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  • Ebola kills 670, infects 800, says WHO

    Ebola kills 670, infects 800, says WHO

    Up until this past week, the Ebola outbreak had been contained to three West African countries: Guinea, where it began, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Sawyer is the first known case outside of these three countries.

    As of July 23, the World Health Organisation had confirmed more than 800 Ebola cases in the region, but suspects there have been many unreported infections and there may be more like 1,200 cases. Sierra Leone has been hardest hit with approximately 525 cases.

     

    How many people have died?

     

    The World Health Organization says as of July 23, there have been 456 confirmed Ebola deaths, and another 216 suspected deaths, bringing the number possibly to more than 670.

    The country of Guinea has the most suspected deaths. The epidemic has been in that country longer. It is believed the epidemic began in the nation’s capital of Conakry.

    While international leaders have mobilised to fight the epidemic, it can be a difficult one to stop. It is so highly infectious that it typically kills 90 per cent of those who catch it. The death rate in this particular outbreak had dropped to roughly 60 per cent since it has been treated early in many instances. There is, however, no Ebola vaccination.

     

    Have other Americans been infected?

     

    Last week, two American aid workers in Liberia’s capital city, Monrovia, were confirmed to have the disease. Doctors and medical staff are particularly vulnerable to the virus because it spreads through exposure to bodily fluids from the infected. It can also spread through contact with an object contaminated by an infected person’s bodily fluids.

    Dr. Kent Brantly, a 33-year-old Indianapolis resident, had been treating Ebola patients in Monrovia when he started to feel sick.

    Brantly works with Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian international relief agency. He has been the medical director for the Ebola Consolidated Case Management Center in Monrovia and has been working to help Ebola patients since October. After testing positive for Ebola, Brantly went into treatment at a Samaritan’s Purse isolation center at ELWA Hospital

    His condition is rapidly deteriorating and Samaritan’s Purse has been working to evacuate him for better care, said Ken Isaacs, vice president of the agency. Unfortunately, emergency medical evacuation flights in the area are not equipped to handle the “intense isolation” required for an Ebola patient.

    Brantly’s family had been with him in Liberia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but left for the United States before he became symptomatic; as such it is highly unlikely that they caught the virus from him. Out of an abundance of caution they are on a 21-day fever watch, the CDC said.

    Nancy Writebol from Charlotte, North Carolina, has also been infected. She had teamed up with the staff from Samaritan’s Purse to help fight the Ebola outbreak in Monrovia when she got sick. She, too, is undergoing treatment.

    It is believed one of the local staff was infected with Ebola and came to work with the virus on Monday and Tuesday, Issacs told CNN.

    “We think it was in the scrub-down area where the disease was passed to both Nancy and Kent,” he said. That staff member died on Thursday.

     

    Could Ebola spread to the U.S.?

     

    The CDC held a media briefing Monday to emphasize that there is “no significant risk” of an Ebola outbreak in the United States.

    There has never been a confirmed case of Ebola spreading to a developed country, said Kamiliny Kalahne, an epidemiologist with Doctors Without Borders.

    “This is because people generally transmit the infection when they are very sick, have a high fever and a lot of symptoms — and in these situations, they don’t travel.

    “And even if they do get sick once they travel to a developed country, they will be in a good hospital with good infection control, so they are very unlikely to infect others,” she said.

    The U.S. health care system is also better suited to handle an Ebola case than many in West Africa, said Dr. Marty Cetron, director of CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine. Health officials would likely recognize such a case and be able to trace all points of contact with the patient to prevent further transmission, he said.

    “Epidemics of disease are often followed by epidemics of fear and epidemics of stigma,” Cetron said. “All of these things occur in a social context that can make containment very challenging.”

    Ebola is not contagious until symptoms appear. Symptoms of Ebola include fever, fatigue and headaches. These symptoms can appear two to 21 days after infection, meaning many who are sick don’t know it.

    The early symptoms then can progress to vomiting, diarrhea, impaired kidney and liver function, and sometimes internal and external bleeding.

     

    What should I do?

     

    Avoiding these West African countries is the easiest way to prevent the outbreak from spreading, Cetron said. If you have traveled recently to the region and develop a fever, or other symptoms consistent with Ebola, notify your doctor right away.

    If you’re a humanitarian worker in the region, you need to be familiar with proper infection control precautions and avoid contact with blood or any other bodily fluids, he said. You should also report any needle sticks or possible exposures early to receive testing and, if necessary, start treatment as soon as possible.”

