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| Ebola Crisis | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 23 Mar 2014, 12:52 AM (2,809 Views) | |
| skibboy | 23 Mar 2014, 12:52 AM Post #1 |
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22 March 2014 Guinea deaths: Ebola blamed for deadly fever outbreak ![]() Ebola was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976 The Ebola virus has been identified as the cause of an outbreak of haemorrhagic fever now believed to have killed nearly 60 people in southern Guinea, government officials say. Scores of cases have been recorded since the outbreak began early last month. There is no known cure or vaccine for the highly contagious Ebola virus. It is spread by close personal contact with people who are infected and kills between 25% and 90% of victims. Symptoms include internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting. Outbreaks of Ebola occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, the World Health Organization says. Analysts suggest it has never been recorded in Guinea before. Recent years have seen outbreaks in Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. 'Overwhelmed' "We got the first results from Lyon yesterday (Friday) which informed us of the presence of the Ebola virus as the cause of this outbreak," Guinean health ministry official Sakoba Keita told AFP. "The Ebola fever epidemic raging in southern Guinea since 9 February has left at least 59 dead out of 80 cases identified by our services on the ground." "We are overwhelmed in the field, we are fighting against this epidemic with all the means we have at our disposal with the help of our partners but it is difficult." Medical aid charity Medecins sans Frontieres said on Saturday it would strengthen its team in Guinea and fly some 33 tonnes of drugs and isolation equipment in from Belgium and France. Dr Armand Sprecher, an emergency physician and epidemiologist working with MSF in Guinea, told the BBC that doctors had to identify all patients with the disease and monitor anyone they had been in contact with during their illness. The latest outbreak could be brought under control if people acted quickly, he said. "Based on our history with these sorts of outbreaks it will happen. Ideally, sooner rather than later," said Dr Sprecher. "The more quickly we can contain this the fewer cases we'll have, then the smaller the scale of the epidemic. That's the idea of going in as strong as we can early on." Source:
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| skibboy | 24 Mar 2014, 12:05 AM Post #2 |
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23 March 2014 Deadly Ebola virus reaches Guinea capital Conakry - UN An outbreak of the Ebola virus - which has already killed 59 people in Guinea - has reached the capital Conakry, the UN's children agency has warned. Unicef said the haemorrhagic fever had spread quickly from southern Guinea, hundreds of kilometres away. Scores of cases have been recorded since the outbreak began last month. There is no known cure or vaccine. It is spread by close personal contact with people who are infected and kills between 25% and 90% of victims. Symptoms include internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting. Sprawling city "At least 59 out of 80 who contracted Ebola across the West African country have died so far," a Unicef statement quoted by the AFP news agency. "Over the past few days, the deadly haemorrhagic fever has quickly spread from the communities of Macenta, Gueckedou, and Kissidougou to the capital Conakry." Conakry is a sprawling port city, where up to two million people currently live. The Unicef statement also said that at least three victims of the virus were children. Outbreaks of Ebola occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, the World Health Organization says. Analysts suggest it has never been recorded in Guinea before. Recent years have seen outbreaks in Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Isolation equipment "We got the first results from Lyon yesterday which informed us of the presence of the Ebola virus as the cause of this outbreak," Guinean health ministry official Sakoba Keita told AFP on Saturday. "We are overwhelmed in the field, we are fighting against this epidemic with all the means we have at our disposal with the help of our partners but it is difficult." Medical aid charity Medecins sans Frontieres said on Saturday it would strengthen its team in Guinea and fly some 33 tonnes of drugs and isolation equipment in from Belgium and France. Dr Armand Sprecher, an emergency physician and epidemiologist working with MSF in Guinea, told the BBC that doctors had to identify all patients with the disease and monitor anyone they had been in contact with during their illness. The latest outbreak could be brought under control if people acted quickly, he said. "Based on our history with these sorts of outbreaks it will happen. Ideally, sooner rather than later," said Dr Sprecher. "The more quickly we can contain this the fewer cases we'll have, then the smaller the scale of the epidemic. That's the idea of going in as strong as we can early on." Source:
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| skibboy | 25 Mar 2014, 01:14 AM Post #3 |
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24 March 2014 Virus in Guinea capital Conakry not Ebola ![]() There is no known cure or vaccine for Ebola Tests on the suspected cases of deadly Ebola virus in Guinea's capital Conakry are negative, health officials say. On Sunday, United Nations officials said that the virus had spread to the capital, a port city of up to two million, from remote forests in the south, where some 61 people have died. The government has sent out text messages, urging people to stay calm and wash their hands with soap. Ebola is spread by close contact and kills between 25% and 90% of victims. There is no known cure or vaccine. Symptoms include internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting. ![]() There are fears that Ebola could spread quickly in the bustling city of Conakry Neighbouring countries such as Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone are said to be on high alert in case the disease spreads. Five people are already reported to have died in Liberia after crossing from southern Guinea for treatment, Liberia's Health Minister Walter Gwenigale told journalists. However, it is not clear whether they had Ebola. The BBC's Jonathan Jonathan Paye-Layleh in Liberia says the country's health facilities are closer and more accessible to Guineans living on the border than those in big Guinean cities. Cross-border trade is huge between the two countries, which share some cultural and linguistic ties, he adds. ![]() Mr Gwenigale confirmed tests were being carried out on those who had died. He also urged people to avoid close contact with people, such as shaking hands and kissing. Guinea is also currently grappling with epidemics of measles, cholera and meningitis. It is said to be the first time Ebola has struck Guinea, with recent outbreaks thousands of miles away, in Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. There have been 87 cases so far, with 61 deaths, according to Guinea's health ministry. After two people died from a haemorrhagic fever in Conakry, samples were sent to the Pasteur Institute in neighbouring Senegal for testing. WHO spokesman Collins Boakye-Agyemang told the BBC these had shown that the victims had not been infected with Ebola. It is not known what killed them. Outbreaks of Ebola occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, the World Health Organization says. Source:
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| skibboy | 26 Mar 2014, 01:21 AM Post #4 |
