Liberia - Ebola: 10 212 confirmed cases, 4 573 deaths (WHO, April 22, 2015)

[Treyfish]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - tests pending

Liberia Declares Ebola Outbreak a National Emergency

<cite class="byline">By Henry Karmo, 26 March 2014
</cite>Senator Peter Coleman, chairman senate health committee explaining to his colleagues about the effect of the Disease
Monrovia - News about the possible outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Liberia has been greeted with a great deal of seriousness by the National Legislature with both the Senate and the House of Representatives mandating their Health Committees to closely work with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in tackling the disease.


On Tuesday during their separate regular sessions, the issue of the outbreak of the disease was discussed with consensus for collaborative efforts with the Executive Branch of government through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in tackling the spread of the disease. Senator Peter Coleman of Grand Kru County who once served as Minister of Health of Liberia told his colleagues to take seriously the current news of the spread of the virus in Liberia by making interventions in the best interest of the population.


Senator Coleman also stressed isolation and confinement of affected persons as some of the surest ways of preventing the virus from spreading to others and the need to make a national decision in terms of the provision of funding to the national emergency efforts. Also at the House of Representatives, a communication from Representative Eugene Fallah Kparkar (CDC, Foyah District), Lofa county where there are suspected cases of the disease was read in plenary.

In the letter, Representative Kaprkar requested plenary to mandate the health committee to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to hasten the necessary preventive and remedial measures to protect Liberians against the deadly Ebola disease.
The Lofa lawmaker stressed the need for an urgent effort to stop the spread of the deadly disease which has the propensity of wreaking havoc on impoverished Liberians. He referenced his visit in the border City of Foyah, Lofa County, his constituency and said; he was informed that two persons who were likely diagnosed with the virus have suddenly passed out.
Representative Kparkar said:" I feel profoundly honor to express my sentiment of the highest esteem and also wish to express with utter dismay the alarming rate at which the deadly Ebola virus has begun to rage hell in Guinea. There is no doubt that this disease if not acted upon will have a spillover effect in neighboring countries."

On Monday the Health Ministry and Social Welfare announced to the public that the deadly Ebola virus that has killed more than fifty people in neighboring Guinea has been reported in the districts in Liberia. The disclosure was made by Liberia's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bernice Dahn.
"The disease is reported to be spreading along the border with Liberia, specifically in the communities and towns close to Guinea towns of Guekedou, Nzerekore, Kissidougou and Macenta," Liberia Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bernice Dahn said.


Dr. Dahn continued:"As of this morning the 24th of March 2014, six cases have been reported of which five persons have already died, four female adults and one male child." Dr. Dahn said all the six suspected cases came from Guinea for treatment in hospitals in Foya and Zorzor districts in Lofa County."One of the suspected cases, a female child is under treatment."

The Ebola virus is often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, Muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding.


The Ebola virus can cause severe viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) outbreaks in humans with a case fatality rate of up to 90%. According to a statement from the Ministry of Health a team has been dispatched since Friday to investigate the situation in Lofa.http://allafrica.com/stories/201403260959.html

[Giuseppe]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - tests pending

[Source: ProMedMail.org, full page: (LINK). Edited.]


Published Date: 2014-03-26 22:36:51 / Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Ebola virus disease - Liberia ex Guinea: susp. alert, RFI / Archive Number: 20140326.2360265

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - LIBERIA ex GUINEA: SUSPECTED, ALERT, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

A ProMED-mail post http://www.promedmail.org / ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases http://www.isid.org / Date: 26 Mar 2914 / Source: The New Dawn, Liberia 25 March 2014 [edited]

http://www.thenewdawnliberia.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11233 :ebola-kills-five-in-lofa-health-ministry-alarms&catid=46:health&Itemid=60


Ebola kills 5 in Lofa - Health ministry alarms

At least 5 people have died in Voinjama, Lofa County in northern Liberia from the deadly Ebola virus, which reportedly broke out in neighboring Guinea recently. Confirming the deaths, authorities at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare said here on Monday, that the deadly Ebola virus has hit Liberia.

Deputy Health Minister and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Bernice Dahn told a special news conference at the Information Ministry Monday [24 Mar 2014] that the disease was reportedly spreading along the Guinean border with Liberia, specifically in the communities and towns close to the Guinean towns of Guekedou, Nzerekore, Kissidougou and Macenta.

