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  • #16
    Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

    Source: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/...8?OpenDocument

    Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

    Source: World Health Organization (WHO)

    Date: 26 Dec 2008


    The Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared on 25 December an outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Mweka District, Kasai Occidental province based on laboratory results from the Centre International de Recherches M?dicales de Franceville (CIRMF) in Gabon. CIRMF confirmed the presence of Ebola virus in 2 samples from 2 of the patients in the outbreak by antigen detection. In addition, laboratory tests conducted by Institut National de Recherches Biologiques (INRB) in Kinshasa, also confirmed the presence of Shigella.

    As of 26 December, WHO is aware of 34 suspected cases including 9 deaths (CFR 26%) associated with the ongoing event. Additional samples have been collected and are en route to INRB.

    The WHO Country Office, Regional Office and Headquarters are supporting the MoH in Kinshasa and in the field at the location of the outbreak. In addition, the WHO Country Office is supporting the operational costs of the investigation and response teams and has deployed four vehicles to the field. Additional staff, outbreak response equipment and supplies, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), are also being sent to the area. An enhanced team of national and international experts is being mobilized to implement control strategies for Ebola haemorrhagic fever and to support outbreak field response in the province.

    WHO is working together with laboratory partners to provide comprehensive laboratory services, and to support the MoH in the control and investigation of the outbreak.

    WHO is unaware of any reports signaling the international spread of disease and advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions upon the Democratic Republic of the Congo .

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

      Kasai Occidental: Mweka, the Ebola haemorrhagic fever resurfaced in Kampongo, 9 dead and 21 patients identified
      Kinshasa, 26/12/2008 / Soci?t?




      Kinshasa, 26/12/2008 /
      <DFN>.</DFN>


      <DFN>The Ebola epidemic raging again in the area of health Kampongo, located over 60 km of Mweka, in Kasai Occidental.</DFN>
      The Minister of Health, Mr. Auguste Mopipi Mukulumanya who announced yesterday Thursday 25 December 2008. According to him, a disease of unknown origin broke out in this country since last November, which until then 9 deaths and 21 patients identified. The analysis of samples on-site Kalwamba, confirms the existence of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever, said the minister, relayed by radiookapi.net


      .
      National and provincial authorities have mobilized to provide relief to the people of this area of health, particularly in Kalwamba town and its surroundings.

      After analyzing the samples Kalwamba, it appears that people once again facing an epidemic of viral haemorrhagic fever Ebola, "said the minister.


      .
      Like last year, the Ebola virus strikes again the DRC in the same region.

      In the past, the country has been faced with similar situations. But it is the first time that the epidemic affects twice the same country, the minister acknowledged, however, urged that the people of Mweka to follow the recommendations of the teams deployed on the ground and lend a hand.

      Highly contagious disease, fatal in 50 to 90% of cases, Ebola had struck the former Zaire on three occasions. In 1976, the virus has killed nearly 500 people on both sides of the border between Sudan and north-eastern Zaire, where he resurfaced in 1995, with 245 deaths in the province of Bandundu, at the west of the DRC. In 2007, 26 confirmed cases of Ebola had been registered in the province of Kasai Occidental, where several outbreaks associated (Ebola, typhoid fever, malaria, dysentery) killed 187 people.

      As you can see, the DRC government, through the Ministry of Health, should take precautions to ensure that outbreaks of this kind do not always refassent surface. While the country is facing serious difficulties in the East, the attention of national and provincial authorities should be focused on the health situation in the province of Kasai Occidental, especially in the area of health Kampongo .

