DR Congo: WHO - Ebola outbreak Dec 20, 2008 + in Congo stabilized

[Shiloh]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Source: http://www.portalangop.co.ao/motix/...eys,6761e4ae-4a10-49db-a009-37d899b7d70d.html

1/6/09 12:35 PM

Angola
WHO reaffirms fears of ?bola transmission through dead monkeys

Luanda ? The World Health Organisation (WHO) representative to Angola, Diosdado Nsue-Micawg, Monday in Luanda, reaffirmed the fears that the handling of dead monkeys found in the forest might be behind the upsurge in the Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the western Kassi province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to the official, the source of virus is so far unknown, but it is feared that hunters and women who visit the forest might have been in contact with infected monkeys.

The WHO representative said as well that his organisation has assisted Angolan Health Ministry (MINSA) with the distribution of specific information and instructions to the provinces exposed to the risk, aimed at revitalising and reorganising the alert and prevention system.

The WHO has taken the commitment to providing regular information on the epidemic in the DRC, supporting the rapid evaluation teams in the border districts of the provinces of Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Moxico, Malanje and U?ge.

The UN health body will also provide reinforcement to epidemiological surveillance at border regions and carry out active search for suspect cases in places of high population density, as well as marshal additional partners and resources.

The distribution of essential drugs, materials and manuals for education, communication and information on health in selected districts, as well as the approval and implementation of the plan of contingency, including the inventory of existing resources and draft budget for the emergency, are some of WHO responsibilities.

Diosdado Nsue-Micawg said his organisation will also help with the drafting and implementing of an emergency action plan, gathering of information on support health networks and logistics, with a view to an effective handling of eventual outbreaks of Ebola in the country.

Ebola outbreaks have been recorded in DRC since 1976, which has so far killed 280 people, of 318 cases reported. The latest outbreak occurred in September 2007, with 249 notified and 183 deaths.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Source: http://www.wcsh6.com/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=98470&catid=45

Ebola Outbreak Worsens
Posted By: Lee Nelson

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) -- The death toll from an Ebola virus outbreak has risen to 13 in western Congo, a medical charity said Tuesday.

Laboratory tests last week confirmed 11 deaths from the virus in the remote village of Kaluemba in Western Kasai province, where the epidemic began in late November.

Doctors Without Borders spokesman Francois Dumont two new cases were confirmed from deaths on Dec. 28 and Jan. 1.

A total of 42 patients are suspected to be infected with the virus, Dumont said, up from a previous count of 35.

Dumont said his agency was helping monitor 200 people who have been in contact with those infected, and Doctors Without Borders had set up an isolation unit where one person was recovering.

Last week, the World Health Organization said it had confirmed only two Ebola cases and said other diseases were likely involved.

Ebola kills up to 90 percent of the people it infects and is spread through direct contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person or with contaminated objects.

Last year, Ebola killed at least 187 people in the same region of Congo. An Ebola outbreak in 1995 killed 245 people in the Congolese village of Kikwit.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Source: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=3327

MSF Treating and Tracking Ebola in Western Kasai, DRC
January 7, 2009

As of January 7, a total of 42 patients have been reported with suspected Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the province of Western Kasai, central Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Thirteen of the 42 patients have died. The epicenter of the epidemic is believed to be Kaluamba village, in the center of the province.

Doctors Without Borders/M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF) staff sent more than 20 blood and stool samples to laboratories in the Congolese capital Kinshasa and also to South Africa and Gabon. To date, just ten results have returned, four of which are positive. However, none of the samples from the 13 deceased have returned positive results for Ebola at this point. A reliable laboratory that is both closer and able to provide results within 24 hours would help differentiate Ebola patients from those suffering from other diseases.

The MSF team on the ground is concentrating on four main strategies to deal with the outbreak. First, they isolate and provide medical and psychological care to patients in an isolation center in Kampungu village, close to Kaluamba. Currently one patient is still receiving care in the isolation center and is recovering.

Second, the teams track people who have had any potential contact with the disease; currently staff are monitoring 200 such people every day.

Third, MSF educates the population about the disease and how to avoid transmission.

Finally, the team also provides free health care in the affected area and will continue to do so for as long as the outbreak continues. By doing this, MSF hopes to lower the financial barriers that stop people in the area from accessing healthcare. They also hope it will help address people?s suspicions that health centers are where Ebola is contracted.

