Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Sierra Leone: Officials confirm new Ebola death - August 30, 2015 - 4 new cases confirmed

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Sierra Leone: Officials confirm new Ebola death - August 30, 2015 - 4 new cases confirmed

    Sierra Leone: Officials confirm new Ebola death

    By CLARENCE ROY-MACAULAY
    Aug. 30, 2015 12:36 PM EDT

    FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) ? Health officials in Sierra Leone on Sunday confirmed an Ebola death less than a week after the country's last known patient was discharged from a hospital.

    Samples from the body of a 67-year-old woman who died recently in Kambia district in the country's north came back positive for the deadly disease, said chief medical officer Dr. Brima Kargbo.

    Last Monday, the last known Ebola patient was released from a hospital in Sierra Leone, a milestone that allowed the West African nation to begin a 42-day countdown toward being declared free of Ebola transmission.
    ...

    "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
    -Nelson Mandela

  • #2
    Please see:


    Sierra Leone records zero new Ebola infections - Aug 17, 2015

    Comment


    • #3
      Guinea Ring Vaccination trial extended to Sierra Leone to vaccinate contacts of new Ebola case

      Freetown, Sierra Leone ? 31 August 2015: Detection of a new case of Ebola virus disease in Kambia, Sierra Leone after the country had marked almost three weeks of zero cases has set in motion the first ?ring vaccination? use of the experimental Ebola vaccine in Sierra Leone.

      A team of experts in ring vaccination has travelled from Conakry, Guinea to join a large WHO and Ministry of Health team already in the district where the new case has been reported. The source of the Ebola virus transmission is being investigated and all the people who may have been in contact with the infected person are being traced.

      ?Although no-one wanted to see more cases of Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone, we kept all our teams on alert and ready to respond and close down any new transmission? said Dr Anders Nordstrom, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone.

      Heightened surveillance for Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone includes swabbing all people who have died at home and testing those swabs for Ebola virus. On Saturday, 29th August, a swab taken from a woman who died aged around 60, in the village of Sella, Tonko Limba, Kambia district, tested positive for Ebola virus.

      Members of the team currently conducting the ring vaccination trial in Guinea, drove from Conakry in Guinea to Kambia, Sierra Leone on Sunday to begin work.

      The Guinea team were met in Kambia by another team from Freetown, who had been trained and prepared last week by WHO in order to be ready should there be any new Ebola virus infections in Sierra Leone.

      The Guinea ring vaccination trial is a Phase III efficacy trial of the VSV-EBOV vaccine (Merck, Sharp & Dohme) which is being conducted by WHO and partners*. Interim results published last July show that this vaccine is highly effective against Ebola. The ?ring vaccination? strategy involves vaccinating all contacts -the people known to have come into contact with a person confirmed to have been infected with Ebola (a ?case?) - and contacts of contacts.

      Following publication of those results, the Sierra Leone government requested that the trial be extended to Sierra Leone. The WHO Sierra Leone country office immediately sent a team to Guinea to organize this, ensuring that all the correct procedures and protocols are followed. WHO and partners then trained 18 Sierra Leonean health care workers on implementation of the study protocol.

      ?The training was done to ensure teams are ready to rapidly perform ring vaccination should there be new confirmed cases of Ebola in Sierra Leone,? said Dr Margaret Lamunu, WHO technical co-ordinator of the Ebola response in Sierra Leone, who is managing the extension of the ring vaccination trial in Sierra Leone.

      *Partners in the Guinea Ebola vaccine trial

      The Guinea Ebola vaccine trial is the coordinated effort of many international agencies. WHO is the regulatory sponsor of the study, which is implemented by the Ministry of Health of Guinea, WHO, M?decins sans Fronti?res (MSF), EPICENTRE and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. In Sierra Leone, the trial is being implemented by the Ministry of Health and WHO with the Guinea Ebola vaccine trial team.

      The trial is funded by WHO, with support from the Wellcome Trust, the United Kingdom Department for International Development, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Norwegian Institute of Public Health through the Research Council of Norway, the Canadian Government through the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, International Development Research Centre and Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development and MSF.

      The trial team includes experts from The University of Bern, the University of Florida, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Public Health England, the European Mobile Laboratories among others.
      ...

      .header-top {display:none;} .class404 {font-size:300px;color:#008dc9;font-weight:500;line-height: 0.9;margin-top:80px;} .fileNotFound {color:#008dc9;font-size:45px;text-transform:uppercase;font-weight:500;} h3 {font-size:32px;text-transform:uppercase;font-weight:500;margin-top:44px;} .pageTemplate404 p {font-size:22px;color:#666666;margin-bottom:40px;} a.btn.blue {cursor: pointer; margin: 0 auto; color: #fff; text-transform: uppercase; padding: 8px 59px; font-size: 14px; font-weight: normal; background-color: #008dc9;border-radius:0px;display:block; } .pageTemplate404 .f
      "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
      -Nelson Mandela

      Comment


      • #4
        Sierra Leone village in quarantine after woman dies of Ebola

        A village in Sierra Leone has been placed in quarantine after a 67-year-old woman died from Ebola, officials have said.
        The three-week lockdown comes after officials announced on Tuesday that the food trader had died in Sella Kafta village in the northern district of Kambia, having been ill for up to 10 days without the authorities? knowledge.
        ?Over 970 people are being monitored under quarantine as there is information that they had had some contact with the deceased woman who tested positive after her death,? the district Ebola response office said in a report on Friday.

