EBOLA MAIN EBOLA DISCUSSION THREAD January 2016

[Housecarl]

Ebola Quarantines Were Stupid and Wrong, Report Says
Started by GreenGecko‎, 12-04-2015 08:09 AM
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...Quarantines-Were-Stupid-and-Wrong-Report-Says

MAIN EBOLA DISCUSSION THREAD November 2015
Started by BREWER‎, 11-02-2015 06:02 PM
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?478240-MAIN-EBOLA-DISCUSSION-THREAD-November-2015


For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/eb...od-treatment-doesn-t-help-study-finds-n491971

Health
Ebola Virus Outbreak
Jan 7 2016, 8:48 am ET

Ebola Blood Treatment Doesn't Help, Study Finds

by Reuters

Treating Ebola victims with blood plasma donated by Ebola survivors failed to significantly increase the odds of recovering from the deadly virus, according to a field test of the experimental treatment.

The conclusion is based on the cases of 84 people treated with plasma in Conakry, Guinea, in the hope that the antibodies in the fluid would help patients fight off the virus the way they did in the surviving donors.

Related: Could Survivors Have Ebola-Proof Blood?

The death rate was 31 percent with the plasma, compared to 38 percent in a control group of 418 sufferers treated at the same medical center who did not receive survivor plasma, according to the results in the New England Journal of Medicine.

When the researchers adjusted for other factors that can affect survival, such as the age of the victims, the effect of plasma therapy was even less impressive.

Related: Study to Test Blood From Ebola Victims

"Of course you would like to dream and see a very strong reduction in mortality, but we didn't see this," chief author Dr. Johan van Griensven of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, told Reuters Health.

A key limitation of that study is that it's not known how many virus-fighting antibodies were in the plasma of the donors. Because Ebola virus disease is so dangerous, that analysis needs to be done in laboratories with special safety equipment, which are not available in affected countries, the researchers write.

"We might have anticipated there would be an effect" with plasma from survivors, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, who was not connected with the research.

The fact that no benefit was seen "does not mean antibodies to Ebola are not going to be a good treatment," he cautioned. The plasma donors might not have been fully recovered, he noted, so the fluid might not have been rich in antibodies.

There were hints that some groups did benefit, though.

Children younger than five years old, known to have a poor prognosis, had the highest risk of death in the control group, but four of the five patients in this age group treated with convalescent plasma survived, van Griensven and his colleagues write. Although pregnant women with Ebola also have a poor prognosis, six of the eight pregnant women treated with convalescent plasma survived, they add.

Related: What's Special About Blood From Ebola Victims

In another Ebola study, published as a letter to the Journal, researchers with the World Health Organization report that men treated in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone had a lower survival rate than women.

The disease killed 67.1 percent of the infected men versus 63 percent of the women.

The difference persisted even after adjusting for age, symptoms, and the amount of time it took for the person to seek medical help after falling ill, said coauthor Dr. Christl Donnelly of Imperial College London.

"People hadn't found that before. But because we had such a large epidemic we can see it consistently," she told Reuters Health.

Men were no more likely to become infected with Ebola than women. But they did, typically, wait 12 hours longer to seek help than women. That's 12 additional hours they were capable of spreading the virus to others, the researchers note.

Yet, Donnelly said, that 12-hour delay didn't seem responsible for the higher death rate among males.

Schaffner is not so sure. "Twelve hours is 12 hours. Maybe that's not so trivial. … This can, at certain stages, be a rapidly moving infection. This is intriguing, interesting and worth another look."

Related: Emory's Ebola Blood Bank

As of Dec. 27, according to the WHO, 28,637 people have been infected with Ebola in the recent outbreak; 11,315 of those died. The most recent epidemic began two years ago in Guinea. On Dec. 29, WHO declared the country to be free of the disease. If no new cases emerge by Jan. 14, the epidemic will be considered over.

 

[Housecarl]

Merde....Well they definitely spoke too soon......

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://in.reuters.com/article/health-ebola-sierra-victim-idINKCN0UT1AC

World | Fri Jan 15, 2016 7:31pm IST
Related: World

Dozens feared exposed as Sierra Leone confirms new Ebola case

FREETOWN | By Umaru Fofana

A woman who died of Ebola this week in Sierra Leone potentially exposed at least 27 other people to the disease, according to an aid agency report on Friday, raising the risk of more cases just as the deadliest epidemic on record appeared to be ending.

