Ebola in Uganda: November 30 - December 17, 2007

[HenryN]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

The meeting tonight was a bit calmer and more amicable, thanks for prayers for cooperation. Here are the facts:

• Cumulative cases: 115
• Cumulative deaths: 29 (CFR 25.2%)
• Contacts: 368. 298 were seen today! Amazing really if you think about the challenges.
• Bundibugyo Isolation Ward: 17 inpatients, 4 discharges today (!!), 2 admissions, 0 deaths, with 2 of 17 remaining in critical condition.
• Kikyo Isolation Ward: 12 inpatients, 1 discharge, 1 admission, 1 death (sadly a 17 year old boy), and 1 of 12 remaining in critical condition.
• LABS AT LAST!!: 17 patients had samples run today in Entebbe, some were specimens that had been collected days ago. 10 of 12 samples from Bundibugyo were positive for Ebola, either by antigen detection or production of antibody response. ZERO of 5 samples from other districts were positive. In other words all confirmed cases to date stem directly from Bundibugyo. There is still a large back-log of tests so we are not quite ready to breathe a sigh of relief, but at least the initial news is good, the spread may not be as fast and violent as feared.
• Jonah?s labs: his initial test done on Saturday (day 4 of illness, day 2 of admission) was positive for antigen (presence of the virus) but negative for IgM antibody (he was not yet mounting a detectable immune repsonse). The sample two days later was positive on both counts. It is no surprise that he truly died of Ebola, but provides some closure to have it confirmed.
• Tribalism: Sadly almost all the cases stem from the Bakonjo tribe (including Jonah). The Bakonjo are a minority in the district; most of them live in Kasese and Congo. The majority tribe here, the Babwisi, have been relatively spared. Since transmission is person to person, this makes sense, that the disease would stay within one primary ethnic group. However even in ADF days there was suspicion and accusation between the tribes. Now the Bakonjo are accusing the Babwisi of poisoning them, and we heard that today some refused to buy rice in market that was grown by the Babwisi women. Yet another way that fear and misunderstanding can be used to foment ethnic unrest.
• More unrest: on the Fort Portal side of the mountains, that district had decided to locate their isolation unit as close to the Bundibugyo district border as possible, in Kichwamba. But local people rioted last night, breaking windows in the ward, and forcing transfer of two suspect cases back to Fort Portal Town?s main hospital. These tensions are essentially the same that sparked Rwanda, the fear that one?s own family and tribe are at risk and therefore the justification to lash out violently against those perceived to be enemies. We are praying for peace. Thankfully no violence here where the real cases are, but the mistrust and bickering is a smaller symptom of the same issue.
• More discrimination: a local government official who has been conspicuously absent all week showed up today, complaining that in Kampala he was ostracized as ?the walking dead? because he was from Bundibugyo. We all acknowledge that the country is in a quandary, most people are very upset about the possibility of catching Ebola, and anyone from Bundibugyo is suspected to be a carrier. The district?s ONLY bank closed today, in spite of pleas by the security officer that there was no danger in banking. Inability to access money will definitely put a damper on the response.
• Tomorrow?s tasks: The minister of health himself and three other top ministry officials will fly in for an official visit tomorrow. Before that Scott and Dr. Yoti will ceremoniously discharge Dr. Sessanga from his home isolation, declaring him cured. Then the Scotts (both) will be participating in training staff at NHC to help allay fears and provide adequate protection so patient care for non-Ebola cases can proceed.
  

We can?t thank you enough for your care. We?ve been particularly encouraged by several people contributing to the emergency response fund. We will be spending some immediate money on more gloves, and trust that the school fees for Jonah?s children will be provided by the time they need them in late January. It is good to sense how clearly we are only one small part of the larger community of Christ in this time.