"As of this morning, 24 Mar 2014, 6 cases have been reported of which 5 have already died -- 4 female adults and one male child. One of the suspected cases, a female child, is currently under treatment. All the 6 suspected cases came from Guinea for treatment in hospitals in Foya and Zorzor Districts, Lofa County," Dr. Dahn told journalists.

According to her, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and partners have already dispatched an assessment team to Lofa County since Friday, 21 Mar 2014, noting that the team was already investigating the situation, tracing contacts, collecting blood samples and sensitizing local health authorities on the disease.

Dr. Dahn further explained that the assessment team took with them protective equipment, including face masks, gloves and goggles to protect health workers in affected facilities and also advise all residents of Liberia to follow the necessary essential measures to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. He said some of the country's health facilities are closer and more accessible to Guineans living on the border than those in big Guinean cities.

The Liberian Health Minister also urged people to avoid close contact with people, such as shaking hands and kissing. She added that cross-border trade is huge between the two countries, which share some cultural and linguistic ties.

The minister further stated that people can be exposed to the Ebola virus from direct physical contacts with body fluids, including blood, saliva, stool, urine, sweat of an infected person and soiled linen used by a patient, saying it can be spread through contacts with objects like needles contaminated with infected secretion.

Byline: Ben P. Wesee
--
Communicated by ProMED-mail www.promedmail.org


[There is only the circumstantial evidence that these cases had been in the infected border area of Guinea and were hospitalized in Liberia with, presumably, symptoms of hemorrhagic fever. There is no mention of any Ebola positive laboratory tests, without which the report can only be considered suspected, not confirmed. A location map of Liberia is at: http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/africa/lrafrica.gif A map of Liberia showing neighbouring countries can be seen at: https://www.google.com/maps/@17.1859985,11.7678215,4z?hl=pt-BR - Mod.JW]

(?)


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[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - tests pending

‘Ebola Not In Liberia’
Thu, 03/27/2014 - 10:52 admin
Information Minister Lewis Brown, Health Ministry Back Track
By:
Alvin Worzi
With an assist from Alaskai Moore Johnson, Observer Health Correspondent

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Lewis Brown, has stated that the deadly Ebola virus, which was suspected to be in the country after it was announced that five of six persons who crossed over from neighboring Guinea have died from the virus, does not exist in Liberia.
Speaking in an interview at his office on Capitol Hill Wednesday, March 26, Minister Brown said all of the suspected cases that were reported are not Ebola as medical research has revealed.
According to Min. Brown, “The cases reported do not confirm that these people who died or those undergoing treatment were/are infected by the Ebola virus. The patient transferred to the John F. Kennedy is doing well and the child who spent four days in the hospital [in Zorzor] is recovering.”
Minister Brown explained that the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and its partners have taken blood samples to Guinea and France for medical tests and observation. He expects results in the soonest possible time.
...
This latest summersault comes after Health and Social Welfare Minister, Dr. (MD) Walter Traub Gwenigale and his Deputy Minister, Dr. (MD) Bernice Dahn, who is the Chief Medical Officer for the Republic, had told news men women at a major Monday, March 24 press conference that the deadly Ebola virus, which is reported to have killed at least 60 person in neighboring Guinea, had crossed over into Liberia.
They emphasized that as of that date—March 24—five of six persons, who crossed over to Liberia from Guinea, had died from the Ebola virus. They even further clarified that two of the five went back and died in Guinea and the three died on Liberian soil, while the sixth, a female child, was critical and being treated at a local health facility in Zorzor, Lofa County.
Min. Lewis Brown, who now denied the presence of Ebola in Liberia, was also a part of the press conference at which the Health Ministry’s authorities announced that Ebola has crossed over into Liberia from Guinea.
Meanwhile, Health Min. Gwenigale has told the Observer that no one has been quarantined at the JFK Medical Center because of Ebola.
This paper was reliably told by an insider that a patient was quarantined on Tuesday, after health practitioners at the hospital noticed symptoms of the Ebola virus. Our source said the person had come from the suspected Ebola region in Lofa County.
The Ministry of Health, in an update, dropped the number of deaths from the “suspected viral hemorrhagic fever” cases to four instead of five as it had announced earlier on Monday, March 24. However, authorities of the Health Ministry still maintain the six-person figure disclosed on Monday.
...
In a related development, the management of the John F. Kennedy Medical Center has also clarified that at no time did authorities in Ganta transfer Ebola or suspected Ebola cases at the hospital as was reported by the local media.
JFK in a release said it is disappointing that others will choose to report such critical national issue without checking first with the hospital. “Management maintains that its various wards are one hundred percent free of Ebola patients and urged journalists to counter-check their stories before publication.”
...
It is not clear, however, how the JFK can deny the information when the Acting Chief Medical Officer of Ganta Hospital, Dr. Claude Monga, told a team of journalists on Tuesday, March 25, that two suspected Ebola cases were diagnosed at the Ganta United Methodist Hospital on Monday, March 24.
...

