, in Virginia.
There are so many streets in our country that carry same name of streets
in Richmond because the group of free slaves that left from here they
took the names of streets here in Virginia, in Richmond, in Williamsburg
and named streets after them in Liberia.... http://ideastations.org/radio/news/virginians-respond-ebola-crisis
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
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.
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
By 
by Azubuike Azikiwe
