Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/08/news-scan-aug-21-2020
News Scan for Aug 21, 2020
Ebola outbreak hits 100 cases;Polio outbreak in Yemen
Filed Under: Ebola; VHF; Polio
WHO warns about Ebola outbreak in DRC as cases reach 100
Cases in the Ebola outbreak in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached 100, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today, with cases nearly doubling in the past 5 weeks.
The outbreak, which was declared in Jun 1 in Equateur province and initially involved a cluster of cases in Mbandaka, the provincial capital, has now spread to 11 of the province's 17 health zones. Of the 100 cases reported, 96 are confirmed and 4 are probable. Forty-three people have died.
WHO officials say the response to the outbreak has been hampered by significant logistical challenges, including the vast distances between affected communities, which are located in remote and densely forested areas that lack roads. Responders and supplies often take days to reach affected areas.
The response is also underfunded, the agency says. The WHO has provided US $2.3 million, but the DRC Ministry of Health has called for US $40 million in funding.
"With 100 Ebola cases in less than 100 days, the outbreak in Equateur Province is evolving in a concerning way," Matshidiso Moeti, MBBS, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said in a press release. "The virus is spreading across a wide and rugged terrain, which requires costly interventions and with COVID-19 draining resources and attention; it is hard to scale-up operations."
The Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province is the DRC's 11th. An outbreak in the same area in 2018 resulted in 54 cases and 33 deaths.
Aug 21 WHO press release
Yemen, 6 other nations report new polio cases
Yemen has reported 15 cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1), causing World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations officials to declare the start of an outbreak. Six other countries also reported new polio cases, according to the latest weekly update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
The onset of paralysis among the cVDPV1 cases in Yemen range from Jan 31 to Jun 18, but genetic analysis of isolates from the patients suggests the virus has been circulating undetected in the country for up to 2 years. Infected children range in age from 8 months to 13 years. "WHO and UNICEF are supporting local health authorities to plan and launch an effective outbreak response to limit virus spread," the GPEI said.
In addition, Afghanistan reported 3 new cases involving wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), in Uruzgan, Kandahar, and Hilmand provinces. The country now has 37 WPV1 cases in 2020, compared with 29 for all of 2019. Pakistan has 2 new WPV1 cases, in Balochistan and Punjab provinces, lifting its WPV1 total for the year to 65, compared with 147 in all of 2019.
The other four affected countries are in Africa and involve the circulating type 2 virus (cVDPV2). Ivory Coast reported 4 cVDPV2 cases, Nigeria 1, Somalia 2, and Sudan 2, with the latter two countries reporting their first cases of the year. Totals for the year: Ivory Coast (29), Nigeria (2), Somalia (2), and Sudan (2).
Aug 20 GPEI update
News Scan for Aug 21, 2020
Ebola outbreak hits 100 cases;Polio outbreak in Yemen
Filed Under: Ebola; VHF; Polio
WHO warns about Ebola outbreak in DRC as cases reach 100
Cases in the Ebola outbreak in western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached 100, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported today, with cases nearly doubling in the past 5 weeks.
The outbreak, which was declared in Jun 1 in Equateur province and initially involved a cluster of cases in Mbandaka, the provincial capital, has now spread to 11 of the province's 17 health zones. Of the 100 cases reported, 96 are confirmed and 4 are probable. Forty-three people have died.
WHO officials say the response to the outbreak has been hampered by significant logistical challenges, including the vast distances between affected communities, which are located in remote and densely forested areas that lack roads. Responders and supplies often take days to reach affected areas.
The response is also underfunded, the agency says. The WHO has provided US $2.3 million, but the DRC Ministry of Health has called for US $40 million in funding.
"With 100 Ebola cases in less than 100 days, the outbreak in Equateur Province is evolving in a concerning way," Matshidiso Moeti, MBBS, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said in a press release. "The virus is spreading across a wide and rugged terrain, which requires costly interventions and with COVID-19 draining resources and attention; it is hard to scale-up operations."
The Ebola outbreak in Equateur Province is the DRC's 11th. An outbreak in the same area in 2018 resulted in 54 cases and 33 deaths.
Aug 21 WHO press release
Yemen, 6 other nations report new polio cases
Yemen has reported 15 cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 1 (cVDPV1), causing World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations officials to declare the start of an outbreak. Six other countries also reported new polio cases, according to the latest weekly update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
The onset of paralysis among the cVDPV1 cases in Yemen range from Jan 31 to Jun 18, but genetic analysis of isolates from the patients suggests the virus has been circulating undetected in the country for up to 2 years. Infected children range in age from 8 months to 13 years. "WHO and UNICEF are supporting local health authorities to plan and launch an effective outbreak response to limit virus spread," the GPEI said.
In addition, Afghanistan reported 3 new cases involving wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1), in Uruzgan, Kandahar, and Hilmand provinces. The country now has 37 WPV1 cases in 2020, compared with 29 for all of 2019. Pakistan has 2 new WPV1 cases, in Balochistan and Punjab provinces, lifting its WPV1 total for the year to 65, compared with 147 in all of 2019.
The other four affected countries are in Africa and involve the circulating type 2 virus (cVDPV2). Ivory Coast reported 4 cVDPV2 cases, Nigeria 1, Somalia 2, and Sudan 2, with the latter two countries reporting their first cases of the year. Totals for the year: Ivory Coast (29), Nigeria (2), Somalia (2), and Sudan (2).
Aug 20 GPEI update