[sharon sanders]

Outbreak Notice
Updated: Ebola Outbreak in the District of Bundibugyo, Uganda
This information is current as of today, December 10, 2007 at 17:27
Updated: December 10, 2007

The U.S. CDC and the Ministry of Health of Uganda have reported an Ebola hemorrhagic fever outbreak in the Bundibugyo district located in the Western part of the country. The outbreak may have begun as early as August 2007. As of December 5, ninety-three people have become ill; evidence of Ebola virus infection has been confirmed in nine people, and twenty-two people have died. Genetic analysis of samples from case-patients indicated that this is a new virus strain distinct from the four known strains of Ebola virus. However, further studies will be needed before this can be verified.
Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a rare, serious viral disease which develops suddenly, with common symptoms of fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness. Diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain start after the first symptoms. A skin rash may develop. By the third or fourth day of illness some people with Ebola hemorrhagic fever may develop internal and external bleeding, shock and organ failure.
Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood or other body fluids (e.g., saliva, urine) of infected persons or objects that have been contaminated with infected body fluids. People who have close contact with a nonhuman primate infected with the virus are also at risk.
Recommendations for U.S. Travelers

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that there is no need for any travel restrictions to Uganda. Generally, the risk of contracting Ebola virus is low for travelers. CDC recommends that anyone traveling to Uganda take the following steps to prevent Ebola virus infection:

• Avoid contact with Ebola patients and their body fluids.
• Avoid touching used needles or other medical waste.
• Avoid contact with wild animals and bushmeat, including primates.

More Information

For information about the current situation, see the WHO report at www.who.int.
For additional information on Ebola hemorrhagic fever, please see http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/m...ages/ebola.htm.
To learn more about traveling to areas with hemorrhagic fevers, see the Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers section of CDC Health Information for International Travel 2008.

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[Commonground]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

The CDC should have mentioned that the districts only bank closed today....

The district?s ONLY bank closed today, in spite of pleas by the security officer that there was no danger in banking.

[Treyfish]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Uganda: Ebola is Back, We Need to Avoid Contact With Nearly Everybody!

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The East African (Nairobi)
COLUMN
10 December 2007
Posted to the web 10 December 2007
Joachim Buwembo

Epidemics come and go. Some spread their misery for only a few weeks, while others linger or keep cropping up just as you thought they were history. One recent one looks set to be with us for a long time. Worse, there appears to be no telling how devastating the newest strike by the Ebola hemorrhagic fever will be before it is contained.
As a matter of fact, Uganda is today grappling with four "new" epidemics - meningitis and bubonic plague in West Nile region, cholera in Hoima and Buliisa districts and yellow fever in the northern district of Kitgum. But the scariest is Ebola. It kills in the most horrifying way, as blood oozes from all openings in the victim's body. Ebola is transmitted by contact with any fluids from the body of an infected person.

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What is surprising is how long it has taken us - authorities and the public - to take the matter seriously. Everybody knows that this time around, Ebola first struck in the western district of Bundibugyo in August - that is, some four months ago. Considering that our medical workers and authorities had to fight a serious Ebola epidemic in 2000, antennae should have been quivering the minute Ebola-like symptoms manifested themselves. Anti-Ebola precautions would then have been taken as we awaited results of laboratory tests from the United States, which were received just over a week ago, on November 29.
All the same, there is no reason to doubt that we shall get over this, as we have in the past. Didn't we survive the plague just after World War I in the last century? Our grandfathers learnt how to treat the victims from a distance, building isolated huts for them and taking them food served using a long stick. When the victim finally died, a hole was dug near the hut and, avoiding direct contact, the body was pushed down the hole and burial effected immediately.
The colonial authorities were smart and did their bit in checking the epidemic. Having known that rats were responsible for spreading the disease, they asked their African subjects to collect as many rat tails as they could, ostensibly so the medicine to cure the disease could be manufactured from them. People began hunting down all the rats for their "much needed" tails - of course, killing them in the process - and the problem was eventually solved.
OTHER EPIDEMICS HAVE COME AND gone too. We thought yellow fever had gone forever, but now it is back in some parts. Now and then, cholera comes around, especially in crowded places. In Kampala, it tends to hit areas that have poor sanitation. We usually react by setting up a special tent to treat the affected at Mulago national referral hospital and reminding people to wash their hands after visiting the toilet.
There is also HIV and Aids, which first appeared in the early 1980s. When the cause and main mode of transmission were identified, the government embarked on a major campaign to educate the public on how to avoid it. This was in the mid 1980s to early 1990s. The campaigns were largely successful, until HIV became a big industry involving millions of dollars. The anti-HIV campaign then spawned its own epidemic of mini-rackets and scams, but at least the general increase in awareness had helped roll back the viral invasion and keep its spread in check.
However, there is a new challenge. Because of improved care at the community level as well as scientific advances, many infected persons live longer, including those babies who contract the virus at birth. Many such babies have now attained the age of 20 - and a few are even 22. They are at the height of their sexual awareness and are now asking why they have to abstain forever.
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Most are sole survivors from families that were virtually wiped out by the virus and are anxious not to be the "last in the series" - in other words, they want to reproduce.
But back to the Ebola thing, we shall need some prayers in addition to the precautions of avoiding contact with almost everybody. For there is no telling who contracted the thing before the symptoms start showing. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712101774.html

