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Tag: WHO

  • ‘Ebola mortality rate expected to rise’

    Experts have said they expect the death rate in the world’s worst outbreak of Ebola to increase once more victims succumb and the grim data is tallied up.

    Latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveal 1,603 cases of Ebola in the West African outbreak and 887 deaths – giving a death rate of just over 55 percent.

    That is well below the 78.5 percent average death rate over 14 past outbreaks of the same virus – called the “Zaire strain” after the former name of the Democratic Republic of Congo where it was first detected in 1976, Reuters says.

    In some outbreaks the rate was up to 90 percent, according to WHO data.

    Experts said death rates for Ebola outbreaks can rise as the disease runs its course, which is what they now expect.

    “This is partly a statistical thing about collecting death events, and also partly about the maturity of the outbreak,” said Derek Gatherer, a virologist at Britain’s University of Lancaster who has been following the outbreak since it started in February.

    “The nearer we get to the end of the epidemic, the closer we would expect the fatality rate to correspond to the Zaire Ebola average of 80 percent,” he told Reuters.

    Ebola can take up to a month to kill its victims, said Ben Neuman, an expert in viruses at Britain’s Reading University.

    Already, the death rate in Guinea, where the infection was first detected, has reached 74 percent. The overall regional outbreak mortality figure is brought down by lower death rates in countries that were more recently hit: 54 percent in Liberia and around 42 percent in Sierra Leone.

  • Nigerian doctor contracts Ebola after treating victim

    Nigerian doctor contracts Ebola after treating victim

    Test results on eight others expected

    Death toll now 887

    World Bank pledges $200m

    A Nigerian has tested positive to the deadly Ebola virus, the government announced yesterday.

    A woman  doctor – one of the eight who had “primary” contact with Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer who died of the virus in Lagos on July 25 – is down with the virus, a test has confirmed.

    Sawyer, who flew into Lagos on July 20 to attend an international conference in Calabar, Cross River State, took ill aboard a ASKY Airline flight from Lome, Togo and was taken to the First Foundation Hospital, Obalende, Lagos Island where he was admitted. He died five days later. Tests confirmed that he was struck by Ebola, which is ravaging his country Liberia, neighbouring Sierra Leone and Guinea.

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) said yesterday that the death toll from the virus now stands at 887.

    Apart from the doctor, three others have been tested for this virus, according to Health Minister Prof. Chukwu Onyebuchi, who spoke in Abuja.

    “Three others who participated in that treatment who are currently symptomatic have had their samples taken and, hopefully, by the end of today we should have the results of their own test,” Chukwu said.

    The emergence of a second case raises serious concerns about the infection control practices that were used while Sawyer was in Nigeria. It raises the specter that more cases could emerge. It can take up to 21 days after exposure to the virus for symptoms to appear. They include fever, sore throat, muscle pains and headache. Often more debilitating symptoms appear shortly thereafter.

    Nigeria is the fourth country to report Ebola cases and at least 728 other people have died in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

    The minister said 70 people who had contact with  the Liberian are under surveillance. Eight are already under quarantine.

    The minister added: “Earlier last week, two people with the symptoms were tested and they were negative but there were others whose samples have been taken and among them, the second case is one of them and it has been proven to be Ebola Virus Disease.

    “By the weekend, there were others who also participated in attending to that particular patient and these people who did not have symptoms at the time we addressed you, developed symptoms over the weekend and as at today, we have the test of those health personnel who have now become Ebola Positive and it is being treated as such.

    “As I speak, three others who participated in that treatment who are currently symptomatic had their samples taken and hopefully by the end of today (yesterday), we will have the result of their own test.

    “So, two cases so far. One is dead and one is alive and he is being managed as a case of Ebola Virus Disease. The other issue now is that by the end of today, eight of those who have had contacts under quarantine. So far, we have 70 persons on surveillance. By this afternoon, we should have the result of those under quarantine and anybody that becomes symptomatic is immediately quarantined. They are using the isolation ward as provided by the Lagos State government for the purpose of treating the disease.”

    The minister said the 70 do not include the patient who died. Once you have fever and you had contact, we quarantine you. It is when we quarantine you that we will take samples to examine whether it is Ebola Virus Disease or notm,” he said.

    Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, at a joint briefing by the Federal Government and the Lagos State government at the central Public Health Laboratory Services, Yaba, confirmed that the doctor  who showed the symptoms, is a woman.

    He dismissed the rumour that two doctors had died as a result of their contact with the late Sawyer.

    The Ebola-positive doctor is being managed by a combined team of local and international experts, he explained.

    Idris said the government would not reveal the identity of the doctor because it is “unethical” to do so.

    The commissioner urged to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to suspend its strike, which as entered 35 days yesterday.

    The Project Director, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Prof Abdulsalami Nasidi, and top officials of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Red Cross Society attended the briefing.

    The WHO said the 887 death toll is the worst record of outbreak of Ebola.

    That is an increase of 158 since the global health body released figures on July 31.

    WHO said in a statement yesterday that there were more than 1,600 cases of Ebola since the disease emerged in Guinea earlier this year.

    According to WHO, there were 358 deaths in Guinea, 255 deaths in Liberia, 273 deaths in Sierra Leone and one in Nigeria

    The United States plans to send 50 health experts to West Africa to help contain the outbreak.

    “This is the biggest and most complex Ebola outbreak in history,” Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement.

    “It will take many months, and it won’t be easy, but Ebola can be stopped. We know what needs to be done. CDC is surging our response, sending 50 additional disease control experts to the region in the next 30 days.”

    Frieden said the 50 experts from the CDC would work to combat the outbreak and help implement stronger systems to fight the disease.

    The Ebola virus causes viral hemorrhagic fever, which refers to a group of viruses that affect multiple organ systems in the body and are often accompanied by bleeding.

    Early symptoms include sudden onset of fever, weakness, muscle pain, headaches and a sore throat. They later progress to vomiting, diarrhea, impaired kidney and liver function — and sometimes internal and external bleeding.

    Though the U.S. had not treated an Ebola patient until last week, the CDC has spearheaded efforts to prepare for the deadly virus. It helped create an isolation unit at Emory University Hospital, which is being used to treat American doctor Kent Brantly, who contracted Ebola in Liberia and was evacuated to the facility in Atlanta over the weekend. A second American patient, Nancy Writebol, is being evacuated from Liberia to the same isolation unit. She is scheduled to arrive today.

    Emory is one of four U.S. institutions capable of providing such treatment.

    But in the nations hardest-hit and not as prepared, the reality is grim. Even in the best-case scenario, it could take three to six months to stem the epidemic in West Africa, Frieden said.

    Ebola spreads through contact with organs and bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, urine and other secretions of infected people.

    It has no cure, and the most common approach is to support organ functions and keep up bodily fluids such as blood and water long enough for the body to fight off the infection.

    In Sierra Leone, where government officials have asked citizens to stay away from work, the military has deployed at least 750 medical officials to 13 locations, military spokesman Col. Michael Samura said.

    Health officials are screening incoming and outgoing passengers at the country’s main international airport with a device that takes people’s temperature from their eyes at a distance.

    Anyone showing signs of fever is taken away to have their blood tested for Ebola.

  • WHO chief says Ebola out of control

    WHO chief says Ebola out of control

    Conakry  – An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa is out of control but can be stopped with more resources and tougher measures, World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan said yesterday.

    The outbreak is the worst since the disease was discovered in the mid-1970s, with 729 deaths in four countries.

    “This outbreak is moving faster than our efforts to control it,” Chan told the presidents of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone at an emergency meeting in Guinea’s capital Conakry.

    “If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of lost of lives but also severe socio-economic disruption and a high risk of spread to other countries,” she said, according to a WHO transcript.

    But the outbreak could be stopped and the public was not at high risk of infection, she said.

    Governments might need to restrict population movements and public gatherings, and use the police and civil defence forces to guarantee the security of response teams, she said.

    With healthcare systems struggling to cope, more than 60 medical workers have lost their lives, hampering efforts to tackle the disease.

    Two Americans working for aid group Samaritan’s Purse who contracted the disease in Liberia were in a serious condition and would be medically evacuated by early next week, the organisation said.

    Liberia has put in place measures including closing all schools and some government departments as well as possibly quarantining affected communities. Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency and called in troops to isolate Ebola victims.

