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

02/09/2014   |   11:21 PM

Impossible to keep up with Ebola infections in W. Africa - MSF Pres. 02/09/2014   |   11:21 PM | World News NEW YORK, Sept 2 (KUNA) -- The International President of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) Joanne Liu told a meeting of member states on Ebola Tuesday that it is impossible to keep up with the sheer number of Ebola infected people pouring into facilities in West Africa. "Six months into the worst Ebola epidemic in history, the world is losing the battle to contain it," she said. The MSF official stressed that Leaders are "failing to come to grip" with this transnational threat, as cases and deaths continue to surge. Furthermore, she affirmed that riots are breaking out and isolation centers are overwhelmed, whereas the health workers on the front lines are becoming infected and are dying in shocking numbers. The MSF has been ringing alarm bells for months, she said, and the outbreak began six months ago, yet it was declared as "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" on August 8. She stressed that many of the member states have already invested heavily in biological threat response, and highlighted the political and humanitarian responsibility for immediate utilization to such capabilities in Ebola-affected countries. She called upon the member states to dispatch disaster response teams, backed by logistical capabilities in order to get the epidemic under control. "This is a transnational crisis, with social, economic and security implications for the African continent," she concluded. On the same issue, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Margaret Chan confirmed that this is the largest, most severe and most complex Ebola outbreak ever seen in nearly 40 years in history of this disease. She reported that as of this week, more than 3,500 cases reported in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia and more than 1,500 deaths. (pickup previous) mao.bs

RIIIIIGGGHHTT...

MOSCOW, September 2 (RIA Novosti) - The high rate of Ebola infections in West Africa and the length of time the outbreak has lasted increase the likelihood that the Ebola virus could become more transmissible through genetic mutations, said CDC Director, Thomas Frieden in a press briefing on Tuesday.
“There is a theoretical risk, it may be very low, we simply don’t know, that Ebola could become easier to spread through genetic mutation,” Frieden said to members of the press. “That risk might be very low, but it’ probably not zero. And the longer it spreads, the higher the risk.”...

...
Frieden noted that while the threat of genetic mutation is possible, he has no indications that it has occurred. “Nothing we have seen so far indicates that Ebola is spreading differently in this outbreak.”..  


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

German ship line imposes Ebola fee on Africa shipments

2 Hours AgoCNBC.com

A German shipping line is imposing an "Ebola inspection fee" on shipments to and from West Africa, according to JOC.com, a maritime news Web site.

The inspection fee, $250 for a 20-foot container and $350 for a 40-foot container, will apply to cargo to and from Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, the Web site reported. It will take effect on Sept. 21 for most shipments. For cargo to and from the United States, the fee will go into effect Sept. 29. (Read the full JOC.com report here).
Hapag-Lloyd, the world's sixth largest shipping line by some estimates, is apparently imposing the fee as a consequence of increased health inspections of ship crews by local authorities, according to the report, which quoted a notice from the ship line to its customers. Such inspections cause delays and operational issues, imposing unexpected costs on the carrier.
Ebola has killed more than 1,500 people this year and the World Health Organization says there could be as many as 20,000 cases before the outbreak is contained.

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

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Patrice Allégbé
Ivorian authorities have "allowed" Monday the opening of humanitarian corridors with Guinea and Liberia, two neighboring countries affected by the outbreak of Ebola, but "hold" closed borders, according to a note read on national television .
"Taking note of the developments of the epidemic of the disease Ebola in the West African region, the National Security Council decided (...) to the opening of humanitarian, economic and health corridors towards affected neighboring countries, "the statement said.
Abidjan, fearing the risk of spreading the disease Ebola, decided in August to the closure of land borders and suspended flights of the national airline, Air Côte d'Ivoire to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra -Léone, countries affected by the epidemic. 

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

Ebola kills 41 in Nimba

Ebola kills 41 in Nimba

Monday, 01 September 2014 00:00 ND

A Nimba County Senator has disclosed that the deadly Ebola has killed 41 persons in the county, while there are about 200 suspected cases. Senator Thomas Grupee said, Nimba County is the second county in the Republi r control. As a means of helping people of Nimba in the fight against the deadly virus, citizens of county residing in Monrovia and environs hosted a fund-raising rally at the Antoinette Tubman Stadium at which time about U.S$12,000 was realized.

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

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

Last Friday, Mego Terzian, a senior official from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned that the current response from the international community risks aggravating the crisis. "I am extremely pessimistic if there is not a substantial international mobilization," Terzian told Reuters in an interview in Paris. "The situation is getting worse. We will have hundreds and thousands more people infected who will arrive en masse at health centers," he said. "In Guinea, eight regions have been hit. In Sierre Leone, the situation is catastrophic and out of control and in Liberia, let's not even talk about it." http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/2832-travel-ban-will-airlines-ease-blockade-on-virus-hit-nations

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

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

Published: 02 September 2014

Monrovia - U.S. Ambassador to Liberia Deborah R. Malac has suggested that the American government prefers a less forceful role by the Liberian military in the ongoing Ebola crisis in the post-war nation.

Addressing a news conference in Monrovia today, Ambassador Malac stated: “We would like to see the AFL not being involved in a law enforcement role. They have an appropriate role, in this Ebola response as does the LNP, BIN and other security agencies because there is a security aspect in other cases to this response. But the AFL was intended to be an external defense force to external threats. We hope that they will start to see more activity on the part of the LNP and that they will continue to lead on the security aspect of this Ebola response. We look forward to seeing the results of the investigation.”

Ambassador Malac’s statement comes in the aftermath of the recent shooting of 15-year-old Shaki Kamara during a riots in West Point.