[Treyfish]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Kenya: Ebola Fear Grips Border Town

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The East African Standard (Nairobi)
11 December 2007
Posted to the web 10 December 2007
Robert Wanyonyi And Alex Ndegwa
Nairobi
A man who died in Uganda last week and was hurriedly buried in Malaba town allegedly succumbed to the deadly Ebola virus.
Residents of the town along the Kenya-Uganda border are living in fear following what they described as a secret and hurried burial of Peter Kung'u Mucheru, 35.

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Mucheru was buried on Monday at Amoni, a remote village in Teso District, about 6km from Malaba town, barely an hour after his body was brought from a mortuary in Busia. The coffin was wrapped in a polythene bag.
Family members and residents were cautioned against viewing the body or touching it and were instructed to bury it immediately.
A Ugandan health official, who, however, declined to be identified, said the victim was bleeding from all openings. But he could not confirm that the man died of Ebola.
He said Mucheru got sick and was transferred to a hospital in Kampala. Thereafter, he was referred to Mulago Hospital, where he died.
Many of the Ebola patients from Bundibugyo County, western Uganda, are taken to Mulago Hospital.
So far, 28 people, including three doctors, have died from the disease.
When The Standard visited the border town, Ministry of Health officials were at pains to explain why the body was wrapped in a polythene bag or why the burial was hurried.
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But the Director of Health Promotion, Dr Nicholas Muraguri, ruled out Ebola as the cause of the man's death.
He said they had contacted Ugandan Health officials and medical records showed that the victim was treated for malaria and typhoid.
Muraguri added that Mucheru had not visited western Uganda where the deadly disease broke out. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712101909.html

[Treyfish]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Kenya: Ebola Alert On Uganda Border

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The Nation (Nairobi)
11 December 2007
Posted to the web 10 December 2007
Ouma Wanzala
Nairobi
A special ward has been set up at the Busia district hospital to deal with any case of Ebola that may be detected.
Busia medical officer of health Dr Silas Ayunga said that the move is in readiness for the Ebola disease that has been reported in Uganda.

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The MOH said that medical personnel in the district have also been put on high alert and asked patients to report to health centres immediately they feel unwell.
"We have alerted medical personnel to be on stand-by since we border Uganda as any person come in the country while infected with the disease," said Dr Ayunga.
The medic added that medical personnel had been stationed on the Uganda border to screen people entering the country.
"We have set up the unit to ensure that people from Northern Uganda which has been affected by Ebola do not enter the country," Dr Ayunga said.
The medical boss said the response unit was involving public health officers, nurses, laboratory technologists and clinical officers.
The medical personnel are helping in the screening of visitors from Uganda, he added.
"We have erected a tent at the border point to assist in testing people who enter the country and we are also protecting volunteer workers," he said.
Dr Ayunga said that since the outbreak of the disease in Uganda over a week ago his office had screened 193 visitors among them 151 men and 52 women.
The public health officer said that his office was working hand in hand with health officials in Uganda.
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Dr Ayunga was addressing journalist yesterday in his office. He said the screening will go on until there is no more threat.
Busia district public health officer Ambrose Fwamba said a response team has been set up at the district hospital to deal with any reported cases.
The public health officer told the residents to be on the alert and to report any suspected cases to the response team. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712101917.html
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[Treyfish]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Uganda: Four Districts Struck Off Ebola List