     

     

    p until this past week, the Ebola outbreak had been contained to three West African countries: Guinea, where it began, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Sawyer is the first known case outside of these three countries.

    As of July 23, the World Health Organisation had confirmed more than 800 Ebola cases in the region, but suspects there have been many unreported infections and there may be more like 1,200 cases. Sierra Leone has been hardest hit with approximately 525 cases.

     

    How many people have died?

     

    The World Health Organization says as of July 23, there have been 456 confirmed Ebola deaths, and another 216 suspected deaths, bringing the number possibly to more than 670.

    The country of Guinea has the most suspected deaths. The epidemic has been in that country longer. It is believed the epidemic began in the nation’s capital of Conakry.

    While international leaders have mobilised to fight the epidemic, it can be a difficult one to stop. It is so highly infectious that it typically kills 90 per cent of those who catch it. The death rate in this particular outbreak had dropped to roughly 60 per cent since it has been treated early in many instances. There is, however, no Ebola vaccination.

     

    Have other Americans been infected?

     

    Last week, two American aid workers in Liberia’s capital city, Monrovia, were confirmed to have the disease. Doctors and medical staff are particularly vulnerable to the virus because it spreads through exposure to bodily fluids from the infected. It can also spread through contact with an object contaminated by an infected person’s bodily fluids.

    Dr. Kent Brantly, a 33-year-old Indianapolis resident, had been treating Ebola patients in Monrovia when he started to feel sick.

    Brantly works with Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian international relief agency. He has been the medical director for the Ebola Consolidated Case Management Center in Monrovia and has been working to help Ebola patients since October. After testing positive for Ebola, Brantly went into treatment at a Samaritan’s Purse isolation center at ELWA Hospital

    His condition is rapidly deteriorating and Samaritan’s Purse has been working to evacuate him for better care, said Ken Isaacs, vice president of the agency. Unfortunately, emergency medical evacuation flights in the area are not equipped to handle the “intense isolation” required for an Ebola patient.

    Brantly’s family had been with him in Liberia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but left for the United States before he became symptomatic; as such it is highly unlikely that they caught the virus from him. Out of an abundance of caution they are on a 21-day fever watch, the CDC said.

    Nancy Writebol from Charlotte, North Carolina, has also been infected. She had teamed up with the staff from Samaritan’s Purse to help fight the Ebola outbreak in Monrovia when she got sick. She, too, is undergoing treatment.

    It is believed one of the local staff was infected with Ebola and came to work with the virus on Monday and Tuesday, Issacs told CNN.

    “We think it was in the scrub-down area where the disease was passed to both Nancy and Kent,” he said. That staff member died on Thursday.

     

    Could Ebola spread to the U.S.?

     

    The CDC held a media briefing Monday to emphasize that there is “no significant risk” of an Ebola outbreak in the United States.

    There has never been a confirmed case of Ebola spreading to a developed country, said Kamiliny Kalahne, an epidemiologist with Doctors Without Borders.

    “This is because people generally transmit the infection when they are very sick, have a high fever and a lot of symptoms — and in these situations, they don’t travel.

    “And even if they do get sick once they travel to a developed country, they will be in a good hospital with good infection control, so they are very unlikely to infect others,” she said.

    The U.S. health care system is also better suited to handle an Ebola case than many in West Africa, said Dr. Marty Cetron, director of CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine. Health officials would likely recognize such a case and be able to trace all points of contact with the patient to prevent further transmission, he said.

    “Epidemics of disease are often followed by epidemics of fear and epidemics of stigma,” Cetron said. “All of these things occur in a social context that can make containment very challenging.”

    Ebola is not contagious until symptoms appear. Symptoms of Ebola include fever, fatigue and headaches. These symptoms can appear two to 21 days after infection, meaning many who are sick don’t know it.

    The early symptoms then can progress to vomiting, diarrhea, impaired kidney and liver function, and sometimes internal and external bleeding.

     

    What should I do?

     

    Avoiding these West African countries is the easiest way to prevent the outbreak from spreading, Cetron said. If you have traveled recently to the region and develop a fever, or other symptoms consistent with Ebola, notify your doctor right away.

    If you’re a humanitarian worker in the region, you need to be familiar with proper infection control precautions and avoid contact with blood or any other bodily fluids, he said. You should also report any needle sticks or possible exposures early to receive testing and, if necessary, start treatment as soon as possible.”