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25 March 2014 Guinea Ebola outbreak: Bat-eating banned to curb virus ![]() Fruit bats are believed to be a major carrier of the Ebola virus but do not show symptoms Guinea has banned the sale and consumption of bats to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, its health minister has said. Bats, a local delicacy, appeared to be the "main agents" for the Ebola outbreak in the south, Rene Lamah said. Sixty-two people have now been killed by the virus in Guinea, with suspected cases reported in neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone. Ebola is spread by close contact. There is no known cure or vaccine. It kills between 25% and 90% of victims, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Symptoms include internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting. 'Quarantine sites' It is the first time Ebola has struck Guinea, with recent outbreaks thousands of miles away, in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mr Lamah announced the ban on the sale and consumption of bats during a tour of Forest Region, the epicentre of the epidemic, reports the BBC's Alhassan Sillah from the capital, Conakry. People who eat the animals often boil them into a sort of spicy pepper soup, our correspondent says. The soup is sold in village stores where people gather to drink alcohol. Other ways of preparing the bats to eat include drying them over a fire. ![]() Aid agencies and the government are taking medical supplies to the affected areas in Guinea Certain species of bat found in West and Central Africa are thought to be the natural reservoir of Ebola, although they do not show any symptoms. Health officials reported one more death on Tuesday, bringing the number of people killed by Ebola to 62, our correspondent adds. The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres has set up two quarantine sites in southern Guinea to try to contain the outbreak, the Associated Press news agency reports. Health authorities are receiving help from the WHO while messages are being broadcast on national television to reassure people. Sierra Leone's health ministry said it was investigating two suspected cases of Ebola. "We still do not have any confirmed cases of Ebola in the country," its chief medical officer Brima Kargbo told AFP. "What we do have are suspected cases, which our health teams are investigating and taking blood samples from people who had come in contact with those suspected to have the virus," he added. Mr Kargbo said one suspected case involved a 14-year-old boy buried in a Sierra Leonean village after he apparently died across the border in Guinea two weeks ago, AFP reports. The other patient was still alive in the northern border district of Kambia, he added. Five people are reported to have died in Liberia after crossing from southern Guinea for treatment, Liberia's Health Minister Walter Gwenigale told journalists on Monday. However, it is not clear whether they had Ebola. Outbreaks of Ebola occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, the World Health Organization says. Source:
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| skibboy | 28 Mar 2014, 02:00 AM Post #5 |
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Ebola cases confirmed in Guinean capital Conakry Text by FRANCE 24 2014-03-27 An Ebola epidemic that has killed dozens of people in Guinea's southern forests has spread to the capital Conakry, Guinea's health minister said Thursday, with four new cases confirmed. Guinea's Health Minister Remy Lamah said they marked the first confirmed spread of the disease from rural areas to the West African state's capital. He said the virus appeared to have been transmitted by an old man who showed symptoms of haemorrhagic fever after visiting Dinguiraye in central Guinea, far from the identified outbreaks of Ebola in the remote southeast. Four of the man's brothers, who attended his funeral in the central town of Dabola, started to show the same symptoms and were tested for Ebola on their return to Conakry. The patients were immediately put in isolation to avoid the highly contagious virus spreading further into the population. The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, faeces or sweat, or by sexual contact or unprotected handling of contaminated corpses. Between 1.5 and two million people are estimated to be living in Conakry, a vast, sprawling port city on Guinea's Atlantic coast. The tropical virus leads to a haemorrhagic fever causing muscle pain, weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea and – in the most severe cases – organ failure and unstoppable bleeding. To date, no treatment or vaccine is available for Ebola, which kills between 25 and 90 percent of those who fall sick, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the World Health Organisation. Authorities in the city identified three cases of haemorrhagic fever – two of them fatal – on Sunday but samples taken from the victims tested negative for Ebola. Source: (FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)
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| skibboy | 31 Mar 2014, 12:56 AM Post #6 |
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Guinea: Ebola death toll reaches 70 By Susanna Capelouto, CNN and journalist Youssouf Bah March 29, 2014 ![]() Guinea: Ebola virus spreading fast (CNN) -- At least 70 people are reported to have died from Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Guinea, according to a statement from the West African nation's health ministry. Officials say there are at least 111 suspected cases of the viral disease, which spreads in the blood and shuts down the immune system, causing high fever, headache and muscle pain. The virus is transmitted by contact with the fluids of infected people or animals. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) describes Ebola as "one of the world's most deadly diseases." It is rare, but it creates panic, because there is no cure and it's fatal in most cases, according to MSF. "The priority is to isolate suspected cases," said MSF, which has set up two isolation facilities in the most affected districts, Gueckedou and Macenta, both in southern Guinea. Four of the fatalities from the disease are in Conakry, the capital city, which is on the coast. Genetic analysis of the virus shows that it is closely related to Zaire Ebola virus, which was reported in 2009 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Senegal's Interior Ministry decided to close its border with Guinea until further notice to prevent the spread of the disease, according to Senegal's state news agency. The World Health Organization says that, to date, no confirmed cases of Ebola have been found outside of Guinea, but at least 12 suspected cases are under investigation in neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone. Joseph Netto and Pierre Meilhan contributed to this report. Source:
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| skibboy | 1 Apr 2014, 12:06 AM Post #7 |
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31 March 2014 Ebola outbreak in Guinea unprecedented - MSF ![]() It took authorities in Guinea six weeks to identify the disease The Ebola outbreak that has killed 78 people in Guinea is "unprecedented", a medical charity has said. An official with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said the spread of the disease across the country made it very difficult to control. The West African state is facing a battle to contain the outbreak after cases were reported in areas that are hundreds of kilometres apart. Ebola is spread by close contact and kills between 25% and 90% of victims. "We are facing an epidemic of a magnitude never before seen in terms of the distribution of cases," Mariano Lugli, a co-ordinator in Guinea for the aid group said. "This geographical spread is worrisome because it will greatly complicate the tasks of the organisations working to control the epidemic," Mr Lugli added. ![]() The outbreak of Ebola had centred around Guinea's remote south-eastern region of Nzerekore but it took the authorities six weeks to identify the disease. It has now spread to neighbouring Liberia, as well as Guinea's capital, Conakry, which has a population of two million people. Senegalese singer Youssou Ndour cancelled a concert in Conakry on Saturday because of the outbreak. Although he had already travelled to the city, he told the BBC it would not be a good idea to bring hundreds or thousands of people together in an enclosed area. Figures released overnight by Guinea's health ministry showed that there had been 78 deaths from 122 cases of suspected Ebola since January, up from 70. Of these, there were 22 laboratory confirmed cases of Ebola, the ministry said. Liberia has recorded a total of seven suspected and confirmed cases, including four deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Liberia's Health Minister Walter Gwenigale on Monday warned people to stop having sex because the virus was spread via bodily fluids. This was in addition to existing advice to stop shaking hands and kissing. The BBC's Jonathan Paye-Layleh in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, says residents are increasingly concerned and many supermarket workers are wearing gloves as a precaution. The first two Liberians confirmed as dying from Ebola were sisters, one of whom had recently returned from Guinea. Sierra Leone has also reported five suspected cases, none of which have been confirmed yet, while Senegal, another neighbour of Guinea's, has closed its land border. Outbreaks of Ebola occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, WHO says. Source:
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| skibboy | 1 Apr 2014, 11:55 PM Post #8 |
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1 April 2014 Ebola outbreak in Guinea 'limited geographically' - WHO ![]() Guinea has so far found 127 suspected cases of Ebola since January The deadly Ebola outbreak in Guinea, West Africa, remains in a "limited geographic area", the World Health Organization has said. WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said it was neither an epidemic, nor unprecedented. But medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said its spread makes it very difficult to control. The WHO says 83 people in Guinea have died in suspected cases of Ebola, which is spread by close contact and kills between 25% and 90% of its victims. It has now spread to neighbouring Liberia, as well as Guinea's capital, Conakry, which has a population of two million people. Liberia has recorded a total of seven suspected and confirmed cases, including four deaths. Outbreaks of Ebola occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests, the WHO says. 'Unprecedented' "We need to be very careful about how we characterise something which is up to now an outbreak with sporadic cases," Mr Hartl told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO says the epidemiology of this outbreak is the same as previous outbreaks and remains localised, the BBC's Imogen Foulkes reports from Geneva. The organisation adds that cases in Conakry and Liberia can be traced to the south-east of Guinea where the outbreak began. On Monday, MSF described the outbreak as "unprecedented". "We are facing an epidemic of a magnitude never before seen in terms of the distribution of cases," said Mariano Lugli, a co-ordinator in Guinea for the medical charity. "This geographical spread is worrisome because it will greatly complicate the tasks of the organisations working to control the epidemic." The outbreak of Ebola had centred around Guinea's remote south-eastern region of Nzerekore but it took the authorities six weeks to identify the disease. Guinea has so far confirmed 122 cases of Ebola since January. Liberia's Health Minister, Walter Gwenigale, on Monday warned people to stop having sex because the virus was spread via bodily fluids. This was in addition to existing advice to stop shaking hands and kissing. Sierra Leone has also reported five suspected cases, none of which have yet been confirmed, while Senegal, which also borders Guinea, has closed its land border. Saudi Arabia suspended visas for Muslim pilgrims from Guinea and Liberia on Tuesday, in a sign of the growing unease about the outbreak. The "preventive" measure came at the request of the Saudi health ministry "due to the danger of the disease and its highly contagious" nature, state news agency SPA reported. The tropical virus leads to haemorrhagic fever, causing muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding. Source:
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| skibboy | 4 Apr 2014, 01:10 AM Post #9 |
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Ebola toll tops 80 in West Africa By Matt Smith, CNN April 3, 2014 (CNN) -- The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in coastal West Africa has risen to 84, with dozens more ill, aid workers reported Thursday. The deaths are among the 131 cases reported by the World Health Organization, which said the outbreak has "rapidly evolved" since originating in the forests of southeastern Guinea. The city of Guekedou, near the borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia, has seen 29 cases, 57 of them fatal; another four deaths were in the capital, Conakry. It's the first emergence of Ebola in western Africa, and WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the U.N. agency is trying to track people who had encountered the victims and make sure "that all those who have been in contact with infected people are being checked upon." "What is really important is to inform the population of Guinea and Conakry about this disease, as this is the first time they are facing Ebola. They need to know what it is and how they can protect themselves." In Liberia, one Ebola death has been confirmed and six more are suspected; Sierra Leone is investigating at least two deaths. The aid organization Doctors Without Borders has called the outbreak unprecedented, because previous cases have been limited to a small area. Mali's government reported on its Facebook page on Thursday that biological samples tied to three suspected Ebola cases within its borders are being sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for analysis. In the meantime, the three people there suspected of having the disease are being treated in an isolated unit, where their health is improving. Ebola is one of the world's deadliest viruses, causing a hemorrhagic fever that kills up to 90% of those infected. It spreads in the blood and shuts down the immune system, causing high fever, headache and muscle pain, often accompanied by bleeding. The virus is named after the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), where one of the first outbreaks occurred in 1976. CNN's Anna Maja Rappard contributed to this report. Source:
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| skibboy | 5 Apr 2014, 12:35 AM Post #10 |
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4 April 2014 Ebola outbreak: Mali on alert There is no known cure or vaccine for Ebola Mali is on alert over the deadly Ebola virus after three suspected cases were reported near the border with Guinea, where 86 people have died. A BBC correspondent says there are tight controls on people entering the capital, Bamako, from the border area. He says thermal-imaging cameras are screening passengers at the airport in case they have a fever. The virus, which is spread by close contact and kills 25%- 90% of its victims, has already spread to Liberia. Meanwhile, an Air France plane which landed in Paris from Guinea was quarantined for two hours on Friday morning after the crew suspected a passenger was infected with Ebola. "The test turned out negative," a spokesman for the airline said. Six people have died in Liberia, out of 12 suspected cases, according to the local health authorities. Sierra Leone has also reported suspected cases, while Senegal has closed its normally busy border with Guinea. Visas suspended The BBC's Alou Diawara in Bamako says the three people feared to have Ebola have been moved to isolation wards on the edge of the city. Samples have been sent to the US for testing and the results are expected in a few days. Mali's government has advised its nationals against all non-essential travel to areas affected by Ebola. WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic in Conakry told the BBC the reports of cases in Mali were a "concern". "Everyone should be vigilant and aware of what is going on. But we need to wait for the results to confirm if it is Ebola," he said. The virus was first spotted in Guinea's remote south-eastern region of Nzerekore, where most of the deaths have been recorded. But it was not confirmed as Ebola for six weeks. It has now spread to Guinea's capital, Conakry, where five deaths have been recorded out of 12 suspected cases. Saudi Arabia suspended visas for Muslim pilgrims from Guinea and Liberia on Tuesday, in a sign of the growing unease about the outbreak. This is the first known outbreak in Guinea - most recent cases have been thousands of miles away in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. There is no known cure or vaccine for Ebola. The tropical virus leads to haemorrhagic fever, causing muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding. Source:
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| skibboy | 8 Apr 2014, 11:43 PM Post #11 |
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8 April 2014 Ebola outbreak 'most challenging' as Guinea deaths pass 100 The number of people believed to have been killed by the Ebola virus in Guinea has passed 100, the UN World Health Organization says. It was "one of the most challenging Ebola outbreaks we have ever dealt with" and could take another four months to contain, the WHO said. The virus had now killed 101 people in Guinea and 10 in Liberia, it said. Ebola is spread by close contact and kills between 25% and 90% of its victims. Many West African states have porous borders, and people travel frequently between countries. 'High alert' Southern Guinea is at the epicentre of the outbreak, with the first case reported last month. The geographical spread of the outbreak is continuing to make it particularly challenging to contain - past outbreaks have involved much smaller areas. "We fully expect to be engaged in this outbreak for the next two to three to four months before we are comfortable that we are through it," Keija Fukuda, WHO's assistant director-general, said at a news briefing in Geneva, Reuters news agency reports. The WHO said 157 suspected cases had been recorded in Guinea, including 20 in the capital, Conakry. ![]() Sixty-seven of the cases have been confirmed as Ebola, it added. In neighbouring Liberia, 21 cases had been reported, with five confirmed as Ebola, WHO said. Mali had reported nine suspected cases, but medical tests done so far showed that two of them did not have Ebola, it said. Last week, Mali said it was on high alert because of fears of an outbreak of Ebola and it would tighten border controls. Saudi Arabia has suspended visas for Muslim pilgrims from Guinea and Liberia, in a sign of the growing unease about the outbreak. This is the first known outbreak in Guinea - most recent cases have been thousands of miles away in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. There is no known cure or vaccine for Ebola. The tropical virus leads to haemorrhagic fever, causing muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding. Source:
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| skibboy | 19 Apr 2014, 01:21 AM Post #12 |
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West African Ebola outbreak caused by new strain of virus Text by FRANCE 24 2014-04-18 The virus that has caused a deadly Ebola epidemic in West Africa is a new strain that emerged locally, possibly transmitted by fruit bats, virologists have said. The spread of Ebola from a remote corner of Guinea to the capital and into neighbouring Liberia, the first deadly outbreak reported in West Africa, has caused panic across a region struggling with weak healthcare systems and porous borders. The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned this week that Ebola could continue to spread in West Africa for months. Scientists have unravelled the genome of the virus and found it to be distinct from strains in countries where Ebola was already known to circulate. Ebola is endemic to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and Gabon, and scientists initially believed that Central Africa's Democratic Republic of Congo strain of the virus was responsible for the outbreak. Using analysis of blood from infected patients, researchers determined that while the Guinean form of the Ebola virus showed a 97 percent similarity to the Democratic Republic of Congo strain, the disease was not introduced from Central Africa. The virus is of the EBOV type, one of three species that have caused outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa, said the preliminary study published on the website of the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday. "This study demonstrates the emergence of EBOV in Guinea," the authors wrote. Data from the analysis "suggest a single introduction of the virus into the human population," probably in early December 2013 "or even before," according to the study. "It is suspected that the virus was transmitted for months before the outbreak became apparent," it added. "This length of exposure appears to have allowed many transmission chains and thus increased the number of cases of Ebola virus disease." 'Potential reservoirs' of the virus The study said fruit bats found throughout West Africa were "potential reservoirs" of the virus. "It is possible that EBOV has circulated undetected in this region for some time," said the authors. Of the 197 clinical cases of Ebola in Guinea, 122 have died including several health workers, according to a World Health Organisation update released on Thursday, which cited Guinean health ministry figures. Sixteen of those died in the capital Conakry. Liberia's health ministry has recorded at least 13 deaths from 26 confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola. The fatality rate was between 71 and 86 percent in the cases they studied, the researchers wrote. Guinea's health ministry said on Tuesday that the number of new cases had fallen rapidly and the outbreak was nearly under control. On Tuesday, Dr. Keiji Fukuda of the WHO warned that it's too early to say whether the rate of transmission is slowing. He said that while other outbreaks have seen more cases, the current one is remarkable for the wide area over which it has spread. “We fully expect to be engaged in this outbreak for another two, three, four months,” Fukuda, who is the assistant director-general of the health security and environment cluster at the UN health agency, told reporters in a conference call from Geneva. Causing Panic On Thursday, a senior health ministry official in Guinea told Reuters that the government planned to stop releasing the death toll to avoid causing panic. Last week an angry crowd attacked a treatment centre in Guinea last week, accusing Doctors Without Borders of bringing the virus to the country. There is no known vaccine or cure for Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever that causes symptoms ranging from flu-like pains to internal and external bleeding caused by kidney and liver failure. People can contract the disease from handling the blood or other bodily fluids of sick or dead forest animals. An epidemic can only be stopped by isolating suspected cases in ultra-clean conditions and quarantining those who had been in contact with them. Samples tested in Ghana and Sierra Leone have been negative so far. And the WHO tweeted on Thursday that the clinical samples of six suspected cases in Mali also tested negative for Ebola. In an effort to contain the epidemic, countries in the region have imposed restrictions ranging from basic health checks at airports to Senegal's decision to completely shut its land border with Guinea. Source: (FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)
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| skibboy | 1 May 2014, 01:14 AM Post #13 |
