WHO says undiagnosed illness in Liberia initially appeared to be undetermined poisoning after 31 cases, 13 deaths - April 26, 2017+ Neisseria meningitidis type C?

[tetano]

GENEVA, April 26 (Reuters) - Liberian health authorites are taking rapid precautionary steps after eight people died of a mystery illness, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, 10 months after the end of a catastrophic two-year Ebola virus outbreak. Liberian authorities said initial scientific investigations ruled out Ebola as the cause of the deaths.
"Yesterday WHO received a report from Liberia health authorities about a cluster of unexplained illness and deaths in the southern part of the country – Sinoe County," WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said in emailed comments.
"According to this report, since Monday 14 people have fallen sick. Eight people have died and six are seriously ill and still in the hospital."

snip

The Chief Medical Officer of Liberia, Dr. Francis Kateh, told a news conference in Monrovia on Wednesday:
"Initial test conducted by the Liberian Institute of Biomedical Research in Charlesville, Margibi County, has ruled out Ebola virus disease as the cause of the deaths."

.more..


http://af.reuters.com/article/commod.../idAFL8N1HY65X

[Gert van der Hoek]

Deaths as mysterious disease hits Liberia

april 26, 2017

Liberian authorities are investigating a mysterious illness that has struck the country, reports indicate.

The deadly outbreak in the Sinoe County in the south of the country, state radio reported started over the weekend and was spreading.

Sinoe County lies 350km south-east of the capital, Monrovia.

Reports indicate that over a dozen deaths have been recorded as a result of the outbreak which state radio described as a "strange disease".

Stomach pains

Some of the victims reportedly drop dead on displaying the symptoms. At least five people were currently in hospital after exhibiting similar symptoms of abdominal or stomach pains.

The Liberian Health ministry said it was testing blood samples taken from eight people who had died from the unidentified disease.

Other sources spoke of police using megaphones, warning residents to report all sick cases to hospital and not to churches or other places of worship.

Was diagnosed

The incident comes about a year after the end of the deadly Ebola epidemic which affected Liberia and its two neighbours ? Sierra Leone and Guinea. In all, over 11,000 people died from that epidemic.

Meanwhile, across the border in Sierra Leone, reports on Tuesday also indicated an outbreak of Monkeypox.

Sources said a 35-year-old peasant farmer in the southern Pujehun District, which is close to Liberia, was diagnosed with the disease.

[JJackson]

Gert Africaview have a problem in that there internal link is bust and directing traffic to the wrong page.
At least it does not seem to fit an Ebola symptom set but then it does not fit monkeypox either so we will have to wait and see.
Was this piece any longer than you posted, and if so, was there anything interesting in the rest?

[Gert van der Hoek]

Fixed the link.

[alert]

Mass poisoning? This article indicates the entire outbreak has taken place since 5am Tuesday, a span of less than 48 hours:

http://outbreaknewstoday.com/liberia...n-cause-16932/

And this one shortens the time period even further, suggesting the first five deaths occurred simultaneously at 3am Tuesday:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201704261005.html

[alert]

It looks like the victims might have all eaten something in common:

http://gnnliberia.com/2017/04/25/9-persons-die-mysteriously-sinoe-county/

[snip]

Police in Sinoe County, southeastern Liberia, are investigation the mysterious death of nine persons after a repass of one late Edwin Dunbar, former Proprietor of One Family Entertainment Center who died few weeks ago in Greenville following a 2-night wake keeping. According to our contact, those who died mysteriously include five females and four males, our contact said specimens from the nine deceased have been taken to Buchanan, Grand Bassa County for testing to establish the actual cause of death.
As a result of this terrible incident, officers of the Liberia National Police have been deployed in the streets of Greenville using mega phones and requesting those who ate the repass to report themselves.

[alert]

http://news.sl/drwebsite/publish/article_200530373.shtml

[snip]


Many theories other than Ebola, are also being put forward as to the cause of the mysterious deaths.Since the symptoms exhibited by some of the dead persons do not resemble Ebola - some of the victims died without running any temperature - then some say it must be some other disease than Ebola.

[alert]

Hat-tip Shiloh. Ebola has been ruled out:

https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/...iberian-deaths

(There is still widespread discrepancy over the timing of the cases and whether H2H spread is occurring or has occurred. If this is H2H, it would have a very short incubation period. - alert)

[tetano]

Liberia says cause of mystery deaths unknown but Ebola ruled out

Health authorities in Liberia say the mysterious disease that killed nine people was not Ebola as was previously feared.
Dr. Francis Kateh told the BBC that from tests they run on the blood samples and other bodily fluids of the deceased, they are not dealing with Ebola.
He further stressed that they were carrying out further checks to ascertain the exact condition that led to the deaths in south eastern Sinoe county of the the West African country.