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The Nation (Nairobi)
11 December 2007
Posted to the web 10 December 2007
Tabu Butagira
Kampala
The ministry of health has announced that blood samples taken from suspected Ebola victims in four districts of central, eastern and northern Uganda have tested negative for the dreaded Ebola virus.
"(Blood) Samples which were taken from the districts of Gulu, Kanungu, Mbale and Masaka were negative, meaning that these (deceased) people did not have Ebola," Dr Sam Zaramba, the Director General of health services said in a statement on Monday.

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This announcement, following laboratory diagnosis at the newly installed Ebola-testing machine at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) - that began working on Sunday, grants relief to thousands of nervous residents of the four districts, which were put on "Ebola alert" by the government last week.
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Dr Zaramba said that by Monday, the death toll from the virulent disease had risen to 29 out of 113 suspected infections. "The public is urged to avoid unnecessary movements and gatherings especially in the districts surrounding Bundibugyo like Hoima, Kibale, Kyenjojo, Kamwenge, Ibanda, Bushenyi and Mbarara," Zaramba said. By press time, at least a total of 32 Ebola patients were reported to be admitted at both Kikyo Health Centre IV and Bundibugyo hospital.
"On a positive note," said Zaramba, "six people who were admitted have been discharged. Of the six, three were in Bundibugyo Hospital and three in Kikyo Isolation Unit," he said. In Kasese, Churches and Mosques in the town centre remained largely empty at the weekend as frightened Worshippers skipped prayers over fears of contracting Ebola.
Daily Monitor in a mini survey on Friday and Sunday, found an unusually low turn up of faithful at Kasese main Mosque, Seventh Day Adventists Church, Church of Uganda (South Rwenzori Diocese) Cathedral and the Catholic Church cathedral in Kasese town. http://allafrica.com/stories/200712101930.html
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[Treyfish]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width=590 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=502>Uganda-Ebola-public transport</TD><TD align=right width=87></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle colSpan=2></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>Ebola: Transport companies in Uganda ordered to spray vehicles </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle colSpan=2>10-12-2007 17:01:12 </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>APA-Kampala (Uganda) Public transport vehicles transporting people from western Uganda have been ordered by the city council of Kampala to spray their motor vehicles to disinfect them against Ebola before heading to the capital city.
In addition, all passengers bound for Kampala have to be sprayed with disinfectants before they board the vehicles.
Kampala health director Livingstone Makanga said on Monday that transport companies have been ordered to buy spray pumps.
Makanga said the city council is going to work with police to ensure that all transporters comply with the new regulation.
The directives come at a time when transporters are hoping to make super profits as they transport people rushing to Kampala to shop for Christmas.
One transporter, Kato Henry of Kalita transporters, said in an interview that while they are willing to cooperate with the Kampala city council and police, they cannot afford to buy pumps and disinfectants for the 20 buses owned by the company.
He said he wants the government to purchase the disinfectants and distribute them to the transporters.
Meanwhile, the Kampala city council has banned food vendors, mobile pedicurists and manicurists from the city with effect from Tuesday this week.
Makanga said that a rapid response team has been set up to respond to any Ebola outbreak.
The Kampala city council has also warned people from using public pay phones without gloves.


</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2> http://www.apanews.net/apa.php?article49027</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Treyfish]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=4 width=480 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=headline1 colSpan=2>Muslims warned not to wash the dead over Ebola</TD></TR><TR><TD>Monday, 10th December, 2007</TD><TD align=right><!-- E-mail and Print Article --><TABLE style="MARGIN-LEFT: auto; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse"><TBODY><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle"></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">E-mail article</TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle"> </TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle"></TD><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: middle">Print article</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>By Vision Reporters
THE Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) has warned Muslims not to wash bodies of people who die in areas suspected to have Ebola. This is one of the measures to stem the spread of the deadly Ebola haemorrhagic fever outbreak in Bundibugyo district.