      To eradicate the disease, the Congolese government, with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, putting substantial resources available to the Red Cross of the DRC in the past , had shown what it can in such circumstances.
      http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalcongo.net%2Farticle%2F55591&sl=fr&tl=en&history_state0=fr%7Cen%7CRDC%2520%253A%2520le%2520virus%2520Ebola%2520r%25C3%25A9appara%25C3%25AEt%2520au%2520sud%2520du%2520pays%250D%250A%250D%250ALes%2520autorit%25C3%25A9s%2520sanitaires%2520congolaises%2520ont%2520annonc%25C3%25A9%2520jeudi%2520que%2520de%2520nouveaux%2520cas%2520de%2520contamination%2520d%25C3%25BBs%2520au%2520virus%2520Ebola%2520avaient%2520%25C3%25A9t%25C3%25A9%2520constat%25C3%25A9s%2520dans%2520la%2520province%2520du%2520Kasa%25C3%25AF%252C%2520au%2520sud%2520de%2520la%2520R%25C3%25A9publique%2520D%25C3%25A9mocratique%2520du%2520Congo%2520%28RDC%29.%2520Neuf%2520personnes%2520sont%2520mortes%252C%2520indique%2520France%252024.%2520%2522Nous%2520faisons%2520face%2520%25C3%25A0%2520une%2520%25C3%25A9pid%25C3%25A9mie%2520de%2520la%2520fi%25C3%25A8vre%2520virale%2520h%25C3%25A9morragique%2520Ebola%2522%252C%2520a%2520d%25C3%25A9clar%25C3%25A9%2520Auguste%2520Mopipi%2520Mukulumanya%252C%2520le%2520ministre%2520de%2520la%2520Sant%25C3%25A9.%2520Quatre-vingt%2520douze%2520personnes%2520qui%2520ont%2520ou%2520auraient%2520%25C3%25A9t%25C3%25A9%2520en%2520contact%2520avec%2520les%2520personnes%2520d%25C3%25A9c%25C3%25A9d%25C3%25A9es%2520sont%2520suivies%2520par%2520des%2520m%25C3%25A9decins.%2520Le%2520virus%2520tue%252050%2520%25C3%25A0%252090%2525%2520des%2520personnes%2520qui%2520le%2520contractent.%2520L%25E2%2580%2599an%2520dernier%252C%2520il%2520avait%2520fait%2520174%2520victimes.%2520%28Vendredi%252026%2520D%25C3%25A9cembre%2520-%252012%253A53%29
      CSI:WORLD http://swineflumagazine.blogspot.com/

      treyfish2004@yahoo.com

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

        Mweka: Ebola haemorrhagic fever, patients isolated

        Kasai Occidental | Health | 27 December 2008 at 10:35:11 a.m.


        The operation to isolate people with Ebola virus began
        Friday
        , as the chief doctor of the health zone Mweka, in the province of
        Kasai-Occidental. It is conducted by the NGO MSF (Doctors without
        Borders) Belgium, reported radiookapi.net

        The objective is to ensure, according to the same source, better care
        the sick, and especially, to avoid the disease spreading. This operation
        is conducted on-site Kalwamba, town affected by this epidemic. Note that
        statistics show so far 9 dead and 33 others affected
        since the beginning of the disease last November.

        Kinshasa: Dr. Muyembe of INRB explains the resurgence of Ebola fever in
        Mweka


        In addition, the director of the National Institute of bio-medical
        (INRB) in Kinshasa, Dr. Muyembe Tanfumu said the Ebola virus is a
        danger that remains in the wild. But he assured that the same
        Health workers were trained in all provinces to detect any form
        epidemic. Dr. Muyembe Tanfumu said that the end of 2007 (between
        November and December) until early 2008, this disease has
        brought under control, "But the virus remains in the wild. If a man comes into contact
        with this virus, it is infected and causes disease in the community. In 1995,
        case of Ebola was recorded in Kikwit in Bandundu. This means that
        the virus exists in Bandundu. It is also Yambuku, in Equateur and
        certainly in other provinces, "he said.


        To prevent the disease,
        said the doctor, we must implement the integrated disease surveillance.
        Health workers were trained to detect diseases such as
        measles, polio and tetanus. Once they detect such
        epidemics, informing the Ministry of Health for urgent action
        be taken, "said the director of the INRB.



        machinetranslated, edited
        ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
        Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

        ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

          Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp...2MRV46nfj5WT9A
          Two more dead from Ebola outbreak in DR Congo: MSF

          KINSHASA (AFP) ? Two more people have died from an Ebola outbreak in central DR Congo, bringing the tally to 11 dead from the highly contagious but rare disease, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Sunday.

          "This Sunday morning, a women with symptoms... of Ebola died," MSF spokesman Francois Dumont told AFP.

          A man also died from Ebola on Thursday, he said.

          Health Minister Augustin Mopipi said Thursday that the outbreak had killed nine and infected 21 since it was detected in November.

          Named after a small Congo river, the disease was found in the town of Kampungu, near Mueka in the Western Kasai province.