     

     

  • 59 on Ebola watch list

    59 on Ebola watch list

    Lagos on red alert

    ASky airline banned

    Lagosians were told yesterday not to panic over the Ebola virus that has killed a Liberian in the city.

    The state government announced drastic measures to prevent the dreaded  virus from spreading into the state and the country.

    Last week, a Liberian diplomat, Patrick Sawyer, flew into the commercial capital city aboard Asky Airline from Monrovia, carrying the virus.

    The late Sawyer detected within 24 hours and isolated for treatment after tests revealed that he was carrying the virus that has killed over 672 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

    The high-risk patient died within 24 hours and his remains were cremated.

    The government said yesterday that 59 people who had primary and secondary contacts with the late Sawyer had been placed on surveillance.

    But Lagosians were urged to remain calm because the virus is not in the city as no Nigerian had contacted it.

    Commissioner for Health Dr. Jide Idris, who spoke to reporters, said the Liberian was billed to travel to Calabar for a conference but he took ill.

    All contacts with him are to be actively followed, he said, adding that 59 contacts had been identified, but the contacts in the airline – those who travelled with the Liberian —have not all been found because the airline failed to release the manifest.

    The commissioner said: “The airline manifest has not been provided at the time of this report and therefore, the precise number of passenger contacts is yet to be ascertained, especially as two flights were involved (Monrovia-Lome and Lome-Lagos). There was no report of a medical incident filed.”

    The airline was banned yesterday from flying into Nigeria.

    Idris, who addressed the news conference in concert with the Federal Ministry of Health, said part of the measures taken after the death of the Liberian was the demobilisation of the private hospital where he was admitted and elimination of primary source of infection. He said decontamination in all affected areas had begun.

    He added that the body of the victim was cremated and the ash is awaiting further directives from the Liberian Embassy.

    “Adhering strictly to World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, the body of the deceased patient was decontaminated, using 10% sodium hypochlorite and cremated, with the permission of the government of Liberia. A cremation urn has been prepared for dispatch to the family. The vehicle that conveyed the remains was also fully decontaminated,” Idris added.

    On contacts tracing, Dr Idris said 59 were registered, consisting of 44 hospital contacts (38 healthcare workers and six laboratory staff) and 15 airport contacts, comprising three ECOWAS officials-driver, liaison and protocol officers, Nigerian Ambassador to Monrovia, two nursing staff and five Airport passenger handlers.

    Of the 59, 20 have been physically screened; 50 per cent were of the type one contact and another 50 per cent had type two contacts.

    The manifest of the Asky Airline Flight No KP50 that brought the victim into the country has not been provided by the airline. The precise number of passenger contacts has not been ascertained.

    Idris said two flights were involved (Monrovia-Lome and Lome-Lagos), noting that there was no report of medical incident filed.

    Harping on case management, infection prevention and control, Idris said an isolation ward had been designated by the Lagos State Ministry of Health at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba for case management.

    “The designation of three other health facilities is underway. A total of 100 Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) were procured by the National Centre Disease Control FMOH and distributed to the private hospital and the state Ministry of Health. WHO also donated 250 PPEs to the NCDC/FMOH,” Idris said.

    Recognising the importance of involving the community early in the response, he said traditional and religious leaders were alerted about the disease and requested to report promptly to health care workers.

    Idris said: “We can categorically state that as of today we have only one case of imported Ebola and one death. No Nigerian is infected, but all contacts are being actively followed.

    “We call on all Nigerians to be calm and not panic and do hereby assure them that both the State and Federal Governments are up in arms to ensure that the virus did not escape and that no Nigerian is infected with this virus.”

    The Commissioner also said a call-in team was established for the public to dial in and obtain information on the Ebola Virus Disease. Toll-free lines were obtained from a telecommunication service provider to be used for answering questions, creating awareness, and receiving notifications of any suspected case just as public awareness creation through social media, such as Twitter’s and Facebook’s accounts, was also activated.

    The Special Adviser on Health, Dr  Yewande Adeshina, also urged to operators of traditional health care centres to be wary of patients with fever symptoms who show signs of extreme weakness and diarrhea. They are to immediately alert health authorities about such patients.

    The President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Professor Oyewale Tomori said all the contact persons were being screened for any possible signs of the disease.

