The former prime minister has conceded defeat in November 2010 after a chaotic election. It is now 2015 and the Presidential never misses an opportunity to denounce the record of his opponent, current President Alpha Conde.

He also wondered about the role played by Bernard Kouchner in Conakry: "He speaks in the Guinean media to attack the opposition ..."

Rue89: What is wrong with the Guinean authorities in the management of the Ebola epidemic?

Diallo: When the epidemic broke out in early February in two prefectures of Guinea forest, visiting the King of Morocco was expected in early March. The impact of the disease has been minimized to not see this official visit canceled. The reaction was not at the level of risk to populations.

Then, when the WHO announced 127 cases, the government advanced the figure of 62 ... And when Doctors Without Borders (MSF) gave the alarm in June on an out of control epidemic, Alpha Conde said that the situation was "well controlled "and accused MSF of looking for money on the backs of Guineans!. https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://www.guineeinformation.fr/index.php/guinee/item/1300-rue89-interview-de-cellou-dalein-diallo-president-de-l-ufdg-pour-cause-d-ebola-le-senegal-a-ferme-sa-frontiere-avec-la-guinee-et-comme-le-ministere-de-l-interieur-du-senegal-est-un-diallo-comme-moi-on-a-encore-crie-au-complot-peul-en-guinee&usg=ALkJrhhMaX6pmfA4ri1y1nXg0uMxAjmapA

Appear more bird flu virus in Vietnam

22/09/2014

More than 3,100 ducks detection of avian influenza virus H5N6 in the province of Quang Nam.
Day 22/9 Xinhua citing domestic or a flock of Tam in America East, Nui Thanh district, last week was tested positive for the bird flu virus.

More than 900 ducks at the farm in the same area was found dead series.
Local officials said was carried out to destroy the infected ducks and spray chemicals in the affected farms to prevent the spread.
All veterinary centers in the province have been ordered to prepare measures to prevent the spread of the virus A / H5N6, especially methods to prevent the virus from poultry to humans.
Officials say the outbreak is located in the secluded should not spread to other areas and advised people not to consume poultry products infected.
Earlier, on 16/9, Quang Ngai Province in 1000 destroyed the infected poultry. This is the case of avian influenza H5N6 virus infection in the province Wednesday.

Newly-detected bird flu in Southeast Asia poses threat to animal health, people’s livelihoods

Photo: IRIN/David Swanson

22 September 2014 – The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today warned that a recently-emerged strain of avian influenza virus detected in poultry in Southeast Asia presents a new threat to animal health and livelihoods and must be closely monitored.
The virus known as A(H5N6) has so far been detected in poultry in China, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Viet Nam, according to a statement released by the Rome-based FAO. The A(H5N6) bird flu is highly contagious in chickens, geese, and other poultry, which hundreds of millions of people rely on for their livelihood.
“Influenza viruses are constantly mixing and recombining to form new threats,” FAO’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Juan Lubroth, said in a statement from the Rome-based agency.
“However, H5N6 is particularly worrisome, since it has been detected in several places so far from one another, and because it is so highly pathogenic, meaning infected poultry quickly become sick and, within 72 hours, death rates are very high.”
Only one case of H5N6 has been reported in humans after contact with infected poultry in China. The person later died. And thus far, there have been no other reported human cases.
“It’s been detected in multiple places in poultry, yet we only have one human infection reported,” said World Health Organization (WHO) epidemiologist Elizabeth Mumford. “This suggests that the virus does not easily jump from animals to humans. Of course, we still need to remain vigilant, because prevalence in poultry and therefore human exposure could increase during the winter.”
Even if the health risks posed by H5N6 currently appear to be low, other pathogens, including subtypes of influenza viruses such as H5N1 and H7N9, still can present cause for concern, warns WHO.
FAO and WHO recommend people follow appropriate hygiene, food preparation and food safety guidelines. These include: washing hands often, cleaning utensils and surfaces used during food preparation, and eating only well-cooked poultry meat products. People should also avoid handling sick birds or those that have died of illness.
Countries in Southeast and East Asia – especially those with links to poultry production and trade – must ramp up efforts to detect and report influenza viruses in poultry and monitor for any human infections. The focus must be on prevention, early detection, immediate reporting and rapid response, said FAO.
An H5N6 outbreak could potentially overwhelm animal health systems in Southeast Asia. An earlier strain of the virus, H5N1, had impacted the livelihoods of millions of people and caused billions of dollars of damage.http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=48771