          Ebola is deadly in about 50-90 percent of cases, with victims hemmorhaging all over and bleeding from body orifices before dying in the most severe instances.

          MSF has erected a "small isolation unit of six beds" near Kampungu, with three receiving care there, Dumont said.

          Two others are at home and under observation, with MSF also following the cases of more than 100 people who have had contact with the disease, he said.

          The Democratic Republic of Congo has been hit by Ebola outbreaks three times before.

          In 1976 it killed nearly 500 people on both sides of the country's border with Sudan.

          It struck again in 1995, killing 245 people in the western province of Bandundu.

          Another 26 cases were confirmed in 2007 in Kasai province, after 187 people died from a host of diseases, including Ebola, malaria, typhoid and dysentery.

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

            Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7803319.stm

            Page last updated at 13:48 GMT, Monday, 29 December 2008
            Ebola death toll up in DR Congo
            Map

            Eleven people have now died in an outbreak of Ebola in central Democratic Republic of Congo, say aid workers.

            Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said one woman died on Sunday, while another man succumbed in Mweka on Christmas Day.

            MSF is treating 24 other suspected Ebola cases at isolation units in the villages of Kaluamba and Kampungu.

            It is monitoring 102 people who may have had contact with the virus.
            The latest outbreak in Western Kasai province emerged in late November.

            MSF said there is fear and confusion among local civilians and health staff as rumours circulate of suspected cases or deaths from the disease.

            It is the first Ebola outbreak in Africa since February and the fourth in DR Congo since 1976

            The highly infectious bleeding fever kills 80% of those it infects and there is no known cure.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

              Updated map

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

                Source: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org...le.cfm?id=3277

                December 29, 2008
                MSF Investigates Suspected Ebola Cases in Western Kasai, DRC

                On the morning of December 28, a woman with symptoms of what could be Ebola hemorrhagic fever died in Western Kasai Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. On December 25, a man with similar symptoms died. These two bring the total number of deaths to 11 in what are 35 suspected cases of Ebola in the area.

                Currently, three patients are being cared for in a six-bed isolation unit built by Doctors Without Borders/M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF) in Kaluamba village, Western Kasai. Two other patients are being followed at home in Kampungu village. In total, 102 people are thought to have been in contact with the disease and are being monitored by MSF teams. An isolation center with a 25-bed capacity has been prepared in Kampungu and will be used in case the disease spreads.


                An MSF team of 15 are working in collaboration with the health authorities in the province. The team consists mainly of Ebola specialists. A psychologist will leave early this week from Brussels and will join the team in Kasai.

                Rumors of suspected cases or deaths in the area seem to indicate fear and a certain level of confusion among the population and health staff around this disease. For the MSF team, part of the work is to go to various health zones to conduct investigations. The priority is still to better understand the epidemic so to better control it.

                A team of health educators have sent out messages in French and in the local languages through radio stations and on posters, and in churches and schools. They also communicated through local leaders and community health workers.

                MSF is also training health staff on epidemiological surveillance, infection-control measures, and social mobilization, as well as on medical care for patients.

                MORE ON EBOLA

                Dr. Armand Sprecher is an MSF physician specialized in hemorrhagic fevers like Ebola and Marburg. He advised MSF teams on how to respond to an outbreak of the disease in West Kasai, DRC, in September 2007. In this interview, he describes Ebola hemorrhagic fever and the measures that are taken to control the outbreak.

                Note: Use the Source link above to access the interview.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

                  Reuters AlertNet - WHO says no Ebola deaths confirmed in Congo
                  WHO says no Ebola deaths confirmed in Congo

                  30 Dec 2008 17:08:09 GMT
                  Source: Reuters
                  GENEVA, Dec 30 (Reuters) -

                  The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday that no deaths from the Ebola virus had been confirmed in a reported outbreak of the disease in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo.


                  Spokesman Gregory Hartl said that of 35 suspected cases -- including 11 deaths -- in Western Kasai province, only two were confirmed as Ebola, and both these patients were still alive.

                  "It seems pretty certain that other diseases are also involved," he told Reuters. Shigellosis, a relatively easily treated bacterial disease like cholera, was likely to be one of these, the spokesman added.

                  On Dec. 25, DRC Health Minister Auguste Mopipi Mukulumanya said analysis of blood and stool samples taken in the village of Kalwamba at the heart of the apparent outbreak had shown that an Ebola epidemic was under way.