    However, the leader of Guinea’s Ebola taskforce said his country would not be following these moves.

    “Some measures taken by our neighbours could make the fight against Ebola even harder,” Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité told Reuters, citing in particular the closure of schools.

    “When children are not supervised, they can go anywhere and make the problem worse.”

    The outbreak has prompted some international organisations to withdraw. The U.S. Peace Corps has said it was withdrawing 340 volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Samaritans Purse said on Friday it would complete the evacuation of its 60 international staff from Liberia over the weekend and WaterAid said on Friday it was suspending its operations there as well.

    The WHO is launching a $100 million response plan and the United States is providing material and technical support to the three countries. Further assistance will be discussed at a meeting in Washington next week.

    Chan said she was taking personal responsibility for coordinating international response efforts and mobilising the vast support needed to fight the virus.

    The WHO has convened an emergency committee on Aug. 6-7 to decide if the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern and to recommend measures to tackle it.

    “The demands created by Ebola in West Africa outstrip your capacities to respond,” Chan told the presidents.

    Chan said cultural practices such as traditional burials and deep-seated beliefs were a significant cause of the spread and a barrier to containment and needed to change.

  • ‘Liberia, Sierra Leone moves may worsen Ebola spread’

    The leader of Guinea’s Ebola task force said on Friday that moves by neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone to contain the disease that has killed 729 people this year – its deadliest outbreak – may have the opposite effect.

    Liberia has put in place measures including closing all schools and some government departments as well as possibly quarantining affected communities. Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency and called in troops to isolate Ebola victims.

    “Currently, some measures taken by our neighbours could make the fight against Ebola even harder,” Aboubacar Sidiki Diakité told Reuters before a meeting of heads of state from the three West African nations to coordinate a regional response.

    “When children are not supervised, they can go anywhere and make the problem worse. It is part of what we will be talking about,” he said.

    The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 57 new Ebola deaths on Thursday in the four days to July 27 in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria and said the number of cases had topped 1,300.

    WHO director general Margaret Chan will also attend the meeting in Guinea’s capital Conakry on Friday.

    The outbreak of the virus, for which there is no known cure, began in the forests of eastern Guinea in February, but Sierra Leone now has the highest number of cases.

    The haemorrhagic virus can kill up to 90 percent of those infected, though the fatality rate in this epidemic is about 60 percent. In the final stages, its symptoms include external bleeding, internal bleeding, vomiting and diarrhoea – at which point Ebola becomes highly contagious.

  • Ebola’s death toll rises to 729

    The death toll from an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has risen to 729, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.

    57 deaths were reported between July 24 and 27 in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, Reuters quoted the global health body as saying on Thursday.

    The WHO also said Nigerian authorities had so far identified 59 people who had come into contact with a Liberia citizen who died in Lagos last week after travelling from his country via Togo and Ghana.

  • Life expectancy

    Life expectancy

    •Although this is said to be improving in Nigeria, it is still not good enough

    Despite the stressful lifestyle most Nigerians go through daily, it is surprising that life expectancy has reportedly improved in the country by eight years. Hitherto, the country’s life expectancy since 1990 has been 46 years. But the 2014 report of World Health Statistics (WHS) that has just been released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that the nation’s life expectancy is now 54. This is however still an appalling improvement considering the enormity of resources at the nation’s disposal that could have been deployed to improve medical standards and healthy habits necessary to prolong human life span.

    Life expectancy is crucial to national development and growth, being the number of years lived in good health by citizens. By this latest report, when a citizen dies at any point before 54 years in Nigeria, such death is considered as premature. This is why the ratio of occurred deaths below this age should not be higher, otherwise, Nigeria would be deemed to be relapsing in life expectancy. We know that death is inevitable but we are aware that medical science has proved that human life span can be prolonged through quality lifestyle and affordable medical care necessary to reduce the risk of early death.

    We doubt whether the prevailing harsh economic realities staring Nigerians in the face provide the congenial atmosphere necessary for healthy living. The pathetic state of most teaching hospitals and primary healthcare centres compounds the health woes of Nigerians. The  government’s commitment to health services and treatments, despite the huge budgetary investment in health, is suspect. For this reason, most preventable diseases have degenerated in most Nigerians, leading unfortunately, to their untimely deaths.

