EBOLA MAIN EBOLA DISCUSSION THREAD 12/01/14 to 12/16/14

[Doomer Doug]

Now Doomer Doug isn't going to get the "good stuff" in terms of Soma from Huxley, but I am feeling the increasing need for some form of mind altering drugs. It seems to me if the medical staff in Sierra Leone is now on strike, well how can they be treating all the non existent Ebola cases? Oh well, still more cognitive fantasy courtesy of WHO.


http://www.theguardian.com/world/20...rra-leone-doctors-strike-inadequate-equipment

Ebola crisis: Sierra Leone doctors go on strike over inadequate equipment

Action at Connaught hospital, where British survivor Will Pooley is based, follows the deaths of three doctors in two days
Connaught hospital
Connaught hospital, where doctors have gone on strike. Photograph: Michael Duff

Lisa O'Carroll

Tuesday 9 December 2014 05.44 EST




Junior doctors at the hospital in Sierra Leone where British Ebola survivor Will Pooley is working have gone on strike in protest over inadequate equipment to fight the epidemic ravaging the impoverished country.

The action at Freetown’s Connaught hospital follows the deaths of three doctors in two days, with figures showing Sierra Leone has overtaken Liberia as the country with the most infections.

One of the three doctors, Tom Rogers, was a general surgeon at the hospital.

“We have decided to withhold our services until a proper and more conducive atmosphere is created for us to continue our work,” the Junior Doctors Association (JDA) said.

The action does not affect the Ebola isolation ward where Pooley works and which is run by the British doctor Dr Oliver Johnson as part of the King’s Sierra Leone Partnership.

The association did not say how many doctors were joining the action, but patients were reporting significant disruption as senior consultants headed to the wards to cover their work.

One junior doctor told Agence France-Press that she and her colleagues were depressed and “losing courage to turn up for work” because of the lack of equipment.

“We are also worried over the deaths of our colleagues, which is very disheartening,” she told AFP.

The weakness of the health system in Sierra Leone had already been identified as one of the causes for the continuing Ebola crisis. Before the outbreak, the country had just 120 doctors. The death of 10 of them means the country has lost 8% of its doctors in four months.
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Sierra Leone’s chief medical officer said he was baffled by the deaths of three doctors last weekend. Dr Brima Kargbo said it was possible the doctors became infected from patients who had not declared they had been in contact with Ebola victims.

“The most affected persons are the healthcare workers or those who are taking care of persons with the virus,” he said.

The doctors say they do not have enough respiratory machines and vital signs monitors and that intensive care facilities are lacking in an Italian-built treatment centre in the west of the city, where some of them are due to be sent.

A source at the JDA said the union would meet on Tuesday to decide whether to continue the action.

The World Health Organisation published figures on Monday showing that Sierra Leone had registered the highest number of cases in west Africa for the first time, with 7,798 compared with 7,719 in Liberia.

The health ministry’s latest figures show there were 58 new cases on Monday, more than half of them in Freetown.

Sierra Leone has recorded about 1,742 Ebola deaths this year. <Doomer Doug comment: They really had around 6,000 to 10,000 deaths so far this year. It's a bitch to go into the jungle and actually find the rotting bodies!

 

[Doomer Doug]

Sierra Leone Ebola out of control Part 52!

It would appear WHO is somewhat out of touch regarding the actual on the ground reality of Ebola in Sierra Leone.

http://www.wnd.com/2014/12/ebola-continues-to-rage-in-sierra-leone/


OUTBREAK!
Ebola continues to rage in Sierra Leone
Virus still 'running ahead' of efforts to contain it
Published: 7 hours ago
author-image Jerome R. Corsi About | Email | Archive
Jerome R. Corsi, a Harvard Ph.D., is a WND senior staff reporter. He has authored many books, including No. 1 N.Y. Times best-sellers "The Obama Nation" and "Unfit for Command." Corsi's latest book is "Who Really Killed Kennedy?"
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UNITED NATIONS – While focus on the Ebola outbreak has faded in the U.S. and the death toll in Guinea and Liberia has eased, the virus is still “running ahead” of efforts to contain it in West Africa, says Dr. Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization.

The number of Ebola deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone stands at 6,331, with more than 17,800 confirmed, probable and suspected cases.

Sierra Leone has become the new epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, with the WHO reporting 6,317 confirmed cases there, compared to 2,830 in Liberia and 2,035 in Guinea.

On Wednesday, Chan gave an update in an interview with the BBC.

“It is not as bad as it was in September,” Chan said. “But going forward, we are now hunting the virus, chasing after the virus. Hopefully we can bring [the number of cases] down to zero.”

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In August, the WHO had announced the numbers infected with Ebola in West Africa were vastly underestimated, due to lack of reliable reporting.

Chan agreed the quality of data has improved since August, but she said frightened communities are still attacking teams going into infected areas.

“When they see people in space suits coming into their village to take away their loved ones, they were very fearful,” Chan noted. “They hide sick relatives at home, they hide dead bodies. [This is] extremely dangerous in terms of spreading disease. So we must bring the community on our side to fight the Ebola outbreak. Community participation is a critical success factor for Ebola control.”

As part of the effort to contain the Ebola outbreak, Sierra Leone has opened a new ambulance dispatch center in Freetown along with an Ebola hotline to identify possible cases and remove the patient from the community.

On Wednesday in Geneva, the WHO also issued an alert on the 2014 virus outbreak that highlights how quickly the epidemic can proliferate in the absence of a functional health care system that can monitor the situation and develop an integrated response.

“If the epidemic does not trigger substantial investments in national and sub-national health systems and appropriate reforms in the worst affected countries, the effects of the outbreak will exacerbate the pre-existing weakness in the national and sub-national health systems, which will become even more fragile,” the WHO said.

To address the broader systemic issues, the African Development Bank, the West African Health Organization, the World Bank and the WHO are convening a high-level international meeting on “Building Resilient Health Systems in Ebola-affected Countries” to be held Wednesday and Thursday this week in Geneva, Switzerland.

In her opening remarks to the international conference, Chan declared “no society is secure.”

“No resilience exists to withstand shocks, whether coming from a changing climate, a natural disaster, or a killer virus like Ebola,” she said. “Prior to the outbreaks, these countries had only one to two doctors to treat a population of nearly 100,000 people. That number has been diminished as more than 600 health care staff have been infected.”

She listed the health-care system deficiencies that made treating the Ebola epidemic particularly difficult in the three West African countries affected by the virus outbreak.

“At the start of the outbreak, weaknesses existed throughout the health systems. Laboratories were few in number and concentrated in cities,” she stressed. “Many large referral hospitals had no electricity and running water or were made unsafe by electrical fires and floods. Isolation wards were rare, mostly dedicated to the care of Lassa fever patients.”

The health care inadequacies were numerous.

“The numbers of ambulances and other vehicles, also for the transportation of diagnostic specimens, were inadequate,” she detailed. “Supplies of essential medicines and personal protective equipment were unreliable, and systems for civil registration and vital statistics were nascent. Populations in all three countries remain deeply distrustful of health systems, especially Western medicine and foreign medical teams. Care from traditional healers is the preferred and, in rural areas, often the only option.”

Risk to health-care workers

In a special report, NBC News highlighted the concern that health-care workers have more than 100 times the risk of contracting Ebola in Sierra Leone than the general public.

The WHO repeatedly has expressed concern over the risk to health-care workers, including doctors and nurses. It reports that 622 health-care workers have been infected with the disease, with 346 of them having died, including 10 physicians, in the three West African countries.

Interns at Connaught Hospital in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, went on strike Monday to protest the lack of medical equipment to fight the disease following the death in the previous two days of three doctors who had become infected with Ebola after treating patients, according to Agence France-Presse.

Notably, in the U.S., Dr. Martin Salia, a Maryland man, died of the disease after having been transferred from Sierra Leona to Nebraska for treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that in the U.S., officials screened at airports nearly 2,000 travelers for Ebola symptoms over 31 days in October and November, with none found to have the disease, USA Today reported.

Malaria risk

The WHO also warned this week that although global deaths due to malaria have fallen dramatically, the gains are fragile, particularly in the West African countries affected by the Ebola crisis.

A WHO official said deaths due to malaria fell worldwide by 47 percent between 2000 and 2013.

But malaria remains a huge global health concern, threatening over 3 billion people in 97 nations. The WHO estimated that in 2013, some 198 million people were reported to be infected with malaria, with 82 percent in Africa.

The WHO currently estimates that in 2013, some 584,000 people worldwide died of malaria, including an estimated 453,000 children under the age of 5.



Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/12/ebola-continues-to-rage-in-sierra-leone/#2kcbBZfxYI3ETC67.99

 

[Doomer Doug]

Brewer, this might be why the health care workers are striking!


http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/eb...bola-rate-health-workers-sierra-leone-n265011



High Risk: 100-Fold Ebola Rate for Health Workers in Sierra Leone
By Maggie Fox

Health care workers have more than 100 times the risk of catching Ebola in Sierra Leone as the general public there does, according to a new report.

And it's not necessarily down to failed protective measures in hospitals. Health care workers form their own community, and when one gets sick or dies, he or she can infect fellow medics, the report finds.

The World Health Organization has been saying that health care workers such as doctors and nurses are at special risk of Ebola. It says 622 health-care workers have been infected and 346 of them have died in all the affected countries.

"They can ill afford to lose health care workers."

Sierra Leone already has far too few health care workers — just about 2,400 for a country of 6 million people.

"They can ill afford to lose health care workers," said Dr. Peter Kilmarx of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who led an investigation into the high infection rate in Sierra Leone.

Ten physicians have died of Ebola in the current epidemic, including Dr. Martin Salia, who died after being evacuated to the University of Nebraska for emergency treatment last month.

Ebola Patient Being Treated at Nebraska Hospital Dies
Nightly News

Salia wasn't even treating Ebola patients. He was a primary care doctor at a Methodist hospital, probably infected, experts believe, when he was treating a patient for other symptoms without suspecting he or she had the virus.

It's a story that CDC experts found over and over in their investigation of health care worker deaths.

"We think of health care worker infections as a failure of personal protective equipment," Kilmarx told NBC News. "But there are so many different ways that they are exposed there."

For one thing, health care workers tend to socialize with other health care workers. "If one of them gets ill and dies, the other health care workers attend the funeral," Kilmarx told NBC News. "It's sort of a multiplier effect."

And they quietly help their neighbors, providing care to friends and family afraid to go to hospitals. Perhaps the biggest risk is the lack of Ebola testing or what's called a false negative — when someone's infected but the test doesn't show it. The health care workers treat them without taking precautions and when the patients later develop symptoms and become infectious, the caregiver can be infected, too.

"This happened in Kenema with an infant that tested negative and the workers had ongoing exposure and the infant developed Ebola and infected the health care workers," Kilmarx said. That case has been well documented, when nurses caring for the baby almost all got infected and died.

The obvious solution would be to test patients more than once, but the tests are scarce and workers are already stretched too thin.

The situation's so bad that Sierra Leone's Junior Doctors Association, which represents doctors in training who are called residents in the U.S., called a partial strike Tuesday. They're upset that they are not getting the care they should be when infected on the job.

Dr. Jeredine George, president of the group, told Reuters that local doctors were dying at an "alarming rate."

A Look Inside US Ebola Facility in Monrovia
NBC News

In neighboring Liberia, U.S. troops have built a special Ebola treatment unit for health care workers, to encourage them to stay on the job.

Ebola's infected more than 17,000 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, according to WHO, and the epidemic's worsening in Sierra Leone. WHO experts now doubt they can get it under control before the middle of next year, and even then only if countries step up their aid efforts.

Kilmarx and colleagues took national estimates of the health care worker population — that's where they got the 2,400 number for all of Sierra Leone. They divided this by the number of health care workers infected with Ebola to get an infection rate of 8,285 people per 100,000 people. That's more than 100 times the infection rate for the country's population as a whole, 80 per 100,000.

"Less well-controlled settings might inadvertently act to propagate rather than interrupt transmission."

His team questioned surviving health care workers and found 30 percent had been in contact with the body of someone who had died of Ebola. The bodies of people who have just died of Ebola are extremely infectious, and WHO is trying to get all the affected areas to follow strict burial practices.

Another 13 percent had attended funerals. And in the hospitals, the team found a range of failures, including a lack of clear procedures and responsibilities; staff shortages; and inadequate separation of Ebola patients from everyone else. They also found a lack of vehicles to safety transport patients and bodies; a lack of both protective gear and facilities to wash hands and disinfect equipment; poor training; poor waste disposal and unsafe burial of corpses.

"New, high-quality, dedicated Ebola treatment units are being established by international partners in Sierra Leone," Kilmarx and colleagues wrote in their report. But they're not enough, and Sierra Leone's government is trying to step up as well.

"Health authorities must be vigilant in implementation of strict infection prevention and control measures in all healthcare settings and alert to the possibility that less well-controlled settings might inadvertently act to propagate rather than interrupt transmission," they concluded.

First published December 9th 2014, 2:46 pm
byline photo
Maggie Fox

 

[BREWER]

Hey, Doug: Yes, the huge increase in heathcare worker[HCW] deaths up 100X is very statistically significant coupled with the burial teams...THE BURIAL TEAMS!!! for cryin' out loud...not being paid to do probably the most high risk, mindnumbingly horrific job on the planet for what something like US$130.00/month are not getting paid!? Gee, it just keeps getting better and better. I cannot but wonder what will happen here when the bodies start to overwhelm the ability to bury or otherwise dispose of them and the detail isn't getting paid either. Katy bar the bloody door, mate.

Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/lying-with-statistics.html

Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Lying With Statistics

US Airports Screened 2000 Travelers For Ebola, But Found No Cases

Nearly 2,000 travelers from West Africa who arrived at five U.S. airports over a recent one-month period were screened for Ebola, but the screenings did not reveal any of these people to actually have the disease, according to a new report. The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the first to look at how the heightened airport screening of all travelers arriving from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia has proceeded since it began, in October.

One traveler included in the report was health care worker Dr. Craig Spencer, who developed symptoms of Ebola later, and was diagnosed with the disease six days after he arrived in the U.S. (Spencer has since recovered from the disease and has been released from the hospital.)

Under the heightened screening procedures, travelers from the three Ebola-affected countries have their temperatures checked, and are asked questions aimed at determining if they have Ebola symptoms or were exposed to the disease. Between Oct. 11 and Nov. 10, there were 1,993 travelers screened, according to the report. Of these, 86 people — all health care workers — were referred to the CDC for more evaluation.

Seven of these travelers required a medical evaluation because they had some symptoms, but these evaluations revealed that none had Ebola.

The most common final destinations for travelers arriving in the U.S. from Ebola-stricken countries were New York (19 percent), Maryland (12 percent), Pennsylvania (11 percent), Georgia (9 percent) and Virginia (7 percent), the report found.

The airport screenings allowed the public health departments to get contact information from travelers so they could be monitored, "and provided an added layer of protection for the U.S. public," the report said.

The U.S. began this screening after the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, Thomas Eric Duncan, traveled from Liberia to Dallas in September, and developed symptoms of Ebola after arriving in the U.S. Duncan died of the disease on Oct. 8.

Airports in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been screening departing passengers with temperature checks since August. Between August and October, about 80,000 people traveled by plane out of those countries, including 12,000 on their way to the United States, the report said.

None of these passengers on international flights developed symptoms of Ebola while they were traveling, the report said.


The factual way to look at that is that screening confirmed that 1992 travelers who didn't have Ebola were screened, but that screening procedures failed in 100% of the infected cases to actually point them out or prevent them from arriving here, which is the whole point of doing a screening.

(Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?)

And that only pure happenstance and luck prevented that one infected lying jackass from infecting any one of hundreds of people while he was gallivanting around Manhattan and Brooklyn symptomatic for three days and in full denial about his condition, and only secondary investigation of his credit cards and subway pass led authorities to conclude he was absolutely lying about his wanderings while infectious.

IOW, airport security theatre screenings are as effective as putting signs up in Central Park forbidding elephants to nest in the trees. Or posting a sign in Vegas telling people they aren't allowed to win at blackjack.

The only thing the study documents accurately is that we've had nearly 2000 tosses of the dice, and only hit snake eyes one time (which was the above-noted epic fustercluck).

Thanks for nothing, CDC geniuses.

Posted by Aesop at 6:53 AM
Labels: Ebola

 

[BREWER]

Posted for fair use and discussion. Emphasis mine.
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/lid-blows-off-whos-operation-happygas.html

Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Lid Blows Off WHO's Operation Happygas

Breaking: WHO notices horses are gone, Sierra Leone rushes to lock barn:

(AP/ABC) Health workers sent to Sierra Leone to investigate an alarming spike in deaths from Ebola have uncovered a grim scene: piles of bodies, overwhelmed medical personnel and exhausted burial teams.

The World Health Organization says the health workers from several local and international agencies are racing to the latest Ebola hotspot, a diamond-mining area that Sierra Leone put on "lockdown" Wednesday.

"In 11 days, two teams buried 87 bodies, including a nurse, an ambulance driver, and a janitor who had been drafted into removing bodies piled up at the only area hospital," the WHO said in a statement Wednesday night.

"Our team met heroic doctors and nurses at their wits end, exhausted burial teams and lab techs, all doing the best they could, but they simply ran out of resources and were overrun with gravely ill people," said Dr. Olu Olushayo, an official in WHO's response Ebola team.

In the five days before its members arrived, 25 people had died in a makeshift, cordoned-off section of the hospital in Sierra Leone's eastern Kono district. The Ebola virus carries its heaviest load right after death, with bodies being a frightening source of contagion.

Sierra Leone authorities said they ordered a two-week "lockdown" there until Dec. 23, in hope of containing transmission of the virus, which was confirmed in seven people Tuesday.

People will be able to move within the district, but no one will be allowed to enter or leave, said Emmanuel Lebbie, a local official of the Independent Media Commission. ETA: Doug: Didn't they try this approach earlier this year with predicable results...higher infection rates!? BREWER

Oopsie. Guess the celebrations were still a bit premature...

Posted by Aesop at 3:21 PM
Labels: Ebola

 

[BREWER]

Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://time.com/time-person-of-the-year-ebola-fighters-choice/

The Choice
They risked and persisted, sacrificed and saved. Editor Nancy Gibbs explains why the Ebola Fighters are TIME's choice for Person of the Year 2014

7:41 AM ET

By Nancy Gibbs

Not the glittering weapon fights the fight, says the proverb, but rather the hero’s heart.

Maybe this is true in any battle; it is surely true of a war that is waged with bleach and a prayer.

For decades, Ebola haunted rural African villages like some mythic monster that every few years rose to demand a human sacrifice and then returned to its cave. It reached the West only in nightmare form, a Hollywood horror that makes eyes bleed and organs dissolve and doctors despair because they have no cure.

But 2014 is the year an outbreak turned into an epidemic, powered by the very progress that has paved roads and raised cities and lifted millions out of poverty. This time it reached crowded slums in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone; it traveled to Nigeria and Mali, to Spain, Germany and the U.S. It struck doctors and nurses in unprecedented numbers, wiping out a public-health infrastructure that was weak in the first place. One August day in Liberia, six pregnant women lost their babies when hospitals couldn’t admit them for complications. Anyone willing to treat Ebola victims ran the risk of becoming one.

Which brings us to the hero’s heart. There was little to stop the disease from spreading further. Governments weren’t equipped to respond; the World Health Organization was in denial and snarled in red tape. First responders were accused of crying wolf, even as the danger grew. But the people in the field, the special forces of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the Christian medical-relief workers of Samaritan’s Purse and many others from all over the world fought side by side with local doctors and nurses, ambulance drivers and burial teams.