The disease is spread through contact with body fluids of an infected person.
The Ministry of Health put the death toll by yesterday at 29 in Bundibugyo and 113 infected. The move by UMSC followed a request by the Ministry of Health to suspend their religious ritual.

UMSC spokesman Hajji Nsereko Mutumba said: ?Much as the Koran tells us to bury bodies which are clean, it discourages people from committing suicide. Washing an Ebola victim would mean one is committing suicide.?

He asked Muslims in Ebola areas to stop sharing containers in which they carry water for ablution before they pray.
A new suspected Ebola case was admitted at Kagadi Hospital in Kibaale district yesterday.

The 42-year-old Special Police Constable attached to Sunga Police Station, had bloody diarrhoea, vomited, had a high fever, headache and complained of abdominal pain.

The head of the Ebola task force in Kibaale, Dr. Isaac Kakibogo, said blood samples from the man would be tested in Entebbe.

As soon as the man was admitted, over 20 other patients fled. Patients left the hospital with drips still attached to their hands and held up by relatives. Even the people who brought the patient and some health workers fled. Private clinics in Kagadi filled up with patients who had run away from the hospital.

Dr. Kakibogo said the hospital did not have enough protective gear and had neither running water nor electricity. He said he was worried that if other cases came in, they may abandon their work.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health yesterday cleared Gulu, Kanungu, Masaka and Mbale districts, which had earlier been suspected to have Ebola cases.

According to the Commissioner of Health Services, Dr. Sam Okware, the woman who died in Mbale, Olivia Mukiite, had pregnancy complications, nort Ebola. He said samples from Kanungu, Gulu and Masaka revealed other diseases unrelated to Ebola.

Doctors in Mbale yesterday said Mukiite?s relatives were free to exhume the body for reburial at their ancestral home.
Mbale Hospital superintendent, Dr. Vincent Ojome, however, cautioned people to take more precautions this Christmas season.

The ministry has put 10 other districts on Ebola alert. Tests on samples collected from patients in Kampala, Adjumani, Kasese, Mubende, Mbarara, Kasese and Kabarole are expected today.

In Bundibugyo, Dr. Richard Ssessanga, the Bundibugyo Hospital superintendent, was discharged and is recuperating. Two other patients, including a nursing officer, Ezekiel Kisughu, were also discharged from the hospital.
Nineteen Ebola patients are still in Bundibugyo Hospital, while 13 are in Kikyo health centre.

The Uganda Red Cross said its team of 100 health workers was monitoring 435 people in Bundibugyo who had contact with victims of Ebola. The Red Cross has also equipped the World Health Organisation and the health ministry with communication handsets.

The ministry has warned the public, especially in Bundibugyo and the surrounding districts of Hoima, Kibale, Kabarole, Kyenjojo, Kamwenge, Ibanda, Bushenyi and Mbarara, to avoid unnecessary movements and gatherings.

Medical staff in Kabarole district said yesterday blood samples from 19 Ebola suspects and their contacts were taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute in Entebbe for testing. Results are expected today.

Some of the suspects had fled Kichwamba when irate villagers attacked an isolation centre there, breaking its doors and windows. The villagers were protesting the location of the center in their village.

Other samples were taken from inmates of Katojo Prison who had been isolated and admitted to Buhinga Hospital.
Health workers said they were receiving calls from Kichwamba informing them of suspected cases but the villagers feared leading them to the patients. He said the people were scared of the wrath of fellow villagers.

The workers said they needed more food to feed the patients so as to minimise contact with relatives. In Kampala, Mulago Hospital has formed a task force to handle Ebola cases. The hospital management, however, said Dr. Jonah Kule, who has since died, was the only Ebola patient there.

Dr. Banterana Byarugaba, who is experienced in handling emergencies, heads the Mulago Ebola task force. He has previously headed task forces for deadly outbreaks such as the recent cholera outbreak in the city. The Mulago taskforce works closely with Kampala City Council.