    He praised the Lagos State Government and the private hospital adding that there is absolutely no need for people to panic. The golden rule, said Tomori, is to observe the personal hygiene of always washing hands with soap.

     

  • Ebola: Second American infected

    Ebola: Second American infected

    •Liberian president orders new measures

    A second American aid worker in Liberia has tested positive for Ebola, according to the Christian humanitarian group she works for.

    Nancy Writebol is employed by Serving in Mission, or SIM, in Liberia and was helping the joint SIM/Samaritan’s Purse team that is treating Ebola patients in Monrovia, according to a Samaritan’s Purse statement.

    Writebol, who serves as SIM’s personnel coordinator, has been living in Monrovia with her husband, David, according to SIM’s website. The Charlotte, North Carolina, residents have been in Liberia since August 2013, according to the blog Writebols2Liberia. They have two adult children.

    On Saturday, Samaritan’s Purse announced that American doctor Kent Brantly had become infected. The 33-year-old former Indianapolis resident had been treating Ebola patients in Monrovia and started feeling ill, spokeswoman Melissa Strickland said. Once he started noticing the symptoms last week, Brantly isolated himself.

    Brantly, the medical director for Samaritan Purse’s Ebola Consolidated Case Management Center in Monrovia, has been in the country since October, Strickland said.

    “When the Ebola outbreak hit, he took on responsibilities with our Ebola direct clinical treatment response, but he was serving in a missionary hospital in Liberia prior to his work with Ebola patients,” she said.

    Health officials say the Ebola outbreak, centered in West Africa, is the deadliest ever.

    As of July 20, some 1,093 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia are thought to have been infected by Ebola since its symptoms were first observed four months ago, according to the World Health Organization.

    Testing confirmed the Ebola virus in 786 of those cases; 442 of those people died.

    Of the 1,093 confirmed, probable and suspected cases, 660 people have died.

    There also are fears the virus could spread to Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria.

    Last week, a Liberian man hospitalized with Ebola in Lagos died, Nigerian Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said.

    Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria, has a population of more than 20 million.

    The man arrived at Lagos airport on July 20 and was isolated in a local hospital after showing symptoms associated with the virus. He told officials he had no direct contact with anyone with the virus nor had he attended the burial of anyone who died of Ebola.

    Confirmation of the death in Lagos came after news that a doctor who has played a key role in fighting the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone is infected with the disease, according to that country’s Ministry of Health.

    Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan is being treated by the French aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres — also known as Doctors Without Borders — in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, agency spokesman Tim Shenk said.

    Before falling ill, Khan had been overseeing Ebola treatment and isolation units at Kenema Government Hospital, about 185 miles east of the capital, Freetown.

    Ebola typically kills 90% of those infected, but the death rate in this outbreak has dropped to roughly 60% because of early treatment.

    Officials believe the Ebola outbreak has taken such a strong hold in West Africa because of the proximity of the jungle — where the virus originated — to Conakry, Guinea, which has a population of 2 million.

    Because symptoms don’t immediately appear, the virus can easily spread as people travel around the region. Once infected with the virus, many people die in an average of 10 days as the blood fails to clot and hemorrhaging occurs.

    The disease isn’t contagious until symptoms appear. Symptoms include fever, headache and fatigue. At that point, the Ebola virus is spread via bodily fluids.

    Health workers are at especially high risk, because they are in close contact with infected people and their bodily fluids. Adding to the danger, doctors may mistake the initial stages of an Ebola infection for another, milder illness.

    Liberia president orders new  measures

    Liberia’s president has closed all but three land border crossings, restricted public gatherings and quarantined communities heavily affected by the Ebola outbreak in the West African nation.President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf described the measures late Sunday after the first meeting of a new taskforce she created and is chairing to contain the disease, which has killed 129 people in the country and more than 670 across the region.A top Liberian doctor working at Liberia’s largest hospital died on Saturday, and two American aid workers have fallen ill, underscoring the dangers facing those charged with bringing the outbreak under control.Last week a Liberian official flew to Nigeria via Lome, Togo and died of the disease at a Lagos hospital.

    The fact that the official, Patrick Sawyer, was able to board an international flight despite being ill raised fears that the disease could spread beyond the three countries already affected – Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.There is no known cure for Ebola, which begins with symptoms including fever and sore throat and escalates to vomiting, diarrhea and internal bleeding. The disease spreads through direct contact with blood and other bodily fluids as well as indirect contact with “environments contaminated with such fluids,” according to the World Health Organization.”No doubt, the Ebola virus is a national health problem,” Sirleaf said.