We are all having sleepless nights to make sure we find what is causing the deaths.

??We are all having sleepless nights to make sure we find what is causing the deaths,?? he is quoted to have said. Beside the nine deaths, authorities have disclosed that eight others are being held in isolation.
Health authorities on Wednesday issued strict guidelines to citizens on what to do as they investigate the illness. The instructions were largely those in place during the deadly Ebola outbreak.
Some symptoms of the disease according to reports include: abdominal pains, vomiting and headaches.

http://www.africanews.com/2017/04/27/liberia-says-cause-of-mystery-deaths-unknown-but-ebola-ruled-out/

[alert]

So girl dies on Sunday, presumably gets buried on Monday, and people start dying on Tuesday morning (and stop dying by mid-day Tuesday?)..

https://www.nigerianbulletin.com/threads/after-ebola-unknown-disease-kills-citizens-in-liberia.237751/

[snip]

The UN memo says that seven of those died between 2am and 11am local time on Tuesday morning.

These deaths are linked to a case on Sunday of an 11-year-old girl who had symptoms of "diarrhoea, vomiting and mental confusion".

[alert]

April 23 is Sunday, not Saturday. And the religious leader is thought to have died of high blood pressure, not this disease. But it indicates that some of the cases did not attend the funeral of the 11-year old girl. Perhaps the same contaminated food was served at both funerals? It is difficult to imagine what could possibly be transmitted H2H at a funeral with an incubation period of only hours.

Someone has commented on the article suggesting this is meningitis, but I'm not sure the timing is right.

http://frontpageafricaonline.com/ind...s-already-dead
According to reports, seven of the deaths were linked to the death of an 11-year-old who died on Sunday, April 23, 2017.
She died after showing symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting and mental confusion.
She was immediately taken to F.J. Grante Hospital where she reportedly died within one hour after she was admitted into the emergency room.
She reportedly attended the funeral ceremony of a religious leader on Saturday, April 23, in Greenville.

The religious leader is said to have died at John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital.
He was diagnosed of high blood pressure.
On Monday, April 24, another patient from Down Town Community who also attended the funeral of the religious leader presented symptoms of head ache, skin itching and body pain. He was admitted the same night at the F.J. Grant Hospital died by 2:00 A.M. Monday morning.

[Ronan Kelly]

Maybe methanol poisoning from illegal liquor served at the funeral?

[Pathfinder]

Death toll from strange disease in Sinoe County rises to 10

Apr 27, 2017 ? 14:23 17
APA-Monrovia (Liberia)

The Chief Medical Officer of Liberia, Dr. Francis Kateh, has disclosed that another person has died from the strange disease in Sinoe County, bringing to 10 the number of deaths from the disease.

Dr. Kateh told journalists in Monrovia on Thursday that another person, who has contracted the disease, has been hospitalized at the J.F. Grant Hospital in the provincial capital Greenvile. This, according to him, brings to 18, the number of persons who have contracted the disease.

He reiterated that initial tests conducted by the Liberia Institute of Bio-Medical Research in Charlesville, Margibi County has proved that the disease is not Ebola.

He, however, said another test would be performed while health authorities and the Liberia National Police have launched an investigation to ascertain the origin of the deaths.
...
TSS/GIK/APA

http://apanews.net/en/news/death-toll-from-strange-disease-in-sinoe-county-rises-to-10

[alert]

Xinhua is reporting that four individuals from Monrovia attended one of the funerals. It is not clear whether they are ill or are merely being traced as contacts in case this illness turns out to be contagious.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-04/27/c_136238468.htm

[snip]

According to him, four residents of the Liberian capital Monrovia who went to Greenville to bury their dead relatives were suspected of having contracted the disease and are being traced by health personnel.

[Pathfinder]

Liberia: Authorities in Sinoe County shut down schools

Apr 27, 2017 ? 15:32 16
Monrovia (Liberia)

The local authorities in southeastern Sinoe County have shut down all schools in the county until the disease that has surfaced in the county is contained.

According to a local radio report in Sinoe County, the residents of Greenville city are fleeing the city and seeking refuge in nearby villages apparently to escape the scourge of the disease.

At the same time, the spokesman of the Liberia National Police, Sam Collins, has disclosed that the Liberia National Police has dispatched a team of forensic officers to Greenville to help the ministry of health investigate the cause of the deaths from the strange disease.
...
TSS/GIK/APA

http://apanews.net/en/news/liberia-authorities-in-sinoe-county-shut-down-schools