                  The virus, which is highly contagious and causes vomiting, diarrhoea and, in many cases, both internal and external bleeding, was reported in the area on Nov. 27.

                  Hartl said some of those who had fallen ill in Kalwamba were responding to treatment with antibiotics, which are useless against Ebola, a viral haemorrhagic fever for which there is no known cure and which kills 50 to 90 percent of its victims.

                  A major Ebola outbreak in the DRC, then known as Zaire, in 1995 killed 250 out of the 315 people known to have been infected, including health workers who touched infected blood.

                  (Editing by Tim Pearce)
                  <cite cite="http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LU240248.htm">Reuters AlertNet - WHO says no Ebola deaths confirmed in Congo</cite>

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

                    [To note this CIDRAP post about Ebola in DR of Congo. IOH]

                    CIDRAP >> Ebola strikes Congo again
                    Ebola strikes Congo again

                    Lisa Schnirring * Staff Writer
                    Dec 29, 2008 (CIDRAP News) ?

                    The World Health Organization (WHO) recently confirmed an outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that involves 34 suspected cases, with at least 9 deaths.


                    Based on reports from the DRC's health ministry, the WHO said in a Dec 26 statement that the outbreak was detected in Mweka district in Kasai Occidental (West Kasai) province and that a laboratory in Franceville, Gabon, confirmed the Ebola virus in samples from two of the patients. The WHO said a lab in Kinshasa also confirmed Shigella (bacterial) infections, but the agency did not say how many.

                    A spokesman from the medical aid group Medicins sans Frontieres (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) said that two more people have died of suspected Ebola infections, raising the outbreak fatality total to 11, according to a report today from Agence France-Presse.

                    The DRC's last Ebola outbreak, in September 2007, also hit West Kasai province and also featured Shigella infections in some patients, according to previous reports. Seventeen cases and six deaths were reported in that outbreak.

                    From the number of suspected cases and deaths in the ongoing outbreak, the WHO said the case-fatality rate is 26%. The agency said that additional samples have been sent to the lab in Kinshasa. The statement did not say which Ebola subtype had sickened people in the outbreak.

                    The Ebola virus is highly contagious and causes a high fatality rate, ranging from about 50% to 90%. Initial symptoms include fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness, followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Hallmarks of Ebola infection include internal and external bleeding, and there is no vaccine or specific treatment for the disease.

                    In late 2007, researchers investigating an Ebola outbreak in Uganda, the DRC's neighbor to the east, identified a new Ebola subtype: Bundibugyo. Initial findings suggested that the case-fatality rate for Ebola Bundibugyo was about 36%, lower than that of the Zaire (80% to 90%) or Sudan (50% to 55%) subtypes, according to previous reports.

                    WHO experts are assisting the DRC's health ministry with the outbreak investigation and response at ministry headquarters and in the field, the WHO said. The agency said it has sent additional staff and supplies to the area, and a team of national and international experts has been sent to help control the outbreak.

                    The WHO said it hasn't received any reports that suggest international spread of the disease, and it advised countries not to impose travel or trade restrictions on the DRC.

                    Meanwhile, MSF said in a Dec 25 report that suspected cases have been reported since Nov 27. The group said nine of its Ebola specialists from Kinshasa and Brussels are working in Western Kasai province. MSF said an isolation ward is being built in the village of Kampungu and that the group's doctors are treating suspected patients and identifying those who may have been in contact with people who had or have the virus.

                    In other developments, government officials in the Philippines recently asked the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the WHO to send experts to help investigate the detection of the Ebola Reston virus in pigs, according to a Dec 23 statement from the FAO.

                    In early December the FAO announced that researchers had discovered the Ebola virus for the first time in pigs while investigating outbreaks of porcine reproductive respiratory syndrome (PRRS) at several Philippine swine producers. The Reston subtype can sicken monkeys, but it does not appear to clinically infect humans.

                    See also:
                    Dec 25 WHO statement http://www.who.int/csr/don/2008_12_26a/en/index.html
                    -
                    <cite cite="http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/bt/vhf/news/dec2908ebola-br.html">CIDRAP >> Ebola strikes Congo again</cite>

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

                      Travellers screened for ebola at border


                      <!-- START starRating.tag -->


                      <!-- END starRating.tag -->

                      By HENRY ANDANJE
                      Tuesday, December 30 2008 at 20:25
                      People entering Kenya from the Great Lakes region through the border town of Malaba are being screened for ebola.