Just a day earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared that "all known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa", meaning that the region was officially free of the disease after a two-year epidemic that killed more than 11,300 people.

It warned, however, of potential flare-ups, as survivors can carry the virus for months. The new case in Sierra Leone is especially disquieting because authorities failed to follow basic health protocols, according to the report seen by Reuters. It was compiled by a humanitarian agency that asked not to be named.

The victim, a 22-year-old female named Mariatu Jalloh, began showing symptoms at the beginning of the year, though the exact date is unknown, the report states.

A student in Port Loko, the largest town in Sierra Leone's Northern Province, Jalloh travelled to Bamoi Luma near the border with Guinea in late December.

Sierra Leone's northern border area, a maze of waterways, was one of the country's last Ebola hot spots before it was declared Ebola-free on Nov. 7, and contact tracing was sometimes bedevilled by access problems.

By the time she travelled back to her parents' home in Tonkolili district, east of the capital Freetown, using three different taxis, Jalloh had diarrhoea and was vomiting, the report said. She was nursed by members of a household of 22 people.

She sought treatment at a local hospital on Jan. 8 where a health worker, who did not wear protective clothing, took a blood sample. It was not immediately clear whether the sample was tested for Ebola.

She was treated as an outpatient and returned home, where she died on Jan. 12. Health workers took a swab test of Jalloh's body following her death, which tested positive for Ebola.

Asked about apparent errors in handling the case, Sierra Leone health ministry spokesman Sidi Yahya Tunis said that the patient had been tested for the virus and had received treatment in a government hospital. He did not give further details.


BODY WASHING

Information campaigns calling upon residents of Ebola-affected countries to respect government health directives have been largely credited with turning the tide of the epidemic. However, safety measures, particularly a ban on traditional burial ceremonies, have faced stiff resistance at times.

The report stated that five people who were not part of Jalloh's parents' household were involved in washing her corpse, a practice that is considered one of the chief modes of Ebola transmission.

Almost all the victims of the regional epidemic, which originated in the forests of Guinea in 2013, were in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. All three nations have been declared free of the virus at various times.

But both Sierra Leone and Liberia have seen the disease return despite passing a 42-day period with no new cases, after which countries are declared free of Ebola transmission.

"It is really important that people don't understand this 42-day announcement as the sign that we should all just pack up and go home," said WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic. "We should stay there and be ready to respond to these possible cases."

Ben Neuman, an Ebola expert and lecturer in virology at Britain's University of Reading, said: “My first thought is that a hospital in Sierra Leone completely misdiagnosing a case of Ebola, apparently without sending a sample to one of the many testing labs that are being kept open for just this reason is ridiculous -completely unacceptable."

He said Ebola was hard to distinguish from many other diseases that cause pain, fever, diarrhoea and vomiting.

"The only way to know for sure is by testing whether pieces of the Ebola virus are present in the blood," Neuman added.

"People still make better doctors and nurses than computers, but people will always make mistakes. Unfortunately this mistake is a big one.”

Ebola is passed on through blood and bodily fluids, and kills about 40 percent of those who contracted the virus.

While the WHO has said that another major outbreak is unlikely, it stated that there was a risk of flare-ups throughout 2016 because of the way the virus can persist in those who survive it. Research on survivors has located it in semen, breast milk, vaginal secretions, spinal fluid and fluids around the eyes.


(Additional reporting by Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Emma Farge in Dakar and Kate Kelland in London; Writing by Edward McAllister; Editing by Joe Bavier and Mark Trevelyan)

 

[tanstaafl]

... after a two-year epidemic that killed more than 11,300 people.

From my notes they've been throwing out that 11,300 death toll figure since at least August 2015. Surely more people have died since then, and not just in one's and two's here and there?

 

[Garryowen]

In Liberia, the outbreak seems to have mostly run its course. Saying that quarantines don't help, seems to me to be a foolish statement.

 

[Housecarl]

01.17 BREAKING: Sierra Leone puts over 100 people in quarantine after new Ebola death
Started by JohnGaltflaý, Yesterday 07:22 PM
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...00-people-in-quarantine-after-new-Ebola-death

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://www.i4u.com/2016/01/103190/ebola-back-sierra-leone

Ebola is Back In Sierra Leone

Jan 17 2016, 3:16am CST | by Luigi Lugmayr

The WHO just declared Africa Ebola free, but new reports say its back.