     

  • Can Nigeria handle Ebola outbreak?

    Can Nigeria handle Ebola outbreak?

    Last week, Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) claimed its first victim in Nigeria, though he was a foreigner. Patrick Sawyer, 40, a Liberian, died five days after his arrival from Monrovia. His death has sparked fear of the deadly virus emergence in the country. Can the government curb its spread? WALE ADEPOJU asks.

    It was a testy week for Nigerians. Barely hours after the reported arrival of an Ebola victim in the country, he was confirmed dead.

    The death of the 40-year-old Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, sparked fear that the disease is now in the country.

    The late Sawyer flew into the country from Monrovia, Liberia, aboard Asky Airline through Lome, Togo.

    On arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, the late Sawyer was reportedly found ill. He had fever, diarrhoea and was vomiting.

    He was handed over by the airline to the Airport Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health, which quarantined and transported him straight to a private hospital to avoid contact with the public.

    Experts from the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) and Lagos State Ministry of Health swung into action and collected some samples from him to determine the cause of his illness.

    The result was shocking. The Lagos State government called reporters to brief them.

    His blood sample was sent to Dakar, Senegal and Atlanta, Georgia, United States, to ascertain the real cause of his ailment.

    Despite the urgent specialised care provided for him, he died last Friday morning.

    Report from Monrovia, indicated that Sawyer was the second member of his family to die of Ebola virus in three weeks.

    Health authorities in that country are now investigating the degree of contact between them.

    Liberia’s Finance Minister Amara Konneh said the deceased was until his death a consultant at the country’s finance ministry.

    The patient’s remains, according to report, were cremated to prevent further spread of the disease.

    Minister of Health Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu said Sawyer was subjected to a thorough medical evaluation.

    Speaking in Abuja, Chukwu confirmed that the deceased’s blood samples were sent to an advanced laboratory at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), the World Health Organisation (WHO) Reference Laboratory in Dakar, Senegal and Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Laboratory in Atlanta, Georgia, which confirmed the diagnosis of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

    To contain the spread of the virus, Chukwu said certain measures had been taken by his ministry.

    They are: tracing and investigating the passengers on board with the patient; placing all ports of entry under red alert in line with WHO regulations; equipping all government tertiary health institutions in Nigeria to handle any emergency that may arise from the disease and providing supportive drugs and medical consumables at all entry points and stepping up collaboration with all the states of the federation.

    He said: “I want to assure the public that the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) is presently working with other ministries, agencies and international organisations and the Lagos State Government to prevent the possible spread of the virus.

    ‘‘Emergency operation centres have been established and coordinated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) of my ministry in collaboration with an Inter-ministerial Committee set up by Mr President”.

    The committee, according to him, is headed by the Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku. It was set up to stimulate sensitisation of the public on the danger and preventive measures of EVD.

    Hot lines have also been opened to enquiries and complaints on EVD  cases.

    The minister said the following numbers had been opened to reach the centre: 08023210923, 08097979595 and 07067352220 with an email: ebolainfo@health.gov.ng.

    He urged Nigerians to be vigilant and ensure improved personal and environmental hygiene, adding that they should report any suspected case to the nearest medical facility.

    Besides, needed measure to control the possible spread of the virus has been taken care of by the ministry.

    Chukwu said Nigerians should be calm as there is no cause for alarm.

    Maku said jingles and other awareness programmes have been provided by his committee to help raise awareness in the media (conventional and social).

    He appealed to the media to support government’s effort in curbing the spread of the virus by airing the jingles and other programmes free.

    “This is a national emergency and so, I expect no demand for payment from any media to air the jingles and programmes prepared by the centre and Presidential committee on Ebola virus,” Maku said.

     

    What is Ebola virus?

     

    Is EVD, which has killed no fewer than 650 persons in West Africa, in Nigeria?

    EVD is a “very” deadly disease. It is also known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever (EHF). It has a 90 per cent fatality rate.

    It is one of the world’s most virulent diseases. Its virus is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected animals or people.

    In Africa, infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

    The first case was recorded in Guinea. Liberia and Sierra Leone have since recorded casualties.

    Nigeria is vulnerable to an outbreak, yet it is shocking that the government is neither proactive nor aggressive in preventing an occurrence.  I should there be an outbreak, Nigeria does not have a laboratory that can diagnose Ebola. Samples have to be sent to countries, such as Senegal and the United States.