Liberia: Family Quarantined in Sinoe From Emmanuel Kwateh

22 September 2014

A family who sought refuge in Sinoe County for fear of contracting the Ebola virus is now being quarantined following the death of a child who is confirmed to have contracted the Ebola virus apparently while in Grand Kru County.According to our correspondent in the county, the lady identified as Prezetta left her Grand Kru residence along with her husband and son and was hosted in the Po-River community.
Our correspondent said it is now confirmed that the Ebola virus has finally surfaced in the county as the lady and husband are also confirmed being carriers and are now quarantined at the J. S. Grant Medical Hospital.
The church of Christ located in the Sarpo Community is also being quarantined because members of the church were in contact with the lady before the death of her son.
This scared the youths of the community who on Friday organized themselves under the banner of the Sinoe Youth Task Force in collaboration with the Voice of Sinoe and launched an Ebola campaign spreading the preventive measures and ways in which one can contract the virus.
Meanwhile, our correspondent said the community task force comprised of the medical team is swift in responding to calls made by community dwellers relating to the Ebola virus.

Ebola Is Spreading Way Faster Than Anyone Predicted

By Alice Robb @AliceLRobb

As if we needed another reason to freak out about Ebola, new research suggests that the speed at which it’s spreading is totally out of proportion to past outbreaks. Thomas House, a mathematician at the UK’s University of Warwick, used historical data from outbreaks reported by the World Health Organization—24 in total—to create a mathematical model for the spread of the virus. By analyzing information on the timing of the outbreaks, the number of cases, and the number of people who died, he was able to develop a model that describes the pattern of all outbreaks—except for one. The current outbreak is off the charts.
“What the results seem to indicate is that it isn’t just an extreme event,” House said when I spoke to him on the phone. It doesn’t fit within the established pattern. “It’s becoming more and more likely that there’s something different this time.”
House isn’t alone in his concern. Other models of Ebola are just as worrying. According to one model reported on by NPR, we should expect to see about 15,000 cases by mid-October. (So far, about 5,000 have been reported.) Researchers led by Jeffrey Shaman, an associate professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, say the virus is spreading at an “exponential” rate. “It's an unprecedented outbreak that requires an enormous response if it is to be controlled,” Shaman said in an email. Alessandro Vespignani, a biological physicist at Northeastern University, told NPR we should be prepared to see as many as 10,000 to 25,000 cases by mid-October. 
House can’t say what exactly it is that’s different about this outbreak. “It could be a mutation,” he said. “It could be that the way that society is structured has changed as West Africa’s developed: People are in contact with more other people. It could be that control efforts or the behavioral response are just different. My model isn’t detailed enough to say exactly which one.” It is detailed enough to raise the panic level, though.  http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119513/ebola-spreading-unprecedented-speed?utm_content=bufferce7ae&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Advance team of UN mission for Ebola response arrives in West Africa

These children in Kailahun district, Sierra Leone, survived Ebola but lost parents to the deadly virus. Photo: UNICEF/Jo Dunlop

