Multiple Countries | Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Outbreak: Preparedness and Response - Emergency Appeal:

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Multiple Countries | Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Outbreak: Preparedness and Response - Emergency Appeal: n? MDREBOLA21 (19 February 2021)

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• IFRC

Posted 20 Feb 2021 Originally published 19 Feb 2021 Origin View originalAttachments

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This Emergency Appeal seeks a total of some 8.5 million Swiss francs on a preliminary basis to enable the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support the National Societies of Guinea, to scale-up readiness and response to the ongoing epidemic; Cote D?Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone, to set-up advanced readiness and preparedness; and Senegal and Mali, to reinforce readiness capacity through light preparedness and prepositioning of stocks. The Appeal aims to deliver assistance to some 424,000 people in the affected area for 12 months, while supporting prevention actions in at-risk areas, comprising 7.52 million people. Other neighbouring countries, such as Guinea-Bissau, may be included following context developments. The emergency appeal will incorporate a Federation-wide approach, which will be based on one plan with response activities of all IFRC membership contributing to the response with an additional Federation-wide planning and reporting requirement.

Situation overview

The first confirmed case of EVD was reported in Guinea on 14 February 2021, with the origins of the outbreak currently unknown, and probable cases dating back to at least January. The known cases (seven as of 16 February 2021) are reportedly within the same family who attended the burial ceremony of a nurse from Gou?ck? health centre. The nurse died on 28 January 2021 and was buried on 1 February 2021. Of the seven cases, four are men and three are women (aged 25 and over), with three deaths (2 women and 1 man). The known outbreak is currently centred in Gou?ck? community in the N'Z?r?kor? prefecture in Guin?e Forresti?re Region. Gou?ck? is one of ten subprefectures that make up N'Z?r?kor? prefecture. It is located 42 kilometres from central N'Z?r?kor? with a total population of approximately 23,458 inhabitants in 3,364 households.

One of the suspected cases was transported to Conakry Hospital without isolation procedures, which raises concerns of possible nosocomial transmission and spread during transportation. While contact tracing and isolation of suspected cases are in place and are being scaled up, unidentified chains of transmission and contacts could pose risk of further spread. Prefectures most at risk for the moment include, Gu?k?dou, Macenta, Lola, Yomou and Beyla, all part of Guin?e Forresti?re Region. In addition, there is significant cross-border movement, at official and unofficial border crossings, for trade, healthcare-seeking (traditional and clinical) and family links. Surveillance systems at the borders are still weak and not formalised, which could facilitate the spread of the virus. Traditional burial practices, including culturally important washing and handling of the body, was a key driver of transmission in the 2013-2016 epidemic and remains a risk today. The poor hygiene conditions and limited access to hand hygiene resources (water or sanitizer) are another risk factor to further spread the virus.

The 2014 –2016 epidemic in West Africa was the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the virus was discovered in 1976. The deadly epidemic spread between countries, starting in Guinea Forest Region, then moving across the country and spreading across Sierra Leone and Liberia. Hence, the recent EVD outbreak is very concerning as it poses several risks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://reliefweb.int/report/guinea/...s-and-response

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Regional Ebola Response Situation Report #1 - February 18, 2021

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• IMC

Posted 19 Feb 2021 Originally published 19 Feb 2021Attachments

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FAST FACTS

• Faced with a mix of confirmed and probable cases and deaths, the Republic of Guinea has declared its first resurgence of Ebola since 2016.
• Two people have died in the DRC after confirmation of a new Ebola outbreak in the northeast.
• The previous Ebola outbreak in the northeast, the country’s 10th and the second-largest in world history, claimed the lives of 2,287 of the 3,324 patients affected.
• The DRC’s 11th outbreak, in ?quateur Province, affected 13 of the province’s 18 health zones, with 130 confirmed cases and 55 deaths.
• The DRC has been named the lead by the Africa Union in response efforts to the newest outbreak in Guinea.

RESPONSE

• Since August 21, 2018, screening and referral units (SRUs) supported by International Medical Corps have provided more than 2 million screenings for Ebola and 1.2 million screenings for COVID-19.
• International Medical Corps is providing infection prevention and control (IPC) support to 196 health facilities in the DRC to ensure that healthcare delivery is safe, including 20 new facilities in ?quateur, and is activating its response team in Guinea.