Last week the WHO declared Africa as Ebola free, but warned that flare-ups are possible. On the weekend Sierra Leone has put over 100 people into quarantine after a woman died of Ebola.

The woman who died has possibly exposed 27 others to the Ebola virus. The Sierra Leone government urges the public not to panic as the quarantine measures have been announced. The WHO says that the Sierra Leone government acted rapidly to respond to this new case. Through the country’s new emergency operations centre, a joint team of local authorities, WHO and partners are investigating the origin of the case, identifying contacts and initiating control measures to prevent further transmission.

"We are now at a critical period in the Ebola epidemic as we move from managing cases and patients to managing the residual risk of new infections,” said Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO’s Special Representative for the Ebola Response. “We still anticipate more flare-ups and must be prepared for them.”

Sierra Leone is still in a 90-day period of enhanced surveillance following the declaration on 7 November 2015 of the end of Ebola transmission in the country. This period is designed to ensure no hidden chains of transmission have been missed and to detect any new flare-ups of the disease.

 

[Plain Jane]

After the Scottish nurse had her relapse, I have been very skeptical about claims of countries being Ebola free. This virus is hanging on in people in ways we have not yet discovered.

 

[Housecarl]

Hummm..........

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://in.reuters.com/article/us-health-ebola-vaccine-idINKCN0UY0OT

Wed Jan 20, 2016 4:18pm IST
Related: Health, Davos

Vaccines alliance signs $5 million advance deal for Merck's Ebola shot

DAVOS/LONDON | By Ben Hirschler and Kate Kelland


The Gavi global alliance for vaccines and immunization group signed a $5 million advance purchase commitment on Wednesday to buy a vaccine being developed by Merck to protect against future outbreaks of the deadly Ebola virus.

Gavi said the agreement would help the U.S. drugmaker take the experimental Ebola vaccine through late-stage clinical trials to licensing and then through pre-qualification by the World Health Organization (WHO).

If approved, Merck's so-called VSV-ZEBOV live attenuated Ebola Zaire vaccine would become one of the world's first licensed Ebola shots and Gavi would be able to start buying it to create a stockpile for future outbreaks, it said in a statement issued at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

A vast epidemic of Ebola which swept through three countries in West Africa last year killed more than 11,300 people and infected more than 28,600.

"The suffering caused by the Ebola crisis was a wake-up call to many in the global health community," said Gavi's chief executive Seth Berkley.

"New threats require smart solutions and our innovative financing agreement with Merck will ensure that we are ahead of the curve for future Ebola outbreaks."

The deal was agreed on the understanding that the vaccine will be submitted for a license by the end of 2017.

Speaking to Reuters in Davos, Berkley said the advance commitment should give a positive signal to drugmakers developing products that may not have an immediate market

"It's critical that we give confidence to companies that when they make this type of effort, there is somebody to buy it," he said.

As part of the agreement, Merck will ensure that 300,000 doses of the vaccine are available from May 2016 to be used in expanded use clinical trials as well as for emergency use as needed while development work on the shot continues.

Until the West Africa Ebola epidemic, which swiftly became the largest in history, previous outbreaks of the disease have infected far smaller numbers, usually fewer than 1,000 people.

Initial results from a clinical trial in Guinea of the vaccine, which tested it on some 4,000 people who had been in close contact with a confirmed Ebola case, showed complete protection after 10 days.

Merck says it has already submitted an application through WHO's Emergency Use Assessment and Listing (EUAL) procedure which, if approved, would allow for the vaccine to be used if there is another Ebola emergency before it is licensed.

Jeremy Farrar, director of Britain's Wellcome Trust global health charity which co-funded clinical trials of the Merck shot, said the "remarkable results" from those trials, as well as promising progress of other vaccine candidates, were "among the few positive outcomes to emerge from the epidemic".

The WHO announced last week that no new Ebola cases had been reported in the three worst affected countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in the preceding 42 days.

Yet shortly after the WHO announcement - which included a warning that sporadic flare-ups could occur - Sierra Leone reported an Ebola-related death.

Farrar said such instances show how an Ebola vaccine could yet be useful in this outbreak, even in its final stages.

"As we saw with the new confirmed case just last week, the Ebola epidemic is likely to have a long tail and it's possible that several more isolated cases will emerge in the coming weeks and months," he said in a statement.