http://www.liberianobserver.com/health/&#37;E2%80%98ebola-not-liberia%E2%80%99

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - tests pending

h/t @makoto_au_japon

Liberia: 'No Ebola in Monrovia' - Diagnosis of Suspected Cases Negative
BY RODNEY D. SIEH, 27 MARCH 2014
MORE ON THIS

Confirmed health authorities in Liberia say there have been no new suspected deaths from the deadly Ebola virus since the admission early this week of four (2 in Guinea, 1 in Foya and 1 in Zorzor) reported cases.

"I can confirm to you that there has been no reported case of Ebola on admission in any of Liberia's hospitals. Samples from suspected persons have been provided to MSF in Guinea for preliminary examination. Further confirmation from the preliminary findings will be provided from Lyon, France," a source who was privy to a discussion with senior administration officials and health authorities Wednesday.
...
On Wednesday, a senior health official provided the following update. "Preliminary diagnosis of the patient transferred from Ganta to JFK shows that it was not Ebola, the patient is stable and recovering. The diagnosis of the reported case at Redemption Hospital in New Kru Town showed dysentery, no vomiting and no fever. The patient was admitted over a period of four days. There is no national emergency and the borders remain opened."
...

http://allafrica.com/stories/201403270695.html

Liberia: Tell the Truth About Ebola
26 MARCH 2014
Editorial

Liberians Are Petrified by news reports that the deadly Ebola virus has entered their country. Latest reports from Ganta, a commercial city in Nimba County confirmed the discovery of Ebola at the Ganta Methodist Hospital.

Pieces Of Information gathered from the county revealed that two patients reportedly infected with the Ebola Hemorrhagic disease were transferred to Monrovia from Ganta Methodist Hospital. However, the management of the John F. Kennedy Medical Center says there is no Ebola or suspected Ebola cases at the hospital.
...
The People Of Liberia are simply confounded by the different types of reports and other pieces of information they are hearing concerning Ebola outbreak. Liberians are petrified because Ebola is known to have devastated the lives of citizens of Congo and other parts of Africa.

We Want Health officials to tell our people the truth about the existence of Ebola in the country so that our citizens and other residents would be in the position to take preventive measures.
...

http://allafrica.com/stories/201403270773.html

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - tests pending

Ebola fear spreads - gov't says no new case
Thursday, 27 March 2014 01:46 ND Reporter

...
GOL?s update on Ebola


There have been no new suspected deaths since the 4 (2 in Guinea, 1 in Foya and 1 in Zorzor) were reported
No reported case of Ebola on admission in any of Liberia?s hospitals
Samples from suspected persons have been provided to MSF in Guinea for preliminary examination. Further confirmation from the preliminary findings will be provided from Lyon, France
According to the BBC, Canadian who came from Liberia and was originally suspected of contractngi the Ebola virus has been confirmed not to have Ebola
27 persons identified to have had contacts with the suspected victims are being closely monitored by health authorities and permitted very minimal contacts with others
No reported case involving health care workers
Suspected cases from Zorzor which was initially reported on Monday involving one death and one admission at Zorzor Curran Hospital, Lofa County:
The admitted patient is steadily recovering
A death audit confirmed that the alleged case of death in Zorzor does not meet the case definition of Ebola
Patient transferred from Ganta to JFK:
Preliminary diagnosis: Not Ebola
Patient stable and recovering
Reported case at Redemption Hospital in New Kru Town:
Diagnosis: dysentery, no vomiting, no fever
Admitted over a period of 4 days
No national emergency has been declared
Borders remains opened
All measures announced and being pursued are PRECAUTIONARY