Ebola is a highly contagious and deadly viral disease. It is transmitted between people through contact with body fluids (blood, vomit, or diarrhea). Thus, because of their proximity to the patients, both health staff and family members are at serious risk of contracting the disease. MSF also makes sure burial practices are carried out with the necessary protection measures.

An MSF team of 18 is currently working in Western Kasai. The team consists of doctors, nurses, water and sanitation specialists, health promoters, and logisticians. An epidemiologist and an additional specialist in water and sanitation were sent in on January 7 from Brussels.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Source: http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=3329

In DRC, MSF Adapts Response to Ebola to Respect Dignity
January 7, 2009

Luis Encinas recently returned from Kasai Occidental province in central Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where he led the Doctors Without Borders/M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF) team fighting an epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever. A nurse by profession and the operations coordinator for this MSF project, Encinas spoke about the situation on the ground and how MSF has changed its way of responding to Ebola.

Is the Ebola epidemic spreading?

It?s difficult to say, at present. Our team on the ground is still carrying out research to gain a better understanding of the epidemic. To date, a total of 42 people have developed symptoms resembling those of Ebola haemorrhagic fever, and 13 of them have died.

Where is the epicenter of the epidemic?

The epicenter is probably in a village called Kaluamba, 65 km (40 miles) south of Mweka, the main town in the area. There are also places where patients suspected of suffering from Ebola have been observed?in the villages of Kabau and Kalombayi, and in Mweka.

In September and October 2007, MSF responded to an Ebola outbreak in the same area. At that time, 46 patients were admitted to the isolation ward and 186 died in the space of a few months.

Given that there is no cure for Ebola, what role can the MSF team play?

Our work is structured around four main activities. First of all, we must isolate the patients, so they don?t infect anyone else, but also so they can receive palliative medical care.

Meanwhile, others in the team go into communities to look for sufferers, and monitors people who have been in contact with infected patients.

Then, there?s all the social mobilization work?in other words, raising people?s awareness of the disease, its symptoms, the modes of transmission and prevention methods.

Finally, we must make sure that healthcare is free throughout the epidemic. Why is that so important? Much of the population can?t afford to pay for healthcare. It?s a very unstable region; poverty is everywhere. Free care removes the financial barrier that prevents people from getting treatment. This makes it easier for us to identify people infected with Ebola, and to diagnose and treat other fatal diseases. I?m thinking particularly of malaria, respiratory infections, and even viral or bacterial diarrhea. For example, a case of shigellosis?diarrheic disease?has been confirmed in recent weeks.

How does MSF diagnose Ebola hemorrhagic fever?

We mainly base our diagnosis on clinical signs and on what we call the patient?s history: ?Has he or she been in contact with other suspected sufferers?? We systematically give patients a treatment against malaria and shigellosis, in case they?ve been infected with those diseases. This is because definitive confirmation of Ebola can only come from a laboratory.

Around 20 blood and stool samples from patients have been sent to laboratories in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, as well as in Gabon and South Africa. Unfortunately, we?ve only had ten results back. Three patients tested positive and all three have survived the disease. The length of time it takes to obtain the lab results is a problem.

Supernatural causes are often attributed to anything for which there is no known explanation. Things are explained using beliefs about good and evil. Some people take advantage of this superstitious mindset, claiming that they are healers. And some sufferers are afraid to go to health centers, which they perceive as places where people go to die.

So, the awareness-raising work is crucial ?

Yes it is. The awareness-raising team, coordinated by a sociologist, sends out messages through 35 outreach contacts within the local communities. They also organize lots of meetings with local leaders and circulate information via posters or on the local radio. The aim is to explain that Ebola is a problem that affects everyone?whether black or white, rich or poor, man or woman, from one religion or another?and the disease must be fought by everyone. The awareness-raising team also plays an important role at funerals, as funerals must be carried out in accordance with very strict protection rules, which often go against local customs.

Does the local population easily accept these rules imposed by MSF?

That?s the whole point of the awareness-raising work?to explain the importance of the protection rules. Certain funerary rites are very deeply rooted, for example: the head of the deceased is shaved, his nails are cut, and he is washed ?