Ask what drove them and some talk about God; some about country; some about the instinct to run into the fire, not away. “If someone from America comes to help my people, and someone from Uganda,” says Iris Martor, a Liberian nurse, “then why can’t I?” Foday Gallah, an ambulance driver who survived infection, calls his immunity a holy gift. “I want to give my blood so a lot of people can be saved,” he says. “I am going to fight Ebola with all of my might.”

MSF nurse’s assistant Salome Karwah stayed at the bedsides of patients, bathing and feeding them, even after losing both her parents—who ran a medical clinic—in a single week and surviving Ebola herself. “It looked like God gave me a second chance to help others,” she says. Tiny children watched their families die, and no one could so much as hug them, because hugs could kill. “You see people facing death without their loved ones, only with people in space suits,” says MSF president Dr. Joanne Liu. “You should not die alone with space-suit men.”

Those who contracted the disease encountered pain like they had never known. “It hurts like they are busting your head with an ax,” Karwah says. One doctor overheard his funeral being planned. Asked if surviving Ebola changed him, Dr. Kent Brantly turns the question around. “I still have the same flaws that I did before,” he says. “But whenever we go through a devastating experience like what I’ve been through, it is an incredible opportunity for redemption of something. We can say, How can I be better now because of what I’ve been through? To not do that is kind of a shame.”

So that is the next challenge: What will we do with what we’ve learned? This was a test of the world’s ability to respond to potential pandemics, and it did not go well. It exposed corruption in African governments along with complacency in Western capitals and jealousy among competing bureaucrats. It triggered mistrust from Monrovia to Manhattan. Each week brought new puzzles. How do you secure a country, beyond taking passengers’ temperatures at the airport? Who has the power to order citizens to stay home, to post a guard outside their door? What will it take to develop treatments for diseases largely confined to poor nations, even as this Ebola outbreak had taken far more lives by mid-October than all the earlier ones combined?

The death in Dallas of Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed on U.S. soil, and the infection of two nurses who treated him, shook our faith in the ability of U.S. hospitals to handle this kind of disease. From there the road to full freak-out was a short one. An Ohio middle school closed because an employee had flown on the same plane as one of Duncan’s nurses. Not the same flight, just the same plane. A Texas college rejected applicants from Nigeria, since that country had some “confirmed Ebola cases.” A Maine schoolteacher had to take a three-week leave because she went to a teachers’ conference in Dallas. Fear, too, was global. When a nurse in Spain contracted Ebola from a priest, Spanish authorities killed her dog as a precaution, while #VamosAMorirTodos (We’re all going to die) trended on Twitter. Guests at a hotel in Macedonia were trapped in their rooms for days after a British guest got sick and died. Turned out to have nothing to do with Ebola.

The problem with irrational responses is that they can cloud the need for rational ones. Just when the world needed more medical volunteers, the price of serving soared. When nurse Kaci Hickox, returning from a stint with MSF in Sierra Leone with no symptoms and a negative blood test, was quarantined in a tent in Newark, N.J., by a combustible governor, it forced a reckoning. “It is crazy we are spending so much time having this debate about how to safely monitor people coming back from Ebola-endemic countries,” says Hickox, “when the one thing we can do to protect the population is to stop the outbreak in West Africa.”

Ebola is a war, and a warning. The global health system is nowhere close to strong enough to keep us safe from infectious disease, and “us” means everyone, not just those in faraway places where this is one threat among many that claim lives every day. The rest of the world can sleep at night because a group of men and women are willing to stand and fight. For tireless acts of courage and mercy, for buying the world time to boost its defenses, for risking, for persisting, for sacrificing and saving, the Ebola fighters are TIME’s 2014 Person of the Year.

 

[Doomer Doug]

Sierra Leone's government is now going to repeat the MEDICAL DISASTER they unleashed with the earlier so called "lockdown." If you seal people inside their homes, you will expose them to Ebola infected people. This is a no brainer in my opinion. It is a sign of mass stupidity to repeat an action which has caused Ebola to explode in Sierra Leone. Brewer, they are going to do it again. The result will the same. EBOLA CASES WILL AGAIN EXPLODE IN SIERRA LEONE AND TAKE US TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF SOCIAL COLLAPSE.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/sierra-leone-area-hold-week-ebola-lockdown-27497818




Sierra Leone Area to Hold 2-Week Ebola 'Lockdown'
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Dec 10, 2014, 4:45 PM ET
By MICHELLE FAUL and CLARENCE ROY-MACAULAY Associated Press

Associated Press

Health workers sent to Sierra Leone to investigate an alarming spike in deaths from Ebola have uncovered a grim scene: piles of bodies, overwhelmed medical personnel and exhausted burial teams.

The World Health Organization says the health workers from several local and international agencies are racing to the latest Ebola hotspot, a diamond-mining area that Sierra Leone put on "lockdown" Wednesday.

"In 11 days, two teams buried 87 bodies, including a nurse, an ambulance driver, and a janitor who had been drafted into removing bodies piled up at the only area hospital," the WHO said in a statement Wednesday night.

"Our team met heroic doctors and nurses at their wits end, exhausted burial teams and lab techs, all doing the best they could, but they simply ran out of resources and were overrun with gravely ill people," said Dr. Olu Olushayo, an official in WHO's response Ebola team.

In the five days before its members arrived, 25 people had died in a makeshift, cordoned-off section of the hospital in Sierra Leone's eastern Kono district. The Ebola virus carries its heaviest load right after death, with bodies being a frightening source of contagion.

Sierra Leone authorities said they ordered a two-week "lockdown" there until Dec. 23, in hope of containing transmission of the virus, which was confirmed in seven people Tuesday.

People will be able to move within the district, but no one will be allowed to enter or leave, said Emmanuel Lebbie, a local official of the Independent Media Commission.

More than 6,000 people have died from Ebola in West Africa over the last year, including more than 1,500 in Sierra Leone since June. The country also has suffered a disproportionate number of deaths of health care workers. By the end of November, the virus had infected 622 health carers in West Africa and killed 346 of them, according to WHO figures.

Earlier this year, Sierra Leone ordered a nationwide lockdown for three days that authorities declared a success, keeping people inside their homes as health workers went door to door, handing out information about Ebola and uncovering new cases.

The latest hotspot is an indication of how long it could take to control the epidemic that started in Guinea a year ago, in an area bordering on Sierra Leone and Liberia, and quickly spread to capital cities in all three West African nations. Previous outbreaks had been contained in faraway villages in the rain forests of Central Africa.

Also Wednesday, Sierra Leone's junior doctors continued their strike for a third day, seeking access to better medical care should they contract the Ebola virus.

WHO said its workers, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Sierra Leone National Ebola Response Center and the country's Ministry of Health and Sanitation, are "sounding the alarm and are now rallying all-comers in a massive buildup to contain this burgeoning Ebola outbreak" in Kono district.

WHO acknowledged that many cases go unreported "and are exacerbated when overwhelmed and under-resourced front-line workers are unable to reach remote areas to get the truth from reluctant villagers."

In Kono, surveillance officers had no vehicles, and WHO and the CDC had to rush rugged trucks to the scene.

WHO quoted a dire warning from Dr. Amara Jambai, Sierra Leone's director of disease prevention and control, who used a local proverb equated to "the tip of the iceberg" to describe fears of what remains to be discovered. "We are only seeing the ears of the hippo" he said.

---

Faul reported from York, England.

 

[Doomer Doug]

THE LATEST WHO LIES AND DISINFORMATION

WHO IS STILL MAINTAINING THE FICTION THERE ARE ONLY 18,000 EBOLA CASES IN WEST AFRICA. BREWER, THERE WERE LIKELY 18,000 NEW CASES IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS ALONE.



http://fluboard.rhizalabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13079


WHO issues December 10 Ebola situation report

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/si ... eports/en/

Ebola response roadmap - Situation report
10 December 2014
Download PDF

HIGHLIGHTS


· There have been 17 942 reported cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD), with 6388 reported deaths.

· Case incidence is slightly increasing in Guinea, decreasing in Liberia, and may be increasing or stable in Sierra Leone.

· Sierra Leone now has the highest total number of reported cases of the three intense-transmission countries, with 7897 cases reported to date.

· At a national level, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have sufficient capacity to isolate and treat all reported EVD cases, and bury all EVD-related deaths safely and with dignity. However, local variations mean capacity is still insufficient in some areas.
summary

A total of 17 942 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) have been reported in five affected countries (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, and the United States of America) and three previously affected countries (Nigeria, Senegal and Spain) up to the end of 7 December. There have been 6388 reported deaths. Reported case incidence is slightly increasing in Guinea (103 confirmed and probable cases reported in the week to 7 December), declining in Liberia (29 new confirmed cases in the 3 days to 3 December), and may still be increasing in Sierra Leone (397 new confirmed cases in the week to 7 December). The case fatality rate across the three most-affected countries in all reported cases with a recorded definitive outcome is 76%; in hospitalized patients the case fatality rate is 61%.



Response activities in the three intense-transmission countries continue to progress in line with the UNMEER aim to isolate and treat 100% of EVD cases and safely bury 100% of EVD-related deaths by 1 January. At a national level, there is now sufficient bed capacity in EVD treatment facilities to treat and isolate all reported EVD cases in each of the three intense-transmission countries, although the uneven distribution of beds and cases means there are serious shortfalls in some areas. Similarly, each country has sufficient and widespread capacity to bury all reported EVD-related deaths; however, because not all EVD-related deaths are reported, and many reported burials are of non-EVD-related deaths, it is possible that some areas still have insufficient burial capacity. Every district that has reported a case of EVD in the three intense-transmission countries has access to a laboratory within 24 hours from sample collection. All three countries report that more than 80% of registered contacts associated with known cases of EVD are being traced, although contact tracing is still a challenge in areas of intense transmission and in areas of community resistance. Rapidly increasing capacity for case finding and contact tracing in areas with low and moderate levels of transmission will be necessary to end local chains of transmission.



OUTLINe

This situation report on the Ebola Response Roadmap contains a review of the epidemiological situation based on official information reported by ministries of health, and an assessment of the response measured against the core Roadmap indicators where available. Substantial efforts are ongoing to improve the availability and quality of information about both the epidemiological situation and the implementation of response measures.



Following the Roadmap structure, country reports fall into three categories: (1) those with widespread and intense transmission (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone); (2) those with or that have had an initial case or cases, or with localized transmission (Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain and the United States of America); and (3) those countries that neighbour or have strong trade ties with areas of active transmission.



1. COUNTRIES WITH WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION

A total of 17 908 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD and 6373 deaths have been reported up to the end of 7 December 2014 by the Ministries of Health of Guinea and Sierra Leone, and 3 December by the Ministry of Health of Liberia (table 1). The data are reported through WHO country offices.



Table 1: Confirmed, probable, and suspected cases in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone

Country


Case definition


Cumulative cases


Cases in past 21 days


Cumulative deaths

Guinea


Confirmed


2051


321


1207

Probable


221


*


221

Suspected


20


*


0

Total


2292


321


1428

Liberia§


Confirmed


2830


225


‡

Probable


1814


*


‡

Suspected


3075


*


‡

Total


7719


225


3177

Sierra Leone


Confirmed


6375


1319


1559

Probable


79


*


174

Suspected


1443


*


35

Total


7897


1319


1768

Total





17 908


1865


6373

Data are based on official information reported by ministries of health, through WHO country offices. These numbers are subject to change due to ongoing reclassification, retrospective investigation and availability of laboratory results. *Not reported due to the high proportion of probable and suspected cases that are reclassified. ‡Data not available. §Data missing for 4–7 December.

View data »



Guinea

A total of 103 new confirmed and probable cases were reported nationally during the week to 7 December (figure 1). The national trend in Guinea since early October has been slightly increasing, with between 75 and 148 confirmed cases reported in each of the past 7 weeks, though this picture of relative stability masks important changes in the pattern of EVD transmission within the country. The previously reported surge of new cases in the eastern district of N’Zerekore (4 new confirmed cases in the week to 7 December) appears to have abated, although transmission in the neighbouring district of Macenta (15 new confirmed cases; 15 in the previous week) continues to be intense. There have also been reports of resistance among some communities in Macenta to contact tracing. Several districts in central and northern Guinea have reported persistent transmission, including Faranah (8 confirmed and probable cases), Kankan (4 new confirmed cases; 7 in the previous week), Kerouane (4 new confirmed cases; 0 in the previous week), and Kissidougo (5 new confirmed cases; 1 in the previous week). Persistent transmission in these areas is of particular concern, because the local populations are likely to seek treatment in the north, and in neighbouring Mali in particular, rather than at existing facilities in the south-eastern districts of Gueckedou (2 new confirmed cases in the week to 7 December) and Macenta. The first case imported to Mali travelled from a city in the northern district of Siguiri, which borders Mali, and where there has been persistent transmission since early November (3 new confirmed cases in the week to December; between 1 and 3 confirmed cases for the past 8 weeks). The lack of EVD case-management facilities in this northern, Sahelian zone of the country, combined with a higher than usual degree of resistance among local communities to safe burial practices, make this area vulnerable to an increase in cases.



In the west of the country, the capital, Conakry, reported 16 new confirmed cases in the week to 7 December (figure 1). Together with the neighbouring district of Coyah (18 new confirmed cases in the week to 7 December), Conakry has now reported an increase in the number of new confirmed cases during each of the past 3 weeks, while Telimele has reported a case for the first time in over 12 weeks. Although 10 districts are yet to report a case of EVD, there has been a geographical expansion in transmission: as at 1 October, 9 districts had reported a confirmed or probable case during the past 7 days; as at 1 December 14 districts reported a case during the past 7 days).



Figure 1: Confirmed Ebola virus disease cases reported each week from Guinea and Conakry

image2

The graphs in figures 1–3 show the number of new confirmed cases reported each week in situation reports from each country (in dark blue; beginning from epidemiological week 38, 15–21 September) and from patient databases (light blue). The patient databases give the best representation of the history of the epidemic. However, data for the most recent weeks are sometimes less complete in the database than in the weekly situation reports. These numbers are subject to change due to ongoing reclassification, retrospective investigation and availability of laboratory results.

View data »





Liberia

Case incidence has decreased over the past 4 weeks, with 5 districts (counties) reporting new cases in the 3 days to 3 December. A total of 29 confirmed cases were reported in the 3 days to 3 December.



The district of Montserrado, which includes the capital, Monrovia (figure 2), reported 15 confirmed cases, and accounted for more than half of all confirmed cases nationally over the reporting period. Bong (1 confirmed cases), Grand Bassa (7 confirmed cases), Grand Cape Mount (5 confirmed cases), and Sinoe (1 confirmed case) are the only other districts to report a case during the same period. The district of Lofa, in the north of the country and on the border with Guinea and Sierra Leone, reported no cases for the sixth consecutive week.



Figure 2: Confirmed Ebola virus disease cases reported each week from Liberia and Monrovia

image3

Data missing for 4–7 December. Data missing from the patient database after 6 November. Systematic data on laboratory confirmed cases have been available since 3 November nationally, and since 16 November for each district.

View data »



Sierra leone

EVD transmission remains intense in Sierra Leone, with 397 new confirmed cases reported in the week to 7 December (3 times as many as Guinea and Liberia combined). The worst affected area remains the capital, Freetown, which reported one-third (133) of all new confirmed cases (figure 3). Transmission remains persistent and intense across the country with the exception of the south, with the districts of Bo (14 cases), Bombali (57 cases), Kambia (10 cases), Kono (24 cases), Koinadugu (2 cases), Moyamba (10 cases), Port Loko (76 cases), Tonkolili (13 cases), and Western Rural Area (57 cases) all reporting high numbers of new confirmed cases. By contrast, the southern districts of Kenema and Kailahun reported 0 cases. Kenema has reported one case since 1 November. Pujehun was the only other district not to report a new case. Bonthe, which had previously not reported a case for the past 2 weeks, reported a single confirmed case in the week to 7 December.



Figure 3: Confirmed Ebola virus disease cases reported each week from Sierra Leone and Freetown

image4

View data »



Figure 4: Geographical distribution of new and total confirmed and probable* cases in Guinea, Liberia, Mali and Sierra Leone

image5

Data are based on situation reports provided by countries. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. Data are missing from Liberia for 4–7 November. *Data for the past 21 days represent confirmed cases in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Mali. Data for the past 21 days represent probable cases in Liberia due to the unavailability of systematic district-level data on laboratory confirmed cases before 16 November.

View interactive map »



RESPONSE IN COUNTRIES WITH WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION

A comprehensive 90-day plan is being implemented to control and reverse the EVD outbreak in West Africa (see UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response: Annex 2). Among the plan’s key objectives is, by 1 January 2015, to treat and isolate 100% of EVD cases, and bury 100% of patients who die from EVD safely and with dignity. The various agencies that coordinate each part of the response are shown in Annex 3. Tables 2 to 4 provide information on progress in the two domains, case management and case finding (laboratory confirmation and contact tracing), for which WHO is the lead agency, and information on the capacity to conduct safe burials.



Case management

Providing the capacity to treat patients with EVD in facilities that allow them to be isolated from other patients and the wider community is central to the EVD response. At present, most of this capacity is concentrated in Ebola Treatment Centres (ETCs); large facilities ranging from 20 to 400 beds. Community Care Centres (CCCs) provide an alternative to care in ETCs in areas where there is insufficient ETC capacity, and remote areas that are not yet served by an ETC. Compared with ETCs, CCCs are smaller, with 8 to 15 beds per facility. This means they are easier to set up, which enables response coordinators to provide more rapid, flexible coverage dispersed over a wider geographical area.



Table 2. Key performance indicators for the Ebola response in Guinea

image6

Definitions for each indicator are found in Annex 2.



Capacity to treat and isolate patients is used as a proximate measure of the proportion of EVD cases that are isolated. Using this proximate measure of isolation at a national level, all three intense-transmission countries currently have the capacity to isolate all reported cases. In Guinea (table 2) there are 1.9 available beds per reported probable and confirmed EVD case; in Liberia (table 3) there are 12.1 beds for every probable and confirmed case (the number is lower if suspected cases are included), and in Sierra Leone there are 1.9 beds for every probable and confirmed case (table 4). However, these numbers are, to a degree, an oversimplified representation of a more complicated situation within each country. In several areas, such as the districts of Kenema and Kailahun in south Sierra Leone, the low number of new cases means that there is spare isolation and treatment capacity in each district, though patients with EVD can and do seek treatment there from neighbouring districts. Conversely, in western areas of Sierra Leone such as Freetown and Port Loko, treatment and isolation capacity continues to be stretched by a large volume of new patients.



Ideally, capacity would be sufficient to treat and isolate a given EVD patient in the district of symptom onset. This would have the twin benefits of reducing the time between the onset of symptoms and hospitalization, thus increasing the likelihood of survival, and reducing the distance travelled and time in transit of each patient, and consequently reducing the risk of further transmission.





Table 3. Key performance indicators for the Ebola response in Liberia

image7

As at 8 December, 200 EVD-treatment and isolation beds were operational in Guinea, concentrated in 3 ETCs located in the capital, Conakry, and the south-eastern districts of Gueckedou and Macenta. This uneven distribution of capacity means that any patient with EVD in the north and centre of the country needs to travel long distances to access treatment. In addition, the populations of several areas in the eastern, high Guinean region are more likely to seek treatment in the north of the country or in neighbouring Mali than they are to seek treatment in nearby Guekedou or Macenta. Planned ETCs in the eastern districts of Kerouane, N’Zerekore, and Beyla should address this problem. There are currently no CCCs operational in Guinea.