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

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

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

on September 02, 2014   / 

By EMMANUEL OKOLIE
AGBOR—THE number of  people turning to dog meat (flesh and other palatable parts derived from dogs) for its undocumented health and spiritual benefits is snowballing, compelling sellers to open road side joints where they butcher and sell the meat, fresh or cooked.   From Ibusa to Agbor, Ubuluku and Umunede in Delta State, you see men mostly in hidden or open kiosks demolishing plates of dog meat pepper soup, which they claim stands out from any other meats
Dog meat joint

Dogs butcher at work

As a group of people gathered round a giant size cooking pot in front of a kiosk built with bamboo sticks at Abuedo Quarters, Ubulu-Uku, along the Umunede Ogwashi-Uku Road, Aniocha South Local Government Area, it did not strike one that they were negotiating the parts of a newly slaughtered dog meat.
Some of the customers wanted to buy the parts and personally prepare them for their family members and friends.
Different  experience
“When you buy dog meat that is prepared by the road side, you really enjoy the meat, but it is a different experience when you use it to prepare soup,” said Tony, a slim built bus driver, who parked his Toyota Hiace bus, which he uses to ferry passengers from Agbor to Asaba to join the ‘dog meat’ queue.
Immunization against malaria
On why he eats the meat, he said it serves as an immunization for his family against malaria attack. “We use mosquitoes net in my house, but somehow mosquitoes still find their way into the house, and I know that dog meat fights malaria parasite,” he added.
Foils witches’ attack
For some, dog meat prevents them from being attacked by witches and wizards and even makes evil spiritual forces to flee from them. “I do not fear witches because like dogs that have penetrating eyes, witches too see and they feel I have powers that neutralizes their power,” said Ike Azuka, a teacher who said,   “ I visit dog meat joint at least three times a week.”
Traditional doctors’ favourite
At Umunede,     Ika North Local Government Area, Ansalem, who sells both dog and goat meats, depending on the animal he gets for the day, told Niger Delta Voice that he sells the bitter part of dog meat to traditional medicine practitioners, who pay upfront for it.
Increasing demand
He also said that the increasing demand of the meat has led to the increase in price. “In the past, we used to buy a big dog for N3, 000 or N3, 500, but now people want to sell for N5,000 or more. That makes it very hard to make more than N2000 after sale.”
A dog met seller in Ibusa, Onyeka, who sometimes kills two dogs a day, and serves it with cooked yam, prepared with heavily- spiced pepper soup, said that he has heard some customers saying that dog meat eaters have fortified immune system that wards off any form of infection.
Onyeka, whose kiosk is proximate the Ibusa General Hospital, said that in the past, some customers used to send people to pick the meat for them, but they now walk in confidently to devour the meat. He said more people were eating the meat because of the good it does to the body.
“Whenever I kill dog meat, people hardly wait for me to finish its preparation before they start making demand,” he said.
Another seller, Success, who also runs a kiosk near Ibusa General Hospital, said that he hardly meets the demand of his customers, who according to him, range from the high to the low in the society.... http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/dog-meat-cures-malaria-repels-witches-eaters-ibusa-agbor-ubulu-uku-umunede/

 Get your snak on!

 September 02, 2014   /
By IKE UCHE
Standard of living
CALABAR—In some communities in the Niger-Delta, eating dog meat is a taboo, but among the Efiks in Calabar and other tribes in Cross-River and   Akwa-Ibom States, eating ‘404’,   ‘J5’, ‘pepperoni’, among others, as   dog meat is prevalently known, is a way of life.
The guzzlers tell you bluntly that it is a delicacy that goes smoothly with beer besides the medicinal and healing power.
…Know no tribe
In a chat with Niger Delta Voice, Mr. Ubong Udofia   who has been in the business of dog meat since 1994,   said the delicacy knows no tribe as people from different ethnic backgrounds, including Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Efik, Ibibio patronize the joint.

Dog meat

“One thing they share in common is the satisfaction they get from consuming the meat, which for some is an everyday affair. We do not in this part see dog meat as a taboo like in some places,” he said.
Remedies
Udofia added, “Most people here believe that it cures malaria and other forms of ailments due to the varieties of leave.. http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/404-medicinal-chases-away-evil-spirits-c-river-akwa-ibom-consumers/

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

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

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

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

An elderly woman who was in the same hospital room with Late Dr Enemuo who treated ECOWAS diplomat,Olu-Ibukun Koye ,has tested positive to Ebola.She is one of the three persons quarantined in Oduoha, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.She contracted the virus in Good Heart Hospital, the health facility where Iyke Enemuo,died last week

The two others – a doctor and a pharmacist who are members of staff of Sam Steel Clinic,founded by late Enemou,tested negative.

The Commissioner of health also said,the sister of Late Enemou who ran to Abia state has been found .He said....