    Also, most avoidable health challenges, including malaria, tuberculosis and heart diseases, cirrhosis of the liver, diarrhoeal and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), among others, as depicted in the report, are rampant in the land. They have become major sources of most premature deaths of recent. And when this is juxtaposed with government’s insufficient efforts in the health sector, it is curious to note that WHO could adduce a report projecting the country as improving in her life expectancy. Yet, we are aware that WHS, published since 2005 by WHO, so far, remains a reliable global source of information on peoples health in 194 countries.

    Particularly heart-warming is the revelation that Nigerian women still live longer than men in spite of the rampancy of child birth deaths, among others. But this should not detract from the fact that we still need to do more; partly by citizens – by embracing a healthy lifestyle and; largely by governments – through the provision of better and affordable medical care facilities in the country. It is sad to note that Liberia, Ethiopia and Rwanda are doing far better than Nigeria in this regard. How can these two African countries that are still recuperating from the ruins of war be recorded as having better life expectancy than Nigeria? Something fundamental is definitely wrong somewhere!

    All said, life expectancy of 54 years is an improvement though, but it is something that is too shameful to be celebrated by a country that professes to be the ‘giant of Africa’. If the average life expectancy of citizens in some other  countries with less resources than Nigeria is 80, with Japan, an Asian country topping global life expectancy record with 87 years, nothing stops Nigeria from reaching a considerable life expectancy height in the nearest future, with proper health/medical planning and purposeful direction.

     

  • West Africa adopts ‘common strategy’ to fight Ebola

    West African countries and international health organizations adopted a fresh strategy on Thursday to fight the world’s deadliest Ebola epidemic, which has killed hundreds of people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, Reuters reports.

    At a two-day meeting in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, officials committed to better surveillance to detect cases of the virus, enhance cross-border collaboration, better engagement with local communities and closer cooperation with the World Health Organization and other partners.

    Ministers also recommended setting up a sub-regional control centre in Guinea to coordinate technical support. The decisions involve governments, the United Nations, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, aid agencies and the private sector.

    At least 467 people have died of the virus since February, according to the WHO.

    “The governments are required to mobilise relevant sectors, community, religious and political leaders to improve awareness, psycho-social support and understanding of the Ebola situation,” Francis Kasolo, WHO Africa director for disease prevention and control, told a news conference.

    The meeting’s final communiqué made no reference to increased financial support for the effort and there was little detail about how the measures would be implemented. Even so, ministers said the meeting had provided a valuable forum to share ideas.

    Health ministers also said it was essential for regional bodies such as the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States to lead the effort.

    There is no plan to close borders in a bid to prevent the spread of the disease but instead efforts at the border to educate people about risks should be stepped up, said Liberian deputy health minister Bernice Dahn.

  • WHO convenes emergency Ebola meeting

    Health ministers from 11 African countries are meeting in Accra, Ghana, in an attempt to “get a grip” on the deadly and worsening Ebola outbreak, the BBC reports.

    So far, 763 people have been infected with the virus – and 468 of these have died.

    Most of the cases have been in Guinea where the outbreak started.

    But it has since spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone and is now the biggest and most deadly Ebola outbreak the world has seen, say officials.

    Health officials from those countries, as well as Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Senegal, and Uganda will attend the meeting.

    The World Health Organization said “drastic” action is needed to stamp out the virus and ensure it does not spread to other countries in the region.

    “We’re hoping to take decisions about how to enhance collaboration and responses [of these countries] so we can get a grip and halt this outbreak,” said WHO spokesman Daniel Epstein

    “We need a strong response, especially along the shared border areas where commercial and social activities continue between Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. That’s unlikely to stop,” he stated.

     

  • Nigeria gets international pharmaceutical certification

    Nigeria gets international pharmaceutical certification

    Nigeria has obtained the WHO prequalification to join the league of global pharmaceutical players in bulk supply sector. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA writes on what it took to get there.

    NIGERIA has become a major player in the league of global pharmaceutical players in bulk supply sector. One of its pharmaceutical companies has obtained World Health Organisation’s (WHO) pre-qualification and WHO certification in Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP).

    With this certification, the country can rub shoulders with other international big chains in supplying billions of US dollars worth of medicines purchased by or through international procurement agencies  such as UNICEF, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and UNITAID  for distribution in resource-limited countries.