    President, Academy of Science, Prof Oyewale Tomori, said the Nigeria Academy of Science has observed that precautionary measures, such as effective laboratory diagnosis, strict barrier attention, public health education and awareness, as well as domestic airport monitoring of travellers, and other important actions to contain Ebola virus, are yet to be put in place.

    Responding to WHO’s warning to strengthen response mechanism, Prof Tomori, said: “If these things are not already in place by now, we are in trouble, should the disease enter the country today, especially if the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) strike continues.

    Tomori said the country is not yet prepared to handle an Ebola outbreak.

    He said: “One area we have neglected is our border. The Port Health team should have been up and doing, monitoring travellers from other West African countries, especially from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, checking them for fever on arrival, their travel history, among others.

    “The team must have the contact phones and addresses of such travelers. They should be monitored over a period of two weeks or more to check if they fall sick or display any sign of the EVD. Yet containing Ebola is simple, good surveillance before an outbreak to rapidly identify cases is the first step; while strict adherence to infection control within the hospital environment and avoiding direct contact with body fluids of an infected person, and with the body of an Ebola victim who has died are important.”

    Prof Tomori added:  “Healthcare workers must be able to recognise cases of the disease when they appear.

    “They should use barrier isolation techniques to avoid direct contact with infected people”.

    He said Nigeria does not have a laboratory that can diagnose Ebola, describing it as ‘the greatest shame of all’.

    “Besides, if we have any case in Nigeria now, the samples will have to be taken to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), in the United States or other advanced countries; that is why a lot of health workers are getting infected.

    “There are no vaccines and there are no drugs to treat it. The drugs available are just to treat the symptoms unlike Lassa fever that one can administer drugs,” he said, adding that severely ill patients require intensive supportive care”.

    During an outbreak, those at higher risk of infection are health workers, family members and others in close contact with sick people and deceased patients.

    EVD outbreak can devastate families and communities, but the infection can be controlled through the use of recommended protective measures in clinics and hospitals, at community gatherings, or at home.

    According to WHO, Ebola is an often fatal illness in humans characterised by the sudden outset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.

    To contain an outbreak requires a strong response in the affected countries and especially along their shared border areas.

    Recently, the WHO organised a high-level meeting for the Ministers of Health in the sub-region in Accra, Ghana.

    It brought together Ministers of Health and the Directors of disease prevention and control from 11 African countries (Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Uganda), as well as partners, Ebola survivors, representatives of airlines and mining companies, and the donor communities. The objective of the meeting was to analyse the situation, identify gaps, develop operational response plans, and ensure increased political commitment and enhanced cross-border collaboration for EVD response activities among the countries in the sub-region.

    Ebola spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids. If an outbreak is suspected, the premises should be quarantined immediately. Culling of infected animals, with close supervision of burial or incineration of carcasses, may be necessary to reduce the risk of animal-to-human transmission. Restricting or banning the movement of animals from infected farms to other areas can reduce the spread of the disease.

    It is not always possible to identify patients with EVD early because initial symptoms may be non-specific. For this reason, it is important that health-care workers apply standard precautions consistently with all patients – regardless of their diagnosis – in all work practices at all times. These include basic hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and the use of personal protective equipment. WHO is not recommending any travel or trade restrictions be applied to Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone based on the current information available for this event.

    Consultant Public Physician, LUTH,  Dr Sofela Oridota, said three factors that can predispose people to diseases are the agent, host and environment.

    He said: “Nigerians need to be educated that when they travel to those places where Ebola virus outbreaks were reported they should not touch any dead person, should they be involved in burial at all. And they should not touch dead bats or dead wild animals. If they are not exposed to some of the infected sources mentioned they would not contract the disease”.

    Dr Oridota said the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and WHO have equally developed a manual for viral haemorrhagic fevers known as universal precaution manual, to protect health workers from contacting the virus, which any country can adapt.

    His words: “People who have been to the sites where there were outbreaks  have a high risk and as such should be identified and properly screened. This is known as contact tracing because they have a history of contact in the place they visited.”

    The community health expert said: “About 70 per cent of deaths are caused by ignorance and poverty. The government should increase surveillance to track the disease. There are other epidemics growing in the society from lifestyle diseases. These outbreaks depend on people’s hygiene level and lifestyle.”