22 September 2014 – Laying the groundwork for the effective and coherent action necessary to stop the Ebola outbreak in West Africa that has sickened more than 5,800 people and killed some 2,800, an advance team of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response arrived today in Accra, Ghana to set up the operation’s headquarters.
Another advance team of the Organization’s first ever mission dealing with a public health crisis, to be known as UNMEER, also arrived in Liberia, one of the countries, along with Guinea and Sierra Leone, which has been hardest hit by the unprecedented outbreak.
UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric also announced today that the world body has established the Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund to ensure a coherent UN system contribution to the overall response.
The Fund seeks contributions from Member States, regional legislative bodies, inter-governmental or nongovernmental organizations, businesses and individuals. Donors can also choose to channel their contributions directly to UN agencies.
Meanwhile, the UN World Health Organization (WHO), in its lates Ebola update issued Monday afternoon, said 5,843 cases and 2,803 deaths have been reported in the current outbreak by the Ministries of Health of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
“Exposure of health-care workers continues to be an alarming feature of this outbreak,” WHO reported.
Two countries, Nigeria and Senegal, have reported a case or cases imported from a country with widespread and intense transmission. In Nigeria, there have been 20 cases and eight deaths. In Senegal, there has been one case, but as yet there have been no deaths.
In Geneva, an Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization on the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa wrapped up its second meeting and “strongly reiterated” that there should be no general ban on international travel or trade.
“Where extraordinary supplemental measures such as quarantine are considered necessary in States with intense and widespread transmission, States should ensure that they are proportionate and evidence-based, and that accurate information, essential services and commodities, including food and water, are provided to the affected populations,” WHO said in a press release.
Flight cancellations and other travel restrictions continue to isolate affected countries resulting in detrimental economic consequences, and hinder relief and response efforts, according to the Committee.
Nearly 6 months after the first case of Ebola in west Africa was reported to WHO, UN General Assembly and the Security Council endorsed last week the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response to contain the ongoing outbreak.
The mission will provide the operational framework and unity of purpose to ensure the rapid, effective and coherent action necessary to stop the outbreak, to treat the infected, to ensure essential services, to preserve stability and to prevent the spread to countries currently unaffected. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=48774

‘Ebola Herbalist’ Dies in Nimba, Along with One of His Followers

Sun, 09/21/2014 - 20:44 admin

By: 

Ishmael F. Menkor

A young man who claimed to have received God’s revelation to treat Ebola Virus Disease mysteriously died on 17^th September 2014 at his residence in Ganta after a short period of illness.
Robin Dahn, in early August 2014 visited the Ganta City Office and said he had a vision where the medicine of Ebola was shown him by creatures he claimed to be angels.
He said he had the dream on two separate occasions with the angels, revealing same medicine in his dream.
He visited the city office so that the city authority can grant him permission to carry on the treatment free of charge, but the city authority including the task force couldn’t consent with his request.
With funding from his Church, he prepared his herbs and began treating those suspected of having Ebola in the Small Ganta Community as well as other parts of Nimba where people were quarantined.
He was said to be gaining some popularities across Nimba and other places he used to move treating people suspected to be Ebola patients.
The death of the man brought sadness among many people and a setback in the fight against Ebola.
“We really don’t know what killed Robin, because he was not sick for long,” said his friend Alex Miapue.
“Robin told his wife before dying that “I’m going to die, but when I die people will say it is Ebola, but it is not Ebola,” Alex is recalled to have stated.
He was said to have treated several people in Ganta and other parts of Nimba as well as Monrovia with most of them recovering and going about their normal duties.
“Since the man gave some herbs to those that were quarantined in Beadatuo in Buu – Yao in Nimba County, they have been well and were no longer showing any sign,” said one Allison Dahn who accompanied the herbalist to Beadatuo Town.
An LNP officer assigned at the Ganta Police Detail was very sick believed to be Ebola; she got her healing accordingly from the late Robin.
Many persons around Ganta have been giving praises to him through local radio stations in Nimba, but his mysterious death came as a surprise to many especially those whose relatives were treated by him.
There had been two revelations of allegedly given by God on medication for Ebola in Nimba.
On the 9^th August 2014, a young man from the Nimba County Town called Tunudin closed to Ganta claimed that angels appeared to him while harvesting his palm.
This according to him happened in a broad day and not dream as the late Robin’s was.
For him, he said the angels instructed him to begin his treatment in Monrovia where Ebola will be identified by Medical Doctor before treating them.
When he (Paye Sayegon) and his men went to Monrovia to test the medicine, the government denied them and they returned back to Nimba where, again, he narrated that he was told to do work in certain football field in Ganta.
There was a huge turnout of people who wanted to get treated, and it brought fear among the residents thus making Superintendent Fong Zuagele to put a halt to his work.
For the late Robin Dahn, he started anywhere without restriction, and could give the herbs to people whether they were diagnosed of the Ebola Virus or not.
He died along with one of his followers Wednesday 17 September 2014 in their hometown, leaving a pastor who was also accompanying him ill.
His death was later confirmed by the Ganta City Mayor Dorr Cooper on a local radio’s early news show on Thursday 18 September 2014.
The slowness of health authority in responding to those coming down to the treatment centers and breakdown of the health systems across the country is leading to many finding other solutions to their illness.
The death of the self proclaimed country doctor for Ebola is also sparking up mythological views from some people.
“Sometimes he might have taken money from those he healed. This is why he died, because according to him, he was not to take a dim from anyone for healing them,” said one of the sympathizers.
However, another wave of the outbreak had struck Ganta leaving over 10 dead within 48hr while scores are down with illness.
Three villages along CNC road along the Ganta – Saclepea Highway is said to have been infested with close 50 persons sick after visiting their relative (a pastor) who died in Ganta.