In Liberia, 1269 beds are operational in 12 ETCs: 5 ETCs are located in the capital, Monrovia, 3 are in Margibi, and the districts of Bomi, Bong, Lofa, and Nimba each have 1 ETC. There are currently 4 CCCs open, 1 each in Grand Cape Mount and River Gee, and 2 in Margibi. Of the three countries with widespread and intense transmission, capacity for treatment and isolation is most evenly distributed in Liberia.



A total of 553 treatment and isolation beds are operational in 13 ETCs in Sierra Leone. There are 2 ETCs in Kerry Town, Freetown and Port Loko, with 1 ETC in each of Lakka, Kailahun, Kenema, Bo Town, Waterloo, Bombali, and the Western Urban Area. There are 23 CCCs, with 262 beds.



Case fatality

The cumulative case fatality rate in the three intense-transmission countries among all patients for whom a definitive outcome is recorded is 71%. For those patients recorded as hospitalized, the case fatality rate is 60% in all three intense-transmission countries (tables 2–4). In a subset of 400 EVD-infected HCWs for whom a definitive outcome has been reported, the case fatality rate is 68%. For the subset of 267 HCWs who were hospitalized, the case fatality rate is 63%.



Laboratories

Providing capacity for prompt and accurate diagnosis of cases of EVD is an integral part of the response to the EVD outbreak. All 53 EVD-affected districts (those that have ever reported a probable or confirmed case) have access to laboratory support (figure 6). Access is defined as having the logistical capacity to transport a sample to a laboratory by road within 24 hours of sample collection. Efforts are being made by WHO and partners to improve the mechanism to feedback results to Ebola treatment facilities once labs have reported to the national emergency operating centres. Nineteen laboratories have the capacity to confirm EVD cases – 4 in Guinea, 8 in Liberia, and 7 Sierra Leone. These laboratories currently serve 24 affected districts in Guinea, 15 in Liberia and 14 in Sierra Leone.



Figure 5. Ebola Treatment Centres in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone

image8

Four ETCs in Sierra Leone and one in Liberia are not shown.

View interactive map »



Contact tracing and case finding

Effective contact tracing ensures that the reported and registered contacts of confirmed EVD cases are visited daily to monitor the onset of symptoms during the 21-day incubation period of the Ebola virus. Contacts presenting symptoms should be promptly isolated, tested for EVD, and if necessary treated, to prevent further disease transmission.

During the week of 1 December, 95% of all registered contacts were visited on a daily basis in Guinea, 96% in Liberia, and 84% in Sierra Leone (a steady decline since week 44, during which 94% of registered contacts were reached). However, the proportion of contacts reached was lower in many districts. Each district is reported to have at least one contact-tracing team in place.



On average, 17 contacts were listed per new case in Guinea during the week to 1 December, 22 in Liberia, and 6 in Sierra Leone. Active case finding teams are being mobilized as a complementary case-detection strategy in several areas.



Table 4. Key performance indicators for the Ebola response in Sierra Leone

image9

 

[Doomer Doug]

The truth starts to trickle out regarding the true situation in Sierra Leone.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ng-scores-corpses-stacked-rural-hospital.html



DailyMail
Thursday, Dec 11th 2014 1AM 44°F 4AM 44°F 5-Day Forecast
Health officials in Sierra Leone fear Ebola outbreak may be worse than first thought after finding scores of corpses stacked in rural hospital

New outbreak discovered in Kono by the World Health Organisation (WHO)
Officials buried 87 bodies in just 11 days
Authorities have ordered a 'lockdown' in the remote diamond mining area
Only 119 cases had been reported among the region's 350,000 population

By Henry Austin For Mailonline

Published: 11:20 EST, 11 December 2014 | Updated: 13:05 EST, 11 December 2014

43 shares



A major Ebola outbreak may have gone unreported in a remote region of Sierra Leone, according to the the World Health Organization (WHO), whose officials found scores of bodies piled up in a hospital earlier this week.

'They uncovered a grim scene,' the UN health agency said in statement after making the discovery in the remote diamond-mining region of Kono. 'In 11 days, two teams buried 87 bodies.'

Among the dead were a nurse, ambulance driver and janitor who had previously been drafted in to remove bodies as they piled up, they added.
Officials from the World Health Organisation fear another outbreak of the Ebola Virus in the remote Kono region of Sierra Leone. Health workers discovered scores of bodies piled up at the region's only hospital
+4

Officials from the World Health Organisation fear another outbreak of the Ebola Virus in the remote Kono region of Sierra Leone. Health workers discovered scores of bodies piled up at the region's only hospital
Workers prepare disinfectants outside the house of a person suspected to have died of the Ebola virus near Freetown, Sierra Leone. Health teams recently buried 87 bodies in just 11 days in the Kono region
+4

Workers prepare disinfectants outside the house of a person suspected to have died of the Ebola virus near Freetown, Sierra Leone. Health teams recently buried 87 bodies in just 11 days in the Kono region
The Kono region has now been on lockdown by the Sierra Leone government as it bids to battle the disease. The district had reported 119 cases among its 350,000 inhabitants before December 9 but officials fear the numbers will be far worse
+4

The Kono region has now been on lockdown by the Sierra Leone government as it bids to battle the disease. The district had reported 119 cases among its 350,000 inhabitants before December 9 but officials fear the numbers will be far worse

The area has now been put on a two-week lockdown by the country's government.

'Our team met heroic doctors and nurses at their wits end, exhausted burial teams and lab techs, all doing the best they could, but they simply ran out of resources and were overrun with gravely ill people,' said Dr. Olu Olushayo, an official in WHO's response Ebola team.

Officially the Kono district had reported 119 cases among its 350,000 inhabitants before December 9, but some have expressed concern that the figures have massively underrepresented the size of the outbreak in the region.

In just five days leading up to the WHO team's arrival, 25 people died in a makeshift, cordoned-off section in the area's only hospital.

Bodies are a frightening source of contagion as the devastating virus carries its heaviest load right after death.
RELATED ARTICLES


A health worker checks the temperature of a baby entering Mali from Guinea at the border in Kouremale, October 2, 2014. The worst Ebola outbreak on record was first confirmed in Guinea in March but it has since spread across most of Liberia and Sierra Leone, killing more than 3,300 people, overwhelming weak health systems and crippling fragile economies. REUTERS/Joe Penney (MALI - Tags: DISASTER HEALTH) - RTR48PQ8 Girl, two, is first confirmed Ebola case in Mali despite... 'I was just doing my job': Nurse Nina Pham humbled to be...



WHO officials also discovered that villages scattered across eight of the area's 15 chiefdoms had also been hit by the disease.

'We are only seeing the ears of the hippo,' said Dr. Amara Jambai, Sierra Leone's Director of Disease Prevention and Control, using a local proverb equated to 'the tip of the iceberg.'

Sierra Leone authorities said they ordered a two-week 'lockdown' in the region until December 23, in hope of containing transmission of the virus.

While people will be able to move within the Kono region, officials said no one will be allowed to leave.

The West African nation recently overtook neighbouring Liberia for the highest number of Ebola cases, recording 7,897 since the epidemic was first identified earlier this year.
'For tireless acts of courage and mercy,' Time announced Ebola fighters as their 'Person of the Year 2014'
+4

'For tireless acts of courage and mercy,' Time announced Ebola fighters as their 'Person of the Year 2014'

However, Liberia has registered 3,177 deaths, considerably more than the 1,768 marked in Sierra Leone, raising concerns that many fatalities have not been reflected in the figures.

Quoted by WHO, the country's health minister Abu Bakarr said it was difficult to put an exact figure on the death toll, explaining that his country was only counting deaths from laboratory confirmed Ebola cases.

'They are adding suspected cases, so that is causing the discrepancies in the results. We are going by the textbook,' he said.

The current Ebola epidemic is the worst on record and has killed 6,388 people out of 17,942 cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone according to WHO data.

The death toll continues to grow, fuelled principally by new infections in Sierra Leone.

News of the latest outbreak comes just days after medics battling the disease were recognized as Time magazine's Person of the Year

Announcing the prestigious title , editor Nancy Gibbs said: 'The rest of the world can sleep at night because a group of men and women are willing to stand and fight.'
Guinea officials say Ebola has revealed weaknesses in health...



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ses-stacked-rural-hospital.html#ixzz3Lcsilylz
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 

[Suzieq]

Dr. Rima Laibow is giving a live update on Ebola now.
Live Truth Radio - Brian Lange - Lima, Ohio.
Listen Live: http://livetruthradio.com/listen-live

 

[Suzieq]

Dr. Rima Laibow said, the reason you're not hearing about Ebola in news, is because media and medical professionals have been told by Pentagon and Whitehouse to NOT REPORT on EBOLA!

Paramedics have been calling it, "Travel Fever".

 

[Plain Jane]

Trouble with a vaccine in Swiss trials. H/T freerepublic com


http://www.news.com.au/world/europe...l-in-switzerland/story-fnh81p7g-1227153287683

europe
Patients’ pain ends Ebola vaccine trial in Switzerland
• 8 HOURS AGO DECEMBER 12, 2014 2:21AM

Trial halted ... An Ebola vaccine trial in Switzerland has ended early after patients complained of joint pain. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
A CLINICAL trial of an Ebola vaccine has finished early after some patients started complaining of joint pain.
The trial was stopped a week early in all 59 volunteers “as a measure of precaution”, the University of Geneva Hospital in Switzerland said.
It is a vaccine being tested by NewLink, and recently bought by Merck.
It is one of two vaccines that are currently being tested on humans.
The side-effects in the Geneva trial were experienced by four volunteers.
The hospital said human safety trials would resume on January 5 in up to 15 volunteers after checks had taken place to ensure the joint pain symptoms were “benign and temporary”.
“They are all fine and being monitored regularly by the medical team leading the study,” the hospital said.

Test ... A doctor and a paramedic wearing protective gear are pushing a stretcher with a person during a Ebola transport exercise in Switzerland. Source: AP
There is currently no Ebola vaccine but the World Health Organisation says it expects a vaccine will be available next year.
The Ebola earth toll in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone stands at 6331. More than 17,800 people have been infected, according to the WHO.
Four trials of another Ebola vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKline are also underway.
It comes a day after Time magazine named the Ebola fighters as their Person of the Year 2014.

 

[BREWER]

Hey, Doug: Here are more#'s. Suzieq and Plaine Jane thank you both for these contributions. I have had almost no bandwidth today so two articles is it. Take care everybody. BREWER


Posted for fair use and discussion.
raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/number-crunching-reported-cases.html


Thursday, December 11, 2014
Number Crunching Reported Cases

Courtesy of Reddit and user c0mputar, here are the 4-day daily case totals of reported Ebola cases going back to late August:

Dec 4th-7th: 102/day
Nov 30th-3rd: 128/day
Nov 26th-29th: 129/day
Nov 22nd-25th: 129/day
Nov 18th-21st: 120/day
Nov 14th-17th: 122/day
Nov 10th-13th: 165/day
Nov 6th-9th: 185/day
Nov 2nd-5th: 115/day
Oct 29th-1st: 115/day
Oct 25th-28th: 146/day
Oct 21st-24th: 107/day
Oct 17th-20th: 168/day
Oct 13th-16th: 127/day
Oct 9th-12th: 130/day
Oct 5th-8th: 132/day
Oct 1st-4th: 124/day
Sept 27th-30th: 138/day
Sept 23rd-26th: 129/day
Sept 19th-22nd: 137/day
Sept 15th-18th: 130/day
Sept 11th-14th: 124/day
Sept 7th-10th: 127/day
Sept 3rd-6th: 105/day
Aug 30th-2nd: 104/day
Aug 26th-29th: 101/day
Aug 22nd-25th: 101/day

With all the caveats regarding "official" reported numbers vs. actual cases, and noting that this includes periods where nations added - and subtracted - thousand-plus numbers into short periods, what's notable is that since late August, this outbreak hasn't been below 100/new cases day. It's also never gotten as high as 200 cases/day.

IMHO, that points to this range being the maximum number of tests that can be run in one day, and/or the maximum number of people who come forward for testing, versus any approximation of the actual number of people infected in any place or period.

Which explains everything else about supposed flattening of the growth curve.

The fact that it isn't going anywhere, up or down, is proof that there are always (for the last nearly 4 months) at least 100 people so sick with Ebola that they'll finally drag themselves to an ETU - or collapse in the street - for isolation and testing. (It's more than that, but a notable number of them die before testing, which opts them out of the process with some finality, while simultaneously letting those nations elect to not count them in the death stats, since the cause of death is thus "unknown". How convenient. Shovel, shut up, and keep the news cheerful. QED)

So what this tells us is more like a tachometer than a speedometer of the infection: it tells us how fast the labs are cycling tests.
It doesn't tell us what gear the infection is in, if you will.

It might be fair to think things were winding down, except for recent note that burials are humming along everywhere, while stacks of unburied bodies are being discovered all over Sierra Leone, while in Guinea, the spread of the disease simply refuses to taper off. Liberia seems mainly to have mastered the use of pencil erasers to solve their statistical problems.

Posted by Aesop at 7:16 PM
Labels: Ebola

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/and-now-serious-lying-starts.html

Thursday, December 11, 2014
And Now, The Serious Lying Starts

(Reuters) - An American nurse who was exposed to Ebola while volunteering in an Ebola treatment unit in Sierra Leone will be admitted to the National Institutes of Health's Clinical Center in Maryland on Thursday, NIH announced.NIH did not release any further information on the nurse, including when he or she might have been exposed to the virus, current medical condition or affiliation.

It is thus apparent that we're not meant to know where she's arriving from, whether and how many people she may have already exposed here or anywhere else, or anything further about the case.

And she's being taken to the one facility (out of four) completely under the control and purview of the U.S. government, from top to bottom. Make of that what you will.

If you aren't continuing to get your personal quarantine ducks in a row, you aren't paying attention.

Posted by Aesop at 10:19 AM
Labels: Ebola, government

 

[Christian for Israel]

Doug, Brewer and others, thank you for keeping up with this. if it weren't for your efforts no one would have any idea what's going on with this.

 

[summerthyme]

With all the caveats regarding "official" reported numbers vs. actual cases, and noting that this includes periods where nations added - and subtracted - thousand-plus numbers into short periods, what's notable is that since late August, this outbreak hasn't been below 100/new cases day. It's also never gotten as high as 200 cases/day.

IMHO, that points to this range being the maximum number of tests that can be run in one day, and/or the maximum number of people who come forward for testing, versus any approximation of the actual number of people infected in any place or period.

Exactly. So, unless Western countries get labs set up and greatly increase testing capacity, we're NEVER going to see more than 100 (give or take a few) new cases a day... no matter how many thousands are dying in the streets, homes and forests.

Summerthyme

 

[Doomer Doug]

Doomer Doug accepts it as revealed wisdom regarding Ebola the simple, logical analysis that the real Ebola numbers, versus the fantasy system numbers, are a MINIMUM of four times higher. It is also possible the real numbers are up to TEN TIMES the official numbers.

If you take a hard, Doomer Doug look, at what is actually going on in West Africa, the times four to times ten numbers are a better explanation than the "official numbers."

Yep, there are easily 100,000 plus Ebola cases in Africa right now. It is likely there will be 250,000 by the end of the month. The reason is WHO is ignoring the numerous, credible reports by the Non governmental agencies, as well as the people who are actually dealing with Ebola which flatly state, and have since July, there are TENS OF THOUSANDS OF UNREPORTED, NOT IN THE SYSTEM, EBOLA INFECTED PEOPLE AND DEATHS.

The bottom line is, Brewer et al, the FACTS line up with the Doomer Doug official, we are all doomed scenario<G> rather than the delusional rantings of WHO, the CDC and especially the CORRUPT, INCOMPETENT AND INCREASINGLY BRAIN DEAD LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Doomer Doug will repeat it again: Sierra Leone going into another 2 week "lockdown" will led to TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ADDITIONAL EBOLA CASES IN THE NEXT MONTH TO SIX WEEKS. All of these cases, or at least most of them, will not be in the system and they will die off the grid.

One more thing, until WHO hires a helicopter and actually flies over rural Liberia and Sierra Leone Doomer Doug will continue to say there are thousands of rotting corpses out there.

 

[BREWER]

Posted for fair use and discussion. Hey, Doomer Doug...they just canceled Christmas...army forcing people back indoors. Yep, first class fustercluck.
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/when-hyperbole-isnt-enough.html

Friday, December 12, 2014
When Hyperbole Isn't Enough


In past, I have rhetorically used the phrase "cancel Christmas" to describe things when/if the Ebola situation gets bad. Now, Sierra Leone has done exactly that:

(AU News) SIERRA LEONE is banning public Christmas celebrations as the spiralling caseload of Ebola infections continues to spread alarm. Soldiers are to be deployed throughout the festive period to force people venturing onto the streets back indoors, the government’s Ebola response unit announced on Friday.
Palo Conteh, head of the department, told reporters in the capital Freetown there would be “no Christmas and New Year celebrations this year”.

Posted by Aesop at 2:31 PM
Labels: Ebola

 

[BREWER]

Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://journal-neo.org/2014/12/11/rus-e-bola-kto-vinovat-v-ee-vspy-shke/

11.12.2014 Author: Vladimir Platov
Project Coast: Who’s Behind the Recent Ebola Outbreak?
Column: Society
Region: Africa

43242388The report issued by the World Health Organization states that the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the largest and most complex since the detection of the virus in 1976. This outbreak has reached an all time high in both the number infected with the virus and those deceased from it than in all the previous outbreaks combined. The outbreak started in March 2014 in Guinea and it soon jumped across the border to Sierra Leone and Liberia, and then the infected brought the virus via air and land transport to Nigeria and Senegal. But this time around, the virus was not simply spreading across Africa, but it had managed to reach other continents.

However, if one is to study the facts carefully, then a question arises: how is it that a virus that was first identified in 1976 “suddenly” became so active and able to spread across the African continent and beyond?

To get an answer one must study the history of US secret experiments in this area, although Washington strives to hide it from public attention.

As follows from leaked files and a number of media publications, the Ebola virus had been extensively studied back in 1980 in South Africa as a potential biological weapon. This project that goes under the codename Project Coast was launched by Dr. Wouter Basson, also known as “Dr. Death”, who practiced medicine in South Africa during apartheid times and was a personal physician to Pieter Willem Botha, who was the sitting prime minister of South Africa at that time. The project aimed at creating biological and chemical weapons, which were to destroy or sterilize the black population, bringing death to all the political opponents of apartheid.

In principle, the idea behind Project Coast, is not new. As reported in a recent publication of The Age magazine, an Australian microbiologist and Nobel laureate Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet urged the Australian government to develop biological weapons against “over-populated countries of Southeast Asia” in 1947. During a secret meeting in 1947 with The New Weapons and Equipment Development Committee microbiologists recommended “to form a research group tasked to create biological weapons that could be unleashed by contaminating foods supplies in order to control the population of Indonesia and other Asian countries.”

Among the components for the new biological weapons developed under Project Coast, the United States picked Marburg and Ebola fever viruses whose strains were shipped to a secret laboratory in South Africa. A report titled “The Rollback of South Africa’s Chemical and Biological Warfare Program,” that was published in 2001 by Dr. Stephen F. Burgess, a professor of the Department of International Security Studies, US Air War College, and Helen E. Purkitt, a professor of international relations at the U.S. Naval Academy, states that back in 1984, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shipped eight tubes with Ebola and Marburg strains to South Africa. These authors behind the report claim that not only were the CIA and MI6 informed about Project Coast, but the Bush administration and Margaret Thatcher were as well.