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http://www.newvision.co.ug/detail.php?newsCategoryId=12&newsId=601399

[Treyfish]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

North Kivu: The Red Cross of Rdc on alert response to the epidemic of Ebola on the border with Uganda
North Kivu, 10/12/2007 / Politics
The epidemic of Ebola expressed again in Uganda, a neighboring country of the Democratic Republic of Congo. This virus is of a new type, according to experts.
"The Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of Congo (CRRDC) is on alert response to the epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, which was declared in Uganda at 30 km from the border of the Northern Province - Kivu (Democratic Republic of Congo ", revealed the Director of Health Department to the Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dr Twahiru Yurna Taldo. was during a press conference he held on Saturday, December 8 at the headquarters of the central committee of this humanitarian organization.

After confirming that no cases of the disease have been recorded so far in the DRC, Dr Twahiru Yunia noted that precautions are taken by the Red Cross of the DRC so that it can not "enter" Democratic Republic of Congo. "To do this, the Red Cross of the DRC has sent volunteers to circle the border with Uganda. In addition, they are responsible for educating the population, using flip charts and posters, the dangers represented by this virus and the precautions to take to avoid it. They also canvass for this purpose, "he said.

He recalled in this regard that the DRC government has decided to close its borders with Uganda following the declaration of this virus in the country. According to Dr. Twahiru Yurna, the Ebola virus, which broke out in Uganda is of a new type, in addition to four other classics, namely those of Zaire, Sudan, Restor and Cote d ' Ivoire. "So far, the type of Zaire was the most virulent," he pointed out before noting that it is for the second time that an Ebola outbreak in Uganda said. He also took stock of the situation after Ebola in the area of health Kampungu located in the province of Kasai Occidental.

In this regard, he confirmed that the Red Cross of the DRC still remains after the departure of humanitarian workers. This, he explained, in order to repair the scars. Because the property that belonged to the deceased persons immediately virus had been destroyed houses, mattresses, clothes ... And that the community had ceased all activities rustic therefore economic activities.

The Red Cross of the DRC is therefore spent in the first phase. This is the psycho-social support for victims which is to distribute one hundred fifty families gathered and recorded the non-vivres (blankets, tarpaulins, blankets, kitchen kits, clothing, etc.). As for the second phase, it will focus on the development of micro depending on the choice and the needs of disaster victims.

Finally, the third phase is that of development. It provides for the drilling of wells, the construction of health facilities ... In this region. Officially, 186 deaths had been recorded during the Ebola epidemic. http://www.digitalcongo.net/article/48640

[Treyfish]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Butembo: Ebola fever, 36 people placed in quarantine
North Kivu | December 10, 2007 at 15:44:02




Hits: 159
36 people from Bundibujo, Ugandan border district of the DRC, were placed in quarantine last Tuesday to Nubili, Congolese town located 142 km north-east of Butembo. Health authorities and administrative Butembo-Beni taking preventive measures since the outbreak of the Ebola fever in Uganda, reported radiookapi.net

According to the District Medical Officer of Beni, this observation will last 21 days. Following this period, doctors can declare itself on the health of these people and decide on their eventual internment.
This isolation was immediately followed by the closure of the market in the village of Kamango, near Beni. According to Mr. Bambili Bamukoka, chief of the community of Watalinga, this market is regularly frequented by the Ugandan Bundibujo coming to pit in foodstuffs.
A system of information network on the disease process is established by the provincial Minister of Health to prevent the spread of the disease. The base station is located in Goma, Beni remains operational basis based on each area of health.

http://www.radiookapi.net/index.php?i=53&a=15920

[Treyfish]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

In the DRC.

[Treyfish]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Uganda confirms 113 suspected Ebola cases

Tue 11 Dec 2007, 7:23 GMT

[-] Text [+]

By Tim Cocks
KAMPALA (Reuters) - Uganda has 113 suspected cases of a new strain of Ebola fever that has killed 29 people, officials said on Monday, vowing to take the necessary steps to stop the virus spreading.
Ugandans fear the outbreak could mushroom into a major epidemic affecting the capital Kampala.