'Return to Liberia (With U.S. Troops) Possible' - Ellen Corkrum

Published: 22 September 2014

“Discussion and plans for my return to Liberia are in the works. My efforts continue to be sought and I remain committed to fighting to help our people through this Ebola crisis, whether on the Liberian soil or in the US.” – Lt. Col. Ellen Corkrum

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Monrovia - In what could be a major twist to the scandal at the Liberia Airport Authority, Ellen Corkrum, the fugitive former head of the airport regulatory agency, could be poised for a dramatic return to Liberia amid reports that the U.S. Air Force Major could be joining the 3000 troops arriving in Liberia to help the Ebola-hit nation wiggle its way out of a crisis which has so far infected more than 5,000 people in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, FrontPageAfrica has learned.

120-Bed Ebola Treatment Center Opens in Liberia

120-Bed Ebola Treatment Center Opens in Liberia

Written by Wade C. L. Williams, wade.williams@frontpageafricaonline.com

Published: 22 September 2014

Monrovia - Six Ambulances packed with 24 suspected Ebola patients were already on standby as the opening ceremony for a 120-bed Ebola Treatment Facility constructed by the government of Liberia with technical support from the World Health Organization was going on.

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At the side entrance of the building were some patients who managed to walk with the help of their relatives to the center at the Old Island Clinic on the Bushrod Island. Some groaned in pain as others lay on the ground under the hot Sunday afternoon sun, waiting and praying for the formalities to be over so the staff could let them in, to the facility to begin to receive care.

Mr. Sam Bropleh, an Ambulance driver of the First Responders owned by Rep. Saah Joseph said he had been waiting with patients in the vehicle at the facility. Bropleh was frustrated that his patients could not get in as the formalities of an opening ceremony attended by senior government officials were still on. The facility comes as a relief to a health system that has been overwhelmed by the deadly Ebola outbreak since March this year.

Patients dying for lack of space

At many of the available facilities that had been opened before this one, patients were turned away for lack of space. On Saturday, in one of the two Ambulances carrying ten persons, there were three dead bodies of suspected Ebola patients. A mother and her two children died while waiting for help at the John F. Kennedy Ebola Treatment Unit, the former Cholera Unit. Health workers refused to take the patients in on time because they said there was no space at the facility.

Three members of a single family sat upright in the Ambulance but they were dead. The woman believed to be in her late thirties had her ten-year-old son’s head on her lap and the other son thirteen years old was sitting up in the Ambulance near the other two, but they were all dead. It was a pathetic sight and William Ross driver of the First Responders Ambulance was dismayed.

“This morning we left the Redemption Hospital for JFK. We have ten persons that were on the Ambulance because of the delay, almost three hours; out of the ten persons we have three that have died. We have seven more on the Ambulance and we don’t know what will happen to them in the next hour,” he said tears almost rolling down his cheeks.

Ross said he is frustrated that the coordination between the health centers is poor. “What got me confused is that I don’t know the level of coordination between the health workers. Redemption is the holding center and if Redemption sends us to bring patients to a facility, it means there should be some communication between them,” he said.

“This morning the supervisor Mr. Tarplah told us that there was a space here that could contain ten persons, so we came, brought the ten persons but the nurses said no space. It looks bad to see people dying on the Ambulance.”