West and Central Africa are facing renewed outbreaks of Ebola virus disease (EVD) while facing ongoing pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic, which already has put a strain on national and international health resources.

International Medical Corps is responding in both areas of the continent with strong regional teams of technical experts to support those in need where it is needed most.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Nearly four months following the end of the DRC’s 11th outbreak in November 2020 in the western province of ?quateur, a new outbreak of Ebola was confirmed in the northeastern province of North Kivu on February 7, when samples collected from a woman in her mid-forties were confirmed by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to be EVD. The patient passed away 72 hours later at a health facility in Katwa Health Zone, with symptoms of the virus. A test of the semen of her spouse, a known Ebola survivor, for EVD was reported to have returned negative just five months ago, yet such tests can sometimes show a false negative result. Preliminary results of genomic sequencing of the index case’s viral proteins suggest that this new outbreak—the 12th in the DRC—is linked to the first Ebola outbreak that occurred in this part of the country, which eventually grew to become the second-largest in history and required more than two years of concerted efforts to control. That outbreak claimed the lives of 2,287 of the 3,324 confirmed cases identified. The source of this reoccurrence (her spouse or some other source of infection) is still being investigated.

The index case, who came from Biena, sought care at a health facility in Katwa, where she passed away before the diagnosis could be made. In the course of her travels and during her stay at the hospital, several other people were exposed. Three confirmed cases have since surfaced (including a nurse who cared for one of the patients), two of whom have died. All but one of the confirmed cases—the nurse, who is still alive and responding well to treatment—had not received Ebola vaccine during the last outbreak.

The Republic of Guinea

On February 14, following seven cases (three confirmed and four probable, with one confirmed and four probable deaths) in the southeastern province of Nz?r?kor?, the government of Guinea declared an EVD outbreak. Initial results showed the presence of the virus in the town of Gu?ck?dou—near where the initial case of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, in Meliandou, a rural village, was found.

This marks the first resurgence of the virus in the country since the devastating West Africa epidemic of 2014–2016. The government, under joint direction of the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the National Agency for Health Security (ANSS), reactivated its Ebola response technical committee, and deployed to start active containment efforts. Because Nz?r?kor? borders Sierra Leone and Liberia, the threat of cross-border outbreaks is high.
https://reliefweb.int/report/democra...bruary-18-2021

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Published Date: 2021-02-19 22:00:28
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Ebola update (14): Congo DR (NK), Guinea, Liberia
Archive Number: 20210219.8202136

EBOLA UPDATE (14): DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (NORTH KIVU), GUINEA, LIBERIA
************************************************** ***************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

In this update:
[1] Congo DR (North Kivu): 2 new cases
[2] Guinea and Congo DR: Ebola response gains steam
[3] Guinea: 4 outbreaks (Ebola, COVID-19, Yellow Fever, Measles)
[4] Liberia (Monrovia)
- Suspect case
- Case tests negative for Ebola

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[1] Congo DR (North Kivu): 2 new cases
Date: Thu 18 Feb 2021
Source: Reuters (abridged, edited)
https://www.reuters.com/article/heal...-idUSL1N2KO2PE


Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed 2 new cases of Ebola, including one far from the centre of the outbreak, provincial Health Minister Eugene Nzanzu Salita said on Thursday [18 Feb 2021].

The cases were found in Katwa and in Manguredjipa, which is about 150 km (93 miles) west of the city of Butembo, where all the previous cases have been clustered.

One of the new cases was a known contact of another patient, but investigations are under way for the 2nd to know how he might have been infected, said Salita.

Congo has now confirmed a total of 6 Ebola cases and 2 deaths since it declared a resurgence of the disease on 7 Feb [2021].

[Writing: Nellie Peyton; editing: Peter Cooney]

--
Communicated by:
Mary Marshall
<mjm2020@googlemail.com>

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[2] Guinea and Congo DR: Ebola response gains steam
Date: Thu 18 Feb 2021
Source: CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy) [abridged, edited]
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-pers...eam-guinea-drc


With both Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reporting Ebola recurrences just a week apart, the World Health Organization (WHO) today [Thu 18 Feb 2021] said it is deploying 100 staff and, for Guinea specifically, has released USD 1.25 million to support local control efforts and prepare neighboring countries for possible spread.