Bioweapons expert Jeanne Guillemin wrote in her book “Biological Weapons: From the Invention of State-Sponsored Programs to Contemporary Bioterrorism,” that “the project‘s growth years were from 1982 to 1987, when it developed a range of biological agents (such as those for anthrax, cholera, and the Marburg and Ebola viruses and for botulism toxin)…“

The history of Basson’s project is surrounded by profound mystery. As he himself stated in front of the Supreme Court of Appeal: “CIA agents in Pretoria threatened me with death in two steps from the US embassy entrance on Schoeman Street, they demanded me to keep the details of our studies a secret.” According to an article published in 2001 in New Yorker, the US Embassy in Pretoria was fairly terrified by the prospect that Basson could reveal the role Washington played in Project Coast.

In 2013, Basson, dubbed “Doctor Death” by the South African media, was found guilty of unprofessional conduct by the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

As for the actual prosecution of “Doctor Death”, in 2002, after thirty months of trial, when a total of 150 witnesses were heard and 40,000 documents were presented to the court that proved Wouter Basson was involved in numerous cases of poisoning and flat-out slaughter during the apartheid era, as while being connected to the deaths of more than 2,000 South Africans, the the Supreme Court of Appeal failed to find any offense in his actions.

Biological weapons program led by Doctor Basson saw its end in 1994, but no independent verification of the actual destruction of pathogenic strains has ever been provided. A direct order to destroy all strains was issued directly to Dr. Basson, but according to the Wall Street Journal, the actual destruction of virus strains depended solely on his honesty.

Basson pointed out that he had contacts with a number of Western agencies that were providing “moral and other forms of support” to Project Coast. In particular, in an interview for the documentary “Anthrax War,” Basson repeatedly claimed that he met Dr. David Kelly, the prominent UN weapons inspector that visited Iraq (Kelly was a high level UK expert on biological weapons).

Some may find it suspicious that once the investigation of the Project Coast began Dr. David Kelly was found dead near his house in Oxfordshire in 2003. As for the causes of death, the official version put forward by the British authorities states that Kelly committed suicide. However, medical experts had serious doubts about this fact. In addition, a Mail Online article published in 2007 specified that a week before his death Dr. Kelly was to be questioned by MI5 concerning his ties with Dr. Basson due to the rise of public discontent of the criminal nature of Project Coast and the degree of British involvement in it.

The suspicions about the connection of the latest Ebola outbreak in Africa and the “research work” that “Doctor Death” carried out in South Africa were expressed by the Ghana Times newspaper in September. Earlier, a similar statement was made by Zimbabwe’s Minister of Health Dr. Timothy Stamps, when he underlined that Zimbabwe became the target of biological weapons tests that had been developed by Wouter Basson.

The Commission that was studying the crimes committed in South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s, led by Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu, confirmed that more than a thousand people were killed during the apartheid era in South Africa, not only as a result of arrests, torture and assassinations but also by biological weapons tests.

It should be noted that the leakage of harmful strains studied in secret laboratories that operated under the direct control of Washington in different countries has already become a pattern. In June more than 80 scientists and regular employees were exposed to anthrax in a secret biological laboratory in Atlanta US, due to carelessness. This accident has not simply presented a threat to their health and lives, but could potentially trigger an epidemic of this extremely dangerous disease. Similar incidents are occurring in other countries where secret Pentagon and US intelligence laboratories are trying to develop new types of biological weapons in violation of the “Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction” that was signed back in 1972 only to enable Washington to establish its own “control” over microbiological studies .

The troubling fact is that the number of such biological laboratories has been increasing for years. Back in 2006 their number reached 400 laboratories which were designed to facilitate the “war on terror”, Washington is actively redeploying such research laboratories to third-world countries where there’s a possibility to study the effectiveness of viruses aimed at different animals and local populations. In case of a possible military confrontation in a region, the effect of such viruses can be devastating for the region. Thus, in Ukraine alone, where the risks of regional contamination with lethal viruses is extremely high due to ongoing political instability one can find 11 such laboratories, some of them are deployed in contested areas. For this reason, one shouldn’t be surprised by the recent outbreak of anthrax in the Odessa region in the spring and summer of this year.

Hundreds of such laboratories exist in other countries, particularly in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, India, Iraq, Tanzania, South Africa, Central and Southeast Asia, and Latin America.

In this regard, the increasing amount of reports on Pentagon’s involvement in the Ebola outbreak is not surprising, neither are the claims that Pentagon experts have already found “the effective cure” for this disease.

Vladimir Platov, Middle East expert, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”
First appeared: http://journal-neo.org/2014/12/11/rus-e-bola-kto-vinovat-v-ee-vspy-shke/

 

[SageRock]

Guinea-Bissau opens border to Guinea, imports Ebola

http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/stupid-is-as-stupid-does.html

Surprise! Surprise!
Shortly after re-opening their border with Guinea(?!), closed since mid-August, the nation of Guinea Bissau let someone through with a high fever. Someone of surpassing intellect amongst the assorted rent-seekers belatedly realized that was a bad thing, and they subsequently located and pulled the next potential Index patient (and 8 others in close contact) off of a bus preparing to head from their border straight to the regional teeming capitol. (Stop me if you're heard this one.) He was several miles away from the border when finally located.The nine individuals are all now in isolation pending test results on Mister Potential Ebola.

Kudos to whatever semi-literate suddenly had an attack of intelligence; he probably saved his country joining the Ebola tally in 2-21 days.

And whatever Customs and Immigration @$$hole (or whatever passes for it in Guinea Bissau) decided opening their border to an endemically-infected Ebola nation was a good idea should be the next recipient of the "Up Against The Wall!" African Retirement Ceremony usually reserved for deposed dictators.

(French-language link in the local press) http://www.visionguinee.info/2014/12/12/ebola-un-guineen-suspect-en-guinee-bissau-apres-la-reouverture-des-frontieres/

This is why Ebola isn't going away in the retarded part of the world anytime in the foreseeable future, sports fans. This was one IQ point away from becoming next week's newest outbreak, and 5-50 more cases. And remember, according to our government, we aren't safe here until they wipe it out over there.

 

[Doomer Doug]

Here is more detail on Brewer's post about the brain dead Sierra Leone government's plan to help Ebola spread even more widely once they seal people inside their houses. The quote by the Liberian President, the one who essentially banned elections to prevent being voted out of office, that the plan is to have "Ebola under control by Christmas, a mere 11 days from now, is going to go down in history as the definitive example of STUPIDITY AND ARROGANCE in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Doomer Doug gets we are dealing with incredibly stupid, arrogant and corrupt governments here, but I mean Sheesh, Brewer. <G>

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/12/12/sierra-leone-ebola-christmas-new-years/20310581/

Sierra Leone cancels Christmas amid Ebola fight
Katharine Lackey, USA TODAY 4:44 p.m. EST December 12, 2014
AP SIERRA LEONE EBOLA WEST AFRICA



Ebola-plagued Sierra Leone is banning holiday celebrations this year as it continues to fight the deadly virus, the head of the government's Ebola response unit told reporters.

There will be "no Christmas and New Year celebrations this year," Palo Conteh said in the capital of Freetown, according to AFP.

"We will ensure that everybody remains at home to reflect on Ebola," he said. "Military personnel will be on the streets at Christmas and the New Year to stop any street celebrations."

USA TODAY

'Time' names 'Ebola fighters' as Person of the Year

The majority of Sierra Leone's population is Muslim, but Christians make up 10% of its people, according to the CIA World Factbook.

More than 6,500 have died and another 18,100 have been infected with Ebola in West Africa — mainly in the nations of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea — since the outbreak began nearly a year ago.

USA TODAY

Radio educates Sierra Leone amid Ebola lockdown

On Thursday, Sierra Leone's president reiterated his call to halt unsafe religious and cultural practices blamed for spreading Ebola, such as burials that involve touching corpses.

"We should stop all traditional practices for now so that we will live to continue to practice them later," President Ernest Bai Koroma said in a speech.

USA TODAY

Liberian president hopes to defeat Ebola by Christmas

The outbreak has only intensified in Sierra Leone recently: In the past three weeks, more than 1,300 new Ebola infections have been recorded in the nation, which has overtaken Liberia in reporting the highest number of cases of the deadly virus, AFP reported.

Meanwhile, Mali's Health Ministry said Friday that the last patient with the virus in that nation, which recorded eight cases of Ebola, has been released.

Contributing: The Associated Press

 

[Doomer Doug]

The latest in the WHO series of LIES, DISINFORMATION AND OFFICIAL SPIN CONTROL.

http://fluboard.rhizalabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13088

 

[BREWER]

Posted for fair use and discussion. Visit the link to view the video.
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/and-as-reminder.html

Saturday, December 13, 2014
And As A Reminder

Here's the YouTubed home vid of a doc coming out of PPE isolation in W. Africa (in this case, for his last time). Note the process, and the fact that despite doing this one or more times a day while working there, the second safety monitor catches him a couple of times; also note the numerous times where he washes and re-washes and re-washes his gloved hands before touching the next item(s). The apron, goggles, and boots are re-used; everything else is toast after a single use, including both pairs of gloves, suit, and hood.



This is TIME's Person Of The Year, #30014. Now you have a taste for why.

Posted by Aesop at 8:11 AM
Labels: Ebola

 

[Doomer Doug]

The true state of Ebola in Sierra Leone is slowly, amazingly starting to show up in the mainstream WHORE MEDIA. Brewer, it seems the WHO Ebola victory "mission accomplished" party was a wee bit early. Yep, if nobody counts the actual numbers, or sees the string of rotting corpse from one end of Sierra Leone to the other, THEN THEY DO NOT EXIST.


http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/eb...one-single-spark-gives-ebola-new-life-n267421


Horror in Sierra Leone: A Single Spark Gives Ebola New Life
By Maggie Fox


An especially deadly outbreak of Ebola burned unseen in a remote part of Sierra Leone for several weeks, giving public health experts a reality check. It's also a perfect embodiment of the warning that they've been giving for months: that a single spark can set off a conflagration of disease and death.

It happened in Kono, a remote district bordering Guinea. World Health Organization workers heard rumors of deaths and traveled there to find scenes out of a horror movie. At least 87 people had died and been hastily buried, often without the precautions needed to stop the corpses from infecting the living.

"When we got there the staff at the hospital were exhausted," said Winnie Romeril, a spokeswoman from WHO. "They had been working nonstop, trying to manage the large numbers of patients who came in."

"Everybody was at wit's end. They were just feeling defeated."

Romeril, who was with one of the WHO teams in Kono, said the sick and dying were flooding the small facility.

"Everybody was at wit's end. They were just feeling defeated," she told NBC News.

Ebola fighters named Time magazine's Person of Year
TODAY

There weren't enough vehicles to safely transport the sick, and local residents were so far from any cities or towns that they had not gotten word about Ebola. They didn't know to seek treatment right away, they didn't know they should stay away from other people, and they didn't even know that a fever might mean something far worse than malaria.

"In this case, because people were so remote, by the time they got to the hospital it was five days out. They were dehydrated. It was too late," Romeril said. Death rates, she said, were 85 percent.

WHO, the Sierra Leonean government and non-profit groups had been focused on the other hot spots and especially the cities. "It's easy to get distracted when it gets into an urban area," Romeril said.

"It would have been better if we had seen it earlier."

Sierra Leone has overtaken Liberia as the country where the Ebola epidemic is the worst, with hundreds of new cases reported every week.

It's still bad — WHO reports more than 18,000 cases and more than 6,500 deaths in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. Experts now say it'll be the middle of next year in the best-case scenario for getting the epidemic under control.

"Everything is happening very, very fast now. It's possible to turn this around."

What happened in Kono illustrates just how fragile any success is.

It's likely that just one person carried the virus there from an affected area, and without precautions in place, it spread like wildfire.

The first couple of doctors to reach Kono were just doing damage control. "They literally put four to six patients per ambulance and sent them down horrible roads for a four-hour drive to the Red Cross hospital in Kenema," Romeril said.

Health workers have now started training people how to conduct safe burials, without washing the highly infectious bodies of victims. The transmission rate has, apparently, plummeted.

"We know how to fight Ebola," Romeril said. "The most practical thing to do for people is to give them oral rehydration solution, but people don't know to do that, to drink three to four quarts of fluid a day."

Doctors who have treated Ebola patients say they lose an unimaginable amount of fluids — seven or eight quarts a day, in some cases, to the violent vomiting and diarrhea caused by the infection. "It's hard to do that with someone who just wants to roll over and sleep. If you can do it, you can dramatically improve survival," Romeril said.

Dr. Kent Brantly: 'Incredible honor' to be on Time cover
TODAY

Teams are now in Kono setting up clinics, training staff and helping them separate the Ebola-infected from everyone else. Without good management, a hospital just becomes a hot zone for infecting everyone who enters with Ebola.

"Everything is happening very, very fast now," Romeril said. "It's possible to turn this around."

Romeril says WHO and the ministry of health believe they've got all the districts covered now. But resources are still spread thin and, perhaps even more important, so is the expertise.

"We need very specific types of people," Romeril said. "You can't find an epidemiologist on every corner."
First published December 13th 2014, 2:39 am

 

[BREWER]

Greetings, Doomer Doug: Yeah, it keeps getting better and better doesn't it? I like the new moon suit comments...bet you will too. Take care. BREWER

Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/another-ebola-round-up.html

Sunday, December 14, 2014
Another Ebola Round-Up

Given the all but predictable info-dumps on the weekends, the latest:

(Reuters) Liberia's elections have gone from on to off and back to on, currently for Dec. 20th.

(WaPo) Johns Hopkins has designed a vastly-improved next-gen moonsuit for Ebola caregivers to wear.

Takeaways: it's months from production and distribution (if that even occurs), so currently it's total vaporware this side of next summer. Or perhaps ever.

It's also exactly the isolation spacesuit all the naysayers said we didn't need to use to keep health care workers from getting infected. It's amazing what a dose - or 20,000 of them - of reality does to all those cheery "We can handle this stuff" bull$#!^ assertions. Remarkably, you can't find those people opening their yaps about things now. How curious.

(CTV) Sierra Leone reports the 12th doctor there now infected with Ebola. At this rate, they won't have any doctors left at all in a couple more months, other than outsiders come to help. They've gone 1 for 11, with the other 10 dead, on previous MDs infected. Interns have gone on prolonged and repeated strikes demanding actual protective gear, and almost all the doctors who have been infected had it happen while treating patients in other non-Ebola areas, indicating the Ebola-infected are going to other (non-screened) treatment areas, and cross-infection has already or will soon wipe out the entire minimal health system in the country unless everyone everywhere is treated as an Ebola patient 24/7/365.


And the best of the bunch, from (NPR) : What Happens When You Let Illiterate Retards Run A Crisis (quoted in its entirety, as it was just too good to chop up)


As part of Sierra Leone's broader effort to contain the deadly Ebola virus, the country opened a new ambulance dispatch center in September in the capital, Freetown. Along with a new Ebola hotline, the center is considered an important step forward in the war on Ebola.

But on the center's second day of operation, a series of errors put the life of an apparently healthy 14-year-old boy at risk.

The dispatch center is situated in a meeting room at the Cline Town hospital just north of downtown Freetown. Inside the room, a group of men and women are huddled around a table full of laptops. Safa Koruma, a technician, points at a message on a screen. It describes a possible Ebola patient, reported through the hotline, with the words "vomiting and very pale."

Koruma forwards this message — along with hundreds of others — to the nearest health official. A community health worker is then supposed to evaluate the patient and assess the likelihood of Ebola.

"Probable" Ebola cases end up on a large whiteboard on the other side of the meeting room. It's the master list for ambulance pickups.

Victoria Parkinson, of the Tony Blair African Governance Initiative, is one of the directors of the center. She points at a name on the board with the number five written next to it, indicating the number of cohabiting family members.


"We want to get that [person] quickly, because there's many people in the home that could be infected by," she says.

One of Parkinson's colleagues, Ama Deepkabos, writes down an address and hands it to an ambulance driver. "It's 7 Hannah Street, 555 Junction. Do you understand?" she says, imitating the local Krio accent. "Go directly to the patient. No other stops!"

The driver nods and hustles out to the dirt parking lot, along with a nurse. I attempt to speak with the driver and nurse, but neither speaks good English. They step into a white Toyota SUV with the word "Ambulance" in large red letters, and pull out of the parking lot.

Sierra Leone is in the midst of a three-day national lockdown, intended to slow the spread of Ebola, so the roads are clear. The ambulance speeds across town and is waved through multiple police checkpoints.

After two wrong turns and several stops for directions, it eventually bounces down a long dirt road in Waterloo, a rural suburb 15 miles southeast of Freetown.

The driver and nurse spot the person they believe to be the patient: a 14-year-old boy in a blue T-shirt slouched on a white lawn chair.

They get out and put on glimmering white protective suits, surgical masks and rubber gloves. They walk over and escort the boy, who is able to walk on his own, into the back of the ambulance without touching him. They kick the door closed behind him.

The boy's guardian, Suleiman Espangura, is the principal of a nearby high school. He recently took the boy, Ngaima, into his custody because his family was moving to a rural part of Sierra Leone, and Ngaima wanted to stay at his current high school near Freetown.

"He likes to play football," Espangura says of the boy. "And he's very clever. We [teachers] like children who are clever."

Espangura says he's unclear why Ngaima is being taken away in an Ebola ambulance. He says the boy doesn't have any signs of Ebola — no fever, no vomiting, no diarrhea. He just has a headache and a slight loss of appetite.

But because Espangura had heard multiple public service announcements encouraging people to report any signs of illness, he contacted a health official and was told a community health worker would come to evaluate Ngaima. Instead, an Ebola ambulance showed up.

Espangura says the ambulance driver and nurse asked him if Ngaima was "the patient." Espangura said yes, thinking the men were here to evaluate him. Instead, they ushered the boy into the ambulance and whisked him away.

The ambulance rushes across town to a military hospital with an Ebola isolation unit set up outside — a series of white plastic tents with a blue tarp stretched around the perimeter.
T
he hospital guards, in military fatigues, tell the ambulance driver and nurse that Ngaima is not on their list of expected patients. A heated argument ensues. The driver insists that he is merely following instructions, and that this is the correct patient.

One of the guards eventually calls the head of the hospital, who consents to admitting Ngaima. The driver and nurse spray the back of the ambulance with chlorine and open the door to let him out. Ngaima steps out of the vehicle and disappears behind the blue tarp fence, into the Ebola ward.

A few minutes later, another Ebola ambulance arrives. The military guards are expecting this patient. But they say the beds beds are now completely full — Ngaima has taken the last one. The new patient is admitted anyway.

It's not clear exactly what went wrong here. But now, a 14-year-old boy with a headache is sitting inside an Ebola isolation center.


It's really heartwarming that Sierra Leone's Ebola response is being administered with the same tenderness and regard for common sense and patient outcomes as our own Veteran's Administration, by people that put the Keystone Kops' sketches to shame. And don't worry, if little Ngaima didn't have Ebola when he arrived in the treatment center, he soon will.

Posted by Aesop at 3:11 PM
Labels: Ebola

 

[Doomer Doug]

The ongoing Ebola epidemic in West Africa is having multiple impacts in ways not related to the medical issues. This article discusses the social issues related to the thousands of newly orphaned children. This will played out over the next decade or so, and will require resources to deal with this mass of kids.

http://www.inquisitr.com/1679925/thousands-left-orphaned-from-the-ebola-epidemic/


Thousands Left Orphaned From The Ebola Epidemic
The Life Of An Ebola Orphan
ADVERTISEMENT

It seems the fear surrounding Ebola has died down, at least by those not directly affected. Though Ebola may no longer be dominating the headlines, many are still facing the harsh reality of such a brutal virus. The persons who have been most affected by the Ebola outbreak often go unnoticed, and are trivialized in day-to-day conversations. These persons are children, Ebola orphans, those left behind after their families have been taken. Recently, though, the voices of these Ebola orphans have begun to be heard.