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30 April 2014 Ebola outbreak under control, says Guinea president AFP ![]() The deadly Ebola virus Guinea's Ebola outbreak is under control, but the death toll could rise above the current 74 because sick patients remain in hospital, the president said Wednesday. "For the moment the situation is well in hand, and we touch wood that there won't be any new cases," President Alpha Conde told reporters during a visit to Geneva, home of the World Health Organization (WHO). However he warned that with a number of people still in hospital suspected to be suffering from the deadly virus, the death toll may yet rise. "There haven't been any new cases. But of those who remain in quarantine, there certainly will be some who will die," he said. Working with the UN health agency and aid groups, Guinea remains on high alert against the virus, an incurable disease that can kill up to 90 percent of its victims. On Tuesday, the health ministry said that 74 people had died so far this year in one of the worst ever outbreaks of the virus, with 121 confirmed cases. A larger number of people have been diagnosed with haemorrhagic fever, but not all those cases have been confirmed as Ebola. No new cases have been recorded since Sunday, although four people are receiving treatment in the capital Conakry, and six in Gueckedou, in the south, which has seen one of the most serious outbreaks. There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola, which can be caught from handling the blood or the bodily fluids of sick or dead forest animals. Researchers in the United States have confirmed that the Guinea outbreak began after contact with bats caught for their meat in the country's southern forests, Conde noted. It then spread in the hunters' communities and to health workers who initially failed to identify the risk posed by feverish patients. To try and limit the outbreak, the government has advised Guineans to stop eating bats and avoid other "bush meat" when possible, and has also striven to apply infection-control measures by monitoring potential cases and those they have come into contact with. The disease has spread to neighbouring Liberia, with suspected cases reported in Mali and Sierra Leone sparking fears it could spread throughout the region. But in a sign of subsiding concerns, Senegal, which had closed its border with Guinea, reopened the frontier on Tuesday, Conde said. The WHO has described the outbreak as one of the most challenging since the virus emerged in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ebola leads to haemorrhagic fever, causing muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding. There is no vaccine or cure for the virus, which can easily spread among humans through contact with infected blood, bodily fluids and tissue. Its spread can be stopped only by isolating suspected cases in ultra-clean conditions and quarantining those who have been in contact with them. Source:
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| skibboy | 5 May 2014, 12:04 AM Post #14 |
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04 May 2014 In west Africa, Mano River summit focuses on Ebola fight AFP ![]() Health workers in an isolation center for people infected with Ebola, at Donka Hospital in Conakry on April 14, 2014 The countries of west Africa's Mano River Union -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- kicked off a summit meeting on Sunday with the region's Ebola outbreak high on the agenda. Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone were in Conakry for the closed-door talks with their Guinean counterpart Alpha Conde, joined by Ivory Coast Foreign Minister Charles Diby Koffi. The Guinea health ministry said Saturday that 81 people had died of Ebola from 127 confirmed cases of the disease. Liberia has reported 13 cases of haemorrhagic fever of which six were confirmed to be Ebola, with 11 deaths overall. Suspected cases have been reported in Sierra Leone and Mali, sparking fears that it could spread throughout the region. But Conde said during a visit to Geneva, home of the World Health Organization (WHO), on Wednesday that Guinea's Ebola outbreak is under control. In a sign of subsiding concerns, Senegal, which had closed its border with Guinea, reopened the frontier on Tuesday, Conde said. On Sunday, the summit's final communique "hailed the efforts of each member state and, in particularly Guinea, to contain the spread of the Ebola epidemic and to stress the need to continue medical monitoring at the borders, in order to eradicate this scourge in the sub-region." Working with the WHO and aid groups, Guinea remains on high alert against the virus, an incurable disease that can kill up to 90 percent of its victims. There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola, which can be caught from handling the blood or the bodily fluids of sick or dead forest animals. The Mano River Union, named for the waterway that begins in the Guinea highlands and forms a border between Liberia and Sierra Leone, was set up in 1973. Other agenda items for Sunday's meeting include economic cooperation, regional integration and cross-border security, officials said. Source:
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| skibboy | 26 May 2014, 11:30 PM Post #15 |
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26 May 2014 Ebola outbreak: Sierra Leone confirms first deaths ![]() The epicentre of the Ebola outbreak has been in south-eastern Guinea Four people have died of Ebola in Sierra Leone, the first confirmed cases in the country following an outbreak in Guinea, the health ministry has said. They died in the eastern Kailahun district, which borders southern Guinea where the outbreak started in March and has killed more than 145 people. There is no cure or vaccine for Ebola - one of the world's deadliest viruses. But people have a better chance of surviving if it is identified early and they get supportive medical care. Ebola can kill up to 90% of those infected and is passed on through contact with the fluids of infected people or animals, such as urine, sweat and blood. 'Scared' Dr Amara Jambai, the director of disease prevention and control at Sierra Leone's health ministry, said a health worker was among the four people who had died of Ebola. The deaths had occurred over the last three to four days, he said. People who developed a fever should immediately report a medical facility and an emergency medical team has been deployed to the remote area, Dr Jambai said. ___________________________________________________________________________ Ebola virus disease (EVD) ![]() Molecular model of parts of the Ebola virus -Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damage -Fatality rate can reach 90% -Incubation period is two to 21 days -There is no vaccine or cure -Supportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recovery -Fruit bats are considered to be the natural host of the virus ___________________________________________________________________________ The UN World Health Organization said it has been informed about the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone and would help deploy essential supplies. It said it had received information from the field that there had been six deaths - one of which had been laboratory confirmed as Ebola. Freetown-based journalist Alpha Kamara told the BBC's Focus on Africa radio programme that many people in Kailahun district were staying indoors for fear of catching the virus. A local chief in the area told him that there had been 11 suspicious deaths between Thursday and Sunday. In Guinea, there have been a total of 258 suspect and confirmed cases of Ebola, including 174 deaths - 146 of which have been laboratory-confirmed positive. In Liberia there have been 12 suspected cases, with nine deaths. ![]() Source:
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| skibboy | 28 May 2014, 11:46 PM Post #16 |