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

by Azubuike Azikiwe
A 19-year-old Law student at the Ahmadu Bello University has been diagnosed with the Ebola virus disease in Kaduna.
Bilyaminu Umar, the spokesman for the, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, confirmed the case on Monday, 1 September.
He revealed that the student was diagnosed at ABUTH, Shika, Zaria.
He said, “Yes, there was a case of a suspected Ebola patient. He is with the Faculty of Law, ABU, Zaria and will be placed on isolation. I am out of town, but will confirm details on my return from a trip.”
Meanwhile, a patient suspected of having the Ebola virus disease died in Abuja, FCT on Friday, 29 August, after being admitted on Thursday, 28 August.
Asokoro District Hospital released a statement confirming the death, while also reassuring the public that all those who came in contact with the deceased are under surveillance. http://ynaija.com/ebola-19-year-old-student-diagnosed-ebola-kaduna-another-person-dies-abuja/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ebola-19-year-old-student-diagnosed-ebola-kaduna-another-person-dies-abuja

SIM Missionary Doctor in Liberia Tests Positive for Ebola

September 2, 2014

Liberia, Africa, Ebola 

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – SIM USA (www.simusa.org) reported today that one of its missionary doctors in Liberia has tested positive for the Ebola virus.
The American doctor was treating obstetrics patients at SIM’s ELWA hospital in Monrovia. He was not treating Ebola patients in ELWA’s Ebola isolation unit, a facility separate from the main hospital on the mission organization’s 136-acre campus. It is not yet known how the doctor contracted the virus specifically.

The doctor immediately isolated himself... is doing well and is in good spirits.

Upon onset of the symptoms, the doctor immediately isolated himself and has since been transferred to the ELWA Ebola isolation unit. The doctor is doing well and is in good spirits.
“My heart was deeply saddened, but my faith was not shaken, when I learned another of our missionary doctors contracted Ebola,” said Bruce Johnson, president of SIM USA. “As a global mission, we are surrounding our missionary with prayer, as well as our Liberian SIM/ELWA colleagues, who continue fighting the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. We have gifted Liberian doctors, medical staff and support staff who are carrying on the fight.”
SIM USA will hold a press conference at its Charlotte, N.C., headquarters on Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 2:30 p.m. to provide additional and updated details.http://simusa.org/content/latest-new...tive_for_ebola

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

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

By Samuel Oghogho 5:18 PM  

1 comment

 According to reports, five  persons, a man, two of his children and two others were confirmed dead on Friday in the village of Uchenyim, Wanikade,North Ukelle in Northern Cross River State after eating the meat of a dog.

Reports from the area said the dog was fond of eating the eggs laid by native chicken in the Odareko-Uchenyim village and one of the villagers allegedly laced the eggs laid by his chicken with gamalin 20 insecticide and as expected, “the dog ate the eggs and fell ill and when it was about to die the owner quickly killed and prepared it into a delicacy which he, his family consumed with some neigbours”. Ugbem Onawo, a villager narrated to newsmen.

The man and his two children and the two others who died, according to the report also ate the intestines of the dog where incidentally the poison from the gamalin 20 is lodged leading to their taking ill and dying . “After the man shared the intestines among his children and the two neighbours and they ate death came calling and they all died though at different times, which made some villager wrongly suspect the deadly ebola virus.

• 

Home to more than 8,000 people, Barkedu is now under quarantine

Quarantine zone

Home to more than 8,000 people, Barkedu is now under quarantine: no one can go in, and no one can go out.

The toll of the isolation is weighing heavily on the community.

"From the time we started receiving death from Ebola -- every activity cease," says Musa Sessay, the town's chief. "Because we do farm here and now there's been no farming.".

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

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

PUBLISHED : Monday, 01 September, 2014,

China’s first drug against Ebola virus disease (EVD) has obtained manufacturing approval for emergency use, a military newspaper reports.
The drug, named JK-05, was developed by Professor Wang Hongquan with the Institute of Microbiological Epidemiology under the Academy of Military Medical Sciences, according to the PLA News.
“JK-05 is a micro-molecular chemical, and its pharmacological mechanism is to selectively contain the RNA polymerase of the Ebola virus to inhibit virus replication,” Wang told the newspaper.
Wang’s study showed JK-05 resisted the replication of Ebola cells in experiments and animal tests.
The drug, after five years of study, has passed pre-clinical testing and the clinical safety test. However, the drug currently is strictly limited for emergency use only, Wang said.
More than 1,500 people in West Africa have recently been killed by EVD. No cases have been reported in China so far, but authorities are on guard and have developed test kits and a treatment plan.
A study published in the journal Nature showed that 18 monkeys treated with ZMapp, an experimental drug, all survived. and three that did not take the drug died.
The ZMapp drug is one of several vaccines and medications being developed. GlaxoSmithKline and the US National Institutes of Health are planning to start human trials of an Ebola vaccine as soon as this week. Inserm, the French national health institute, is talking with Guinea health authorities about human trials of drugs from Fujifilm Holdings and Tekmira Pharmaceuticals.  http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1582834/ebola-virus-approved-mainland-emergency-use-only

Obama to Africans: Don’t touch Ebola corpses

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

President Obama urged West Africans in areas affected by the Ebola virus not to touch the corpses of loved ones who had succumbed to the deadly disease in a public service announcement released by the State Department on Tuesday.
"When burying someone who has died from this terrible disease, it's important to not directly touch their body," Obama says. "You can respect your traditions and honor your loved ones without risking the lives of the living."