"We have an Ebola lab in Entebbe (near Uganda's international airport) where we are testing samples we took from suspected cases," Health Ministry spokesman Paul Kabwa said.
Some banks and supermarkets in the city issued their staff with protective rubber gloves for handling money they feared could be contaminated with the virus, which often causes victims to bleed to death through ears, eyes and other orifices.
All cases so far have been in western Uganda's Bundibugyo district, bordering Democratic Republic of the Congo, except a doctor from the region who went to the capital after treating patients and died soon afterwards in a Kampala hospital.
"I'm very worried," said Valentine Oketcho, 25, who hands out fliers for restaurants in a Kampala shopping mall. "It's terrible, it's killing people in less than a week. This is worse than AIDS. At least you can survive AIDS for some years."
Others said the government should declare a state of emergency, although it has said it is on top of the epidemic.
The outbreak, which started in August, has sparked panic among officials, health workers and the public. A fifth health worker was among the latest dead, officials said.
Kampala was rife with rumours of two Ebola deaths in the city over the weekend, including a man who collapsed in the street, although Kabwa said neither fitted the definition of a suspected Ebola case.
The affected region borders Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the Ebola river gave the virus its name after some of the first cases were recorded in its valley in 1976.
"If it can do all this in Bundibugyo, it could spread further, even Kampala," said Amira Hussein, who runs a gift shop. "So now in addition to malaria, AIDS, plague and all the rest, we have Ebola. Are we unlucky?"
The last Ebola outbreak in Uganda was in 2000, when 425 people caught it and more than half died. http://africa.reuters.com/top/news/u...2.html?rpc=401&

[Niko]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Monday, December 10, 2007

Ebola Bundibugyo, Monday night

**snipped**

The meeting tonight was a bit calmer and more amicable, thanks for prayers for cooperation. Here are the facts:

• Cumulative cases: 115
• Cumulative deaths: 29 (CFR 25.2%)
• Contacts: 368. 298 were seen today! Amazing really if you think about the challenges.
• Bundibugyo Isolation Ward: 17 inpatients, 4 discharges today (!!), 2 admissions, 0 deaths, with 2 of 17 remaining in critical condition.
• Kikyo Isolation Ward: 12 inpatients, 1 discharge, 1 admission, 1 death (sadly a 17 year old boy), and 1 of 12 remaining in critical condition.
• LABS AT LAST!!: 17 patients had samples run today in Entebbe, some were specimens that had been collected days ago. 10 of 12 samples from Bundibugyo were positive for Ebola, either by antigen detection or production of antibody response. ZERO of 5 samples from other districts were positive. In other words all confirmed cases to date stem directly from Bundibugyo. There is still a large back-log of tests so we are not quite ready to breathe a sigh of relief, but at least the initial news is good, the spread may not be as fast and violent as feared.
• Jonah?s labs: his initial test done on Saturday (day 4 of illness, day 2 of admission) was positive for antigen (presence of the virus) but negative for IgM antibody (he was not yet mounting a detectable immune repsonse). The sample two days later was positive on both counts. It is no surprise that he truly died of Ebola, but provides some closure to have it confirmed.
• Tribalism: Sadly almost all the cases stem from the Bakonjo tribe (including Jonah). The Bakonjo are a minority in the district; most of them live in Kasese and Congo. The majority tribe here, the Babwisi, have been relatively spared. Since transmission is person to person, this makes sense, that the disease would stay within one primary ethnic group. However even in ADF days there was suspicion and accusation between the tribes. Now the Bakonjo are accusing the Babwisi of poisoning them, and we heard that today some refused to buy rice in market that was grown by the Babwisi women. Yet another way that fear and misunderstanding can be used to foment ethnic unrest.
• More unrest: on the Fort Portal side of the mountains, that district had decided to locate their isolation unit as close to the Bundibugyo district border as possible, in Kichwamba. But local people rioted last night, breaking windows in the ward, and forcing transfer of two suspect cases back to Fort Portal Town?s main hospital. These tensions are essentially the same that sparked Rwanda, the fear that one?s own family and tribe are at risk and therefore the justification to lash out violently against those perceived to be enemies. We are praying for peace. Thankfully no violence here where the real cases are, but the mistrust and bickering is a smaller symptom of the same issue.
• More discrimination: a local government official who has been conspicuously absent all week showed up today, complaining that in Kampala he was ostracized as ?the walking dead? because he was from Bundibugyo. We all acknowledge that the country is in a quandary, most people are very upset about the possibility of catching Ebola, and anyone from Bundibugyo is suspected to be a carrier. The district?s ONLY bank closed today, in spite of pleas by the security officer that there was no danger in banking. Inability to access money will definitely put a damper on the response.
• Tomorrow?s tasks: The minister of health himself and three other top ministry officials will fly in for an official visit tomorrow. Before that Scott and Dr. Yoti will ceremoniously discharge Dr. Sessanga from his home isolation, declaring him cured. Then the Scotts (both) will be participating in training staff at NHC to help allay fears and provide adequate protection so patient care for non-Ebola cases can proceed.
  