http://allafrica.com/stories/201403270847.html?viewall=1

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - tests pending

March 26, 2014 Press Release on the outbreak of EBOLA Virus

http://www.mohsw.gov.lr/documents/Press%20Release%20Mar.%2026,%202014.pdf

[Pathfinder]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - tests pending

Ebola In Monrovia?
Wed, 03/26/2014 - 13:17 admin
1 Quarantined at JFK Medical Center 2 Suspected Cases Identified at Ganta Hospital
By:
Ishmael F. Menkor
The Daily Observer has been reliably learned from a credible source that one patient was on Tuesday, March 25, quarantined at the JFK Medical Center in Sinkor, Monrovia, after health practitioners noticed symptoms of the Ebola virus.
Our source, who asked not to be named, said the patient had come from one of those regions in Lofa region, where at least three confirmed Ebola deaths were reported by authorities of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in Monrovia.
...
Two suspected Ebola cases were diagnosed at the Ganta United Methodist Hospital on Monday, March 24, and the patients were immediately transferred to the John F. Kennedy Hospital in Monrovia, Dr. Claude Monga, Acting Chief Medical Officer of Ganta Hospital disclosed.
Speaking to a team of journalists on Tuesday, March 25, Dr. Monga revealed the two patients were transferred because the Ganta hospital didn?t have anywhere to keep such patients.

...
http://www.liberianobserver.com/health/ebola-monrovia

?No Ebola Patients At JFK?

Written by The NEWS Published: 26 March 2014
national interest

The management of the John F. Kennedy Medical Center says there is no Ebola or suspected Ebola cases at the hospital.

Authorities at the JFK clarified that at no time did authority in Ganta transfer suspected Ebola cases to the hospital as was reported by the local media.
...
On the issue of transferring patients, the hospital said on a weekly basis, it receives scores of patients from other counties including Ganta, but indicated that recent transfers from Ganta did not in any way come with referral slip indicating Ebola.

JFK said every patient that is transferred from a health post comes with a referral slips from a medical practitioner and the slip will clearly state the patient cause of illness and all medications previously administered.
...

He told the gathering that: ?As far as we are concerned, there is not a single case of Ebola at JFK; there are lots of rumors out there that patients were transferred from Ganta with symptoms of Ebola, that information is not correct.?


http://thenewslib.com/news/367-no-ebola-patients-at-jfk

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - tests pending

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
MINISTRY OF HEALTH & SOCIAL WELFARE
P. O. BOX 10 ? 9009
1000 MONROVIA 10, LIBERIA
WEST AFRICA

PRESS RELEASE

March 27, 2014

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare wishes to inform the general public that there are no
confirmed cases of Ebola in Liberia. As of yesterday (March 26, 2014), there were no new suspected
cases of the viral hemorrhagic fever. The number of suspected viral hemorrhagic fever remains at six
with four deaths since March 24, 2017.

According to Liberia?s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bernice T. Dahn, the MOHSW and partners have
strengthened coordination to scale up field investigations to identify suspected cases and contacts
including outreach around border towns in Liberia as well as follow-up, provision of personal protective
equipment, IV fluids, among others. Speaking on Thursday at the regular MICAT Press briefing, Dr.
Dahn said coordination meetings are also taking place in the counties between the County Health Teams
and local officials as preventive measures against any possible spread of the disease to Liberia. Health
workers are also being trained to be posted at various ports of entry in Lofa, Bong, Nimba, Cape Mount,
Margibi, and Montserrado counties to increase awareness on the disease and ways to prevent it. Health
workers are also being trained at various hospitals to handle suspected cases. County Health Teams are
closely working with local authorities to help prevent a possible spread of the disease from neighboring
countries.

Dr. Dahn called on the media to provide the right information to the public, and not to create fear and
apprehension, so that they can take preventive measures against the spread of the disease. The Ministry of
Health is also informing the public that the only channel of information on Ebola-related matters is the
office of the Chief Medical Officer of Liberia, Dr. Bernice Dahn. Information from the various counties
on suspected Ebola cases should be channeled through the County Health Officers. Health workers are
requested not to transfer any suspected Ebola cases but to immediately contact their respective Medical
Directors or County Health Officers for appropriate actions. The public is encouraged to take the
following precautionary measures during this suspected Ebola emergency:

 Limit as much as possible, direct contact with body fluids of infected persons or dead persons.
Avoid physical contacts such as handshakes, kissing, etc.