We go to the funeral in our everyday clothes and explain to the family why we are there and what we do. One member of the family will perform, with us, all aspects of the ritual that involve physical contact, and will ask the rest of the entourage not to touch the body. Along with that person, we put on protective gear, then place the body of the deceased in a body bag, taking care to leave it open at the face. For around a quarter of an hour, the friends and family walk around the deceased before we can close the bag. We ask the designated member of the family to disinfect the body himself or herself, with chlorinated water, before the burial takes place.

The challenge is to make these dramatic situations more humane.

We must avoid psychosis. For example, we only wear the full protective gear inside the isolation center or when medical staff are treating sufferers. A few years ago, we would have gone about dressed like spacemen the whole time! And the isolation center itself is no longer completely enclosed. If they are well enough, patients can go out onto a little terrace to chat with visitors. Friends and family visiting patients in the isolation center wear light protective equipment.

Over the years, as we gain more experience of hemorrhagic fever epidemics, we?re adapting our practices to make them more humane, and to respect the dignity of those affected. The aim is to find a subtle balance between safety and local cultural rites.

What are the current priorities for the MSF team in this Ebola epidemic?

We must identify the transmission chains of the disease and step up the measures to control the epidemic. This work will shape the future course of the epidemic. It?s essential to understand where and how the virus is spread. That will enable us to isolate infected households and have a major impact. The incubation period of Ebola hemorrhagic fever is 21 days. So, before we can talk about the end of the epidemic, we must wait three weeks after the discovery of the last infected patient.

 

[Treyfish]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Protect UPDF against ebola, says DP
Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa
Kampala

The Democratic Party has advised the government to take precautionary measures on the safety of UPDF soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo, following an outbreak of the dreaded Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the area.

DP President John Ssebaana Kizito said the soldiers? mission in DR Congo to pursue the Lord Resistance Army rebels was good but might turn tragic when they carry the Ebola virus back home.
?We are very worried that Ebola might be carried by our soldiers on their way back. We appeal to the Ministry of Health to be more vigilant along the border and examine our soldiers who are returning home,? he said.

Last month, a joint force of the UPDF, the Congolese army, FARDC and the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army launched a military offensive against the LRA rebel camps in the forested Garamba National Park in the DRC following the rebel leader Joseph Kony?s refusal to sign the final peace agreement to end the two-decade war in the north.

Mr Ssebaana made the remarks during the party?s weekly press briefing in Kampala on Tuesday. Information emerged last week that there was an Ebola outbreak in the neighbouring DRC and two people had been confirmed to have died of the virus. DR Congo?s Ministry of Health declared on December 25 that there was an outbreak of Ebola in Mweka District, Kasai Occidental province.

The Director General of Health Services, Dr Sam Zaramba, said the health ministry had communicated to immigration staff at Uganda?s western border points to monitor all people including refugees fleeing from DR Congo into Uganda. ?We have asked immigration officials to immediately contact our medical staff in the vicinity in case of any suspicion,? Dr Zaramba said last Thursday.

The World Health Organisation (Who) last week said of 35 suspected cases, including 11 deaths, in western Kasai province, nine were confirmed as Ebola deaths. A major Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, then known as Zaire, in 1995 killed 250 out of the 315 people known to have been infected, including health workers.

Late 2007, Uganda suffered an Ebola outbreak in the western district of Bundibugyo, which claimed 37 lives out of the 148 infected. And since that outbreak that was officially declared over on February 20, 2008, Ugandan health ministry has been on the alert for any eventualities.

Ebola virus is highly contagious and causes a range of effects including fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, malaise and in many cases internal and external bleeding. Mortality rates of Ebola fever are extremely high, with the fatality rate ranging from 50 per cent to 89 per cent, depending on the viral sub-type.:tiphat:http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/pub...rotect_UPDF_against_ebola_says_DP_77927.shtml

 

[Treyfish]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Angola widens border closure with DRC over Ebola