                      A public health officer, Mr Charles Magomere, said travellers from the Democratic Republic of Congo were being screened in order to know if the areas they were coming from had been affected by the disease.

                      ?There is an ebola alert in the DRC and we are not taking any chances,? the officer said.

                      Speaking to the Nation in his office on Tuesday, Mr Magomere said no case of ebola had been found but posters have been put up at the Kenya Revenue Authority?s customs yard to sensitise people on how they can detect the symptoms of the disease and what actions they should take.

                      The veterinary officer in charge of disease surveillance at Malaba, Mr Kennedy Ndengu, has said that his office was also checking eggs, live birds, skins and hides being imported from neighbouring countries.

                      Mr Ndengu said they were guarding against the entrance of anthrax and bird flu into the country.http://www.nation.co.ke/News/regiona...h/-/index.html
                      CSI:WORLD http://swineflumagazine.blogspot.com/

                      treyfish2004@yahoo.com

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

                        The local medical staff treating the (suspect) ebola patients did not receive their risk bonus. Dep of Health denies.

                        Google translation:


                        Mweka: Ebola, care of the area had no epidemiological risk premium

                        Kasai Occidental | Health | 30 December 2008 .

                        According to the chief doctor of the health zone Mweka, the personnel performing hard work on
                        ground has not been motivated since the resurgence of the epidemic of Ebola in the area of health. It is
                        doctors, nurses, community members and relay rescuers. Information
                        denies that the provincial Minister of Health, reported radiookapi.net


                        Original:

                        Mweka : Ebola, le personnel soignant de la zone &#233;pid&#233;miologique n'a pas sa prime de risque

                        Kasa&#239; Occidental | Sant&#233; | 30 D&#233;cembre 2008


                        Selon le m&#233;decin chef de la zone de sant&#233; de Mweka, le personnel qui effectue un dur travail sur
                        terrain n'a pas &#233;t&#233; motiv&#233; depuis la r&#233;surgence de l’&#233;pid&#233;mie d’Ebola dans sa zone de sant&#233;. Il s’agit
                        des m&#233;decins, des infirmiers, des membres de relai communautaire et des secouristes. Information
                        que d&#233;ment le ministre provincial de la sant&#233;, rapporte radiookapi.net.

                        ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
                        Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

                        ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

                          What are FT members' opinions about the AlertNet newswire that reports a WHO official Gregory Hartl statement (post no. 23, http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...postcount=23):

                          The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday that no deaths from the Ebola virus had been confirmed in a reported outbreak of the disease in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

                          Spokesman Gregory Hartl said that of 35 suspected cases -- including 11 deaths -- in Western Kasai province, only two were confirmed as Ebola, and both these patients were still alive.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

                            Originally posted by ironorehopper View Post
                            What are FT members' opinions about the AlertNet newswire that reports a WHO official Gregory Hartl statement (post no. 23, http://www.flutrackers.com/forum/sho...postcount=23):

                            The statement of Gregory Hart seems in line with the earlier statement of WHO on dec 26 (see included post from Shiloh); important additional information: the 2 confirmed Ebola patients are still alive.


                            Originally posted by Shiloh View Post
                            Source: http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/...8?OpenDocument

                            Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

                            Source: World Health Organization (WHO)

                            Date: 26 Dec 2008


                            The Ministry of Health (MoH) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared on 25 December an outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Mweka District, Kasai Occidental province based on laboratory results from the Centre International de Recherches M?dicales de Franceville (CIRMF) in Gabon. CIRMF confirmed the presence of Ebola virus in 2 samples from 2 of the patients in the outbreak by antigen detection. In addition, laboratory tests conducted by Institut National de Recherches Biologiques (INRB) in Kinshasa, also confirmed the presence of Shigella.

                            As of 26 December, WHO is aware of 34 suspected cases including 9 deaths (CFR 26%) associated with the ongoing event. Additional samples have been collected and are en route to INRB.

                            The WHO Country Office, Regional Office and Headquarters are supporting the MoH in Kinshasa and in the field at the location of the outbreak. In addition, the WHO Country Office is supporting the operational costs of the investigation and response teams and has deployed four vehicles to the field. Additional staff, outbreak response equipment and supplies, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), are also being sent to the area. An enhanced team of national and international experts is being mobilized to implement control strategies for Ebola haemorrhagic fever and to support outbreak field response in the province.