 Wash your hands with soap and water as frequently as possible.

 Avoid direct contacts with animals such as fruit bats or monkeys/apes and the consumption of
their raw meat.

 Avoid contact with body fluids of infected person or dead person.

 Treat your water with chlorine before drinking.

Bernice T. Dahn, MD, MPH
Deputy Minister/Chief Medical Officer-RL

http://www.mohsw.gov.lr/documents/march27_press_release_1.pdf

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - tests pending

Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever, Guinea (Situation as of 30 March 2014) E-mail Print
30 March 2014 ? As of 28 March, the total number of suspected and confirmed cases in the on-going Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (EHF) outbreak in Guinea has increased to 112, including 70 deaths (Case Fatality Rate 62.5%). New suspected cases have been reported from Conakry (4 cases), Gu?k?dou (4), Macenta (1) and Dabola (1) prefectures. The date of hospital admission of the most recent suspected case is 28 March.

Two of the new suspected cases have been in health care workers indicating the need to further strengthen health facility-based infection prevention and control. Domestic infection prevention is being supported for patients managed in the community, including training carers in safe practices and the community in safe burials. In addition, 235 contacts have been traced of whom over 130 require continued follow-up. Active contact tracing is proceeding.

To date 24 clinical samples from Guinea have tested positive by PCR for the ebolavirus in samples from cases in Conakry (11), Gu?k?dou (6) and Macenta (7). In addition, Liberia has reported 2 laboratory confirmed cases in persons who had travelled to Guinea.

Both Sierra Leone and Liberia have revised down the number of suspected cases reported previously. Liberia reported that 3 persons from Gu?k?dou developed symptoms and signs suggestive of EHF and died in Liberia. Pre-mortem samples collected from these cases tested positive for ebolavirus at the Institut Pasteur (IP) Dakar mobile laboratory in Conakry.

Sierra Leone has identified 2 suspected cases, both of whom died. All of the confirmed and suspected cases reported by Liberia and Sierra Leone had travelled to Guinea before illness onset. Investigations into these suspected cases are on-going. No new suspected cases have been reported from either Liberia or Sierra Leone.

In accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR, 2005), the Ministries of Health of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia together with WHO and other response partners are implementing a coordinated response to the outbreak. WHO has alerted countries bordering Guinea about the outbreak and to heighten surveillance for illness consistent with a viral haemorrhagic fever, especially along land borders.

As this is a rapidly changing situation, the number of reported cases and deaths, contacts under medical observation and the number of laboratory results are subject to change due to enhanced surveillance and contact tracing activities, ongoing laboratory investigations and consolidation of case, contact and laboratory data.

The national authorities of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have activated their national emergency committees, prepared EHF response plans and carried out needs assessments. Rapid Response Teams to investigate cases and trace contacts. Priority activities include active case finding in affected communities, case isolation and management, contact tracing and raising awareness of EHF risk factors and prevention among health care workers, affected communities and the general public. Case isolation facilities have been established and planned in collaboration with international partners, information and education materials developed and distributed, intensive multimedia communications are underway and psychosocial support is being provided to patients, their families and the affected communities.

WHO and response partners are continuing to support the outbreak response through mobilising international expertise (clinical care, infection prevention and control including isolation services, surveillance and epidemiology, laboratory diagnosis and reference, logistics and social mobilisation. WHO is also supporting countries in financial and human resource mobilisation and supplies such as personal protective equipment (PPE).