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28 May 2014 Second person dies from Ebola virus in Sierra Leone AFP Sierra Leone Wednesday confirmed a second death from the Ebola virus, as the WHO warned of possible further contagion as others sick with the haemorrhagic fever had been moved out of isolation and back to their village. "One of the seven Ebola patients, a woman admitted at the Isolation Centre in the Government Hospital in Kenema, died on Tuesday," Dr Brima Kargbo, the chief medical officer, told AFP in a telephone interview. The six other patients affected were "undergoing treatment", added Dr Kargbo. The announcement of the death comes two days after Sierra Leone confirmed its first fatality from Ebola. The WHO meanwhile warned of likely further contagion as four of the sick patients had been moved back to their home village. They were removed from an isolation facility in the east of the country by family members who were unwilling to see them remain in a hospital far from home, WHO scientist Pierre Fromenty told reporters in Geneva. "Of course by doing that, they exposed themselves, they exposed the villages," he said, adding that the Ebola patients were still in Kuindu village, near the border with Guinea, the epicentre of the West African outbreak. The WHO has described the region's first Ebola outbreak as one of the most challenging since the virus was first identified in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. In response to the epidemic, Sierra Leone has restricted travel in some areas, and reaffirmed an earlier ban on trips to attend funerals in Guinea. - Lacking cooperation allowing epidemic to spread - Authorities have designated the eastern regions of Kailahun, where the first case was confirmed, and Kenema as "high risk". Officials are trying to encourage residents to cooperate with health workers, but Fromenty said getting populations in both Sierra Leone and Guinea onboard with efforts to rein in the epidemic remained a major challenge. "The lack of collaboration with some affected families has allowed this epidemic to continue to spread invisibly between family members," he said, insisting on the need to work harder to explain the benefit of isolating the sick. West African authorities have also been scrambling to stop mourners from touching bodies during traditional funeral rituals. The haemorrhagic fever, which has no cure, erupted in Guinea in January and also spread to Liberia. In Guinea, 281 cases of viral haemorrhagic fever have so far been reported -- 160 of them confirmed by laboratory tests -- resulting in a total of 185 deaths, WHO said Wednesday. Liberia meanwhile has seen 12 reported cases of Ebola -- six of them laboratory confirmed -- including nine deaths, but no new cases have emerged since April 9. However, Fromenty pointed to the fluid borders between Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone and said: "We're on high alert in Liberia." Ebola is one of a handful of similar fevers that cause vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain, and in severe cases, organ failure and unstoppable internal bleeding. It can be transmitted by blood and other bodily fluids, as well as the handling of contaminated corpses or infected animals. Source:
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| skibboy | 31 May 2014, 01:08 AM Post #17 |
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30 May 2014 Sierra Leone confirms seven Ebola cases AFP Sierra Leone on Friday said that it had confirmed seven cases of Ebola and suspects dozens more amid fears the deadly epidemic gripping West Africa is spreading. "As of May 28, there were two deaths, seven confirmed cases, three probable cases and 26 suspected cases" of Ebola, said government spokesman Abdulai Bayratay. Of the 26 suspected cases, 23 were registered in the eastern region of Kailahun, where Sierra Leone's first fatality from Ebola was confirmed on Monday. Another case was in the diamond region of Kono, also in the east, and two in the capital Freetown, said Bayratay. The haemorrhagic fever, which has no cure, has killed hundreds since it erupted in Guinea last January. Ebola is one of a handful of similar fevers that cause vomiting, diarrhoea, muscle pain, and in severe cases, organ failure and unstoppable internal bleeding. It can be transmitted by blood and other bodily fluids, as well as the handling of contaminated corpses or infected animals. Sierra Leone has restricted travel in some areas, and reaffirmed an earlier ban on trips to funerals in neighbouring Guinea in a bid to stop the spread of the disease. "I call on the population to avoid human contact in order to minimise the risk of transmission," Health Minister Miatta Kargbo told AFP. Additional logistical support was being sent to the eastern regions of Kailahun and Kenema, where a second patient died on Tuesday, said Bayratay. Freetown has received aid from the World Health Organization -- which has sent 12 workers, $150,000 and more than 5,000 medical kits to ensure the safety of their officers -- as well as Britain and Ireland. Source:
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| skibboy | 4 Jun 2014, 11:38 PM Post #18 |
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4 June 2014 Ebola death toll hits 208 in Guinea ![]() Most of the new cases were in the southern Guekedou region Some 208 people have now died from the Ebola virus in Guinea after a deadly spike in recent days, world health officials say. At least 21 people died and 37 new cases of suspected Ebola were found between 29 May and 1 June, bringing the total number of cases in the West African country to 328. Of these, 193 have been confirmed by laboratory tests. There is no cure or vaccine for Ebola - one of the world's deadliest viruses. ![]() More than half of the new deaths were in the southern Guekedou region, where the outbreak is centred. Three confirmed and 10 suspected new cases were recorded in neighbouring Sierra Leone over the same period. Six people are believed to have died there, as well as 10 in Liberia. Medical charities say one reason for the increase is that some people are refusing to go to hospital for treatment, preferring to seek help from traditional healers. Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever, can kill up to 90% of those infected and is passed on through contact with the fluids of infected people or animals, such as urine, sweat and blood. But people have a better chance of surviving if it is identified early and they receive medical attention. Experts from the World Health Organisation and the Doctors Without Borders charity are in the region, and about 600 people are under observation after having possible contact with Ebola. Source:
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| skibboy | 17 Jun 2014, 11:36 PM Post #19 |
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17 June 2014 Seven die in Monrovia Ebola outbreak ![]() The virus was first reported in Guinea, before spreading across the region The deadly Ebola virus has killed seven people in Liberia's capital, Monrovia, health officials have said. These are the first deaths reported in the city since the outbreak of the contagious virus in several West African states. Among the dead are a nurse and four people from the same household, including a baby, officials said. Guinea has been worst-affected by Ebola, with 208 deaths since the outbreak was first reported in March. There is no cure or vaccine for Ebola - one of the world's deadliest viruses. Liberia's Deputy Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah said the nurse died on Saturday at the state-run Redemption Hospital in the densely populated township of New Kru Town, west of Monrovia. "When we knew that the nurse was confirmed [to have] the disease, we isolated her and started to provide protective treatment and supportive treatment and all of that to her. But unfortunately she died," Mr Nyenswah said on local radio. A woman who came from Sierra Leone had also died in Monrovia of Ebola, he said. She "infested some people in the household", causing the deaths of the baby and two other people, Mr Nyenswah said. Source:
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| skibboy | 19 Jun 2014, 12:49 AM Post #20 |