                            WHO is working together with laboratory partners to provide comprehensive laboratory services, and to support the MoH in the control and investigation of the outbreak.

                            WHO is unaware of any reports signaling the international spread of disease and advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions upon the Democratic Republic of the Congo .
                            ?Addressing chronic disease is an issue of human rights ? that must be our call to arms"
                            Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief The Lancet

                            ~~~~ Twitter:@GertvanderHoek ~~~ GertvanderHoek@gmail.com ~~~

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

                              Source: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org...le.cfm?id=3297

                              December 31, 2008
                              DRC: MSF Works To Stop Spread of Ebola in Western Kasai

                              The number of people with suspected Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the Mweka district of Western Kasai Province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is now 38, including 12 who have died. This is the second outbreak of its kind in just over a year in Western Kasai; the current outbreak claimed its first life on November 27.

                              Last week, international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF), sent a team of expert medical and non-medical staff to the area. A team of 16 are now working around the clock to contain this deadly epidemic.

                              MSF built a small isolation unit in Kaluamba, the worst-affected village in Mweka district. Here, to reduce the risk of the virus spreading, patients who are already sick, along with others who are suspected of having Ebola, are separated from the community and cared for. Currently, there are two patients in this special ward.

                              MSF also set up another isolation center further north in the district, in Kampungu. This center can host up to 25 patients if the outbreak extends even further.

                              Ebola is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease. It is transmitted between people through contact with body fluids (blood, vomit, diarrhea). Thus, because of their proximity to the patients, both health staff and family members are at serious risk of contracting the disease.

                              MSF hired and trained a dozen local ?home visitors? to help reduce the spread of the outbreak. These home visitors identify and follow up with those people who have had any contact with the disease. Currently, there are 184 people who must be tracked.

                              Another 36 local people travel throughout the communities, ensuring that people are properly informed about the disease and are aware of the health services available to them.

                              MSF is closely monitoring what could possibly be new pockets of Ebola in the same district of Mweka. However, other diseases, including malaria and shigellosis, which can also have similar flu-like symptoms to Ebola?s in the first stages, have been confirmed in the area. Thus, confirmation is still pending from the laboratories to determine whether these new cases are Ebola or not...

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak Confirmed, 9 Deaths

                                Uganda on alert as Ebola fever breaks out in DRC
                                Kakaire Kirunda
                                Kampala
                                The Health Ministry has communicated to immigration staff at Uganda?s western border points to monitor people coming from the central parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo where an outbreak of the dreaded Ebola hemorrhagic fever has occured.
                                The Director General of Health Services, Dr Sam Zaramba, yesterday said; ?We have asked immigration officials to immediately contact our medical staff in the vicinity in case of any suspicion.?
                                However, with some people not so keen on disclosing their exact areas of origin for fear of being inconvenienced and perhaps quarantined, it remains a challenge how the immigration staff will handle the situation.
                                DR Congo?s Ministry of Health declared on December 25 that there was an outbreak of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Mweka District, Kasai Occidental province. And as of December 26, the World Health Organisation (WHO) was aware of 34 suspected cases including nine deaths.
                                However, the aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), which is taking care of the affected, has since updated the number of fatalities to 11.
                                Reports indicate that there is fear and confusion among local civilians and medics as rumours circulate of suspected cases or deaths from the virulent disease.
                                This deadly viral condition can cause its victims to bleed to death from all their bodily orifices.
                                Late last year, Uganda suffered an Ebola outbreak in the western district of Bundibugyo which claimed 37 lives out of the 148 who caught the disease. And since this outbreak that was officially declared over on February 20, Dr Zaramba said the Health Ministry has since been on the alert for any eventualities.
                                Dr Zaramba said Uganda is yet to issue any alerts or tight border controls ?because the WHO has not prompted us and there are minimal chances that the epidemic will reach here because the outbreak is far away from the borders and international efforts are underway to contain it there.?
                                The WHO says in a statement that it is unaware of any reports signalling the international spread of disease and advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions upon the DR Congo.http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publ...RC_77551.shtml
                                CSI:WORLD http://swineflumagazine.blogspot.com/

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