WHO does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied to Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone based on the current information available for this event.

http://www.afro.who.int/en/clusters-a-programmes/dpc/epidemic-a-pandemic-alert-and-response/outbreak-news/4071-ebola-haemorrhagic-fever-guinea-30-march-2014.html

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - 3 fatal cases confirmed

Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever, Liberia (Situation as of 30 March 2014) E-mail Print
30 March 2014 ? The Ministry of Health (MoH) of Liberia has provided updated details on the suspected and confirmed cases of Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (EHF) in Liberia. As of 29 March, seven clinical samples, all from adult patients from Foya district, Lofa County, have been tested by PCR using Ebola Zaire virus primers by the mobile laboratory of the Institut Pasteur (IP) Dakar in Conakry. Two of those samples have tested positive for the ebolavirus. There have been 2 deaths among the suspected cases; a 35 year old woman who died on 21 March tested positive for ebolavirus while a male patient who died on 27 March tested negative. Foya remains the only district in Liberia that has reported confirmed or suspected cases of EHF. As of 26 March, Liberia had 27 contacts under medical follow-up.

In accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR, 2005), the MoH of Liberia is communicating regularly with WHO and neighbouring countries to help coordinate and harmonise surveillance, prevention and control activities.

Response activities within health care facilities include strengthening infection prevention and control (IPC) at the Foya Hospital, the provision of additional personal preventive equipment (PPE) and medical supplies to support case isolation and clinical management and training for health care workers in IPC. Health care workers are receiving training on EHF; 50 clinicians from 5 hospitals in Montserrado County received training on 27 March. PPE and medical supplies have also been sent to Bong and Nimba Counties which border Guinea.

As this is a rapidly changing situation, the number of reported cases and deaths, contacts under medical observation and the number of laboratory results are subject to change due to enhanced surveillance and contact tracing activities, ongoing laboratory investigations and consolidation of case, contact and laboratory data.

Liberia has established a high level National Task Force to lead the response. Response partners include WHO, the International Red Cross (IRC), Samaritan?s Purse (SP) Liberia, Pentecostal Mission Unlimited (PMU)-Liberia, CHF-WASH Liberia, PLAN-Liberia, UNFPA and UNICEF.

The IRC is supporting awareness campaigns among health care workers in a number of districts in Lofa County, and is working with PMU-Liberia and SP Liberia to provide PPE to 41 health facilities including 37 clinics, 3 health centres and the Curran Lutheran Hospital. Samaritan?s Purse is also providing logistics for the movement of response personnel medical supplies and fuel.

CHF-WASH Liberia, PLAN-Liberia, UNFPA and UNICEF are supporting the MoH in social mobilisation activities to raise community awareness about EHF and promote risk reduction measures.

WHO does not recommend that any travel or trade restrictions be applied to Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone based on the current information available for this event.

http://www.afro.who.int/en/clusters-a-programmes/dpc/epidemic-a-pandemic-alert-and-response/outbreak-news/4072-ebola-haemorrhagic-fever-liberia.html

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - 2 cases confirmed

EBOLA PRESENCE CONFIRMED
Written by FPA Reporter
Published: 30 March 2014

Monrovia - Health Minister Dr. Walter Gwenigale has confirmed that two out of five tests sent to France for examination has confirmed that the deadly Ebola virus is in territorial limits of Liberia. Speaking to FrontPageAfrica Sunday night, Dr. Gwenigale explained that one of the deaths reported in Foya, Lofa County last week was confirmed from the tests from France as positive with the Ebola virus.

Said Dr. Gwenigale: ?The lady who died from Foya was a result of Ebola and the woman taking care of her is still alive. However, she left Foya to come down to Firestone to her husband. We have searched and found her and has already instructed Dr. Mabande, the Medical Administrator at the Firestone Hospital to isolate her from people.?

Dr. Gwenigale explained that health authorities have also found the husband of the lady and that the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, USA has been notified. The confirmation comes as Liberia struggles in dealing with the anxiety associated with the reported outbreak of the deadly Ebola Virus in Guinea and its subsequent spreading to Liberia with over eight cases reported by health authorities, which by the end of last week had vanished.
...

http://frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/health-sci/1181-ebola-presence-confirmed

[sharon sanders]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - 2 cases confirmed

UN notes of Liberia press conference. Please read from the bottom to the top:

UNMIL @UNMILNews 1m
It is crucial to ensure all transmission chains from current #Ebola outbreak have been broken before declaring outbreak over via @WHO

Gregory H&#228;rtl @HaertlG 1m
.@UNMILNews Understood.Think about how many transmissions from bats to bush meat there could be on ongoing basis. 42 days not relevant here.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 1m
LIVE: "Chief Medical Officer available on-call 24/7 for media." - #Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