    The journey started in 2011, when the Director General the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr Paul Orhii led a delegation of 11 pharmaceutical companies to Geneva, the seat of WHO Prequalification Inspection Team; to meet with WHO officials.  The companies are Evans, Swipha, Neimeth, May & Baker, Fidson, Emzor, Juhel, Chi, Arab Chem, Daily Need and DrugField.

    At the meeting, the officials of the companies met with WHO officials who enlightened them on its mode of operation, and what are expected to be in place before a company can be issued with Pre-qualification certification.

    A year after the trip, WHO officials visited the companies and endorsed only five of them as showing potentials for the certification. These are Evans, Swipha, Chi, May & Baker, and Fidson Healthcare Plc. They met WHO condition for prequalification. But none yet, qualified for its certification in Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP).

    With the strong belief that Nigerian pharmaceutical companies have what it takes to obtain the cGMP, which among other benefits would assist the sector to access the 200 billion intervention fund, which will boost their production capacity and also enable them become global player in the industry; NAFDAC set a task for itself- stimulate improvement of quality of locally produced medicines and build capacity of manufacturers to succeed in the prequalification.

    Orhii then invited the WHO PQT (Prequalification Team) over, to help ‘monitor’, ‘fine tune’ and ‘whip into line’ the pharmaceutical companies.

    This specific co-operation between WHO Prequalification Team and NAFDAC aimed at stimulating improvement of quality of locally produced medicines and build capacity of manufacturers to international standard yielded some results.

    The team pointed out to all the parties, some of the areas they need to firm up. NAFDAC did not rest on its oars. It actively participated in capacity strengthening process and its inspectors closely collaborated with the WHO Prequalification Team. Then the break through occurred.

    Swipha Pharma Nigeria Limited (Swipha) submitted its pre-submission GMP for auditing. NAFDAC inspectors saw some loop holes and played an active role in verification of corrective actions. The agency then invited the Prequalification Team Inspectors. Swipha was assisted by WHO Prequalification Team to develop, document and produce medicines meeting quality standards required by WHO.

    The company was closely monitored to ensure adherence to the recommended quality standards. Then the agency re-invited the WHO Prequalification Team. The team audited that. It adopted same. And awarded the company- Swipha, WHO cGMP

    By that, Swiss Pharma Nigeria Limited (Swipha) has become the first Nigerian pharmaceutical manufacturer that has demonstrated an acceptable level of compliance with stringent WHO cGMP. It is now considered to be operating at an acceptable level of compliance with WHO Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines for the manufacturers of drugs (oral solid dosage forms).

  • Alcohol kills every 10 seconds -WHO

    Alcohol kills every 10 seconds -WHO

    Alcohol kills approximately 3.3 million people yearly, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

    It also said that about one person dies every 10 seconds from the substance.

    In a statement last week, the WHO noted that these deaths are more than those from HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and violence combined.

    In its 2014 global status report on alcohol and health, the WHO said about 5.9percent of deaths worldwide are attributable to alcohol.

    About 7.6 per cent of these deaths, according to the global agency, are shockingly among males, major alcohol consumers.

    Describing alcohol-related deaths as “perfectly legal drug”, the WHO said HIV and AIDS was responsible for only 2.8per cent with tuberculosis just 1.7per cent and violence a meagre 0.9per cent global deaths.

    WHO Assistant Director-General for Non- communicable Diseases and Mental Health, Dr. Oleg Chestnov, said that more needs to be done to protect the world from negative health consequences of alcohol consumption.

    He called on governments to conduct national awareness-raising campaigns and provide treatment services for alcoholics.

    The report, which shows that there is no room for complacency when it comes to reducing the harmful use of alcohol, noted: “This should really change because alcohol abuse is a global pandemic and governments need to take action to protect their citizens.”

    It suggested higher taxes, raising legal drinking ages and regulating the marketing of alcoholic beverages to reduce alcohol consumption.

    The WHO report noted that most deaths from alcohol arise from associated cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as cirrhosis and increased susceptibility to disease.

    India and China, according to the report, are increasingly becoming victims of alcohol while Eastern Europe and Russia in particular were singled out for particular concern.