Thu Jan 8, 2009 10:29am GMT

<SCRIPT language=javascript> var storyKeywords = "ANGOLA EBOLA/"; var RTR_ArticleTitle = "Angola widens border closure with DRC over Ebola"; var RTR_ArticleBlurb = " LUANDA, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Angola has increased border restrictions with the Democratic Republic of Congo where an outbreak of the highly contagious and deadly Ebola virus is believed to have infected 40 people and killed 13. State-owned daily..."; </SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>var showComments = false;var allowSLCall = false; function singlePageView() { document.location.href = ReplaceQueryStringParam(document.location.href, "sp", "true"); } function replaceString(oldS, newS, fullS) { // Replaces oldS with newS in the string fullS for (var i = 0; i < fullS.length; i++) { if (fullS.substring(i, i + oldS.length) == oldS) { fullS = fullS.substring(0, i) + newS + fullS.substring(i + oldS.length, fullS.length); } } return fullS; } </SCRIPT>



<SCRIPT>var csvSymbolIds = "";var quoteLink = "false";</SCRIPT>
LUANDA, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Angola has increased border restrictions with the Democratic Republic of Congo where an outbreak of the highly contagious and deadly Ebola virus is believed to have infected 40 people and killed 13.
State-owned daily Jornal de Angola said on Thursday migratory movements between part of Angola's eastern province of Moxico and the DRC were suspended, days after authorities closed the border of its Lunda Norte province with the DRC.
The outbreak of the Ebola virus is believed to have taken place in the DRC's Western Kasai province in November. The viral haemorrhagic fever is one the deadliest in the world, killing 50 to 90 percent of its victims.
Angolan Health Minister Jose Van-Dunem said on Monday no signs of the Ebola virus had been found in Angola.
He urged the military and police to be on alert for any possible signs of the Ebola virus in the eastern and northern provinces of Moxico, Malange, Uige, Lunda Sul and Lunda Norte because of their proximity with the DRC.
The World Health Organisation representative in Angola Diosdado Nsue-Micawg, told Reuters he feared the Ebola virus may have come from dead monkeys in the forests of the DRC.:tiphat:http://af.reuters.com/article/drcNews/idAFL833072120090108?feedType=RSS&feedName=drcNews

 

[Treyfish]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Tanzania Act To Contain Suspected Ebola Outbreak - Officials




DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AFP)--Tanzania dispatched health officials to regions bordering Congo to contain a suspected ebola outbreak, officials said.
"Experts have been deployed to five regions closer to Congo, which are Mbeya, Kagera, Rukwa, Kigoma and Mwanza," health ministry spokesman Nsachris Mwamwaja told AFP.
"People will be educated on ebola's causes, symptoms and prevention measures."
Angola has shut down its border with Congo to protect its population from any spread of the virulent virus, which is suspected to have killed at least 13 people and infected 42 in central Congo since it was detected two months ago.
Ebola is fatal in about 50-90% of cases. :tiphat:http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/N...eadlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na

 

[Treyfish]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

<TABLE style="DIRECTION: ltr" border=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD>DRC Suspected Ebola Cases Rise to 44 </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top>By Joe DeCapua
Washington D.C
08 January 2009
</TD><TD vAlign=top align=left></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Efforts continue to contain the Ebola outbreak in the DRC?s Western Kasai Province. The epicenter of the outbreak is a village called Kaluamba, the scene of a previous outbreak in 2007. Thirteen deaths have been reported so far.
Dr. Michel Van Herp is with Doctors Without Borders. He is the head of mission in Kaluamba and spoke to VOA?s English to Africa Service reporter Joe De Capua about the current situation there.
?For today, we have 44 cases in the data base and among them we have 13 deaths. It?s clear that among the cases, we still need to?work to determine very well who are probable of (having) Ebola and who is not (infected with) Ebola,? he says.
Lab tests are currently underway to determine the exact number of Ebola cases and those tests cannot be done in the field.
?For the moment, the outbreak seems to be very localized.? It?s really the same village as September 2007, where we had an outbreak of Ebola,? he says.
Van Herp says that the current outbreak differs from last year?s in that alerts of a possible outbreak were filed much more quickly this year, and thus brought a quicker response. ?We hope that the disease will remain in the same area and will not be exported outside the area where we work,? he says.
After initial reports of an Ebola outbreak are made, Doctors Without Borders sends an outreach team to the area to confirm those reports. If the outbreak is confirmed, sick people are either placed in isolation or special measures are taken to care for them in their homes. The latter is done if patients fear being placed in isolation. Health officials also need to know who the patients came in contact with and monitor those people for symptoms over the next 21 days.
Since there is no actual treatment for Ebola, what can be done to help patients? Van Herp says that placing them in isolation actually gives them a slightly better chance of surviving because doctors can treat some of the symptoms. Or, since Ebola is extremely painful, they can give patients medication ?to ease their suffering.? Van Herp says that the medication also allows patients to die ?with some dignity.?
The epidemiologist says more research will be done next to find the source of the initial infection. In the past in Kaluamba, the suspected source of Ebola was a dead animal or bat found in the bush.:tiphat:http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2009-01-08-voa21.cfm