    Dr Oridota said the spread of an outbreak can be contained by ensuring that those who have the Ebola virus are “barrier north” or secluded to avoid direct contact with them.”

    The public health expert said: “People can incubate Ebola from three to 21 days and still look okay. The government should create awareness for people not to touch dead bodies, dead animals or eat leftovers of fruits eaten by bats.

    The region, Oridota said, should ensure that there is “contact tracing” to stop the spread of the disease, saying those who have had contact with the cases of Ebola virus and who have not used universal precaution should be screened. Health workers should have a high index of suspicion when patients come to their facility and not assume that it is malaria a patient is suffering from. The government should also plan ahead. We should have a response system to track the virus in place. Experts cannot go and investigate Ebola without having a system in place, especially universal precaution materials. Hygiene and environmental sanitation are crucial to ward off an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. Moreover, Nigeria and other countries in West Africa have what it takes to contain Ebola disease.

  • Ebola: 59 placed on close surveillance

    Lagos State Government has disclosed that at least 59 people that had contact with the late Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian citizen that died of Ebola virus Lagos last week have been placed on close surveillance.

    The state Commissioner for Health Dr. Jide Idris, disclosed this on Monday at a press briefing held in conjunction with Federal Ministry of Health officials at the Staff Clinic in Alausa.

    Idris, who said the measure was geared towards preventing the spread of the virus, assured residents that there was no cause for alarm.

    He said, “So far a total of 59 contacts have been registered consisting 44 hospital contacts, 38 healthcare workers and six laboratory staff. Others are 15 airport contacts comprising three Economic Communities of West African States (ECOWAS) staff-driver, Liaison, and Protocol officer, Nigerian Ambassador to Liberia, two nursing staff and five airport passenger handlers.

    “As of the time of this report, 20 contacts had been physically screened of which 50 percent type one contact and 50 percent had type two contacts.”

    The commissioner lamented that the manifest of the Asky Airline Flight No KP50 that brought the victim into the country has not been provided by the airline at the time of this report, saying the precise number of passenger contacts is yet to be ascertained.

    He pointed out that two flights were involved (Monrovia-Lome and Lome-Lagos), noting that there was no report of medical incident filed.

  • Ebola: Arik suspends flights to Liberia, Sierra Leone

    Arik Air has said it would suspend flight operations to Liberia and Sierra-Leone following the first Ebola virus death officially confirmed in Lagos.

    This is disclosed in a statement issued and signed by the airline’s Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Ola Adebanji, in Lagos.

    It said the suspension would be in force until further notice.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the first Ebola virus death officially confirmed in Lagos involved a Liberian.

    He had flown into Lagos on a foreign airline from Monrovia via Lome in Togo last week.

    The statement said the flights suspension decision was a precautionary measure aimed at safeguarding the lives of Nigerians.

    “We are taking this important step as a concerned corporate citizen, bearing the interest of Nigerians at heart.

    “We acknowledge the steps the Federal Government of Nigeria is currently undertaking to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus,” it said.

    The statement said the airline felt compelled to take the business decision to immediately suspend flight services into the two Ebola virus-affected countries.

    It said this was due to its interest in the well-being of Nigerians.

  • Ebola: Nigeria to screen airline travellers

    Ebola: Nigeria to screen airline travellers

    •US monitoring outbreak, aiding bid to stop spread

    Nigerian officials say they are screening passengers arriving from foreign countries for symptoms of Ebola, after a traveller from Liberia died of the contagious disease in Lagos.

    This is coming as United States officials are closely monitoring the outbreak of the deadly virus which has claimed the life of a visiting Liberian in Nigeria, and is working with governments and aid groups to try to stop the spread.

    Aviation officials said yesterday they were screening passengers arriving from abroad and health officials were distributing information about how to identify Ebola symptoms.

    Spokesman for Federal Aviation Authority of Nigeria, Yakubu Dati, says airports are also setting up holding rooms in case another potential Ebola victim lands in Nigeria. Doctors say health screens could be effective, but Ebola cannot be diagnosed on the spot and many symptoms are similar to more common diseases like malaria.

    Plan International’s head of disaster response, Unni Krishnan, warned that an outbreak in Lagos could be disastrous.

    “Our thoughts and prayers are with those fighting the virus,” Will Stevens, spokesman for the State Department’s Africa bureau, told AFP.