Public health officials in Africa have expressed concern that death rituals on the continent — which can include washing, touching, and kissing the dead — have helped spread the deadly disease.The World Health Organization warned last week that the outbreak was accelerating and could affect some 20,000 people before being brought under control. Already, more than 1,500 people have died from Ebola in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria.
In the video, Obama offers the prayers of the American people to "those of you who have lost loved ones during this terrible outbreak of Ebola." But he also pledges American assistance to West African governments grappling with the disease.
"You are not alone," Obama says. "Together we can treat those who are sick with respect and dignity."
The focus though of the president's video is prevention techniques. The president urges those in the affected region to seek immediate medical care if they suspect they have contracted Ebola, noting half of those who do so survive the virus.
"If you feel sick with a high fever, you should get help right away," Obama said.
The president also looked to dispel common myths about how the disease is spread — again encouraging extra caution around the sick and remains.
"The most common way you can get Ebola is by touching the body fluids of someone who is sick or who has died from it," Obama says. "Like their sweat, saliva, or blood. Or through a contaminated item like a needle."
The president's video comes as the WHO says West African countries are “struggling to control the escalating outbreak against a backdrop of severely compromised health systems, significant deficits in capacity, and rampant fear.”
"The 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak continues to evolve in alarming ways," the international health organization warned.  http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/216378-obama-to-africans-dont-touch-ebola-corpses

DRC: 31 dead, new assessment of the Ebola outbreak

DRC: 31 dead, new assessment of the Ebola outbreak

published there 9:00, 14 minutes | Last Update September 2, 2014 at 7:54

The new statistics of the epidemic of Ebola plaguing the health area Djera in Equateur province virus, report 31 deaths out of 53 cases recorded, reported ^Monday, September 1 at the Mbandaka Minister of Public Health, Felix Kabange Numbi. Only the health area Djera still affected and the situation is under control with contingency measures put in place by the Congolese government, he said.
"We are 51 cases, 13 laboratory-confirmed cases, 19 probable cases and 21 suspected cases. To date, we have 31 deaths. We have 15 samples, including 13 positive for Ebola and we are monitoring 185 cases of contact ", detailed the Minister Kabange Numbi. He said the case contacts are people who have had contact with sick Ebola.
"We must follow every day for 21 days, because -when you are in contact with someone with Ebola - you can make the disease within two to twenty-one days," said the same source.

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

The Minister of Health reiterated that the outbreak was confined to Djera.
"The Government of the Republic and the provincial government are set to protect Mbandaka Ebola," Has he said after his meeting with the acting governor of Ecuador, Sébastien Impeto.
Moreover, the Minister of Public Health also urged people in Mbandaka and the entire province to observe the preventive measures against the epidemic. These include the quarantine of Djera, prohibition of contact with patients and their liquid, hand washing and denunciation of all visitors who come from the infected area.
The report published last Thursday, August 28 by Felix Kabange reported seven new cases of Ebola confirmed by laboratory tests. Bringing to thirteen the number of people affected by the virus in the area Djera where the epidemic was officially declared four days before people. https://translate.google.com/translate?depth=2&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2014/08/21/equateur-mal-inconnu-fait-65-morts-en-4-semaines-djera/

Ebola outbreak: call to send in military to West Africa to help curb epidemic

Head of Médecins sans Frontières urges UN to dispatch disaster response teams as cases and deaths continue to surge

 Tuesday 2 September 2014 

 

Medical workers of the John F Kennedy hospital of Monrovia show the aprons they have been wearing during a strike. Photograph: Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images

Military teams should be sent to West Africa immediately if there is to be any hope of controlling the Ebola epidemic, doctors on the frontline told the United Nations on Tuesday, painting a stark picture of health workers dying, patients left without care and infectious bodies lying on the streets.
The international president of Médecins sans Frontières, Dr Joanne Liu, told member states that although alarm bells had been ringing for six months, the response had been too little, too late and no amount of vaccinations and new drugs would be able to prevent the escalating humanitarian disaster.
"In West Africa, cases and deaths continue to surge," she said. "Riots are breaking out. Isolation centres are overwhelmed. Health workers on the frontline are becoming infected and are dying in shocking numbers.
"Others have fled in fear, leaving people without care for even the most common illnesses. Entire health systems have crumbled."
She said Ebola treatment centres had been reduced to places where people went to die alone.
"It is impossible to keep up with the sheer number of infected people pouring into facilities. In Sierra Leone, infectious bodies are rotting in the streets," she said. "Rather than building new Ebola care centres in Liberia, we are forced to build crematoria."
The World Health Organisation estimated last week that 20,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been infected over three months. Médecins sans Frontières has doubled its staff of volunteer doctors in the region but is unable to cope.
The epidemic can be stopped, said Liu, but only if governments send in their biohazard teams and equipment.
"Many of the member states represented here today have invested heavily in biological threat response," she said at the UN. "You have a political and humanitarian responsibility to immediately utilise these capabilities in Ebola-affected countries.
"To curb the epidemic, it is imperative that states immediately deploy civilian and military assets with expertise in biohazard containment. I call upon you to dispatch your disaster response teams, backed by the full weight of your logistical capabilities. This should be done in close collaboration with the affected countries. Without this deployment, we will never get the epidemic under control."
Money is no longer the main issue, according to MSF, and voluntary help is not enough. Skilled and well equipped teams are needed on the ground.
Governments should send in military and civilian experts who can scale up the numbers of isolation centres and deploy mobile laboratories that can be used to diagnose more cases.
Military-style operations are required to establish dedicated air bridges to move personnel and equipment around West Africa and a regional network of field hospitals must be built to treat medical staff who are infected or suspected of being infected. About a tenth of the deaths have been among health workers.
"We must also address the collapse of state infrastructure," Liu said. "The health system in Liberia has collapsed. Pregnant women experiencing complications have nowhere to turn.
"Malaria and diarrhoea, easily preventable and treatable diseases, are killing people. Hospitals need to be reopened and newly created."
Lastly, she said, there must be a change of approach by affected countries. "Coercive measures, such as laws criminalising the failure to report suspected cases, and forced quarantines, are driving people underground.
"This is leading to the concealment of cases, and is pushing the sick away from health systems. These measures have only served to breed fear and unrest, rather than contain the virus."
Liu was speaking as nurses in Liberia went on strike for better pay and equipment to protect themselves from Ebola.
John Tugbeh, spokesman for the strikers at John F Kennedy hospital in Monrovia, said the nurses would not return to work until they are supplied with "personal protective equipment (PPEs)", the hazmat-style suits that guard against infectious diseases.
"From the beginning of the Ebola outbreak we have not had any protective equipment to work with. As a result, so many doctors got infected by the virus. We have to stay home until we get the PPEs," he said.
The surgical section at John F Kennedy hospital is the only trauma referral centre in Liberia. The hospital closed temporarily in July owing to the infections and deaths of an unspecified number of health workers who had been treating Ebola patients.
"We need proper equipment to work with [and] we need better pay because we are going to risk our lives," Tugbeh said.
The UN has also warned of serious food shortages as a result of restrictions on movement in the Ebola-hit countries. "Access to food has become a pressing concern for many people in the three affected countries and their neighbours," said Bukar Tijani, Food and Agricultural Organisation regional representative for Africa.
"With the main harvest now at risk and trade and movements of goods severely restricted, food insecurity is poised to intensify in the weeks and months to come."
  http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/sep/02/ebola-outbreak-call-send-military-curb-epidemic