 

[Treyfish]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Kikwit: inauguration of a morgue with a capacity of 12 dead
Bandundu | 08 January 2009 at 14:42:34





The inauguration ceremony was presided over Wednesday by the Minister of Planning Olivier Kamitatu, the general referral hospital in Kikwit, in the presence of the prominent and the local population. Total cost of approximately 10,000 USD, reported radiookapi.net


A morgue
This morgue, a government initiative, was built by the Ministry of Planning. The work lasted 12 months. The cost is USD 99,700, including USD 52,700 for the purchase of refrigerators in France, 29,000 USD for the construction and 17,000 USD for the purchase of a generator. A management committee, headed by the mayor of Kikwit, was set up for the proper functioning of the morgue.
The population, meanwhile, expressed his joy. According to the District Medical Officer of Health Kikwit, now people can no longer handle itself, its corpses. She recalled that the high number of deaths during the haemorrhagic fever Ebola virus, with 315 deaths in 1995 was due, among other things, the handling of bodies by family members at the absence of a morgue in the city. The Minister of Planning called city authorities and the hospital to make good use of this work for the welfare of the population.:tiphat:http://www.radiookapi.net/index.php?i=53&a=21743

 

[Treyfish]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

14 people die of Ebola in DR Congo

www.chinaview.cn 2009-01-10 10:47:43

KINSHASA, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- A total of 14 people have died of Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since November 2008, Health Minister Mopipi Mukulumanya said on Friday.
Mukulumanya said in the western Kasai province, 43 people have been infected with Ebola and 199 others were under observation.
Symptoms of Ebola begin with fever and muscle pain, followed by vomiting, diarrhoea and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. The minister called for the strengthening of health care, and report cases of Ebola immediately. Ebola is transmitted through contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people. It is one the deadliest viruses in the world, killing 50 to 90 percent of its victims.:tiphat:

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-01/10/content_10634288.htm

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 11 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

machinetranslated

WHO

Situation Report Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Kasai-Occidental 9 January 2009

Updated information on the response to the outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in the area of health Mweka, province of Kasai Occidental.

Epidemiological situation

The epidemiological situation, to date, according to data available, is as follows:

Total number of suspected cases: 43 including 29 female. Fifteen (15) suspected cases are under the age of 15 years, 26 were aged 15 and over, but 2 cases, age is not specified.

Total deaths: 14, CFR: 33%.

Residence of patients: 34 to Kaluamba 1 to Mweka, 1 Nsungi Munene, 2 Kabao, 4 and 1 to Kampungu Bakatombi.

Total number of contacts under surveillance: 215, all were seen today by the monitoring teams.

Many of the patients currently in isolation: 0.

Laboratory

Seven (7) samples taken from cases contacts have been received in Kinshasa INRB for analysis.

To date, the total number of cases entrusted rm?s positive for Ebola by the International Center for Medical Research in Franceville (CIRMF, Gabon) is 7.

Care and infection control

No patient in isolation.

Coordination and collaboration

The Minister of Public Health held today a briefing on developments in the fi ▪ ?vre Ebola haemorrhagic (FHVE) in Kasai Occidental.

WHO has organized today a brief ng for the entire humanitarian community on Ebola, in the presence of the Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations in the DRC.

Coordinating committees at all levels (local, provincial and national) meet every day.

After the meeting of the national coordinating committee, a brief ng of all members on epidemiological surveillance in case of FHVE was lively.