http://www.paradoxuganda.blogspot.com/

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Disclaimers....

We are just people who happened to be in the epicenter of the most recent Ebola outbreak, and this is just a blog. This is not an official news source, this is not a scientific record, this is not the policy voice of WHM.
***snipped***

[Commonground]

Re: Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:58 pm Post subject:

http://www.paradoxuganda.blogspot.com/

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2007

Ebola Bundibugyo, Tuesday Night Numbers

First, let us thank our Minister of Defense Dr. Crispus Kiyonga, who wrote a tribute to Dr. Jonah in today?s New Vision. Dr. Kiyonga was at one time the Minister of Health, and we met him when we were both ?mature? students at Hopkins. In fact his picture was on our blog last month when he stopped by to greet us. He has been concerned and calling many of us over the last few days, and today?s article is a very moving tribute to health workers here. We very much appreciate it. Here is the link: http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/459/601388

Second, we continue to get calls from the erroneous radio report today that Scott is sick with Ebola. It is a rare opportunity to experience Mark Twain?s famous quote: rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Though we can take it with a dose of humor, we do feel terrible for our friends who live in fear and have lost so much already, to have to hear another report of bad news.

Now the news:

Total cases remain at 115, the first time we?ve had no new cases or admissions. Praise God for a respite.

Deaths: 31. CFR 26.9%. One of the deaths today was the 20-something daughter of Jeremiah Muhindo. She had been fairly stable, and we had hoped she would pull through. It is an example of the power of this virus that even healthy young people who initially seem to have great hope sometimes succumb.

Census: 16 Bundibugyo, with 1 discharge (Dr. Sessanga), 1 death, and no admissions. `12 in Kikyo, with 1 death and 1 readmission.

LABS: no new results.

Spread: four highly suspicious cases in Fort Portal, all are contacts from Bundibugyo. We agree with the advice that contacts should stay put for 21 days to help contain the spread of this disease, and we are doing so ourselves. So far Jonah?s family is fine, again a tribute to his care.

Contacts: 359 identified, 152 followed up today.

Can life become any more bizarre? We ask that frequently. Our dear elderly neighbor has been struggling with congestive heart failure, hypertension, a hip fracture, and possibly cancer . . . So when his son came to call Scott to see him urgently today, I ran over to assess the situation. Twice in the last year he has been near death but sustained by good management of his medications when Scott adjusts them . . .I found everyone on the porch and our neighbor in a closed room alone. He had urinated blood colored urine. The family was panicking. He had no fever, no vomiting, no diarrhea, no contact with Ebola, so I reassured them that this was most likely a urinary tract infection, common in bedridden older people. But what are the chances that such a sign would come up precisely in the middle of an Ebola epidemic???

Last but not least, Luke is boarding an airplane in the next few hours, to return home. His grandmother will miss him terribly; his siblings are going to be bolstered by his return. I will see them as soon as my 21 days are up. Pray for safe travel.
POSTED BY DRSMYHRE AT 9:56 AM