        Food trader, 67, from northern district of Kambia had been unwell for up to 10 days without the authorities’ knowledge

        Comment


        • #5
          Sierra Leone Officials Confirm 3 New Cases of Ebola

          FREETOWN, Sierra Leone ? Sep 8, 2015, 2:12 PM ET
          Associated Press

          The head of Sierra Leone's National Ebola Response Center says that three new cases of Ebola have emerged in an area where a 67-year-old woman died in late August, bringing the total new cases in treatment to four.

          Alfred Palo Conteh said Tuesday that three new cases were confirmed Monday. He said now four people are in treatment after another case was confirmed Sept. 5.

          Palo Conteh said the new cases were in contact with the woman who died in the northern Kambia district on Aug. 28.
          ...
          "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
          -Nelson Mandela

          Comment


          • #6
            Health | Tue Sep 8, 2015 2:34pm EDT Related: HEALTH

            New Sierra Leone Ebola cases frustrate efforts to end outbreak

            Sierra Leone has recorded four new cases of Ebola in a village on its northern border and will likely see more infections in a further setback to efforts to end an 18-month West African epidemic, a senior health official said on Tuesday.

            The new cases recorded since the start of the weekend in Sella Kaffta, a village in Kambia District, were all individuals who came into direct contact with a woman who died of the disease late last month.

            Pallo Conteh, head of Sierra Leone's National Ebola Response Centre, said the woman's family had failed to notify authorities when she fell ill and instead cared for her themselves.

            "I am expecting more cases," he said. "We are sure that the body was washed ... so all those who took part in the washing of the corpse, all those who were helping her when she was having wet symptoms would all become infected."
            ...

            "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
            -Nelson Mandela

            Comment


            • #7
              Stopping Ebola: It takes collaboration to care for a village

              September 2015

              In late August 2015, as Sierra Leone anxiously counted each day that passed with no new confirmed Ebola cases, a woman fell ill with fever, then diarrhoea and vomiting in Sella Kafta village, Tonko Limba chiefdom, Kambia. Her family cared for her at home and, though her symptoms got worse, no one called the Ebola hotline. She was not tested for Ebola virus until after she died, when the Safe and Dignified Burial team were called to bury her and, following surveillance protocols, took a swab. That swab tested positive for Ebola virus disease, bitterly disappointing a country hoping to see an end of Ebola transmission and triggering a rapid response by WHO and partners.

              Teams of contact tracers, surveillance experts and community engagement specialists were on standby, ready to go to wherever they were needed to stop any further transmission. The district authorities decided to quarantine the entire village of close to 1000 people for 21 days. Different organizations provided food, water, supplies, social support, educational support for children, even solar powered telephones and assistance with farms so that crops were not left to rot during the growing season. Confirmation of this new case has also set in motion the first "ring vaccination" use of the experimental Ebola vaccine in Sierra Leone.

              Here in pictures are a few examples of what it takes to close down Ebola virus transmission.
              Contact tracing

              WHO/S. Gborie

              Knowing who has been in contact with someone infected and who has symptoms that may be those of Ebola virus disease is crucial for understanding where the virus is spreading. Here WHO contact tracing mentors visit the homes of people known to have been in contact with the woman confirmed to have died from Ebola virus disease. The day before this picture was taken one such "contact" said she was feeling very unwell and 'was scared'. She was tested and confirmed to be the second person with Ebola virus disease in the flare-up.
              Ring vaccination

              WHO/S. Gborie

              In 2 tents set up in the middle of the village, people eligible for the ring Ebola vaccine trial are being vaccinated after having the trial and its purpose fully explained and giving written consent. The "ring vaccination" strategy involves vaccinating all contacts - the people known to have come into contact with a person confirmed to have been infected with Ebola (a 'case') - and contacts of contacts.
              Care of pregnant women

              WHO/S. Gborie

              Among those quarantined in Sella Kafta are at least 15 pregnant women. Several of these women are close to full-term so they have been taken to a health centre where they can give birth safely. Here 3 members of the GOAL (Irish nongovernmental organization) reproductive health team are making their daily visit to the expectant mothers quarantined in this village.
              Ebola partners

              WHO/S. Gborie

              People in quarantined homes can not get to wells and bore pumps to fetch household water. UNICEF is providing water and hygiene kits to every home, along with educational materials for children, who are missing 3 weeks of school as they stay in quarantine.
              Social support

              WHO/S. Gborie

              People in quarantined homes have many concerns and questions, and want information about what is going on. Here local officials are visiting a family to ask whether all their needs are being met and list any actions that should be taken to improve their welfare.
              Ebola awareness

              WHO/S. Gborie

              Listening to what people understand and fear about the illness and providing information about what they can do to protect themselves is crucial for improving willingness to take action to stop Ebola. Here a team from the local nongovernmental organization Rest Less Development and Focus 1000 are visiting each home to provide more information about Ebola and what people need to do to prevent it.
              Mobile phones to quarantined homes

              WHO/S. Gborie

              Helping people to stay in touch with friends and family outside the quarantined village lessens anxiety and resentment. Here, DFID (through community volunteers) is distributing mobile phones with solar-powered chargers to all heads of households in quarantined homes in Sella Kafta.
              Assisting farmers

              WHO/S. Gborie

              Sella Kafta is in rich agricultural land and most of the villagers are rice and millet farmers. The 3-week quarantine is keeping them from their fields in the middle of the growing season. A local NGO funded by DFID is working with farmers, providing people able to tend the crops from neighbouring villages and ensure families do not lose a year’s food supply because of the quarantine.

              http://www.who.int/features/2015/sto...-in-kambia/en/
              "Safety and security don't just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear."
              -Nelson Mandela

              Comment

              Working...
              X