The partners involved in the fight to date are: WHO, UNICEF, MONUC, WFP, MSF-Belgium, IRC, European Union (9th EDF), Caritas Belgium, Caritas-Congo, NGOs Butoke, FEDECAME, SANRU and Red Cross of the DRC.
Logistics

The Rural Health Project (SANRU) has so far available to the provincial committee of coordination of 6000 tablets Ciprofl oxacine for the management of cases and a sprayer for the hygiene and sanitation Kampungu.

Social mobilization, media and psycho social support

The team of psychosocial care continuing food distribution to families affected Kaluamba, with support from Caritas-Congo.

Travel advice

The advice to passengers is maintained and strengthened at entry points of the province (airports, ports, bus and rail).

There is no restriction on travel or c traffickers to the DRC.

Challenges

Mobilization of additional resources for financial support to field operations.

http://www.who.int/hac/crises/cod/sitreps/drc_ebola_sitrep_9janvier2009_fr/en/index.html

 

[Treyfish]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Ebola kills but focus is on US




http://digg.com/submit?url=http://w...1068/513262/-/sej7gd/-/index.html&title=Ebola



<!-- END starRating.tag -->

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) staff set up an isolation unit to treat people with suspected Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Kaluamba village, Western Kasai province, January 1, 2009. Photo/REUTERS
By CHEGE MBITIRUPosted Sunday, January 11 2009 at 19:00
In Summary
If the disease was to strike in New York or California, it would get more attention



A deadly virus is once again prowling, devouring victims in the commonly first candidate for disasters: Africa. The story of Ebola virus? lethal activity isn?t hitting the headlines, a 50th anniversary ignored.

That, unfortunately, is understandable. People of the world are salivating at the inauguration of US President-elect Barack Obama next week and rightly so. He?s not only the first non-Anglo Saxon to ascend to the topmost political job worldwide, but also an Africa-American, a historically downtrodden people.

Moreover, outgoing President George W. Bush is busy ensuring he doesn?t have to strip publicly to be noticed. Israelis and Palestinians have resumed national pastime: blowing up each other. Nuclear-armed India and Pakistan are itching for a fight, potentially of an Armageddon proportion.

News from the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of Africa?s politically and economically ailing countries, say health officials are busy trying to contain an Ebola outbreak. That shouldn?t be difficult. The disease fizzles fast. That?s the problem. Except for a few researchers, people forget.

Two days ago, the Voice of America reported Mr Gregory Hertl of the World Health Organisation as saying five of 42 patients tested positive to Ebola, 12 were probable cases and 25 suspected. Mr Hertl made some observations. They indicate how relatively little attention the world has paid to Ebola, definitely identified as is now known 50 years ago: That immediate diagnosis doesn?t exist.

?Certainly, also, in the early phases of the disease, there are actually many diseases which have similar presentation which is basically a spike in fever, plus vomiting and diarrhoea. It?s only in the later stages of Ebola do you start to see the tell-tale hemorrhagic symptoms,? he said. Of course, Ebola isn?t the only disease that has been around for a half a century and a cure remains illusive. On the other hand, Ebola excels in killing speed?within 21 days of infection, and efficiency, 25 percent to 90 percent fatality rate, WHO says.
First identified

Five strains of Ebola virus exist: Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo (Uganda) Ivory Coast and Reston. The latter is actually from Philippines, but first identified in a United States town of Reston. Outbreaks of the first three have occurred in central Africa. Zaire virus is the most lethal. Reston species, which apparently include Cote d?Ivoire, infect humans but don?t cause serious illness or death.

Ebola?s characteristics are sudden fever, intense weaknesses, muscle pain and sore throat. Vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and impaired kidney and liver functions follow. Mr Hertl noted these symptoms are indicative of other illnesses. Neither a vaccine nor cure for Ebola exists.

Researchers have a hard time studying the virus. Because it?s so hot, special laboratories and equipment are required. Only a few countries can afford them. Consequently, researchers have made little progress. That isn?t all though. Passionate international fury against the Ebola virus fraternity remains nonexistent.

Reasons for the fury?s absence are obvious. Outbreaks are sporadic and far apart. Ebola, according to WHO, has infected about 1,850 people and killed 1,200 in far away and remote parts of Africa. The disease consumes victims fast and can?t be transmitted through the air. Quarantine works.