Ebola: Panic at LUTH over death of patient

September 2, 2014 by Bukola  Adebayo

The death of a patient, who is suspected to have Ebola, has caused panic among patients and doctors at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi- Araba, Lagos State.
A reliable source, who confirmed this development to our correspondent in Lagos on Tuesday, said the patient was brought in by members of the health authorities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, to the hospital on Monday.
According to the doctor who was on duty when the patient was admitted into the Accident and Emergency Unit, the patient was vomiting blood and stooling, symptoms  which are similar to that of an  Ebola patient, before he died in the early hours of Tuesday at the Spill-Over ward of the hospital.
He said, “They rushed him to the Accident and Emergency Unit, and since he was vomiting and purging and he also had high fever, we quickly took his temperature, it was very high. We were all scared to take his blood samples because we were not wearing any Protective Protective Equipment.
“We had to take him out of the emergency ward to the other spill-over ward to avoid any form of contamination. We also reported to the Lagos State Government so that they can take him to the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yaba for proper treatment. But he had started vomiting blood by this morning , and few hours after he died.”
The doctor said that the body has being transferred to the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, for testing and confirmation of the cause of death.
The source said, “Like I said, we could not take any blood sample when he was alive because we were not wearing PPE, and we could not manage him effectively because of the severity of the symptoms we saw and considering the fact that he was coming from the airport. He could have been coming from an Ebola-affected country.
“They will need to establish the cause of death, so as to be able to know whether to quarantine those that he had contact with from the airport to the hospital. LUTH does not have the facilities to handle any suspected case of Ebola, government should know that, so they don’t keep bringing suspected cases here. All suspected cases should be taken to IDH.”
When contacted, the LUTH Chief Medical Director, Prof. Akin Oshibogun, said the death of the patient is still being investigated.
Oshibogun said, “We have been able to establish that this patient has no history of Ebola or any contact with a person that had Ebola. We are only trying to investigate the patient. If there is any new thing, we will let you know. As long as we are in the hospital, from time to time, we will always have high index suspicion and most times these patients turn out to be negative.
“There is a difference between suspected or confirmed cases . We are only investigating the case to protect our people. We have had that situation two times in the hospital now. If we have a case we will announce it. In the case of this patient, for the fact that a patient has high index suspicion does not make the patient an Ebola patient. When you create panic many nurses may decide to abandon the patients.”

A twitter handle monitored by PUNCH ONLINE also confirmed the incident. See tweet below:

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

Ebola Patient Flees Clinic In Search For Food

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

2:25pm UK, Tuesday 02 September 2014

Video: Ebola Victim Flees Quarantine To Visit Market

Video has emerged of Liberian ebola clinic workers dressed in contamination suits chasing an escaped patient through the streets after he left a treatment centre to visit a market.

There were chaotic scenes as crowds followed infected man, who was wearing a wristband to show he had tested positive for the disease, and some stallholders argued with him as he approached.
The patient escaped from Monrovia's Elwa hospital, which last month was so crowded with cases of the deadly disease that it had to turn people away.
One woman at the scene said: "The patients are hungry, they are starving. No food, no water.
"The government needs to do more. Let Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf [the President of Liberia] do more."

Crowds followed the escaped ebola patient at a distance

Onlookers cheered as health workers arrived in their protective outfits and try to convince the patient to give himself up.
The man, who shows no outward signs of the diarrhoea and bleeding that the virus causes, refuses to return with the health workers and they eventually grab him and carry him away to a waiting ambulance.
At least 1,552 people have been killed by the current ebola outbreak, with 3,062 patients infected overall, according to the latest figures from the World Health Organization.
The UN agency has warned that more than 20,000 people could be infected with ebola before the outbreak comes to an end.

The patient was eventually confronted by health workers

There has been widespread panic buying, a shortage of staple foods and severe prices in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia since movement restrictions were imposed to stop the spread of the virus.
At one market stall in Liberia, a nation which has suffered 694 fatalities so far, the price of cassava skyrocketed by 150% in a matter of days.
And despite the UN's World Food Programme launching an emergency operation to get 65,000 tonnes of supplies sent to deprived areas, many patients in quarantined areas are starving.