The WHO's African regional office also shared more details about the cluster in Guinea, where the total currently stands at 7 cases, 3 of them confirmed and 4 listed as probable. (Two days ago, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention listed the totals at 17 cases and 5 deaths.)

In an update late yesterday [Wed 17 Feb 2021], the WHO said 2 patients with confirmed infections are hospitalized in isolation, one in Conakry, the country's capital, and one Gouecke in N'Zerekore prefecture. Five have died, including the index patient, a nurse from N'Zerekore prefecture in the southeast, the same area where West Africa's massive 2014-2016 outbreak began.

Earlier this week, health officials said initial analysis showed the virus involved in the cluster is from the Zaire subtype, the same one involved in the country's earlier outbreak. However, genetic analysis is underway to shed more light on the source, such as another introduction from an animal source.

So far, no cases have been detected in other countries, but the WHO said the outbreak area is located at a travel crossroads, so the risk of the virus spreading to countries such as Liberia and Ivory Coast is high.

At a WHO African regional office briefing today [Thu 18 Feb 2021], Matshidiso Moeti, MBBS, the group's director, said more than 11 000 vaccine doses in Geneva are being prepared to ship to Guinea, with more to be shipped from the United States [for a total of approximately 20 000 doses - Mod.LK]. Dr. Mohamed Lamine Yansane, senior advisor to Guinea's health ministry, said samples are leaving Conakry today [Thu 18 Feb 2021] for further sequences in Senegal. He said the 1st vaccine doses are due in Guinea on 21 Feb [2021], with immunization to start the following day [Mon 22 Feb 2021].

Also, today [Thu 18 Feb 2021] at a WHO briefing in Geneva, Mike Ryan, MD, who leads its health emergencies program, said that work is underway to form a coordinated vaccination strategy in African countries, which includes the Merck vaccine that has been used successfully in ring vaccination activities. He also said it's possible that the strategy could include the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for related efforts, such as vaccinating healthcare workers in the region.

In the DRC, where the number of cases remains at 4 [now 6 - Mod.LK], vaccination began earlier this week in Butembo.

So far, one symptomatic person traveled by taxi to Conakry, where 290 contacts have been identified, of which 94% have been evaluated, according to Moeti. Ryan added that no cases have been detected outside of Guinea, and officials are on heightened alert.

In a separate statement, the WHO detailed plans to scale up the response to the Guinea and DRC outbreaks. It will have more than 100 staff on the ground by the end of February [2021], starting with a team of 8 from the WHO African regional office who are leaving soon.

"Our collective, quick action is crucial to averting an uncontrolled spread of Ebola amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has already pushed health workers and health facilities to the edge," Moeti said.

In other developments,
- a humanitarian flight arrived on N'Zerekore on 15 Feb [2021], carrying medical equipment donated by the WHO and its partners;

- in the DRC, 20 WHO experts are already on the ground, and nearly 70 people have already been vaccinated;

- along with the USD 1.25 million from the WHO for response efforts in Guinea and neighboring countries, the United Nations has disbursed USD 15 million for responses in the Guinea and the DRC, which covers preparedness steps in neighboring countries.

[Byline: Lisa Schnirring]

--
Communicated by:
Mary Marshall

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[3] Guinea: 4 outbreaks (Ebola, COVID-19, Yellow Fever, Measles)
Date: Fri 19 Feb 2021 5:30 a.m. PST
Source: Washington Post [abridged, edited]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...cf9_story.html


When he heard about Ebola resurging in Guinea, cardiologist Fode Kaba hoped his country could dodge catastrophe this time.

The hemorrhagic fever killed more than 11 000 people across this West African nation and 2 neighbors from 2013-2016 in the deadliest outbreak on record. Health-care workers knew what to do when new cases arose this week: trace contacts, isolate the potentially exposed, and warn everyone to take special precautions.

But medical centers are already stretched thin as Guinea confronts the coronavirus pandemic on top of yellow fever and measles outbreaks. People are tired of locking down and losing work in an era of seemingly endless restrictions. And the flare-up eme...https://promedmail.org/promed-post/?id=8202136