There were patients lined up in front of the facility with the relatives who had accompanied them. Some patients were lying on the floor. A girl about ten years old reclined right before the gate and could only move when a truck full of dead bodies was about to exit the compound. She too was too weak to stand and there was no one to help.

Relief for patients

The opening of the 120-bed facility seems to be a relief to patients who have been languishing before the gates of the various treatment centers like the JFK one with no space to treat them. Already, Bropleh told FrontPageAfrica two hours later that he had made several trips to the facility with about 14 patients and all were inside the facility.

“I’m at Redemption Hospital now,” he said via mobile phone. This is my third trip and all my patients are inside.” Bropleh sounded relieved as though a heavy burden has been lifted off his shoulders.

Tolbert Nyenswah, head of the Ebola Case Management unit at the ministry of health echoed the feelings of the government about the opening of the center. He said the government and the health ministry has been looking forward to the opening of the facility to help in the fight against the deadly Ebola virus.

“Today, we are opening a state of the art Ebola treatment center in Liberia at the Island Clinic. This center is among six that we are opening in Liberia but this is one of the best,” he said.

“It will be among 17 centers that we have in our plan to open and treat Ebola disease patients in our country. Treatment units are not the solution to the problem; it is just about 25 to30 percent of solving the problem.”

The man responsible for Liberia’s finances, Finance Minister Amara Konneh has projected over three hundred Million United States dollars to fight the deadly disease. He said the international community has to swing its promises into actions to buttress the government’s efforts to fight the disease.

“The amount of money needed to fight this disease is too much. As of yesterday, we are projecting about 375 Million Dollars in order for us to fight this disease across Liberia,” he said.

“That money is not in our coffers. The government 100% financed the one that we are about to open today. The government can do more, but it will require a robust international response.I know commitments have been made, we will just like to use every opportunity we get both privately and publicly, to call on our international partners to move with speed from commitment to cash.”

He thanked Liberia’s partners, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the United States Agency for International Development, the United Nations for the early response so far; but said the response is not yet adequate and they need to move faster, for Liberia to be able to build the 17 ETUs that have been earmarked to deal with this disease.

The WHO supported government of Liberia initiative has already seen the movement of patients from communities in the center before the sun set on Sunday evening. Health officials are sounding optimistic and hoping for the best in the response in the next few weeks to come.

“We have to use other innovative means, especially with an outbreak that is affecting lots of people in urban areas that make this outbreak unprecedented,” said Nyenswah. “We are increasing our laboratory capacity to have about three functional labs. By the weekend we should be having about six functional labs in the country.”

A sign lists the "10 Commandments of Ebola" in West Point.

LOTS MORE PICS  https://news.vice.com/article/in-photos-fighting-ebola-in-the-slums-of-monrovia

Ebola Hits Moyamba Junction

 - Monday 22 September 2014.

By Reverend Alfred Sam Foray, USA.
The tiny town of Moyamaba Junction (part of which is shown in photo) about 100 miles from Freetown and 60 miles from Bo, where I spent a few months doing business during my recent visit to Sierra Leone is on the verge of total annihilation from the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. We are told by a resident of the town that about two weeks ago a resident physician, one Dr. Blango, who runs a private hospital in the town, recently treated an Ebola patient. Shortly afterwards, Dr. Blango contracted Ebola and died.
And now for the really bad news. In a scene that could have come from an Alfred Hitchcock horror movie, the doctor’s wife unconvinced that her husband had died from Ebola kept the doctor’s corpse in their house for five days. During that time many of the prominent people in town including the Town Chief who is also the District Councilor for the area, visited Mrs. Blango, who refused to remove the body from the house and complained to her relatives abroad about harassment from the authorities.


Eventually, after confirming that Blango had indeed died from Ebola, Mrs. Blango was forced to bury her husband but not before apparently infecting many of the town’s residents. So far 14 people are reported dead and several townspeople are reportedly sick from the Ebola virus emanating from Dr. Blango’s death and his wife’s bizarre decision to keep the corpse. She is now in police custody for her own protection from angry residents of the town.