The UN has launched an operation to feed people in deprived areas

To compound the problem, labour shortages are expected in all three West African countries, weeks before the main harvesting season for maize and rice begins.
The production of other crops such as rubber, palm oil and cocoa could also be seriously affected, sending thousands of vulnerable people further into poverty.
Vincent Martin of the FAO added: "Even prior to the ebola outbreak, households in some of the affected areas were spending up to 80% of their incomes on food.
"Now these latest price spikes are effectively putting food completely out of their reach."   video http://news.sky.com/story/1328891/ebola-patient-flees-clinic-in-search-for-food

Myanmar Ebola suspects’ blood samples sent to lab in India

Ebola suspects’ blood samples sent to lab in India

Published on Saturday, 30 August 2014 19:50

Passengers being tested for Ebola at a ferry dock in Maungdaw, the entrance gate between Myanmar and Bangladesh, seen on the last week of August (Photo - Win Maung/EMG)

Blood samples taken from a Myanmar man suspected of possibly having Ebola – and four others said to have had contact with him – were sent to a laboratory in Pune, in India, on Friday, the Health Ministry has said.

Ministry officials said blood samples from patient Zin Min Oo and four people who allegedly had contact with him were sent in accordance with International Air Transport Association standards for bio-safety, after initial difficulties in doing this were overcome.

The laboratory in India is recognized by the World Health Organisation. The samples may be forwarded to the Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta, in the US, and labs in Hamburg in Germany, they said.

Zin Min Oo recently returned from West Africa, which has been hit hard by a deadly Ebola outbreak, with a fever. He was initially feared he may have Ebola, and he was put in a unit in Weibergi Hospital.

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

40,000 people of the South-south region defied the ebola virus disease (EVD) scare in Port Harcourt to show their support for the president

40,000 people of the South-south region defied the ebola virus disease (EVD) scare in Port Harcourt to show their support for the president and also present 4,150,000 signatures urging Jonathan to seek a second term.. http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/anyim-jonathan-will-soon-declare-for-2015-presidency/187754/

GATINEAU, Que. – A girl has been put in isolation at a hospital in Gatineau, Que., as a precautionary measure and is being tested for Ebola after coming down with a fever following a recent trip to West Africa.
Karelle Kennedy, a spokeswoman for Outaouais region public health, says a blood test was sent to a laboratory Friday afternoon and that the results should be back Saturday.

She says the child was not in contact with health groups or an infected person in Africa and that health officials strongly believe that the test will be negative.. http://globalnews.ca/news/1535191/quebec-girl-in-hospital-is-being-tested-for-ebola/

Lagos-Ebola: LASG warns residents against open defecation

In a bid to check the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the Lagos State Government on Saturday warned residents against urinating and defecating in drains, dumpsites and empty areas.
Mr Tunji Bello, the Commissioner for the Environment gave the warning on Saturday when he led some state officials to monitor the monthly sanitation exercise across the state.
He said open urination and defecation could further spread of the virus.
“People can contract the virus through  urine and faeces. Residents should keep their environment clean and take the other preventive measures to reduce the risk of being infected.
“ Now Ebola is a serious health issue in the country and there are things our people need to do and should not do to help contain the spread of the disease.
“Residents must stop defecating or urinating in public. This should stop because if somebody is infected and he goes out to urinate in open places that is just the easiest way to spread it,’’ Bello told newsmen.
“If we are able to stop the unhygienic habits and do the right thing, then we are on course in the fight against the disease.’’
On indiscriminate dumping of waste by residents, Bello warned them to desist from such practices, saying it is a major cause of flooding and other environmental problems in the state.
He condemned dumping of refuse in unauthorised places in Isolo area of the metropolis and said that the government would fence off some affected locations as part of efforts to discourage such habits.
Bello said some residents, who had erected structures on flood-prone areas had been notified to remove such structures immediately for public safety.
On the monthly sanitation, the commissioner
urged the people to participate actively in the exercise.
“Participating in the exercise regularly should be a duty of all.
“We see people playing football and doing some things during the exercise. We have cautioned them.
“Some would listen, some would not. But those who would not comply the law enforcement agents will take care of them,’’ he said. http://dailyindependentnig.com/2014/08/ebola-lasg-warns-residents-open-defecation/

Nearly 60 wounded in Guinea Ebola riots, local government says

At least 55 hurt after clashes between protesters and security forces in Guinea's second-largest city - at the epicentre of West African Ebola outbreak

Health workers take off their protective suits as they finish their shifts at the Pita hospital in Guinea Photo: AFP

By AFP

5:53PM BST 30 Aug 2014

Clashes between protesters and security forces in a Guinean city at the epicentre of the West African Ebola outbreak have left at least 55 wounded, the local government said on Saturday.

A curfew was imposed in N'Zerekore, Guinea's second-largest city, after two days of protests Thursday and Friday by market stall holders against a team of health workers sent, without notice, to spray their market with disinfectant.

Regional governor Lancei Conde said at least 27 law enforcement officers forces were among the wounded.

"In N'zerekore and elsewhere, there are two camps - those who believe in the existence of Ebola and those who think that the epidemic is imported. Investigations are ongoing," he said.