The New York Times reported about a young girl — age unconfirmed but believed to be about 4-years-old — who tended to her Ebola infected mother until her death. The young child stayed at the Ebola clinic with her mother, unprotected, up until her death, after which she was moved to a children’s home. The name of this child is “Sweetie Sweetie,” and like other Ebola orphans, she is forced to take refuge in a group home because of the stigma attached to the families of Ebola victims.

“If there’s an earthquake or a war, and you lose a mother or a father, an aunt will take care of you…But this is different. These children aren’t being taken in by extended family. This isn’t like the AIDS orphans,” said Roeland Monasch, Head of UNICEF Office in Sierra Leone.

In the Ebola hubs of Africa, persons are reluctant to take in Ebola orphans because they believe them to be high risk and just do not want to take the chance of accepting these children into their homes, regardless of if the children are exhibiting Ebola symptoms or not.

“People in hard-hit Ebola areas see children as mini time bombs. They do not wash their hands very often, they constantly touch people, they break all the Ebola rules. Something as simple as changing a diaper becomes a serious risk because the virus is spread through bodily fluids,” the New York Times reports.

As pointed out by the Seattle Times, what may be even sadder is that Ebola not only threatens the livelihoods or Ebola orphans because of fear, but also, orphans who had already been in the process of being adopted have had their adoptions put on hold due to the crisis.

“Thousands of children are living through the deaths of their mother, father or family members from Ebola…These children urgently need special attention and support; yet many of them feel unwanted and even abandoned. Orphans are usually taken in by a member of the extended family, but in some communities, the fear surrounding Ebola is becoming stronger than family ties,” explained Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa.

According to UNICEF, at least 3,700 Ebola orphans have been created in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone since the beginning of the Ebola epidemic. Earlier this month, UNICEF declared 2014 one of the worst years on record for children, owing to all the cases of violence, terrorism, and disease.

[Image via The New York Times]

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1679925/th...-from-the-ebola-epidemic/#8IoHmVGFwJSfYHx2.99

 

[Doomer Doug]

100 new Ebola cases in two days in Sierra Leone

If "they" are officially reporting 50 Ebola cases per day in Sierra Leone, the actual number is in the 200 to 400 PER DAY RANGE. Yep, Ebola is under control in Sierra Leone. Brewer, that is some potent kool aid WHO is drinking.


https://www.internationalsos.com/ebola/index.cfm?content_id=407&language_id=ENG

Latest News
Last Updated: December 15, 2014 00:33 GMT



EBOLA APP USERS - GO TO EBOLA WEBSITE FOR ACTIVE HYPERLINKS

Suspected imported cases

14 December
Sierra Leone: The UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) is planning to implement a massive response to tackle the ongoing intense Ebola transmission in Sierra Leone. A "Western Area Surge Team" has been set up that is working together with "experienced Ebola responders" and a number of international health organisation including the World Health Organization to deal with logistics to curb the spread of Ebola in the country. More than 40 new cases confirmed on 13 December, with the majority in Freetown. Read more...

13 December
Sierra Leone: Over 40 new cases reported. The new Ebola treatment centre at Hastings Airfield, near Freetown, is expected to open on Sunday. Read more...

12 December
Liberia: An update from the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) confirms a "downward EVD trend, with an average of 10-12 laboratory confirmed cases reported per day", with 35 new admissions a day. However there is a significant shortfall in contact tracing. Less than 50% of regular health services are functioning. Read more...

Sierra Leone: About 100 new cases of EVD have been reported in the previous 2 days. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) together with the Ministry of Health have distributed more than a million anti-malarial medications in Freetown and the surrounding Western Area. Symptoms of malaria are similar to the early symptoms of Ebola. News sources report that public Christmas and New Year celebrations have been banned. Read more...

WHO: A two-day meeting was held on 10 and 11 December at World Health Organization headquarters between officials from the WHO and the three Ebola-affected countries. Discussions were focused on strengthening health systems in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to fight the Ebola outbreak and other future health threats. Experts aim to develop an overall framework that will help countries develop their own specific roadmaps to counter large outbreaks. Newly updated totals for the three most affected countries now stand at more than 18,100 cases and over 6,500 dead.

Mali: No new cases have been identified. Twenty-six people who had contact with Ebola cases remain under monitoring. The last confirmed Ebola patient has recovered. Read more...

11 December
WHO: According to the latest World Health Organization situation report , there have been over 17,000 clinical cases and more than 6,300 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The number of new cases is increasing or stable in Sierra Leone, slightly increasing in Guinea and decreasing in Liberia. About 70% of all people infected in West Africa die, though this number drops to 60% amongst patients who are hospitalised. The United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) reported that they continue to progress towards their goal of isolating and treating 100% of cases and safely burying 100% of people who die from Ebola by 1st January 2015.

Liberia: The outbreak in Lofa county is contained, with no new cases there since 30 October. Medecins Sans Frontiers has handed over the ongoing surveillance there to other organisations. Read more...

Mali: The last confirmed case of Ebola is said to have recovered and been discharged from the treatment centre. Read more....

Senegal: The Senegalese government has geared up preparations for any health situation, including Ebola cases, ahead of the annual Magal festival in Touba. Read more...

Sierra Leone: The Ministry of Health confirmed 37 new cases in its latest situation update. Read more...

Spain: The Spanish aid worker repatriated from Mali on 21 November has completed their 21-day hospital quarantine without showing any symptoms and has been discharged. According to a press release, the person was exposed to the virus while caring for patient in Mali.

United States: A nurse who may have been exposed to Ebola while volunteering in Sierra Leone has been flown back to the US. This person is hospitalised at a National Institutes of Health facility in Maryland and will be monitored. Test results so far show no infection.

Vaccine trial delayed: Clinical trials of the experimental Ebola vaccine VSV-ZEBOV have been delayed in Switzerland due to unexpected side effects (joint pain) among the volunteers. The Geneva University Hospital (HUG) said several patients had pain in hands and feet about two weeks after they were vaccinated. They plan to analyse the situation and resume trials in early January. The vaccine is also being tested in the United States, Canada, Germany and Gabon. None of those patients reported similar pain so far.

10 December
Sierra Leone: Case incidence is still increasing, with almost 400 new confirmed cases in the first week of December. Authorities are concerned that the outbreak in Kono may be far greater than officially reported. Unverified information indicates that dozens of people have died at a local hospital, with outbreaks evident in many villages. A team from Kenema will travel to Kono district to support the Ebola response there. A "lock-down" restricting movement into and out of that district has been implemented and is expected to be in place until 23 December. There are significant gaps in infection control by healthcare workers, including during transport of infected patients. In Kenema, cases of Lassa fever have been identified. Read more...

Liberia: Case incidence appears to be declining. A10-bed Ebola Treatment Unit has been built by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) near Redemption Hospital in New Kru town, in Monrovia. Read more...

Guinea: New cases continue to trend slightly upwards and the disease is expanding geographically, with Telimele recording its first case in more than 12 weeks. The pattern in individual districts ranges from stable but persistent, to intense. Some communities remain strongly resistant to contact tracing. There is concern that some infected people are travelling into Mali for treatment, whcih places that country at elevated risk for an outbreak. Read more...

An editorial published in the International Journal of Epidemiology highlights the importance of Ebola survivors in controlling the epidemic. Thousands of Ebola survivors can contribute in a number of ways. Survivors, who are immune to Ebola, might become care givers for the sick. They may also be able to gain the trust of their local communities more easily than outside agencies because they are familiar with the local language and culture. Finally, convalescent serum (a blood component) from survivors has been found useful in treating Ebola patients. Proper training and employment of the survivors may help fight poverty and stigma against Ebola.

United Kingdom: The Department of Health issued two new information sheets, one targeted for humanitarian aid workers (pdf) and another for their friends and family members (pdf). The first provides some context for healthcare workers (HCWs) from the UK and outline expected behaviour, and duty of care, of organisations deploying staff to Ebola-affected nations. The second document provides some practical advice for family and friends supporting HCWs returning to the UK.

Europe: The European Commission held a teleconference with Members of the Health Security Committee on Ebola. The UN Special Envoy, Dr Nabarro, commented that there are some positive results in curbing the disease's spread but "hundreds of small outbreaks" continue. Committee members called for mobilisation of additional international teams of medical staff and epidemiologists, and trainers to teach the local staff principles of contact tracing, awareness programs and safe burial.

WHO: The Director General of the World Health Organization again highlighted the need for resilience in healthcare systems. Ebola's spread in Guinea between December 2013 and March 2014 was hastened by the poorly-functioning healthcare system and its lack of doctors (1-2 doctors for every 100,000 people). Dr Chan emphasised the need to build primary health care, close to homes, which engage with local communities as a way to promote safe behaviour. Community engagement should also include the traditional healers with a call to include them formally in the healthcare system. Beyond primary care, there is an urgent need for referrals to hospitals that are appropriately upgraded and able to safely deliver care. Disease detection was also lacking in the Ebola-affected nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and these capabilities should be integrated into the healthcare systems which emerge from this crisis.

9 December
WHO guidance on hand hygiene: A review of available information confirmed: "Alcohol-based handrubs are the standard of care for hand hygiene of health workers caring for Ebola patients." Bleach solutions can be used to clean hands "in the interim period in emergency situations until alcohol-based handrubs or soap and water become available" though "WHO recommends implementing a strategy to change to alcohol-based handrub or soap and water." There is "limited evidence" to recommend the use of bleach for hand hygiene, though "0.05% chlorine solution applied for a minimum time of 40 to 60 seconds until hands are dried is appropriate and likely to be efficacious". Outside of hand hygeine, "chlorine solutions are suitable for environmental cleaning, decontamination of personal protective equipment and soiled linen."

USA vaccine: Legal claims cannot be filed on the development, manufacture, testing, distribution and administration of three experimental Ebola vaccines in the US. The Department of Health and Human Services announced that the immunity from lawsuits should "strengthen the incentive to conduct research and spur development, manufacturing, and the potential use of the vaccines in large scale vaccination campaigns in West Africa". Read more...

Review of airport entry and exit screening: The US Centers for Disease Control analyzed exit screening data from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Between August to October 2014, none of the travellers denied boarding developed Ebola. However, two travellers who passed exit screening in Africa subsequently developed Ebola after arrival in the US. The US enacted enhanced entry screening in October and has screened nearly 2,000 people, 86 of whom were referred to public health officers. Seven of them had further medical evaluation. One healthcare worker flagged on entry screening had no symptoms when entering the US, but developed Ebola six days after arrival. The review concludes these processes are "of critical importance to facilitate rapid detection of illness and implementation of appropriate public health control measures."

Sierra Leone: Media reports say members of the nation's Junior Doctors Association are on "partial strike". They are protesting a perceived lack of care for locally-based medical staff who are infected with Ebola. Most of the local doctors who are working to control the outbreak in the country are from this Association.

Mali: A mobile laboratory capable of diagnosing Ebola has arrived in the country. No new cases have been identified. One person remains in the treatment unit in Bamako while 26 contacts continue to be monitored. Read more...

8 December
Sierra Leone: The Ministry of Health reported 25 newly-confirmed cases for the 7 December and 58 cases for the 8 December. World Health Organization data shows Sierra Leone has now overtaken Liberia as the nation with the most Ebola cases. Read more...

Liberia: At least 22 members of the UN Mission to Liberia (UNMIL) have been isolated after contacts of the infected peacekeeper were traced. Read more...

7 December
Liberia / Netherlands: Dutch officials announced that an infected UN peacekeeper has been evacuated from Liberia to the Netherlands. The Nigerian patient is now receiving treatment at the University Hospital in Utrecht.

Sierra Leone: Media reports say at least two doctors in Sierra Leone have died of Ebola in the past few days. There are also reports that Red Cross burial teams have been attacked by community members in several areas. Read more . . .

6 December
Mali: UN peacekeeping staff quarantined in Bamako have completed their period of observation. None of them developed Ebola symptoms. The staff had been quarantined because they had potentially been in contact with an infected person. They were being treated for injuries at the Pasteur clinic, where a nurse was diagnosed with Ebola.

The nation has not reported any additional cases of Ebola, and said that only one patient remains hospitalsed for treatment. Read more...

5 December
Sierra Leone: An additional 25 deaths and 69 confirmed cases have been reported by the Ministry of Health. Read more...

Liberia: The United Nations Mission to Liberia (UNMIL) has a third member infected with Ebola. Read more...

United Kingdom: The Department of Health has issued statistics on the number of notifications and tests carried out by the Imported Fever Service (IFS) in screening suspected Ebola cases (pdf). Other than the infected healthcare worker repatriated from Liberia, no cases of Ebola have been diagnosed in the UK from more than 210 enquiries and 110 tests. More than 1,300 people have been screened by the port authorities, with around 40 low-risk individuals directed to self monitor and only two people referred to healthcare facilities for further tests.

United States: Like the UK, the US CDC reported how many people it has investigated for possible Ebola infections. From July through mid-November, 650 patients were brought to their attention. Most had not travelled to an Ebola-affected country and did not have contact with an Ebola patient. (Thus they did not meet criteria for further investigation.) Ultimately, 61 of the people were tested. Four had the virus. (The most common diagnoses among travellers tested were malaria and viral illnesses like the flu.) The CDC said that, in some of the 650 incidents, the patients did not receive timely examinations and treatment as medical staff consulted about whether they had Ebola. That’s an issue when most of these people had no actual risk factors. CDC stated the importance of identifying who is not a possible Ebola case and treating them promptly.

4 December
Sierra Leone: The Ministry of Health reports 26 deaths and 93 newly-confirmed cases. Read more...

According to the latest World Health Organization Situation Report, there have been more than 17,000 cases and 6,000 deaths worldwide from Ebola. The number of new cases is increasing in Sierra Leone, slightly increasing in Guinea and stable in Liberia. About 70% of all people infected in West Africa die, though this number drops to 60% amongst patients who are hospitalised. The United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) reported that they have "likely" met their goal of isolating and treating 70% of cases and safely burying 70% of people who die from Ebola by 1st December. However, there continue to be hard-to-reach hot spot areas in remote locations which fall below these targets. Activities will need to be intensified in order to reach the target of 100% isolation and 100% safe burial by 1 January. See the individual country pages for further details.

Europe: Following the experience of health authorities in Spain, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a joint statement on the risk of Ebola virus linked to household pets (pdf). Although much remains unknown, there is no current evidence that dogs or cats can develop the disease and transmit the virus. Risk assessments on pets that have been in contact with human Ebola cases should be done jointly by veterinary and public health authorities on case-by-case basis. In animals, much of the natural history of the Ebola virus remains unknown. Therefore, "the probability of a human becoming infected [after contact with an infected pet] could range from very low to high." Periods of isolation or home restriction may be considered for pets in contact with human cases.

United States: A US healthcare worker was medically evacuated to Atlanta, Georgia on 4 December following possible exposure to Ebola in West Africa. Details are limited.

3 December
The latest World Health Organization situation summary reports a total of over 17,000 clinical cases and over 6,000 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone as at 30 November. The total number of deaths has been revised down after more than 1,000 deaths in Liberia were removed from the count on 1 December, due to "ongoing reclassification, retrospective investigation and availability of laboratory results."

Sierra Leone: An additional 61 confirmed cases and 26 confirmed deaths were announced by the Ministry of Health. Read more...

2 December
Sierra Leone: The Ministry of Health announced 27 confirmed deaths and 72 confirmed cases. The government also began preventing people from entering or leaving Tonkolili district (Northern province) in an effort to control the spread of Ebola. This measure will remain in place until 15 December. During this period, the borders of the district will be sealed and authorities will conduct a door-to-door awareness-raising campaign in the area. Visitors will not be allowed into the district, though vehicles passing through it will be allowed to enter, provided they do not stop.Read more...

Mali: One confirmed case remains hospitalised and no new cases have been identified as of 30 November. Read more...

Spain: The World Health Organization officially declared the Ebola outbreak in Spain over today. It has been 42 days (two Ebola incubation periods) since the country's single case recovered from infection.

1 December
Sierra Leone: The Ministry of Health reports 75 newly-confirmed cases. Of the 138 health care workers who have been infected, 106 have died. Read more...

Italy: The doctor undergoing treatment in Rome is reported to be in a critical condition. He is receiving another dose of convalescent serum from a patient who recovered in Germany.

30 November
The latest World Health Organization situation summary for 28 November states there have been over 16,000 clinical cases reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Nearly 7,000 Ebola-related deaths have been recorded in the three most affected countries in West Africa, however these numbers are likely to be underestimated.

Sierra Leone: There are an additional 64 confirmed cases reported by the Ministry of Health. Koinadugu district is under lockdown. Read more...

29 November
Mali: The latest Ministry of Health (MoH) update advises that one Ebola patient has been discharged from the Bamako Ebola treatment unit after two tests were negative for the virus, while the other patient remains hospitalised at the treatment centre. News sources are reporting that all patients in Mali have recovered. An additional MoH announcement reports that over 280 contacts are still being monitored.

Italy: The doctor evacuated from Sierra Leone on 25 November and hospitalised in Rome is in declining health. He has developed nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and rash. His high fever continues and he is profoundly weak. He is receiving three experimental antiviral medications, convalescent plasma and a medication that works within the immune system.

28 November
New rapid test for Ebola: A rapid "point-of-care" Ebola test is being trialed in Conakry, Guinea. The trial is funded by the UK government and the Wellcome Trust, and overseen by researchers from the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal. The test can give results in 15 minutes, which could speed diagnosis dramatically if it proves reliable. Currently-available tests are slower and more difficult to use.

Summary of medical evacuations: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reports there have been 22 international evacuations related to Ebola: seven into the USA, three each into Germany and Spain, two each into France and Switzerland, and one into the UK, Norway and Italy. Two healthcare workers repatriated to the Netherlands after exposure to Ebola did not have the disease.

Meanwhile the Lufthansa aircraft converted for medical transport of Ebola patients has been completed. The aircraft holds a negative pressure isolation unit capable of advanced intensive care treatment and has space for up to 19 seated passengers. Hundreds of crew members have volunteered to staff the plane if required.

Mali: No new cases have been confirmed. Two people are currently under treatment while over 280 contacts are being monitored. Read more...

Sierra Leone: The Ministry of Health reports 35 deaths and 88 newly-confirmed cases. The government announced a three-day shutdown of all businesses in the capital Freetown from 28 November. Read more...

Vaccines: Preliminary safety study results for the bivalent ChAd3-Ebola vaccine in Maryland, USA, look promising. Safety studies of the monovalent vaccine are ongoing in the USA, UK, Switzerland and Mali. Read more...

Liberia: Several new Ebola Treatment Units have opened up around the country, while the first two recovered health care workers have been discharged from the Monrovia Medical Unit. Media sources report that all beaches in the country will be closed on 29 November. Read more...

27 November
Italy: Officials reported that the Italian doctor evacuated from Sierra Leone last week continues to have a fever. His condition is stable. He is being treated with an experimental drug, the details of which have not been disclosed.

Sierra Leone: An additional 71 confirmed cases have been reported. Read more...

World Health Organization (WHO): The latest Ebola response roadmap situation report from states the total cases stands at nearly 16,000, including 5,689 deaths, as at 23 November. The case fatality rate is around 60% in the three intense-transmission countries. The increased rate of transmission in Sierra Leone continues to be a concern, while the overall situation is stabilising or declining in Liberia and Guinea. Cases connected to the Imam who died in Bamako have been identified in Mali. See the individual country pages for further information.