A bit about Dr. Blango. Many Sierra Leoneans may recall Dr. Blango’s son, Columba Blango, a men’s Decathlon finalist in the famous Sierra Leone contingent at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, which included boxer, Mohamed Bangura, and sprinter, Eugenia Osho-Williams. Columba was also a former Lord Mayor of Southwark, London, and two-time candidate for the British Parliament for the Liberal Democrats. He was also a major force in the People’s Movement for Democratic Change (PMDC) of Charles Francis Margai during the 2007 parliamentary and presidential elections in Sierra Leone before declaring later for the Sierra Leone Peoples Party. The elder Dr. Blango was a very pleasant man. He and I chatted together several times about politics and family during my visit to Moyamba Juntion.

Moyamba Junction is in the Fakunya Chiefdom, Moyamba District and a major crossroads from Freetown to Bo and the mining area of Rutile. It is also a major transition point for vehicles moving north to London Mining and African Minerals and on to Guinea. As such, Moyamba Junction, despite its size, is a major strategic location for commerce and transport in the country. Over the past few days, government has placed a 21-day lockdown on the town. No vehicles are permitted to stop in the usually busy market town famous for its goat soup and cookery shops since the 1980s.
The nearby town of Mile 91, eleven miles away and other nearby towns are also on a 21-day lock down.   http://www.thepatrioticvanguard.com/spip.php?article7924

Eight under Ebola radar in Oman by Rahul Das    |    September 22, 2014 , 8 : 53 pm GST     Share

Muscat: Eight travellers from West Africa are being monitored for 21 days for fever and other symptoms of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Oman, according to an update from the Ministry of Health. However, there is no history of exposure to a suspect case and they have not developed any Ebola symptoms. It is also not clear whether they have been quarantined in the five-bedroom villas in Khoula Hospital or they are being monitored for fever and other symptoms at their homes. These villas have been identified as the quarantine centre for Ebola cases. The Public Relations Officer of Khoula Hospital is the in-charge for administrative support and a regional epidemiologist has been made in-charge of the quarantine centre. Though the threat from the epidemic has been described as remote, the ministry has issued quarantine guidelines for victims, if any cases do crop up.  "There can be two types of quarantine — home quarantine and institution quarantine," it said. In home quarantine, officials have been asked to compile a list of those who are in contact with the victim. The victim's movements should be controlled, and a regional epidemiologist should monitor their health conditions twice a day for fever for 21 days. In institution quarantine, all the suspected cases will be transferred from the airport to the quarantine centre by transport provided by the Oman Airport Management Committee (OAMC) where they will be put under surveillance. "Institution quarantine also includes uneducated people who do not understand the situation and seriousness of this disease," the guidelines from the ministry said. Dr Abdallah Assaedi, WHO representative in Oman, said that a national committee has been established under the overall supervision of Dr Mohamed Al Hosani, undersecretary for health for Ebola. "They meet regularly and get a full update of the situation," he said. Meanwhile, special screenings are in place for Muscat-bound passengers from African countries. "The surveillance system was launched on September 12, 2014," an airline official said. Sami Muctar, area manager - Oman, Ethiopian Airlines, said that passengers and crew of all inward bound flights from Africa to Muscat International Airport have been asked to fill  in the 'Self Declaration Form' by officials of the Ministry of Health. "This is being done as a precautionary measure," he explained. While Ethiopian Airlines operates four flights a week to Muscat International Airport, Oman Air operates flights to Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. The Ministry of Health has chalked out various preventive measures to face any possible importation of the epidemic. "There's no need to panic. The virus is not in the environment in Oman. But, since it's a terrifying disease, there is, indeed, concern about it," said a doctor attached with the private hospital. The ministry also believes that contact management of EVD is a key aspect in the prevention and control of the disease in the community.  http://www.timesofoman.com/News/40270/Article-Eight-under-Ebola-radar-in-Oman

CDC issues alarming new Ebola warning for crews of U.S. airlines

'Treat any body fluid as though it is infectious': CDC issues alarming new Ebola warning for crews of U.S. airlines

• The agency stressed that airlines may 'deny boarding to air travelers with serious contagious diseases that could spread during flight' on Friday
• The rule applies to all U.S. airlines and to foreign airlines flying directly in or out of the country 
• Ebola has infected at least 5,357 people in West Africa and has killed 2,630 of those
• Thousands of U.S. soldiers are slated to enter Africa to help stem the out-of-control outbreak over the next 30 days

By Ap and Josh Gardner for MailOnline

Published: 17:34 EST, 21 September 2014

The Center for Disease Control has issued new, strict guidelines for airline crews in an attempt to stop Ebola from spreading outside West Africa.