City prefect Aboubacar M'bop Camara said protesters had "attacked the regional hospital's ambulance, UNICEF vehicles, the vehicle of the cardiologist at the regional hospital (and) the car of a private individual"... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/ebola/11065740/Nearly-60-wounded-in-Guinea-Ebola-riots-local-government-says.html

Quarantine for Ebola Lifted in Liberia Slum

By NORIMITSU ONISHI

August 29, 2014

MONROVIA, Liberia — Liberia’s government announced Friday night that it would lift an Ebola quarantine on a large slum here in the capital, 10 days after attempts to cordon off the neighborhood from the rest of the city sparked deadly clashes and fueled doubts about President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s ability to handle the outbreak.
Residents of the neighborhood, West Point, will be free to move in and out starting Saturday at 6 a.m., said Lewis Brown, the minister of information. The army, which had pressed for the quarantine and took the lead in enforcing it in the first two days, will be removed from West Point, leaving only the police, Mr. Brown said.
A nationwide curfew, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., will remain in place, he said.
“This was a tool intended to help the community to help themselves and get the help they desperately need,” Mr. Brown said in a telephone interview. “We’re pleased with the way that the community has owned up to this.”
Ms. Johnson Sirleaf ordered the quarantine on Aug. 20, rejecting the advice of international Ebola experts and her own health officials who argued that such a large-scale quarantine, especially one led by the military, would be unmanageable and could exacerbate the spread of the disease. The quarantine immediately led to running battles between residents and the security forces; Shakie Kamara, a 15-year-old boy caught in the violence, died after suffering bullet wounds to both legs.
During the quarantine, many residents have sneaked out of West Point by paying bribes to soldiers and police officers. Prices of food and basic goods have doubled, causing living conditions in the slum to degrade further.
As state radio announced the news of the lifting of the quarantine Friday night, hundreds of residents in West Point gathered on its main road to celebrate, according to residents contacted by phone. Soldiers could no longer be seen at checkpoints, and only a light police presence remained, residents said.
“The road is jam-packed,” said Abubakar Bah, who manages a drug dispensary near the main entrance. “Everybody is very happy. Most people here still don’t believe there is Ebola in West Point. They’re saying that the government came and didn’t find Ebola, and so that’s why they’re leaving.”  http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/08/30/world/africa/quarantine-for-ebola-lifted-in-liberia-slum.html?_r=1&referrer=

Rapidly Mutating Ebola Renders Diagnostic Tests Inaccurate – AKA: You May Have a New Strain of Ebola and Test Negative

August 29th, 2014

An international team of scientists — some of whom succumbed to the virus during the course of their research — has sequenced 99 Ebola virus genomes from 78 patients in Sierra Leone, creating a valuable trove of genetic data for scientists and health care workers struggling to bring the growing outbreak under control.

…

“We were able to sequence and analyze our samples with about a 10-day turnaround. This is unprecedented, as earlier studies have usually taken many months with much smaller datasets,” says Daniel J. Park, a co-author and computational biologist at the Broad Institute, in an email interview with Mashable.

The research, which used an advanced genetic analysis technique known as deep sequencing, reveals that the disease is rapidly accumulating mutations as it spreads.

The team found 395 genetic changes, including 341 that make this outbreak distinct from the viral genomes tied to previous Ebola outbreaks, and 50 that are unique to the West African outbreak more broadly.

Of particular interest are mutations that alter protein sequences, since they could potentially change the accuracy of diagnostic tests for the virus as well as vaccines and therapies. 

It is unclear if these mutations are related to the severity of the current outbreak, but further genetic analysis could determine this.

http://mashable.com/2014/08/28/dna-ebola-virus-sierra-leone-entered-country-funeral-guinea-study/?utm_cid=mash-com-Tw-main-link

For starters, the data show that the virus is rapidly accumulating new mutations as it spreads through people. “We’ve found over 250 mutations that are changing in real time as we’re watching,” Sabeti says.

While moving through the human population in West Africa, she says, the virus has been collecting mutations about twice as quickly as it did while circulating among animals in the past decade or so.

“The more time you give a virus to mutate and the more human-to-human transmission you see,” she says, “the more opportunities you give it to fall upon some [mutation] that could make it more easily transmissible or more pathogenic.”

Sabeti says she doesn’t know if that’s happening yet. But the rapid change in the virus’ genome could weaken the tools researchers have to detect Ebola or, potentially, to treat patients.

Diagnostic tests, experimental vaccines and drugs for Ebola — like the one recently used to treat two American patients — are all based on the gene sequences of the virus, Sabeti says. “If the virus is mutating away from the known sequence, that could be important to how these things work.”

http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/08/28/343734184/ebola-is-rapidly-mutating-as-it-spreads-across-west-africa?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=science

Read more at http://investmentwatchblog.com/rapidly-mutating-ebola-renders-diagnostic-tests-inaccurate-aka-you-may-have-a-new-strain-of-ebola-and-test-negative/#L2cxy9LQc6meCo1S.99

The Dandelion Effect

It just don't look good, boys and girls..
40% more cases in just 3 weeks is a big ole red flag. Mutations at a blinding speed. Dire warnings from the WHO, CDC,MSF or the latest talking health official, and I see them at a panic too. Experimental drugs that aren't tested..Magic serums and new vaccines...6 to 9 months just to get a grip on the situation? Cases 'could exceed 20,000' as outbreak expands, warns WHO..
What will the next 3 weeks bring? I for one am  not going along with the projected numbers and will guess that we have 17,000 cases already. You can't or won't prove different.
More than a million in quarantine on the Guinea/lib/SL border triangle.
Up to 75,000 inWestPoint... now lifted
30 to 40,000 in Dolo town
quarantines in DRC, Nigeria,Senegal..
What about Mali, Guinea Bissau, Ivory coast..??

Lifting travel bans and constantly telling us how bad it will get, is talking out both sides of your mouth..
 "Travel restrictions and active screening of passengers on arrival at sea ports, airports or ground crossings in non-affected countries that do not share borders with affected countries are not currently recommended by WHO.".
How can you tell us this when we see infected people sneaking across borders everyday and spreading this stuff?
 Are you more completely worried about economics than human lives? The answer to that is obvious..

 "It is important to note that a person who is infected is only able to spread the virus to others after the infected person has started to have symptoms.." This little lie is becoming very irritating.
I have read about too many false positives, false negatives, no testing done or INSTANT test results to go on believing anything you say.