WHO and their partners continue to support 15 neighbouring countries in West Africa with technical assistance for their Ebola preparedness efforts.
Authorities said, “In the context of Ebola, malaria is a major concern, because people who are sick with malaria have the same symptoms as people sick

© International SOS 2014 © Control Risks 2014

 

[bw]

It's not clear exactly what went wrong here. But now, a 14-year-old boy with a headache is sitting inside an Ebola isolation center.

And the word will get out to his family, his cousins, his neighbors, his neighbors' cousins, yadda yadda, that rather than call for help you'd better hide the sick and tell no one.

 

[Doomer Doug]

Let's see here what is really happening in Sierra Leone, gang. EBOLA TRANSMISSION IN SIERRA LEONE IS INTENSE AND WIDESPREAD!!!!!! While the "official" Ebola statistics for October, November and December make grim reading, they are only reporting, at best, 25 Percent of total Ebola cases. At worst, they are only reporting 10 Percent of the total, actual cases.

http://rense.com/general96/sierra.html




Sierra Leone Ebola Truth -
Transmission INTENSE, WIDESPREAD


By Patricia Doyle
12-14-14


Hello Jeff - The real situation in Sierra Leone is not as reported by the Obama administration or some researchers, the situation is Ebola is WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION. This does not sound like people are spending a week or two in hospital and walking out cured. People, especially health care workers are dying.

The truth is too hard for some to handle, so they feel lying about conditions on the ground in Sierra Leone and other hard hit countries in W Africa is going to sugar coat the situation. Remember sugar has its own dangers and too much will cause bad health effects especially for diabetics. So, too, lying about the Ebola situation will bring with it its own grief. People will let their guard down and that is when there is a big risk of infection.

So, there cycle of transmission has been labeled INTENSE. That tells me we are no closer to containing this virus in W Africa then we were back in the late Summer and early Fall.

Why are patients, who have been called 'HCWs', being flown to the US, at least 3 a week for the past couple of Weeks? What is the purpose? Why are these particular patients not being identified? We don't know if they are Americans or simply residents of the US which could even be some are non citizens who may or may not be legally in the US. What is the big secret?

Are these patients - very ill and dying - or are they not yet sick? That would brings up a new list of questions. Questions like why is the US spending almost a quarter of a million dollars to bring in patients not yet infected? According to the CDC talking points, a patient exposed to Ebola is not contagious until symptoms are evident. That is if, IF, you believe the CDC. I don't particularly believe that line with this strain of Ebola.

In any event, this report does show a very different Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone than we are being told.

Follow the planes, which is following the money...taxpayer money!

Patty


All areas of Sierra Leone have been impacted by Ebola


CASES
Total: 8,201 clinical cases as of 12 December
Confirmed: 6,592 | Probable: 79 | Suspected: 1,530
Deaths: 2,318 (1,952 confirmed)
(Source: Ministry of Health 12 December)



--Sierra Leone
Last Updated: December 14, 2014 07:40 GMT



STATUS: WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION

ISOLATION / TREATMENT CENTRES (ETCs)
As at 30 November, the country had 553 beds in ETCs, up from 356 the week prior. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1,460 beds are required in total, which has been revised up since mid-November in response to the intense transmission. The number of operational Community Care Centre (CCC) beds increased to 262 (as at 27 November), up from 32 the week before, with the WHO predicting 1,208 CCC beds will be required.

See the World Health Organization interactive map of Ebola Treatment Centres for details on location, status and number of beds.

Kenema is part of a "unified sector", together with Foya, Liberia, and Gueckedou, Guinea. Public health measures restricting movement in and out of the sector. For more information information on Screening and Closures click here

UPDATES

14 December
A new Ebola treatment unit has opened at Hastings Airfield, near Freetown. The unit was constructed by the United Kingdom, and is managed by Australia. The capacity of the unit will gradually increase to 100 beds.

13 December
Over 40 new cases were reported from Kailahun, Kambia, Bombali, Port Loko, Tonkolili, Western Area Urban and Western Area Rural.

12 December
At least 100 new cases were reported for 11-12 December affecting Kailahun (1), Bombali (16), Kambia (6), Koinadugu (2), Port Loko (18), Tonkolili (4), Bo (8), Western Area Urban (28) and Western Area Rural (17). Sierra Leone's rate of new cases has not declined as quickly as neighbouring Liberia which appears to be stabilising.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) together with the Ministry of Health as part of its ongoing emergency response to Ebola in West Africa have distributed more than a million anti-malarial medications in the country. These were given to residents of Freetown and five districts in the surrounding Western Area.

Authorities said, “In the context of Ebola, malaria is a major concern, because people who are sick with malaria have the same symptoms as people sick with Ebola. As a result, most people turn up at Ebola treatment centres thinking that they have Ebola, when actually they have malaria. It’s a huge load on the system, as well as being a huge stress on patients and their families.”

News sources report that public Christmas and New Year celebrations have been banned.

11 December
The Ministry of Health confirmed 37 new cases in its latest situation update. The cases were in Kono (4), Tonkolili (1), Port Loko (6), Bo (7), Moyamba (1), Western Area Urban (11) and Western Area Rural (7).

10 December
Case incidence is still increasing, with almost 400 new confirmed cases in the first week of December. Freetown reported about 1/3 of those cases. Transmission is intense across the country except in the south, in Kenema and Kailahun. As of 9 December, the Ministry of Health has reported 45 new cases, from Kailahun (1), Koinadugu (1), Bo (3), Bombali (4), Port Loko (5), Kono (7), Western Area Rural (10) and Western Area Urban (14).

WHO reports that there is sufficient ETU bed capacity nationally, however distribution is "uneven". As at 30 November, there were 553 ETU beds available, 38% of the required 1460. Over 260 Community Care Centre (CCC) beds are operational, 22% of the estimated number required.

Authorities are concerned that the outbreak in Kono may be far greater than officially reported cases. Unverified information indicates that dozens of people have died at a local hospital, with outbreaks evident in many villages. A team from Kenema will travel to Kono to support the Ebola response there. A "lock-down" restricting movement into and out of the district has been implemented and is expected to be in place until 23 December.

Cases of Lassa fever have been reported in the hospital in Kenema further aggravating the situation.

An article published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, indicates the rate of Ebola infection in health care workers (HCW) was 100 times that seen in the average adult population in Sierra Leone. An analysis of the data from May to October, revealed a number of gaps - including in infection prevention and control; staff, equipment and infrastructure shortage; diagnosis and protocols regarding patient movement or high risk zones. Cases in health care workers were reported from almost all the districts mostly from employees in government health care centres. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation and its international partners have launched interventions to reduce the high rate of infection in HCWs.

Another CDC-MMWR report states that rapid needs assessments have been conducted in six districts of Sierra Leone: Bombali, Moyamba, Port Loko, Pujehun, Tonkolili, and Western districts between 1 October and 5 October. The team, which included international health professionals from CDC, conducted interviews based on WHO Ebola prevention recommendations. They found gaps in current infection prevention and control practices, patient transport and health facilities. The experts have highlighted the urgent need for "An increasingly coordinated and comprehensive IPC [infection prevention and control] program with district and health facility level support".

9 December
Media reports say members of the nation's Junior Doctors Association are on "partial strike". They are protesting a perceived lack of care for locally-based medical staff who are infected with Ebola, compared to international staff who are sometimes evacuated for treatment. Most of the local doctors who are working to control the outbreak in the country are from this Association.

8 December
The Ministry of Health reported 25 confirmed cases for 7 December; Moyamba (4), Bombali (3), Port Loko (2), Tonkolili (3), Bo (1), Western Area Urban (9) and Western Area Rural (3).
For 8 December they reported 58 confirmed cases Bombali (6), Port Loko (6), Tonkolili (1), Bo(4), Western Urban Area (25) and Western Area Rural (10).

7 December
Media reports say at least two doctors in Sierra Leone have died of Ebola in the past few days. This is a devastating loss in a country where medical personnel is in short supply and the Ebola remains intense. There are also reports that Red Cross burial teams have been attacked by community members in several areas. Dissatisfaction with Ebola response, fear and misunderstanding all play a role in the cultural challenge of implementing health interventions in local communities.

5 December
The Ministry of Health announced 25 deaths and 69 newly confirmed cases for 4 December. These are from Bo, Bombali, Bonthe, Kambia, Port Loko, Tonkolili and Western Area districts.

4 December
The Ministry of Health report 26 deaths and 93 confirmed cases for 3 December, from: Bo, Bombali, Moyamba, Port Loko, Tonkolili and Western Area.

The World Health Organization states in the latest situation report that transmission remains intense in Sierra Leone. 537 newly confirmed cases were reported for 23-30 November, up from 385 the previous week. Freetown is still the worst affected area and transmission remains intense and persistent in all districts except the south-west. Treatment and isolation capacity is stretched in Port Loko and Freetown by the large numbers of new cases. Eight Ebola treatment centres are currently under construction around the country.

3 December
An additional 26 confirmed deaths and 61 confirmed cases have been reported by the Ministry of Health, from: Kono, Bombali, Koinadugu, Port Loko, Tonkolili and Western Area districts.

2 December
The Ministry of Health has announced 27 confirmed deaths and 72 confirmed cases for 1 December, from the districts of Bo, Bombali, Kambia, Moyamba, Port Loko and Western Area. On 1 December, the government began preventing people from entering or leaving Tonkolili district (Northern province) in an effort to control the spread of Ebola. The measure will remain in place until 15 December. During this period, the borders of the district will be sealed and the authorities will conduct a door-to-door awareness-raising campaign within the area. Visitors will not be allowed into the district, though vehicles passing through it will be allowed to enter, provided they do not stop anywhere in Tonkolili.

1 December
There are 75 more confirmed cases in the Ministry of Health report for 30 November in Kambia (2), Western Area (51), Tonkolili (10) and Bombali (12). In total, 138 health workers have been infected, with 106 deaths.

30 November
The Ministry of Health reports an additional 64 confirmed cases for 29 November from; Kailahun, Kambia, Bo, Western Area, Kono, Tonkolili and Bombali. There have been several new infections of healthcare workers in Tonkolili district. The World Health Organization states that a lockdown began in Koinadugu district on 28 November.

28 November
The government has announced a three-day shutdown of all businesses in the capital Freetown from 28 November. Only pharmacies will be allowed to remain open during the shutdown which is being implemented to control the spread of ongoing Ebola outbreak. The authorities have also called upon residents to wear long-sleeved clothing.

There have been 110 cases identified in the last day - with confirmed cases in Port Loko, Bo, Koinadugu, Tonkolili, Bombali and Pujehun.

The World Health Organisation daily situation report advises there are a number of hotspot areas in Tonkolili, including Mile 91. A community health officer who is infected with Ebola has "contributed to a high incidence in Mile 91".

27 November
There are an additional 71 confirmed cases for 26 November reported by the Ministry of Health; Bombali (14), Koinadugu (4), Port Loko (3), Tonkolili (10), Bo (3), Western Area Urban (22) and Western Area Rural (15).

In the latest World Health Organization situation report, Ebola transmission remains intense in Sierra Leone, particularly in the western and northern areas. There were 385 newly confirmed cases reported in the week up to 23 November. Freetown, the capital, remains the worst affected area, accounting for 118 of the new cases. Transmission appears to be slowing in the south-eastern districts of Bonthe, Kailahun, Kenema and Pujehun.

26 November
The Ministry of Health has announced 83 additional confirmed cases for 25 November: Bobmali (10), Kambia (6), Port Loko (13), Tonkolili (4), Bo (8), Moyamba (1), Western Area Urban (31), Western Area Rural (10).

There is a continuing lack of safe disposal of bodies, with burial teams striking in several areas due to non-payment of hazard pay. News sources are reporting that bodies of Ebola victims are being left unburied in Kenema. Another doctor is reported to have contracted Ebola and is being treated in Hastings Ebola Treatment Center.

An Ebola Treatment Centre in Lunsar, Port Loko, will begin admitting patients today. The centre is run by International Medical Corps and will be scaled up to 50-beds before the end of the year.

25 November
There are additional 39 confirmed cases reported by the Ministry of Health as of 24 November; Kono (1), Moyamba (1), Kambia (2), Tonkolili (3), Western Area Rural (8), Western Area Urban (11), Port Loko (13).

The Italian Ministry of Health have confirmed that an Italian doctor, who was working in Sierra Leone for the non-governmental organization "Emergency", has been diagnosed with Ebola. The doctor has been evacuated for treatment at the Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome.

24 November
The Ministry of Health has reported 47 newly confirmed cases for 23 November: Bombali (4), Port Loko (3), Tonkolili (5), Bo (1), Moyamba (1), Western Area Urban (26) and Western Area Rural (7).

22 November
Today's World Health Organisation country report advises a three-day lock-down is being proposed for Kumala in Koinadugu. The district is difficult to access and was the last in the country to have Ebola cases. It is currently one of the hotspots for new cases. Specimens and supplies are being transported by helicopter. Two of the three holding centres in Bombali are full (137 patients). There have been 69 new cases in the previous day, 51 confirmed (Kailahun 2, Port Loko 5, Kambia 1, Bo 6, Western Area 17, Tonkolili 5, Bombali 14, Moyamba 1) with 21 deaths.

21 November
An additional 58 confirmed cases are reported by the Ministry of Health; Kenema (1), Bombali (14), Kambia (1), Port Loko (8), Tonkolili (5), Bo (1), Western Area Urban (15) and Western Area Rural (13). Over 580 new contacts have been identified and will be monitored. Unrestricted movement in Moyamba is contributing to an escalation in case numbers.

20 November
The Ministry of Health has announced 43 confirmed cases for 19 November: Bombali (2), Koinadugu (1), Tonkolili (11), Bo (1), Moyamba (2), Pujehun (2) Western Area Urban (17) and Western Area Rural (7).

The latest Ebola response roadmap Situation Report by the World Health Organization states that transmission remains widespread and intense in Sierra Leone, except in the south east. Freetown, the capital, remains the worst affected area. The districts of Bo, Bombali, Koinadugu, Kono, Moyamba, Port Loko, Tonkolili and Western Area have reported high numbers of cases recently. The decrease in the number of cases in the south east where the outbreak began indicates that the response efforts have been effective.

19 November
An additional 53 confirmed cases have been reported by the Ministry of Health; Kono (5), Bombali (2), Koinadugu (2), Port Loko (18), Bo (3), Moyamba (2), Western Area Urban (15) and Western Area Rural (6).
Media sources are reporting that another physician has passed away in Freetown from Ebola. Investigations into how he became infected are ongoing as he was reportedly not involved with frontline treatment of Ebola patients. All seven Sierra Leonean doctors who have become infected with Ebola have died.

The Cuban Ministry of Health has confirmed that a doctor who tested positive for Ebola on 17 November is currently in a stable condition. He will be transferred to University Hospital of Geneva in Switzerland for treatment.

18 November
There are 89 additional confirmed cases reported by the Ministry of Health in; Kailahun (1), Bombali (12), Kambia (1), Port Loko (9), Tonkolili (2), Bo (2), Moyamba (3), Western Area Urban (35), Western Area Rural (24).

17 November
The Ministry of Health report 54 newly confirmed cases for 16 November in; Bombali (4), Koinadugu (1), Port Loko (14), Bo (8), Bonthe (1), Moyamba (2), Western Area Urban (2) and Western Area Rural (8). Koinadugu district continues to be a hotspot for transmission, with an increase in paediatric cases and absence of safe burial practices reported in some areas.

15 November
The WHO situation report of 14 November records steep increases in the transmission of Ebola nationally in Sierra Leone, echoed at district level with consistently high transmission in the western and northern areas of the country. New cases appear to be slowing in Kenema and Kailahun.

New cases were reported by the Ministry of Health in Kono (8), Bombali (8), Koinadugu (13), Port Loko (19), Tonkolili (9) Bo (4), Western Area Urban (15), and Western Area Rural (8).

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has announced its plans to open ten Ebola Community Care Centers in Bombali district of Sierra Leone this week. These centers will have eight beds each and will cater to Ebola patients. The UNICEF also has plans to set up about 30 such centers in other districts.

14 November
An additional 9 deaths and 61 confirmed cases have been reported by the Ministry of Health for 13 November; Bombali (19), Bo (1), Port Loko (15), Western Area Urban (15) and Western Area Rural (11).

13 November
In the latest WHO Ebola response roadmap situation report, the Ebola activity in Sierra Leone has been described as intense. Over 420 new cases were reported last week. Bombali, Freetown, Port Loko, Tonkolili and Western rural area are heavily affected. Other areas of concern are Koinadugu and Kambia whereas Kenema and Kailahun have recorded a sharp decline in new cases. Around 30 percent of the planned Ebola treatment centres are functional in the country.

At least 66 new cases have been confirmed by the Ministry of Health as of 12 November. These are in Kambia (3), Moyamba (4), Port Loko (5), Tonkolili (7), Bo (9), Western Area Rural (13) and Western Area Urban (25).

12 November
The Ministry of Health reports 94 confirmed cases for 11 November. These are Bombali (2), Kambia (1), Koinadugu (7), Port Loko (19), Tonkolili (8), Bo (4), Western Area Urban (31) and Western Area Rural (22).

11 November
The Ministry of Health reports 90 newly confirmed cases for 10 November in; Bombali (9), Port Loko (29), Tonkolili (12), Bo (1), Moyamba (2), Western Area Urban (29) and Western Area Rural (8).

The National Ebola Response Centre (NERC) announced that the Government of Sierra Leone has approved a one-time death benefit payment of US$5,000 to all health care workers who die from Ebola in the line of duty. The NERC is also working with payment teams to ensure hazard incentives are paid to all frontline staff by 14 November and continue on a bi-weekly basis.

The latest UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) report (PDF) states that the district of Koinadugu, the last unaffected district in the country, has seen 50 deaths from Ebola since mid-October. More than two hundred people have been placed in quaratine to try to stop transmission. Reports from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs and UNICEF estimate that between 2,600 and 7,000 children have been orphaned by the outbreak, with orphans facing harsher conditions that during the civil war.

10 November
There are 111 additional confirmed cases on 9 November as reported by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in; Western Area Rural (22), Port Loko (21), Tonkolili (20), Western Area Urban (18), Moyamba (14), Bombali (10), Kono (3), Kambia (2) and Kailahun (1).

9 November
The Ministry of Health has reported 45 confirmed cases for 8 November in Kailahun (2), Bombali (6), Koinadugu (4), Port Loko (2), Bo (4), Moyamba (3), Western Area Urban (12) and Western Area Rural (12). According to the World Health Organisation daily update of 8 November, the last case admitted to the holding centres in Kailahun was 30 October.

8 November
The World Health Organization states in their recent SitRep (PDF) that intense transmission is continuing nationwide, except in Bonthe, Kailahun, Kono and Pujehun districts which each have less than five new cases identified in the previous 21 days. The Ministry of Health reports 41 confirmed cases for 7 November; Bombali (6), Koinadugu (6), Port Loko (2), Tonkolili (12), Western Area Urban (10) and Western Area Rural (5). A total of 247 confirmed cases are currently in treatment centres and 857 people have survived to date.

6 November
WHO: Ebola transmission continues to be a major concern, according to the WHO’s latest Ebola Response Roadmap Situation Report. More than 110 new confirmed cases were recorded in the capital city, Freetown. Bombali, Port Loko, western rural areas, Tonkolili and Koinadugu also continue to be majorly affected. However, Kenema and Kailahun recorded a decline in cases.

The Ministry of Health report 36 confirmed cases for 5 November; Bombali (2), Kambia (4), Koinadugu (15), Bo (4) and Western Area Rural (7). 814 people have survived Ebola to date. A 92-bed Ebola treatment facility at Kerry Town has opened. The centre will have an 80-bed treatment centre for the public, run by Save the Children, as well as a 12-bed treatment centre dedicated to health care workers and international aid staff, run by British Army medics. The Australian Government will assist with staffing of the facility.