Gregory H&#228;rtl @HaertlG 5m
.@UNMILNews Aye! This is not necessarioly correct. As we don't know the source and any bush meat could be infected, waiting 42 days #Ebola

UNMIL @UNMILNews 24m
LIVE: "Media: don't take pictures of suspected patients. Respect confidentiality." - #Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 3m
LIVE: "Media: please help us. Help the people to avoid fear, panic and denial." - #Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 5m
LIVE: "Don't travel if you have symptoms. Report to nearest medical facility." - #Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 7m
LIVE: "Lofa is the epicenter of the epidemic. One case is an epidemic." -#Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 8m
LIVE: "Any sudden death or person w/ fever needs to be reported immediately." -#Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 10m
LIVE: "National taskforce established & working tirelessly for effective response." -#Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 13m
LIVE: "Ebola is transmitted from person to person through direct physical contact." -#Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 14m
LIVE: "Avoid eating bats and other bush meat during this period." -#Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 17m
LIVE: "Traditional practices that could spread this disease need to be avoided." -#Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 18m
LIVE: "We need to follow those who have had contact w/ Ebola patients for 21 days." -#Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 20m
LIVE: "This is a preventable disease." - #Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 25m
LIVE: Everyone who interacted w/ woman w/ Ebola is being investigated/isolated. - #Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 28m
LIVE: Woman w/ #Ebola took taxi from Foya to Firestone Clinic for treatment. - #Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 31m
LIVE: Out of 7 samples tested, 2 are positive for Ebola virus. - #Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

UNMIL @UNMILNews 32m
LIVE: "We are working around the clock to reach out to the public." - #Liberia Ministry of Health Press Conference on #Ebola.

[sharon sanders]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - 2 cases confirmed

UN Mission in Liberia

Ebola Public Service Announcement (English)

Ebola Public Service Announcement (Kpelle Language)

Ebola Public Service Announcement (Bassa Language)

Ebola Public Service Announcement (Loma Language)

https://soundcloud.com/un-mission-in-liberia/sets/ebola-public-service

[Treyfish]

Re: Guinea - Hemorrhagic fever killed 78 people with 122 suspected cases - Ebola lab confirmed in 22 cases

The Government of Liberia has announced a number of measures to curtail the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, a day after it confirmed the first two cases of the virus here.
Among the preventive measures are avoiding direct contacts with body fluids of infected persons, which include having sex with suspected persons, not eating dead bush animals and being very careful in handling fresh bush meat.

Others include avoiding bathing dead bodies of suspected patients, eating plums/mangoes and other fruits partially eaten by bats; avoid eating monkeys, bats, and bamboos.

“The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare wishes to confirm that two out of the seven samples sent for laboratory analysis of the Ebola Virus in Liberia are positive, indicating that Liberia now has an outbreak of the virus,” the ministry said in a statement issued Monday.

The two Liberian cases are sisters, one of whom had recently returned from Guinea to Foyah, a district in the northern Liberian town of Lofa, Information Minister Lewis Brown told this paper via mobile phone Monday.

One of the sisters, the one who returned from Guinea, died later in Foyah, while the other sister who had earlier taken care of her deceased sister returned to Firestone, where she resides via Chicken-Soup Factory, a community in Gardnerville, outside Monrovia and was later taken to Harbel, Firestone and received by her husband at a taxi rank. This was after she had spent one night with the taxi driver’s family.

“We sent 7 samples or specimens for testing, two came back positive,” Brown explains. He said the seven samples included the two sisters. He said Government has identified the husband of the sister who returned to Harbel, Firestone, adding that she has a household of four.

Mr. Brown said the government has also identified the taxi driver who took the infected lady from Foyah and his family. The driver, he added, is assisting in the identification of other passengers that were in the taxi from Foyah. The children of the infected lady, he said, are also being monitored as the lady has been quarantined.

Below is the full press statement issued by the Liberian government

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare wishes to confirm that two out of the seven samples sent for laboratory analysis of the Ebola Virus in Liberia are positive, indicating that Liberia now has an outbreak of the virus. According to Health and Social Welfare Minister Dr. Walter T. Gwenigale, one of those tested positive is dead while the other person is alive.