WHEN are you really going to tell us how many cases and deaths there are? If you had 500 new cases last week, and cases are doubling every 30 days...the more that get it, the more chances for mutation, the more cases are transported to other areas and countries, yet you say there is no need for travel restrictions?

..and about that side of the mouth talk, why does the CDC tell us to not worry, "we can handle it", when you can't handle contaminated infectious diseases in your own damn labs? "anthrax and bird flu" WHY the HELL would you let an exposed CDC worker return to the states with no restrictions on travel?
This does not instill confidence at all..more like mistrust.Maybe he is a vaccine test patient? hmmm

 Ya'll are way behind the game on this outbreak and I have been watching it since December. Now you are all about trying to do something, which mainly consist of covering your asses and hiding cases or downplaying any risk to travelers on airlines.

Get the military involved with logistics, a million people are about to riot down there.
 Get air carriers to put up one plane from each for supply transport."BA, Delta,Gambia Bird,ect"
Keep all vaccine test subjects in one area only..just in case it gets funny.
 Get Du pont,Clorox, Rubbermaid and some mobile crematorium manufactuers on the phone NOW.
You aren't going to bury 20,000 ebola victims..and at the new rate of infections, that will be WAY before your happy dreams of a 6 to 9 month containment.
 Making Ghana a distribution center is one good idea out of very few recent developments.

The winds are blowing fast,cold and flu season is on the way and ebola symptoms start out the same as a flu.. how many tests to you have ready for America, Mr President.. you have been very silent on this outbreak.. wait till you have a few million people looking for food and answers as to why ebola continues to go unchecked into this country.

PICKUP THE PACE, before  this dandelion has but one solution

Joint Statement on Travel and Transport in Relation to Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Outbreak

Saturday, 30 August 2014

Joint Statement on Travel and Transport in Relation to Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Outbreak

The current Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak is believed to have begun in Guinea in December 2013. This outbreak now involves community transmission in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and recently an ill traveller from Liberia infected a small number of people in Nigeria with whom he had direct contact.

On 8 August 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in accordance with the International Health Regulations (2005).

In order to support the global efforts to contain the spread of the disease and provide a coordinated international response for the travel and tourism sector, the heads of the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Airports Council International (ACI), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) decided to activate a Travel and Transport Task Force which will monitor the situation and provide timely information to the travel and tourism sector as well as to travellers.

The risk of transmission of Ebola virus disease during air travel is low. Unlike infections such as influenza or tuberculosis, Ebola is not spread by breathing air (and the airborne particles it contains) from an infected person. Transmission requires direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected living or dead persons or animals, all unlikely exposures for the average traveller. Travellers are, in any event, advised to avoid all such contacts and routinely practice careful hygiene, like hand washing.

The risk of getting infected on an aircraft is also small as sick persons usually feel so unwell that they cannot travel and infection requires direct contact with the body fluids of the infected person.

Most infections in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, are taking place in the community when family members or friends take care of someone who is ill or when funeral preparation and burial ceremonies do not follow strict infection prevention and control measures.

A second important place where transmission can occur is in clinics and other health care settings, when health care workers, patients, and other persons have unprotected contact with a person who is infected. In Nigeria, cases are related only to persons who had direct contact with a single traveller who was hospitalized upon arrival in Lagos.

It is important to note that a person who is infected is only able to spread the virus to others after the infected person has started to have symptoms. A person usually has no symptoms for two to 21 days (the “incubation period”). Symptoms include fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, and in some cases, bleeding.

The risk of a traveller becoming infected with the Ebola virus during a visit to the affected countries and developing disease after returning is very low, even if the visit includes travel to areas in which cases have been reported.

If a person, including a traveller, stayed in the areas where Ebola cases have been recently reported, he/she should seek medical attention at the first sign of illness (fever, headache, achiness, sore throat, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain, rash, red eyes, and in some cases, bleeding). Early treatment can improve prognosis.

Strengthened international cooperation is needed, and should support action to contain the virus, stop transmission to other countries and mitigate the effects in those affected.

Affected countries are requested to conduct exit screening of all persons at international airports, seaports and major land crossings, for unexplained febrile illness consistent with potential Ebola infection. Any person with an illness consistent with EVD should not be allowed to travel unless the travel is part of an appropriate medical evacuation. There should be no international travel of Ebola contacts or cases, unless the travel is part of an appropriate medical evacuation.

Non-affected countries need to strengthen the capacity to detect and immediately contain new cases, while avoiding measures that will create unnecessary interference with international travel or trade.

The World Health Organization (WHO) does not recommend any ban on international travel or trade, in accordance with advice from the WHO Ebola Emergency Committee.

Travel restrictions and active screening of passengers on arrival at sea ports, airports or ground crossings in non-affected countries that do not share borders with affected countries are not currently recommended by WHO.

Worldwide, countries should provide their citizens traveling to Ebola-affected countries with accurate and relevant information on the Ebola outbreak and measures to reduce the risk of exposure.   http://airbizafrika.blogspot.com/2014/08/joint-statement-on-travel-and-transport.html

CDC raises travel alert for DR Congo on Ebola concerns

CNA
August 31, 2014, 12:00 am TWN

TAIPEI--The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) heightened a health advisory against travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Saturday from “watch” to “alert” on concern over the continued spread of the Ebola virus. There have been 24 Ebola cases confirmed in the central African country as of Aug. 18, 13 of which have been fatal, the CDC said.... http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2014/08/31/416157/CDC-raises.htm