"This vaccine...could still play an important role in containing any additional flare ups of this outbreak, as well as being available to help prevent future epidemics."


(Editing by Greg Mahlich)

 

[Housecarl]

For links see article source.....
Posted for fair use.....
http://news.yahoo.com/confirms-second-ebola-case-sierra-leone-093944697.html

WHO confirms second new Ebola case in Sierra Leone

AFP
By Rod Mac Johnson
34 minutes ago

Freetown (AFP) - A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in Sierra Leone, officials said Thursday, the second since west Africa celebrated the end of the epidemic last week.


Related Stories

Joy over Ebola victory crushed by Sierra Leone death AFP
Sierra Leone confirms new Ebola case, second in less than a week Reuters
New Ebola case emerges in setback for Sierra Leone Associated Press
Sierra Leone puts over 100 people in quarantine after new Ebola death AFP
Ebola milestone: As outbreak officially ends, Africa weighs lessons for future Christian Science Monitor


The fresh outbreak has prompted the country to re-open its Ebola treatment centres and relaunch screening systems, including checkpoints on motorways, a grim reminder of the much feared tropical virus.

The World Health Organization said the new case involved the aunt of 22-year-old Marie Jalloh, who died of Ebola on January 12.

The 38-year-old woman "was a primary caregiver during (her niece's) illness," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told AFP in an email.

He added that the patient had developed symptoms on Wednesday while she was being monitored at a quarantine facility.

So far, 150 of Jalloh's contacts had been identified, "of which 42 are high risk," Jasarevic said, noting that the list of people who needed to be monitored was likely to grow following the new confirmed case.

Sierra Leone's health ministry spokesman Sidi Yahya Tunis also confirmed the new patient, saying the aunt had helped wash Jalloh's body to prepare it for an Islamic burial.

"We are expecting other cases particularly from those who washed the body before the burial of Marie," he told reporters.

Ebola is at its most infectious as people are dying or in the bodies of those who have died from the virus.

"It is disappointing of course considering the fact that we have gone for over 100 days since we last recorded a case," Tunis said.

"What is however encouraging is the fact that this particular individual had already been identified as a high risk contact... and she was already isolated at the voluntary facility... and we were quickly able to remove her the moment she started exhibiting signs and symptoms," he added.

Sierra Leone's head of medical services, Brima Kargbo, has announced a vaccination programme for those quarantined following Jalloh's death in the central city of Magburaka.

The vaccine being used, VSV-EBOV, is the first to have proven effective, according to experts, and Kargbo has said the operation would continue "until all the contacts are vaccinated."

Some of those quarantined have resisted vaccination, telling health workers they feared it would lead to other ailments.

http://news.yahoo.com/confirms-second-ebola-case-sierra-leone-093944697.html

- Improved response -

A week ago, the WHO announced that transmission of the virus that killed 11,315 people and triggered a global health alert had ended, with Liberia the last country to get the all-clear.

Sierra Leone was declared free of Ebola transmission on November 7 last year and Guinea on December 29.

But officials warned that a recurrence remained possible and stressed the importance of a quick, effective response to potential new cases.

Jasarevic told AFP that Sierra Leone had taken all the necessary measures following the new flare-up.

"It is a concrete demonstration of the government's strengthened capacity to manage disease outbreaks," he said.

Tunis said the latest patient had been taken from her home in Magburaka to a military hospital in the coastal capital, Freetown, which is fully equipped to handle Ebola cases.

"Now that we have seen another case, we are reinstituting screenings and other health measures at major road checkpoints and other areas," he added.

- 'Need to do more' -

Magburaka residents contacted by phone on Thursday told AFP that locals remained calm but were anxious for information about the fresh outbreak.

"The community woke up this morning with the bad news after we were trying to shake off the first shock of Marie Jalloh," said Tity Kamara, a 36-year-old housewife.

"We don't know whether we are now safe and it is the health authorities that should re-assure us of our safety," she added.

"I appreciate their work so far but they need to do more."

The deadliest outbreak in the history of the tropical virus wrecked the economies and health systems of the three worst-hit west African nations after it emerged in southern Guinea 2013.

View Comments (13)

 

[tanstaafl]

A week ago, the WHO announced that transmission of the virus that killed 11,315 people ...

Finally! An update with an actual hard number! Thanks! Keeping in mind, of course, that the WHO itself said we should probably multiply this number by AT LEAST four.