    “The US government continues to provide a comprehensive, multi-agency response to assist those countries affected by the Ebola virus outbreak,” he added, saying multiple US agencies were “contributing to the outbreak response efforts.”

    As of July 20, the number of Ebola cases recorded in the months-long epidemic stood at 1,093, including more than 660 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    Liberia has seen 127 fatalities, and there have also been hundreds of cases recorded in Guinea and Sierra Leone.

    But there were growing international concerns after a Liberian national died Friday in quarantine in Lagos, a confirmation that the virus has reached Africa’s most populous country.

    US agencies including from the Centre for Disease Control, and Pentagon bodies like the Defence Threat Reduction Agency and Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) have been lending their expertise to local health officials and international specialists.

    Zaire Ebola, the deadliest of three Ebola strains and the species behind the current outbreak, can fell its victims within days, causing severe fever and muscle pain, weakness, vomiting and diarrhoea — in some cases shutting down organs and causing unstoppable bleeding.

    Stevens said the United States also commended West African health ministers for adopting a common regional strategy to combat the disease earlier this month.

     

  • Nigeria on ‘red alert’ over Ebola

    Nigeria on ‘red alert’ over Ebola

    The Federal Government said it has put all entries into Nigeria on red alert after confirming the death of a Liberian man who was carrying the Ebola virus.

    The man died after arriving at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday, in the first Ebola case in Africa’s most populous country, the BBC reports.

    Surveillance has been stepped up at all “airports, seaports and land borders”, says Health Minister Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu.

    Since February, more than 660 people have died of Ebola in West Africa – the world’s deadliest outbreak to date.

    It began in southern Guinea and spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

    The Liberian man collapsed on arrival in Lagos last Sunday. He was taken from the airport to hospital, where he was put in quarantine.

    Officials have identified the 40-year-old man as an employee of the Liberian government.

    Prof. Chukwu confirmed that other passengers on board the flight had been traced and were being monitored.

    The patient had “avoided contact with the general public” between the airport and the hospital, he said.

    Health specialists have been deployed at all entry points into the country, he added.

    The virus, which kills up to 90 per cent of those infected, spreads through contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids.

    Patients have a better chance of survival if they receive treatment early.

     

  • Victim’s sister died of Ebola three weeks ago

    Victim’s sister died of Ebola three weeks ago

    •Fed Govt urges calm 

    Patrick Sawyer is the second member of his family to die of Ebola virus in three weeks,according to information from Monrovia.

    The degree of contact between the two is now being investigated by Liberian health ministry officials said yesterday.

    Liberia’s finance minister Amara Konneh confirmed that Sawyer was a consultant for the country’s finance ministry.

    “Our understanding is that the cause of death was Ebola,” Konneh told Reuters.

    The Federal Government yesterday called for calm over Sawyer’s death ,saying there has been no other case of the virus in Nigeria.

    Addressing journalists in Abuja Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu assured Nigerians that there is no cause for alarm as necessary steps has been taken by government to contain the disease from spreading.

    A special information committee on Ebola has also been set up.

    It is headed by Information Minister Labaran Maku and is charged with the responsibility of creating awareness in the country about the disease .

    Measures put in place to prevent the disease include: quarantining all the passengers that travelled with Sawyer; placing all entry ports in the country on red alert; and deploying health personnel at entry points.

  • Ogun moves against Ebola virus

    Ogun moves against Ebola virus

    The Ogun State government has moved against the spread of the deadly Ebola virus  which yesterday claimed its first casualty in Lagos.

    The Ministry of Health, after the reported case of the death of the Liberian victim in a Lagos hospital,  has embarked on a sensitisation of health workers in the fight against the Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (VHF).

    Commissioner for Health, Dr. Olaokun Soyinka, who made this known in a statement in Abeokuta, said the state governor, Senator  Ibikunle Amosun, authorised and funded a health cascade training programme to ensure frontline health workers in the state have a refresher training in detection and management of suspected cases of VHF, such as Ebola.

    “Now that a suspected case has been reported in Lagos, it is prudent to advise the general public on what to look out for to ensure the situation is contained,” he said.

    He advised the public to avoid contact with dead animals, especially monkeys and rats, saying that the signs and symptoms of viral Haemorrhagic Fevers include vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and skin rashes. He added that there may be bleeding from the nose and other body parts.

    The commissioner urged members of the public to avoid direct contact with body fluids, if a case is suspected and the person should be seen by a doctor urgently.