5 November
There are 56 additional confirmed cases for 4 November as reported by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in; Bombali (24), Port Loko (2), Tonkolili (3), Bo (3), Moyamba (3), Western Area Urban (8) and Western Area Rural (13).

4 November
The Ministry of Health has reported 61 confirmed cases for 3 November; Bombali (7), Port Loko (2), Kailahun (1), Western Area Urban (35) and Western Area Rural (16). Over 820 patients have been treated and discharged.

2 November
The Sierra Leone WHO Country Office situation report for today advises there are 196 cases admitted in treatment units - 18 in Kenema, 44 in Kailahun, 25 in Bo and 109 in Western Area. Over the past 24 hours that have been 75 new cases, of which 60 are confirmed (Western Area 24, Bombali 10, Koinadugu 8, Kambia 7, Tonkolili 7, Bo 2, Port Loko 2). There are about 14,000 contacts under follow up. Food is being supplied to homes under quarantine across the nation. There remains a significant shortfall in the number of people to implement thorough surveillance, contact tracing, and case management.

A report from the Africa Governance Initiative indicates that Ebola is now spreading even faster than it was in September. According to news sources, about 6 more cases a day are reported in Freetown compared to two months ago. The only region where there has been a slowing of new cases is in Bombali.

1 November
Norway is sending equipment and deploying up to 200 healthcare staff to work at the United Kingdom's Treatment Centre in Moyamba.

31 October
There are 31 newly confirmed cases reported by the Ministry of Health. These are from; Port Loko (15), Bombali (7), Bo (3), Kambia (2) and Western Area (4). The World Health Organisation advises that "Lowere Nieni chiefdom in Koinadugu District remains the hotspot where majority of EVD cases are being reported from."

30 October
The Ministry of Health reports 47 confirmed cases for 29 October; Kenema (4), Bombali (11), Kambia (5), Koinadugu (2), Port Loko (4), Tonkolili (6), Moyamba (3), Pujehun (2), Western Area Urban (6) and Western Area Rural (4). The World Health Organization state in their situation report for 28 October that analysis of exposure in Port Loko reveals more than 40% of infected pepole attended a funeral ceremony before becoming ill.

29 October
In the latest WHO Ebola response roadmap situation report, the situation in Sierra Leone has been described as intense. The Western rural region has continually reported increased activity with over 80 confirmed cases in the last week. The following districts; capital Freetown, Bombali and Port Loko are heavily affected. Other areas of concern are Tonkolili, Kailahun and Kenema. Over a hundred healthcare workers have died of the infection in the country.

There are 91 newly confirmed cases reported by the Ministry of Health. These are from; Bo (7), Bombali (32), Kambia (1), Kenema (1), Kono (1), Port Loko (17), Tonkolili (6), Western Area Urban (13) and Western Area Rural (13).

28 October
The latest Ministry of Health report states there are 62 new confirmed cases from Western Area Urban (23), Western Area Rural (19), Tonkolili (7), Koinadugu (4), Port Loko (6) and Moyamba (3). At least 737 patients have been treated and discharged.

27 October
There have been 130 newly confirmed cases identified over the weekend, according to the latest reports from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. These cases are from; Kailahun (1), Kenema (4), Kono (4), Bombali (13), Port Loko (6), Tonkolili (8), Bo (3), Moyamba (2), Western Area Urban (42), Western Area Rural (47).

25 October
The Ministry Of Health reports 41 new cases, again with many occurring in the Western areas and none new in Kailahun. The new cases were reported in Bombali (14), Western Area Urban (8), Tonkolili (7), Western Area Rural (4), Koinadugu (4), Kenema (2) and Moyamba (2). Almost 200 confirmed cases are admitted in designated treatment units - Kenema (24), Kailahun (39), Bo (28) and Western area (105). The number of patients being treated in the community in Western Area in Freetown is "high", according to the WHO daily country situation report.

BACKGROUND

Although several suspected cases were reported in March and April, they proved to be Lassa fever and other more common illnesses. Sierra Leone’s first Ebola case occurred in late May, on the border of Guinea. (That nation had been experiencing an outbreak for several months already.)

Sierra Leone’s first affected area was Kailahun district. All confirmed cases were confined to that district until 10 June, when Port Loko district became the second district with confirmed cases. By mid-June, cases had also been confirmed in Kenema, Kono and the Western Area. Kenema and Kaliahun remained the most affected areas throughout June. Bo reported cases in July, as did Port Loko. The first case in Freetown was reported in late July. Dr Shiekh Khan, the country's only virologist, was infected while treating Ebola patients and died at the treatment centre in Kailahun on 29 July.

A public health emergency was declared on 31 July. Quarantine of houses with confirmed cases and outbreak areas, restrictions on public meetings and gatherings, screening of passengers at airports, active surveillance and house-to-house searches were enforced. The government set aside 4 August as ‘Ebola Day’ in order to inspect houses, trace contacts and quarantine suspected cases.

By early August all districts, except Koinadugu in the north, had confirmed cases. Throughout August and September several Ebola Treatment Centres were built around the country by Medecins Sans Frontieres, Red Cross and International Medical Corps. In early September the British Military began building a treatment centre in Freetown to serve the local population as well as having a special ward dedicated to treating infected health care workers. A 165-person medical team from Cuba and a 59-person medical team from China arrived to staff some of the new treatment centres and laboratories.

A British nurse, who became infected whilst working in an Ebola treatment centre, was expatriated for treatment at the Royal Free Hospital London on 24 August.

https://www.internationalsos.com/ebola/index.cfm?content_id=397&language_id=ENG

 

[BREWER]

Posted for fair use and discussion. Hey, everybody....the title says it all. Take care. BREWER
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/slow-learners-pay-price.html

Monday, December 15, 2014
Slow Learners Pay The Price


GENEVA (Reuters) - The failure of Sierra Leone's strategy for fighting Ebola may be down to a missing ingredient: a big shock that could change people's behaviour and finally prevent further infection.

Bruce Aylward, the head of Ebola response at the World Health Organisation, said Sierra Leone was well placed to contain the disease -- its worst outbreak on record -- with infrastructure, organisation and aid. The problem is that its people have yet to be shocked out of behaviour that is helping the disease to spread, still keeping infected loved ones close and touching the bodies of the dead. "Every new place that gets infected goes through that same terrible learning curve where a lot of people have to die ... before those behaviours start to change," Aylward told Reuters.The WHO's death toll from outbreak has climbed to 6,583 but the actual figure is likely to be far higher due to under-reporting of cases. The flare-up in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown and the country's more heavily populated western areas resemble the massive infections suffered in August by Liberia's capital Monrovia. "In Monrovia you had bodies on the streets, you had a riot, you had someone shot - awareness went through the roof in a very, very short time as a result," said Aylward. "You don’t want to see that kind of thing drive public awareness but it has an impact very, very fast. People changed behaviours in Monrovia - bang! Like that." Mali also learned through a shock. Just as it seemed nobody had been infected by its first Ebola patient in October, another cluster of deaths sprang up the following month. Aylward said he told Malian officials that the only way to stop the outbreak was to trace anyone who may be at risk. "That’s when the contact tracing... took a jump from around 60-70 percent completion to 98 percent," he said. Denial and ignorance are part of the problem but a weak healthcare system and logistics also play a part. Officials in Kono - where an explosion of infections was discovered this week - said the eastern district of 350,000 inhabitants had only one ambulance and no Ebola treatment centre."The forest area of these three countries has got some really special and concerning practices, where they share meals with the corpse, where they sleep with the corpse," he said.Some areas of eastern Sierra Leone that were hit hardest early in the epidemic -- around the towns of Kenema and Kailahun -- have seen a massive reduction in case numbers as people change behaviour. "The areas that are now doing badly are the areas that were affected last. They are still on the learning curve."



Amazing to hear the UN official in charge of the entire WHO response wistfully longing for the more resposible parties to shoot a few stupid people to get their attention, but there it is, and in print.

And short of that or massive die-offs, currently in progress, about the only thing likely to wake them up.

And as noted by commentor geoffb, the lesson fades from view overnight:

ABUJA Nigeria (Leadership) -The declaration of Nigeria as an Ebola-free country by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in October has prompted many Nigerians to discontinue the practice of maintaining a good level of hygiene as a measure of containing the Ebola Virus Disease.

From schools to banks and other public places, the strict measures of screening for signs of the disease put in place while the outbreak lasted between July and October, have fizzled out in most places. Most Nigerians are now living a care-free life because, according to them, Nigeria has been certified Ebola-free by the WHO, which means there is no cause for alarm.


Hopefully Ebola got the same memo, or the remedial course is going to be a bitch there.

Posted by Aesop at 10:03 AM
Labels: Ebola

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20141215/af-ebola-west-africa-15bf3c05e7.html

UN commission asks for Ebola debt forgiveness

Dec 15, 8:52 AM (ET)

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — A U.N. commission is asking for more debt cancellations for the three West African nations hardest hit by the Ebola virus.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa said Monday that it is crucial that the current Ebola health crisis not be a catalyst for financial distress in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

Carlos Lopez, a U.N. under secretary-general and the executive secretary of the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa, appealed in Ethiopia on Monday for loan forgiveness.

A new report on the socio-economic impact of Ebola said the overall impact on Africa should be minimal because the three countries account for only 0.68 percent of Africa's GDP. The report estimates that Ebola's impact on the continent's GDP levels in 2014 and 2015 will be only -0.19 percent and -0.15 percent.

 

[BREWER]

Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/some-people-dont-know-when-music-is-over.html

Monday, December 15, 2014
Some People Don't Know When The Music Is Over



"Can I just get five more seconds in the spotlight? How about four? Okay then...three...?

Speaking of Slow Learners, today's NPR blast of woulda-coulda-shoulda:

Speed. That's key to ending the Ebola epidemic, says the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Thomas Frieden is visiting West Africa this week to figure out how to reduce the time it takes to find new Ebola cases and isolate them.
Otherwise, Ebola could become a permanent disease in West Africa.
"That's exactly the risk we face now. That Ebola will simmer along, become endemic and be a problem for Africa and the world, for years to come," Frieden tells NPR. "That is what I fear most."
Frieden plans to spend several days in each country where the virus is still out of control — Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The biggest challenge right now is in Sierra Leone, he says, where the epidemic shows no signs of slowing down. New cases continue to rise exponentially. Last week, the country reported nearly 400 cases, or more than three times the number of cases reported by Guinea and Liberia combined.
Since February, there have been nearly 18,000 reported Ebola cases globally, the World Health Organization says, with more than 6,000 deaths.
But Frieden is still confident that the three countries can eventually reach zero new cases and end the epidemic.
Why?
Because the world has stopped every Ebola outbreak before, Frieden says. "Even in this epidemic, we are stopping individual outbreaks. The challenge is doing it at a scale and with a speed that we've never done before."
When Frieden visited West Africa last time, in August and September, the disease was "raging out of control in Monrovia," he says.
Since then, the epidemic has slowed down in Liberia. "But we haven't been able to get it under control," he says.
"As the weeks have gone by, we have been able to intervene faster [in Liberia]," Frieden says. "We've found that we can stop outbreaks in weeks instead of months."
So a hot spot in one town or county ends up having only a handful of cases instead of hundreds, he says.
Now the CDC and international aid groups need to figure out how to do that in Sierra Leone.
But even then, the response may not be fast enough. All it takes is one sick person to travel to a vulnerable town and ignite a new hot spot. That's been happening in Guinea for months.
"It's not like a forest fire, so much," Frieden says, "as a country full of bush fires in different places."


Tom, check your spam filter: President Obola sh*t-canned you back in October, when he appointed Flounder to be the new Invisible Disinformation On Ebola Czar. The memo you missed is probably in there.
So, a few pointers:

* If you've noticed a lot of space on your Day Planner lately, it's because you're officially dead in D.C.
* The first hurdle to tracking Ebola contacts in West Africa, is getting the countries involved to admit that they have them. When everybody admits that there's a "fudge factor" of between 2 and 200 to multiply official reports by, going back to, oh...forever in this outbreak, that's how many cases you'll never track, times the 10-100 contacts they create.
* The second hurdle would be teaching 20,000,000 people there how to count. If the illiteracy rate there was the growth rate of GDP, they'd all be driving Beemers and flying in Gulfstreams. As it is, they wear sandals in case they have to make change for a quarter.
* Ain't nothing happening there on a Western "right now" time frame. They make "island time" look like a FedEx Distribution Hub. "Just in time" in West Africa means "order three years in advance, double the needed amount, and keep a slush fund handy for last minute bribes, and there's a 60% chance we'll have this no later than a month after you need it."
Seriously, dude, try talking to any of your own people there about this.
* Once you tackle those paltry problems, you only have to get past two or three other minor details:
The cultural hurdles of a grabby/touchy/feely society
The religious hurdles of inshallah and the associated local burial rites and customs
The scientific hurdles of taking a country to accepting scientific germ theory accepted here since Pasteur, in one where this month 50-75% of the peoples there are more likely to believe that what's killing people is curses and witchcraft than "Ebola".

If you look closely Tommy, you might notice how curiously similar all that sounds to the phrase "nation-building". Something Britain and France couldn't do there in centuries. Maybe there's no TV in your lab or office, or you're more of a theatres-and-symphony kind of guy, but that phrase doesn't have quite the cachet now that it might have had in, say, 2003.

So why don't you respond to one of the 47 e-mails that career recruiter has been sending you for the last 8-10 weeks, and see about updating your resume.

You've "solved" quite enough geo-political epidemics for one lifetime, I think, and maybe you should get a new hobby to fill your golden years.

Oh, and nota bene, careful readers, that NPR and Frieden himself are still describing this outbreak as "out-of-control" in no uncertain terms, in all three countries.

Posted by Aesop at 3:10 PM
Labels: Ebola

 

[Doomer Doug]

The CDC is finally admitting Africa is road kill for the next decade or two. Sheesh.


http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandso...a-endemic-thats-the-risk-we-face-now-cdc-says



Endless Ebola Epidemic? That's The 'Risk We Face Now,' CDC Says
December 15, 2014 1:03 PM ET
Michaeleen Doucleff
Twitter
Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, talks with Doctors Without Borders staff during a visit in August to an Ebola treatment center in Monrovia, Liberia.

Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, talks with Doctors Without Borders staff during a visit in August to an Ebola treatment center in Monrovia, Liberia.
Tommy Trenchard for NPR

Speed. That's key to ending the Ebola epidemic, says the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Thomas Frieden is visiting West Africa this week to figure out how to reduce the time it takes to find new Ebola cases and isolate them.

Otherwise, Ebola could become a permanent disease in West Africa.
A hand-drawn map on the wall of a rural clinic shows health workers where a woman with Ebola may be hiding.
Goats and Soda
As Ebola Pingpongs In Liberia, Cases Disappear Into The Jungle

"That's exactly the risk we face now. That Ebola will simmer along, become endemic and be a problem for Africa and the world, for years to come," Frieden tells NPR. "That is what I fear most."

Frieden plans to spend several days in each country where the virus is still out of control — Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The biggest challenge right now is in Sierra Leone, he says, where the epidemic shows no signs of slowing down. New cases continue to rise exponentially. Last week, the country reported nearly 400 cases, or more than three times the number of cases reported by Guinea and Liberia combined.

Since February, there have been nearly 18,000 reported Ebola cases globally, the World Health Organization says, with more than 6,000 deaths.
A worker puts the finishing touches on the dividers that will separate patients at the community care center in the Port Loko district of Sierra Leone.
Goats and Soda
World's Slow Response To Ebola Leaves Sierra Leone Villages Scrambling

But Frieden is still confident that the three countries can eventually reach zero new cases and end the epidemic.

Why?

Because the world has stopped every Ebola outbreak before, Frieden says. "Even in this epidemic, we are stopping individual outbreaks. The challenge is doing it at a scale and with a speed that we've never done before."

When Frieden visited West Africa last time, in August and September, the disease was "raging out of control in Monrovia," he says.

Since then, the epidemic has slowed down in Liberia. "But we haven't been able to get it under control," he says.
Viruses can spread through the air in two ways: inside large droplets that fall quickly to the ground (red), or inside tiny droplets that float in the air (gray). In the first route, called droplet transmission, the virus can spread only about 3 to 6 feet from an infected person. In the second route, called airborne transmission, the virus can travel 30 feet or more.
Goats and Soda
Ebola In The Air: What Science Says About How The Virus Spreads

"As the weeks have gone by, we have been able to intervene faster [in Liberia]," Frieden says. "We've found that we can stop outbreaks in weeks instead of months."

So a hot spot in one town or county ends up having only a handful of cases instead of hundreds, he says.

Now the CDC and international aid groups need to figure out how to do that in Sierra Leone.

But even then, the response may not be fast enough. All it takes is one sick person to travel to a vulnerable town and ignite a new hot spot. That's been happening in Guinea for months.

"It's not like a forest fire, so much," Frieden says, "as a country full of bush fires in different places."

 

[Doomer Doug]

The latest official lies on Ebola

Don't worry; be happy! The fine print tells the true story.



http://fluboard.rhizalabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13116




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Post subject: Ebola December 2014 Update MMWR early release
PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:23 pm

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MMWR ealy release on Update: Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic — West Africa, December 2014
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtm ... 3e1216a1_w

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Update: Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic — West Africa, December 2014
Early Release
December 16, 2014 / 63(Early Release);1-3




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CDC is assisting ministries of health and working with other organizations to end the ongoing epidemic of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) in West Africa (1). The updated data in this report were compiled from situation reports from the Guinea Interministerial Committee for Response Against the Ebola Virus, the World Health Organization, the Liberia Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation. Total case counts include all suspected, probable, and confirmed cases, which are defined similarly by each country (2). These data reflect reported cases, which make up an unknown proportion of all cases, and reporting delays that vary from country to country.
According to the latest World Health Organization update on December 10, 2014 (3), a total of 17,908 Ebola cases have been reported as of December 7 from three West African countries (Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone) where transmission is widespread and intense. The highest reported case counts were from Sierra Leone (7,897cases) and Liberia (7,719), followed by Guinea (2,292). Peaks in the number of new cases occurred in Liberia (509 cases), Sierra Leone (748 cases), and Guinea (292 cases) at epidemiologic weeks 38 (September 14–20), 46 (November 9–15), and 41 (October 5–11), respectively (Figures 1 and 2). A total of 6,373 deaths have been reported. Investigation of localized transmission in two locations in Mali (Kourémalé and Bamako) is ongoing, with a current total of eight cases and six deaths reported (4). Transmission was interrupted successfully in Nigeria (October 19) and prevented in Senegal (October 17) (3).
There were 4,281 new Ebola cases reported during the 4-week period of November 9–December 6, compared with the 2,705 new cases reported during the 3-week period of October 19–November 8 (5). Cases were widely distributed geographically among districts in all three countries, with the prefecture of Mamou in Guinea reported to be newly affected. During both periods, counts of reported Ebola cases were highest in the area around Monrovia, including Grand Cape Mount, Liberia; the Western Area and northwest districts of Sierra Leone, particularly Bombali and Port Loko; and Conakry Sierra , Guinea (Figure 3).
As of December 6, the highest cumulative incidence rates (>100 cases per 100,000 population) were reported by two prefectures in Guinea (Guéckédou and Macenta), six counties in Liberia (Bong, Grand Cape Mount, Lofa, and, particularly, Bomi, Margibi, and Montserrado, with cumulative incidence of >300 cases per 100,000 population), and six districts inLeone (Bombali, Kailahun, Kenema, Port Loko, Tonkolili, and Western Area) (Figure 4). Evidence of decreasing incidence in Lofa and Montserrado, Liberia, has been described elsewhere (6–8), though cases continue to be reported from these counties, especially Montserrado.
The latest updates on the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa, including case counts, are available at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/ ... index.html. The most up-to-date infection control and clinical guidelines on the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa are available at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/index.html.
Acknowledgments
World Health Organization. Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program, CDC. Situational Awareness Team, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, CDC.