Released Friday, the new guidance stresses that flight crews should 'treat any body fluid as though it it is infectious,' as the out-of-control outbreak claims thousands of lives in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Senegal.

The warning comes as 3000 U.S. troops start to deploy to the developing nations to set up facilities and form training teams to help the Africans treat victims of the gruesome disease. 

'TREAT ANY BODY FLUID AS IF IT IS INFECTIOUS': MAIN POINTS OF CDC'S NEW FLIGHT CREW GUIDELINES AMID EBOLA FEARS

The CDC has released new guidelines concerning the handling of sick passengers as Ebola digs its heels deeper into West Africa:

• A U.S. Department of Transportation rule permits airlines to deny boarding to air travelers with serious contagious diseases that could spread during flight, including travelers with possible Ebola symptoms. This rule applies to all flights of U.S. airlines, and to direct flights (no change of planes) to or from the United States by foreign airlines.
• Cabin crew should follow routine infection control precautions for onboard sick travelers. If in-flight cleaning is needed, cabin crew should follow routine airline procedures using personal protective equipment available in the Universal Precautions Kit. If a traveler is confirmed to have had infectious Ebola on a flight, CDC will conduct an investigation to assess risk and inform passengers and crew of possible exposure.
• Hand hygiene and other routine infection control measures should be followed.
• Treat all body fluids as though they are infectious.

Source: CDC.gov 

The CDC stressed in its release that, per U.S. law,  American airlines and foreign airlines traveling non-stop to or from the country are permitted airlines 'to deny boarding to air travelers with serious contagious diseases that could spread during flight.'

In July, a sick Nigeria man managed to board a plane in Liberia and took the deadly virus with him to Lagos.

Officials moved swiftly to tamp out the spread in Africa's most populous city after the man passed Ebola to several healthcare workers.

 

None of his fellow passengers appear to have contracted the disease in-flight.

Nonetheless, fears remain that a traveler could potentially facilitate that spread of Ebola beyond the confines of West Africa. 

Meanwhile, thousands of promised American forces will be moving into Africa over the next 30 days to set up facilities and form training teams to help the Africans treat Ebola victims, the Army's top officer said Friday...

 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2764548/Treat-body-fluid-infectious-CDC-issues-alarming-new-Ebola-warning-crews-U-S-airlines.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

US troops heading into Africa soon for Ebola fight

WASHINGTON — The top U.S. Army officer says thousands of promised American forces will be moving into Africa over the next 30 days to set up facilities and form training teams to help the Africans treat Ebola victims.

Gen. Ray Odierno says the disease has accelerated faster than initially thought, so the U.S. needs to get people on the ground and ramp up numbers quickly. President Barack Obama has pledged 3,000 troops, and the U.S. military commander and a small team have arrived in Liberia to do initial assessments.
Before troops are sent in, Odierno says the Army needs to make sure they are prepared to operate in that environment, which includes health care safety. The military units expected to deploy have not been identified.

Meanwhile in Monrovia, Liberia,  The U.S. Embassy said Friday that the first shipment of increased American military aid to help fight the Ebola epidemic had landed in the West African country.
A C-17 U.S. military aircraft brought a team of seven military personnel along with some equipment on Thursday. An embassy statement said more supplies and personnel are expected in the coming days.
The U.S. Embassy says Maj. Gen. Darryl Williams arrived in the country on Tuesday and has been meeting with Liberian officials.
President Barack Obama on Tuesday announced the United States is sending 3,000 troops to help fight the Ebola outbreak that has killed more than 2,600 people across West Africa. More than half the deaths have occurred in Liberia.

"Man bitten by Ebola patient flown to Switzerland"

"GENEVA -- Swiss authorities say a male nurse who was bitten by an Ebola patient while working in West Africa has been flown to Switzerland as a precaution.