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18 June 2014 Ebola deaths pass 300 in West Africa - WHO ![]() There is no known cure or vaccine for Ebola The number of people killed by the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa has risen to 337, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. Fourteen deaths and 47 new cases were reported across the region over the last week, it added. Guinea is worst-affected with 264 Ebola-related deaths. In Sierra Leone, there have been 49 deaths and in Liberia 24, the WHO said. The three countries have been battling to contain the outbreak since February. The outbreak began in southern Guinea's Guekedou region, but then spread to its neighbours. 'Unmarked borders' More than 500 suspected or confirmed cases of the virus have been recorded, the WHO said. Map There is no cure or vaccine for Ebola - one of the world's deadliest viruses. It is spread by close contact and kills between 25% and 90% of those infected, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the WHO. Symptoms include internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting. On Tuesday, Liberia reported the first Ebola-related deaths in its capital city, Monrovia. Seven people have died there, including a baby and a woman who had come from Sierra Leone, health officials said. This is the first time an Ebola outbreak has hit multiple locations in three countries, reports BBC International Development correspondent Mark Doyle. The people who inhabit the region where Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone meet are from the Kissy ethnic group and they cross the often unmarked borders freely, to farm and trade. So maintaining medical controls is a real challenge, our correspondent says. The WHO said it was working with the three countries to strengthen cross-border collaboration aimed at tackling the outbreak. It does not recommend any travel or trade restrictions on the three countries, the WHO added. Source:
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| skibboy | 22 Jun 2014, 01:19 AM Post #21 |
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Ebola ‘out of control’, says Doctors Without Borders ![]() © AFP 2014-06-21 The Ebola outbreak ravaging West Africa is “totally out of control”, according to a senior official for Doctors Without Borders, who says the medical group is now stretched to the breaking point. Ebola has already been linked to more than 330 deaths in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, according to the latest numbers from the World Health Organisation (WHO). International organisations and the governments involved need to send in more health experts and to increase the public education messages about how to stop the spread of the disease, Bart Janssens, the director of operations for the group in Brussels, told The Associated Press on Friday. “The reality is clear that the epidemic is now in a second wave,” Janssens said. “And, for me, it is totally out of control.” The outbreak, which began in Guinea either late last year or early this year, had appeared to slow before picking up pace again in recent weeks. “I’m absolutely convinced that this epidemic is far from over and will continue to kill a considerable amount of people, so this will definitely end up the biggest ever,” he said. “Most challenging outbreak” The multiple locations of the outbreak and its movement across borders make it one of the “most challenging Ebola outbreaks ever”, Fadela Chaib, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organisation, said earlier in the week. It showed no sign of abating and governments and international organisations were “far from winning this battle”, Unni Krishnan, head of disaster preparedness and response for Plan International, said on Friday. Janssens warned that the governments affected had not recognised the gravity of the situation. He also criticised WHO for not doing enough to prod leaders and said more experts were needed to do the vital work of tracing all the people who have been in contact with the sick. “There needs to be a real political commitment that this is a very big emergency,” he said. “Otherwise, it will continue to spread, and for sure it will spread to more countries.” The World Health Organisation did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But Tolbert Nyenswah, Liberia’s deputy minister of health, said that people in the highest levels of government are working to contain the outbreak, as proved by the fact that that Liberia had a long period with no new cases before this second wave. The governments involved and international agencies are definitely struggling to keep up with the severity of the outbreak, said Krishnan of Plan, which is providing equipment to the three affected countries and spreading information about how people can protect themselves against the disease. But he noted that the disease is striking in one of the world’s poorest regions, where public health systems are already fragile. “The affected countries are at the bottom of the human development index,” he said in an emailed statement. “Ebola is seriously crippling their capacities to respond effectively in containing the spread.” Spread to densely populated areas The situation requires a more effective response, said Janssens. With more than 40 international staff on the ground and four treatment centres, Doctors Without Borders has reached its limit to respond, he said. “It’s the first time in an Ebola epidemic where (Doctors Without Borders) teams cannot cover all the needs, at least for treatment centres,” he said. Janssens said this outbreak is particularly challenging because it began in an area where people are very mobile and has spread to even more densely populated areas, like the capitals of Guinea and Liberia. The disease typically strikes sparsely populated areas in central or eastern Africa, where it spreads less easily, he said. By contrast, the epicentre of this outbreak is near a major regional transport hub, the Guinean city of Gueckedou. He said the only way to stop the disease’s spread is to persuade people to come forward when symptoms occur and to avoid touching the sick and dead. Source: (FRANCE 24 with AP)
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| skibboy | 25 Jun 2014, 12:54 AM Post #22 |
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Ebola epidemic in West Africa 'out of control' By Danielle Dellorto, CNN June 24, 2014 ![]() Inside Guinea's Ebola crisis (CNN) -- The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has hit "unprecedented" proportions, according to relief workers on the ground. "The epidemic is out of control," Dr. Bart Janssens, director of operations for Doctors Without Borders, said in a statement. There have been 567 cases and 350 deaths since the epidemic began in March, according to the latest World Health Organization figures. In April, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta traveled to Conakry, Guinea, to report on what was being done to treat patients and contain the outbreak. "It took only moments to feel the impact of what was happening here," Gupta wrote after landing in Conakry. "There is a lot we know about Ebola, and it scares us almost as much as what we don't know." Ebola outbreaks usually are confined to remote areas, making it easier to contain. But this outbreak is different; patients have been identified in 60 locations in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Officials believe the wide footprint of this outbreak is partly because of the close proximity between the jungle where the virus was first identified and cities such as Conakry. The capital in Guinea has a population of 2 million and an international airport. People are traveling without realizing they're carrying the deadly virus. It can take between two and 21 days after exposure for someone to feel sick. Ebola is a violent killer. The symptoms, at first, mimic the flu: headache, fever, fatigue. What comes next sounds like something out of a horror movie: significant diarrhea and vomiting, while the virus shuts off the blood's ability to clot. As a result, patients often suffer internal and external hemorrhaging. Many die in an average of 10 days. Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, is the only aid organization treating people affected by the virus. Since March, they have sent more than 300 staff members and 40 tons of equipment and supplies to the region to help fight the epidemic. Still, they warn, it's not enough. "Despite the human resources and equipment deployed by MSF in the three affected countries, we are no longer able to send teams to the new outbreak sites." The good news is that Ebola isn't as easily spread as one may think. A patient isn't contagious -- meaning they can't spread the virus to other people -- until they are already showing symptoms. Serious protective measures Inside the isolation treatment areas in Conakry, doctors focus on keeping the patients hydrated with IV drips and other liquid nutrients. Health officials have urged residents to seek treatment at the first sign of flu-like symptoms. There is no cure or vaccine to treat Ebola, but MSF has shown it doesn't have to be a death sentence if it's treated early. Ebola typically kills 90% of patients. This outbreak, the death rate has dropped to roughly 60%. Gupta describes the scene outside an isolation ward in Guinea: Before the doctors go into the isolation ward, Gupta says, they stop in a separate tent beforehand to gear up. Healthcare workers dressed in scrubs and thick white rubber boots. They slipped on blue latex gloves, then a thick yellow impermeable suit, followed by a mask, then a white hood with another mask built into it. A pair of large clear goggles went over the hood, and then a large white apron. "It has to be this way for these doctors and nurses who knowingly expose themselves to Ebola," Gupta wrote. "But you have to wonder what goes through the minds of the patients, seeing these rubber-clad aliens looming in front of them." MSF says they'll continue to isolate and treat Ebola patients in West Africa with the resources they have available, but they urge a "massive deployment" by regional governments and aid agencies to help stop the epidemic. World Health Organization officials say they're planning high-level meetings for the Minister of Health in the subregion July 2-3 to discuss the deployment of additional resources and experts to the area. The outbreak will be considered contained after 42 days -- twice the incubation period -- with no new Ebola cases. Source:
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| skibboy | 26 Jun 2014, 11:42 PM Post #23 |
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26 June 2014 'Drastic action' needed on Ebola By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC news online "Drastic action" is needed to contain the spread of deadly Ebola in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Nearly 400 people have died in the outbreak which started in Guinea and has spread to neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia. It is the largest outbreak in terms of cases, deaths and geographical spread. The WHO said it was "gravely concerned" and there was potential for "further international spread". The outbreak started four months ago and is continuing to spread. So far there have been more than 600 cases and around 60% of those infected with the virus have died. Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever, has no cure and is spread by contact with the fluids of infected people or animals, such as urine, sweat and blood. Most of the deaths have been centred in the southern Guekedou region of Guinea. ![]() The WHO has sent 150 experts to the region to help prevent the spread of the virus but admits " there has been significant increase in the number of daily reported cases and deaths". Dr Luis Sambo, the WHO's regional director for Africa, said: "This is no longer a country-specific outbreak, but a sub-regional crisis that requires firm action. "WHO is gravely concerned of the on-going cross-border transmission into neighbouring countries as well as the potential for further international spread. "There is an urgent need to intensify response efforts...this is the only way that the outbreak will be effectively addressed." The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has already warned that the Ebola outbreak is out of control. It says the epidemic will spread further unless there is a stronger international response. Source:
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| skibboy | 28 Jun 2014, 12:24 AM Post #24 |
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27 June 2014 Sierra Leone: Sheltering Ebola-infected people 'is a crime' ![]() The Ebola outbreak started four months ago in Guinea Sierra Leone has warned it is a serious crime to shelter patients infected with the Ebola virus who are in hiding. The Health Ministry said several patients had discharged themselves from hospital in Kenema district, the heart of the country's outbreak. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for "drastic action" to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which has killed almost 400 people. It is the largest outbreak in terms of cases, deaths and geographical spread. There have been more than 600 cases in Guinea - where the outbreak started four months ago - and neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia. Around 60% of those infected with the virus have died. The WHO says that in Sierra Leone alone, there have been at least 46 fatalities out of a total 176 people infected with the Ebola virus. ![]() There is no known cure for the disease caused by the Ebola virus The global health body has sent 150 experts to the region to help prevent the spread of the virus. However, it has warned of the potential for "further international spread". Dr Shek Moar Khan, who is working with Ebola patients at Kenema government hospital, said his team met resistance when trying to inform people about the disease. Health workers have been trying to explain to people in the areas affected that Ebola "is not a mystery, but simply it is a disease that somebody can acquire, and if only they could listen appropriately to our advice, then we could break the chain of transmission", he said. On Friday, the WHO told several West African countries - Ivory Coast, Mali, Senegal and Guinea Bissau - to prepare for the possible arrival of travellers carrying the deadly virus. Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever, has no cure and is spread by contact with the fluids of infected people or animals, such as urine, sweat and blood. Most of the deaths have been centred in the southern Guekedou region of Guinea. The charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has already warned that the Ebola outbreak is out of control. It says the epidemic will spread further unless there is a stronger international response. Source:
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| skibboy | 1 Jul 2014, 12:08 AM Post #25 |
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30 June 2014 Liberian president warns against hiding Ebola patients ![]() Medical authorities are struggling to contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has warned that anyone caught hiding suspected Ebola virus disease (EVD) patients will be prosecuted. She told state radio that some patients had been kept in homes and churches instead of receiving medical attention. Sierra Leone issued a similar warning last week, saying some patients had left hospital and gone into hiding. The EVD outbreak is already the deadliest on record in West Africa, with 635 cases and 367 fatalities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for "drastic action" to contain the outbreak. "Let this warning go out - anyone found or reported to be holding suspected EVD cases in homes or prayer houses can be prosecuted under the law of Liberia," Ms Sirleaf said. "It is, as I speak, taking the lives of our citizens. The disease is real and is in our country and can kill a lot of people." Most deaths have been in the southern Guekedou region of Guinea, where cases were first reported in March. According to the WHO, Guinea has reported 396 cases and 280 deaths; Sierra Leone has 176 cases and 46 deaths; and Liberia has reported 63 cases and 41 deaths. Health workers fighting the outbreak say they have encountered resistance throughout the region and that some have even been attacked. Liberia's health ministry has set up treatment centres and launched a public service campaign that includes training health professionals to use protective clothing and forbidding hospitals to turn away patients with Ebola symptoms. EVD, formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, has no cure and is spread by contact with the fluids of infected people or animals, such as urine, sweat and blood. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has already warned that the outbreak is "out of control". It says the epidemic will spread further unless there is a stronger international response. The WHO has sent 150 experts to the region to try to contain the outbreak but has also warned of the potential for "further international spread". Source:
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