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Post subject: Re: Ebola December 2014 Update MMWR early release
PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:57 pm
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References
Dixon MG, Schafer IJ. Ebola viral disease outbreak—West Africa, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2014;63:548–51.
World Health Organization. Case definition recommendations for Ebola or Marburg virus diseases. Available at http://www.who.int/csr/resources/public ... act-en.pdf Adobe PDF fileExternal Web Site Icon.
World Health Organization. Ebola response roadmap situation report, 10 December 2014. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2014. Available at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/si ... enExternal Web Site Icon.
CDC. 2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa—case counts. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/ ... ounts.html.
Incident Management System Ebola Epidemiology Team, CDC; Ministries of Health of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria, and Senegal; Viral Special Pathogens Branch, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC. Ebola virus disease outbreak—West Africa, October 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2014;63:978–81.
Sharma A, Heijenberg N, Peter C, et al. Evidence for a decrease in transmission of Ebola virus—Lofa County, Liberia, June 8–November 1, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2014;63:1067–71.
Nyenswah TG, Westercamp M, Ashraf Kamali A, et al. Evidence for declining numbers of Ebola cases—Montserrado County, Liberia, June–October 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2014;63:1072–6.
Nyenswah T, Fahnbulleh M, Massaquoi M, et al. Ebola epidemic—Liberia, March–October 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2014;63:1082–6.

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Post subject: Re: Ebola December 2014 Update MMWR early release
PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:58 pm
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FIGURE 1. Cumulative number of Ebola virus disease cases reported, by epidemiologic week — three countries, West Africa, March 29–November 30, 2014
Image
* A change in reporting source data at week 43 resulted in an adjustment of cumulative cases in Liberia.
Alternate Text: The figure above is a line chart showing the cumulative number of Ebola virus disease cases reported, by epidemiologic week in three West African countries during March 29- November 30, 2014. The highest reported case counts were from Sierra Leone (7,897cases) and Liberia (7,719), followed by Guinea (2,292).

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Post subject: Re: Ebola December 2014 Update MMWR early release
PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:59 pm
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FIGURE 2. Number of new Ebola virus disease cases reported, by epidemiologic week — three countries, West Africa, March 29–November 30, 2014
Image
Alternate Text: The figure above is a bar chart showing the number of new Ebola virus disease cases reported, by epidemiologic week, for three West African countries during March 29-November 30, 2014. Peaks in the number of new cases occurred in Liberia (509 cases), Sierra Leone (748 cases), and Guinea (292 cases) at epidemiologic weeks 38 (September 14-20), 46 (November 9-15), and 41 (October 5-11), respectively.

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Post subject: Re: Ebola December 2014 Update MMWR early release
PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:00 pm
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FIGURE 3. Number of new cases of Ebola virus disease reported — Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, November 9–30, 2014
Image
Alternate Text: The figure above is a map showing the number of new cases of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) reported in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone during November 9-30, 2014. There were 4,281 new Ebola cases reported during the 4-week period of November 9-December 6, compared with the 2,705 new cases reported during the 3-week period of October 19-November 8. Cases were widely distributed geographically among districts in all three countries, with the prefecture of Mamou in Guinea reported to be newly affected. During both periods, counts of Ebola cases reported were highest in the area around Monrovia, including Grand Cape Mount, Liberia; the Western and northwest districts of Sierra Leone, particularly Bombali and Port Loko; and Conakry, Guinea.

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niman
Post subject: Re: Ebola December 2014 Update MMWR early release
PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 3:01 pm
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FIGURE 4. Cumulative incidence of Ebola virus disease — Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, November 30, 2014
Image
Alternate Text: The figure above is a map showing cumulative incidence of Ebola virus disease in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone on November 30, 2014. The highest cumulative incidence rates (>100 cases per 100,000 population) were reported by two prefectures in Guinea (Guéckédou and Macenta), six counties in Liberia (Bong, Grand Cape Mount, Lofa, and, particularly, Bomi, Margibi, and Montserrado, with cumulative incidence of >300 cases per 100,000 population), and six districts in Sierra Leone (Bombali, Kailahun, Kenema, Port Loko, Tonkolili, and Western Area).

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[Doomer Doug]

Although we are told Ebola is "under control" in Liberia, total chaos now reigns in rural Liberia.


http://fluboard.rhizalabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13115


Ebola Challenges - Rural Liberia MMWR early release



Post subject: Ebola Challenges - Rural Liberia MMWR early release
PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:18 pm
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MMWR early release on Challenges in Responding to the Ebola Epidemic — Four Rural Counties, Liberia, August–November 2014
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtm ... 3e1216a2_w

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Post subject: Re: Ebola Challenges - Rural Liberia MMWR early release
PostPosted: Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:20 pm
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Challenges in Responding to the Ebola Epidemic — Four Rural Counties, Liberia, August–November 2014
Early Release
December 16, 2014 / 63(Early Release);1-3

Aimee Summers, PhD1,2, Tolbert G. Nyenswah, MPH 3, Joel M. Montgomery, PhD2,4, John Neatherlin, MPH2,4, Jordan W. Tappero, MD2, (Author affiliations at end of text)

1Epidemic Intelligence Service, 2Division of Global Health Protection, Center for Global Health, CDC, 3Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, 4CDC Kenya, Center for Global Health, CDC (Corresponding authors: Aimee Summers, asummers1@cdc.gov, 770-488-3619; Tolbert G. Nyenswah, tgnyenswah74@yahoo.com, +231 88 655 8612)

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[BREWER]

Hey, Doomer Doug: Here's the quote of the day..."There's never been a post-Ebola clinic, because historically, the Ebola Survivors Clubs have usually been able to meet in a phone booth".


Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/like-getting-ebola-wasnt-bad-enough.html

Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Like Getting Ebola Wasn't Bad Enough


Kenema, Sierra Leone (Al Jazeera )- Massah Kamara sat patiently with her brother Momoh, her haunted eyes focused somewhere in the middle distance beyond the walls of the post-Ebola clinic.

Three months earlier, doctors gave her the good news - after weeks of fighting the disease, she had finally beaten Ebola. She would live.

Back in her home neighbourhood of Nyandeyama, a quiet suburb of sandy streets and mango trees, she found out 22 members of her family were dead, including her parents. She had no money, so was unable to go back to her tailoring business, and many of her possessions had been burned by terrified neighbours.

Then, just when she thought things couldn't get worse, she began to lose her eyesight.


"My eyes are dark," she said sadly. "Even when the sun is shining, my eyes are dark." Kamara said she was happy to have survived Ebola, but fear and misery were etched onto her face.

Kamara is one of 40 percent of Ebola survivors to have gone on to develop eye problems, according to a recent study carried out by the World Health Organisation and Kenema's District Health Management Team. It has been more than a month since the district saw it's last case of Ebola, and attention is turning to the plight of survivors.

The results of the survey, a copy of which was seen by Al Jazeera, outline a raft of physical, social and psychological problems the survivors are experiencing.

Seventy-nine percent, for example, now suffer from joint pain; 42 percent have problems sleeping, while more than one-third of those surveyed experienced peeling of the skin. Many others reported problems with their reproductive system.

Post-survival effects

"There is so little written about post-Ebola problems," said Maggie Nanyonga, a WHO consultant working with Ebola survivors in Kenema district. "We don't know if it's the drugs that are causing it, or the disease, or just stress."

In a small room at the government hospital in Kenema, now known simply as "Psychosocial", volunteers busily transcribed forms with survivors' complaints. "Serious backbone pain. Difficulty breathing. Properties burned but not replaced," reads one.


"Ear and joint pains. Poor health with red eyes," reads another.


"Tired legs and weakness. Cannot see clearly," reads a third.Health education officer Michael Vandi said the eye problems are of particular concern. "We just weren't expecting this. A lot of them are experiencing it, often combined with headaches," he said.The head of the hospital's eye department, Ernest Challey, said he believes he has found the cause - a condition called Uveitis that occurs when the innermost coating of the eye becomes inflamed.

It is triggered by problems with the immune system, a viral infection, and sometimes trauma, he explained. It leaves patients with dim and blurred vision, and pain when they're in bright light. If left untreated, said Challey, it can lead to blindness.

But the physical symptoms are just a part of the immense challenge many Ebola survivors face. "Sometimes I cry when they tell me their stories," said one nurse after writing down Kamara's details in the post-Ebola clinic, the first of its kind.

And it gets worse, according to the rest of the story: the locals treat survivors like pariahs, having burned their few belongings, and shun them afterwards, so they're left with no place to live and no job, as all the health problems pile on.

There's never been a post-Ebola clinic, because historically, the Ebola Survivors Clubs have usually been able to meet in a phone booth.

But with a few thousand survivors this time out of at least 20,000 victims, medical science is getting a new chapter in Ebola treatment: follow-up prognosis for survivors. And it isn't pretty.

Not least of which because what little assistance is going there is aimed at trying to curb the actual outbreak, not deal with the aftermath.

We never had to do much of that before...

Posted by Aesop at 12:02 AM
Labels: Ebola

 

[BREWER]

Posted for fair use and discussion.
http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2014/12/clown-of-ides-chuck-u-very-much-senator.html

Tuesday, December 16, 2014
@$$Clown Of The Ides: Chuck U Very Much, Senator...


The real motivation for all that Ebola preparedness comes out:

(PORKVILLE) - Senator Chuck Schumer on Monday called on U.S. secretary of health and human services Sylvia Mathews Burwell to recognize the enormous amount New York hospitals have spent preparing for and treating the Ebola virus, and use some of the money she was given by Congress to reimburse hospitals for their expenses.

Burwell has 30 days to come up with a spending plan for the $733 million her agency received from the latest continuing resolution, a $1.1 trillion spending package that allotted a total of $5.4 billion to combat Ebola.

Most of that money is headed to West Africa, where the epidemic continues to claim thousands of lives, but some can be used domestically.

Schumer said he would like New York hospitals to receive roughly $50 million
“I am urging secretary Burwell to make sure all of New York's institutions are completely reimbursed for their funding,” Schumer said at a press conference today outside Bellevue Hospital. “That was the purpose of the fund when we push for it and created it.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio has already reimbursed Bellevue, a part of the city's Health and Hospitals Corporation, $20 million for the expenses it incurred when treating Dr. Craig Spencer, the physician who contracted Ebola while working with Doctors Without Borders in West Africa.

But other hospitals have spent tens of millions of dollars preparing for the virus, Schumer said.

Montefiore has spent approximately $7.5 million building a biocontainment unit and training staff, Mount Sinai has spent between $7 and $8 million, and New York Presbyterian has spent roughly $3.3 million, according to Schumer's office.

Ken Raske, president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, estimated the ten Ebola-designated hospitals in New York have collectively spent between $50 million and $75 million on capital construction, the purchase of protective gear and training.

Try and look surprised at the prospect of a Democrat senator trying to shove both arms armpit deep into the taxpayers' pockets and keep everything he can get his hands on.

Webster's Dictionary could save space by consolidating the entry for Chuck and the entry for chutzpah. Or at least using the same picture.

Posted by Aesop at 12:14 AM
Labels: Assclown Of the Ides, Ebola

 

[bw]

Mayor Bill de Blasio has already reimbursed Bellevue, a part of the city's Health and Hospitals Corporation, $20 million for the expenses it incurred when treating Dr. Craig Spencer, the physician who contracted Ebola while working with Doctors Without Borders in West Africa.

Don't believe I'd heard that number before. And we probably have hundreds of infected people in the US at this point. Pretty soon you're talking real money.

 

[Doomer Doug]

More insanity from Sierra Leone.



http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/17/us-health-ebola-leone-idUSKBN0JV0SI20141217



Ebola centres overflow as Sierra Leone steps up fight

By Emma Farge

DEVIL HOLE, Sierra Leone Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:34pm EST



A Sierra Leonean boy looks out of a doorway in Freetown, Sierra Leone, December 16, 2014. REUTERS-Baz Ratner
A man walks past a banner about Ebola in Freetown, Sierra Leone, December 16, 2014. REUTERS-Baz Ratner

1 of 2. A Sierra Leonean boy looks out of a doorway in Freetown, Sierra Leone, December 16, 2014.

Credit: Reuters/Baz Ratner

Britain expects Ebola breakthrough in Sierra Leone in 4-6 weeks

Ethiopian health workers arrive in Liberia to help fight Ebola
No need for U.S. army help in Sierra Leone Ebola fight: Britain
Shipping industry modifies clauses in contracts for Ebola risks
RPT-Mali ends last quarantines, could be Ebola-free next month
BRIEF-Eutelsat announces collaboration with Nethope


(Reuters) - Ebola centres in Sierra Leone overflowed on Wednesday as health workers combed the streets of the capital Freetown for patients, after the government launched a major operation to contain the epidemic in West Africa's worst-hit country.

President Ernest Bai Koroma said on national television that travel between all parts of the country had been restricted as part of "Operation Western Area Surge", and public gatherings would be strictly controlled in the run-up to Christmas.

In the Devil Hole neighbourhood just outside Freetown, Ebola surveillance officers questioned Ibrahim Kamara as he sat in a discarded vehicle tyre, his eyes glassy and his breath coming in gasps.



"Is the body weak?" a surveillance officer shouted. Kamara, 31, nodded despondently while onlookers gathered round.

"Vomiting?" the officer asked. Kamara nodded again.

Kamara's wife, Adama, said a neighbour had died on Saturday from Ebola-like symptoms. When they had tried to take a taxi to hospital, the driver made them get out when he discovered her husband was ill.

The surveillance officers wrote down the Kamaras' address and the names of five family members in their household, before calling an ambulance.

Such street-by-street searches form a key part of a month-long push by the government, a British task force and international groups in the populous west of Sierra Leone, where the epidemic is raging. Their aim is to score a breakthrough against the disease within four to six weeks.

Sierra Leone, neighbouring Guinea and Liberia are at the heart of the world's worst recorded outbreak of Ebola. Rates of infection are rising fastest in Sierra Leone, which now accounts for more than half of the 18,603 confirmed cases of the virus.

The death toll from the epidemic has risen to 6,915 as of Dec. 14, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, adding that the increase cases in Sierra Leone appeared to have slowed, although 327 new cases were confirmed there in the past week.

Shortages of resources, strikes by unpaid healthcare workers and logistical challenges have dogged the fight against Ebola in Sierra Leone.

The ambulance meant to collect Kamara took three hours to arrive in Devil Hole, where he had already been waiting for six hours on the street. A nurse in the ambulance said some holding centres were already full as a result of the surge.

When the ambulance drove away, Kamara left behind a red blanket. It was immediately sprayed with disinfectant by the Ebola response team while his wife watched expressionless.

NEW MEASURES

At the King Tom Cemetery in Freetown, weary grave diggers clothed head to foot in protective waterproof yellow clothing said that they had buried 51 people on Wednesday alone.

With the cemetery already full, burial teams have expanded the site to a former rubbish dump, angering some bereaved families. Syringes and rusting iron lay in empty graves, while the burial teams had to throw stones at pigs roaming among the rubbish to keep them away from the dead.

Health officials are alarmed by the widespread transmission in Freetown, similar to an eruption of Ebola in the Liberian capital Monrovia in August which is only now being brought under control.

According to the government plan, health workers will seek victims and anyone with whom they have had contact, transporting the infected to new British-built treatment centres.

"Given the efforts we have undertaken we would expect to see a significant decrease in cases within several weeks," Tom Frieden, director of the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told Reuters during a visit to Freetown.

The programme showed some early signs of progress. Russell Macleod, a British military consultant with the surveillance team in the Western command and control centre in Freetown, told Reuters they received a record number of alerts that morning.

By lunchtime, they exceeded Tuesday's total by 50 percent with 140 alerts on the Ebola hotline. In response, the live case management team dispatched teams to 52 suspected cases, he said.

As part of the efforts, Koroma said worshippers on Christmas Day must return home after services and other festivities are banned. New Year's Eve services must stop by 5 p.m. local time (12.00 noon ET), while New Year's Day festivities are prohibited.

The government also banned Sunday trading and halted Saturday shopping at noon, Koroma said.

"This is the festive season where Sierra Leoneans often celebrate with families in a flamboyant and joyous manner but all must be reminded that our country is at war with a vicious enemy," he said.

(Additional reporting by Umaru Fofana; Writing by Daniel Flynn and Matthew Mpoke Bigg; Editing by Giles Elgood, Pe

 

[Doomer Doug]

Ebola "ravages" Sierra Leone despite WHO ongoing lies.

53 drugs can treat Ebola? Really?


http://www.healthline.com/health-news/researchers-race-for-drugs-to-fight-ebola-outbreak


Still Ravaging Sierra Leone, Researchers Race for Drugs to...


There are no new cases of Ebola in the United States, and all contacts of Ebola cases here have completed the 21-day follow-up period. However, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is continuing to monitor a person who had high-risk exposure while working as a healthcare worker in Sierra Leone.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of deaths from the current Ebola virus outbreak has reached 6,841. As of this writing, Sierra Leone now has the highest number of reported cases of the three hardest hit nations in West Africa, with 8,273 cases.
ebola

According to a CTV News report, Ebola teams were sent to Sierra Leone's capital to search every house for sick people. President Ernest Bai Koroma cancelled Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. He banned all public gatherings during the holidays as well as movement between districts.

Koroma also reportedly promised that treatment beds, labs, and ambulances are ready to handle any new Ebola cases.


There may be a hint of good news. A team of researchers has found 53 existing drugs that may keep the Ebola virus from entering human cells.

The study, led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the NIH, was published today in the journal Emerging Microbes and Infections.

The research team used high-speed technology to screen through sample libraries of 2,816 compounds that are already approved by the Food and Drug Administration for other uses. Their investigation was designed to identify compounds that blocked the ability of the Ebola virus to enter and infect human cells by at least 50 percent.


The team found 53 drugs that block Ebola virus-like particles from entering human cells. The most promising drugs were those used to treat cancer and depression, as well as antihistamines and antibiotics.
At least there are some promising candidates that can be tested quickly. Then we can see whether any of these drugs are promising when used alone or in combination with other drugs to make a big impact on decreasing disease and mortality.
Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Lead study author Adolfo Garcia-Sastre, Ph.D., director of the Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Healthline, “Not all of these drugs will work, but we hope some of them will. The dose that is required for treatment may be too toxic. These are still things that need to be studied. But at least there are some promising candidates that can be tested quickly. Then we can see whether any of these drugs are promising when used alone or in combination with other drugs to make a big impact on decreasing disease and mortality.”

If any of the drugs prove to be safe and effective in future animal studies, the government may use them in the outbreak areas.

Garcia-Sastre said a vaccine is still the best defense against Ebola. But until a vaccine is available, he said, “We should try to do as much as we can from a scientific point of view to see if we can make an impact on this disease. The sooner there is treatment available that is affordable, the more lives will be saved.”



In a separate development, a new article published in Reproductive Sciences, advises that men who are recovering from Ebola should not have sex. If they do, they should wear condoms for at least three months after their recovery.

The authors studied research from 1977 to 2007 on men whose Ebola symptoms were fading. They found only four studies that report male survivors of Ebola who donated semen while recovering. For these men, the virus remained in their semen for an average of 66.6 days. In one case, the virus remained for 91 days.

 

[Doomer Doug]

The latest lies from WHO.


http://fluboard.rhizalabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13135


Post subject: WHO December 17 Ebola Update
PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2014 4:27 pm
Online

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/si ... eports/en/