The health ministry says the unidentified man was working for an international organization in Sierra Leone when he was bitten by a child infected with Ebola on Saturday.

The ministry says the nurse was wearing protective gear and is unlikely to have contracted the disease.

It said the man, who was flown to Switzerland by a private transport company Monday, will be kept under observation at Geneva's University Hospital for the incubation period of three weeks.

The ministry said it was the first medical transport to Switzerland from the Ebola-affected region."[link to www.sacbee.com]

Streets bustling after Sierra Leone shutdown ends

Sep 22, 1:49 PM EDT

By CLARENCE ROY-MACAULAY and JONATHAN PAYE-LAYLEH
Associated Press

AP Photo/Michael Duff

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FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) -- Streets in Sierra Leone's capital bustled again Monday after an unprecedented nationwide shutdown during which officials said more than 1 million households were checked for Ebola patients and given information on how to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

The government delayed an announcement on how many new cases had been discovered.

The national health system, already hit by the Ebola deaths of several leading doctors and many nurses, would be further strained if many additional patients were found.

Sierra Leone and Liberia, which have been hardest hit in this outbreak, have only about 20 percent of the beds they need to treat patients, according to the World Health Organization.

The Sierra Leone government has ordered tents for temporary treatment centers to make room for those additional cases, said Abdulai Bayraytay, a government spokesman.

Liberia opened a 150-bed treatment center on Sunday, its largest so far, and ambulances immediately rushed patients there. By Monday, the new clinic had admitted 112 people, though only 46 of those have tested positive for Ebola, said Assistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah. The rest are being held for observation and treated for other diseases, like malaria.

Ebola, transmitted through bodily fluids, is blamed for the deaths of more than 2,800 people in West Africa, according to new figures released Monday by the World Health Organization. More than 5,800 people are believed to have been sickened in the outbreak. The vast majority of the cases and deaths have been in Liberia but the disease has also affected Guinea, Nigeria and Senegal.

The hardest hit countries have resorted to extraordinary measures. Liberia has cordoned off entire towns or neighborhoods and Sierra Leone's nationwide shutdown is believed to be the most sweeping lockdown against disease since the Middle Ages.

During Sierra Leone's shutdown, at least 77 bodies were buried during the shutdown and half of them tested positive for Ebola, Bayraytay, the spokesman, said. Officials are waiting on laboratory tests for the other half to see whether they also died of Ebola. The disease is thought to have killed more than 600 people in Sierra Leone, a nation of 6 million.

The number of new suspected Ebola cases that were discovered during the lockdown will be announced by Sierra Leone authorities at a press conference Tuesday, originally scheduled for Monday.

There is little reason to believe the lockdown had been effective in ending transmission since such measures are so hard to enforce, said Joe Amon, director of health and human rights for Human Rights Watch. Frustrated residents complained of food shortages in some neighborhoods.

"You could argue that it's strictly necessary not because it's an effective way to break transmission but because it's necessary to reach people with communication messages," he said.

Teams carrying soap and information about Ebola reached about 75 percent of 1.5 million households in this nation, the Health Ministry said. Rumors that the soap being distributed had been poisoned showed the importance of education efforts.

Sierra Leone residents overwhelmingly complied by staying in their homes but in one incident health workers trying to bury five bodies 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Freetown were attacked on Saturday. After police reinforcements arrived, the health workers completed the burial.

Nearly 350 health workers in West Africa have been infected, and more than half of those have died. A Spanish priest who became infected while serving as a medical director for a hospital in Sierra Leone was flown back to Spain on Monday.

There are no approved treatments or vaccines for Ebola, but officials have been trying out experimental drugs during this outbreak. The small supply of one drug, ZMapp, was exhausted after being used on a few patients.

On Monday, Tekmira Pharmaceuticals of Canada said that its experimental Ebola treatment had been used for a number of patients, and regulators in the U.S. and Canada had approved its use in more. It said the drug had been well tolerated so far.

Tekmira said there were limited supplies of its TKM-Ebola drug and because it has not been used in an actual study, the company acknowledged it is impossible to tell if it had any effect.

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