Speaking at the Ministry of Information Press briefing on Monday in Monrovia, Minister Gwenigale told the public that the lady tested positive left Foyah in Lofa County, over the weekend and travelled to Harbel, Margibi County, where she and her family are being closely monitored in addition to the taxi driver who transported her from Foyah to Monrovia.

Dr. Gwenigale and Information Minister Lewis Brown admonished the press against direct contact with those suspected or tested positive with the virus for fear of contracted the virus and that the media should help educate the public to make informed decisions about their health.

Also speaking during the press briefing, WHO Country Representative, Dr. Nestor Ndayimirije, commended the government of Liberia for acting swiftly to provide information to the public about the disease. Speaking further, Dr. Ndayimirije, appealed to the public to avoid fear, panic, and denial about the Ebola virus so that appropriate actions can be taken to prevent and contain the disease.
He also appealed to the media to provide accurate information to the public about the virus, taking into consideration that Ebola is not air-borne but that it can be transmitted through contacts with body fluids of infected persons..http://www.thenewdawnliberia.com/ind...tics&Itemid=59

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Liberia - Media reports of Possible Ebola cases - 2 cases confirmed

REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA
MINISTRY OF HEALTH & SOCIAL WELFARE
P. O. BOX 10 – 9009
1000 MONROVIA 10, LIBERIA
WEST AFRICA



PRESS RELEASE
March 31, 2014

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare wishes to confirm that two out of the seven samples sent for laboratory
analysis of the Ebola Virus in Liberia are positive, indicating that Liberia now has an outbreak of the virus.
According to Health and Social Welfare Minister Dr. Walter T. Gwenigale, one of those tested positive is dead
while the other person is alive. Speaking at the Ministry of Information Press briefing on Monday in Monrovia,
Minister Gwenigale told the public that the lady tested positive left Foyah in Lofa County, over the weekend and
travelled to Harbel, Margibi County where she and her family are being closely monitored in addition to the taxi
driver who transported her from Foyah to Monrovia. Dr. Gwenigale and Information Minister Lewis Brown
admonished the press against direct contact with those suspected or tested positive with the virus for fear of
contracted the virus and that the media should help educate the public to make informed decisions about their health.
Also speaking during the press briefing, WHO Country Representative, Dr. Nestor Ndayimirije, commended the
government of Liberia for acting swiftly to provide information to the public about the disease. Speaking further, Dr.
Ndayimirije, appealed to the public to avoid fear, panic, and denial about the Ebola virus so that appropriate actions
can be taken to prevent and contain the disease. He also appealed to the media to provide accurate information to the
public about the virus, taking into consideration that Ebola is not air-borne but that it can be transmitted through
contacts with body fluids of infected persons and some bush animals including fruit bats, monkey, and chimpanzee.

Meanwhile, the MOHSW and partners have stepped up robust plans and strategies to prevent and contain the spread
of the Ebola virus in Liberia. Hotlines have been established for the public to call and get basic information about
the disease. The hotline numbers are 0770198517, 0777549805, 0886530260, 0886549805.Other ongoing efforts are
coordination meetings at both national and county levels, distribution of personal protective sets to hospitals in
Montserrado, deployment of two teams to Nimba and Bong counties to support county efforts, training of clinicians
to create more awareness, resource mobilization, improved water and sanitation, contact tracing, surveillance and
case management in affected areas. Awareness messages in various dialects and information fliers on Ebola have
been produced and disseminated to the various counties as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.

The MOHSW is appealing to superintendents and local authorities in the various counties to work closely with
County Health Teams to coordinate activities with religious and community leaders and gCHVs in preventing and
containing the Ebola outbreak in the country. The public is also advised against buying bush meat for consumption.
The public is encouraged to take the following precautionary measures during this suspected Ebola emergency:
 Not to eat dead bush animals or be very careful in handling fresh bush meat.
 Avoid bathing dead bodies of suspected patients.
 Avoid eating plums/mangoes and other fruits partially eaten by bats.
 Avoid eating monkeys, bats, and bamboos
 Avoid eating dead animals
 Prevent coming in direct contact with body fluids of infected persons or dead persons.
 Wash your hands with soap and water as frequently as possible.
 Treat your water with chlorine before drinking.

Bernice T. Dahn, MD, MPH
Deputy Minister/Chief Medical Officer-RL

http://www.mohsw.gov.lr/documents/march&#37;2031,%202014.pdf