Combined, these factors create an illusion of safety. However, viruses aren?t stupid. They hide, mutate and multiply. More graphically, a little ?sex of Ebola strains? might have produced the latest species, Bundibugyo, ad infinitum, and a killer with more stamina emerges.

Inhumane as it might sound, it probably would be productive were the Ebola virus strains to migrate, say to New York and California. There, they would knock down one notoriety and get the attention they deserve. A precedent exists, HIV, the virus that causes Aids.

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Images by MSF from Kaluamba village :

http://www.msf.org/msfinternational...CE&component=toolkit.article&method=full_html

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

DRC: More Patients With Suspected Ebola in Western Kasai

January 13, 2009

As of January 13, 46 patients in total have shown symptoms of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the province of Western Kasai, central Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Seven patients have tested positive for the Ebola virus after sample analysis in laboratories. Of the seven confirmed, one has died. The 39 remaining patients are still suspected cases, of which 13 have died.

Currently, three patients suspected of having Ebola are in an isolation center built by Doctors Without Borders/M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF) in Kampungu, a village in the center of Western Kasai province. Two of them are so-called "contact people." This means they were in contact with one of the patients suspected of or confirmed as having the Ebola virus, in this case a woman with confirmed Ebola who died earlier. One of the two is the woman's 3-year-old child; the other is her sister who has taken care of the child since the mother's death.

It is necessary to monitor contact people to break the line of contamination. The MSF team on the ground is currently following up daily with about 200 people.

?All three patients are doing fine?

The third patient in the isolation center comes from a village some 20 km (about 12 miles) away from Kampungu and has not been in contact with any previous patient.

"We were fearing the virus could also be located outside Kampungu and Kaluamba (the village thought to be the epicenter of the epidemic)," says Dr. Michel Van Herp, MSF epidemiologist. "However, until last night, his symptoms resembled those of typhoid fever. Nonetheless, as long as we don't have confirmation he is negative for the Ebola virus or he is not presenting any symptoms anymore, he will be staying in the isolation center. Our team took samples from all three patients to confirm the presence or absence of the virus. For the moment, all three patients are doing fine. They are eating, walking by themselves and do not require any rehydration,? adds Van Herp.

MSF takes measures to avoid contamination in the isolation center. The team is following strict protocols to make sure that the medical teams, the patients' families, and the patients themselves are protected against contamination.

Patients stay in the isolation center until their symptoms disappear. This means they survived a suspected Ebola infection or were not infected with the deadly virus. Indeed, an Ebola contamination can only be confirmed by analysis of samples done by a specialized laboratory. A patient is a suspected case until samples sent to a laboratory confirm his infection or lack of infection with the Ebola virus. Ebola symptoms can resemble those of malaria or other diseases such as typhoid fever or shigellosis at the beginning. This is the reason why we also give medication against malaria and antibiotics when we suspect Ebola. MSF also provides psychological support.

Unidentified strain of Ebola

Until now, out of the seven confirmed Ebola patients, one person has died. This might seem a rather low death toll for an Ebola outbreak.

"It is true that we are not talking about the usual death rates that come along with Ebola outbreaks. The reason is that although it has been confirmed we are in the presence of an Ebola outbreak, it has not yet been confirmed which type of Ebola we are faced with," explains Van Herp. "The Zaire type of Ebola kills 70 to 90 percent of those infected, but we could actually be in the presence of a less lethal Ebola strain. Still, we cannot forget that 13 suspected patients also died, making the death toll 14 people."

Last year, an Ebola outbreak that occurred in the same area killed up to 186 people, but other deadly diseases are also thought to have been involved.

An MSF team of 18 is currently working in Western Kasai. The team consists of doctors, an epidemiologist, a psychologist, nurses, water and sanitation specialists, health promoters, and logisticians.

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=3340

 

[Treyfish]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (05): (KASAI
OCCIDENTAL)
***********************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

Date: Thu 15 Jan 2009
Source: The Times online, Agence Franc-Presse report [edited]
<http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=918569>


Seven more people have tested positive [by laboratory testing] for the
deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [Congo DR],
bringing the toll of suspected and confirmed cases to 46, according to the
medical group Medecins sans Frontieres [Doctors without Borders].

14 people have died, all exhibiting symptoms of the hemorrhagic fever, but
only one of the deaths has been confirmed [by laboratory analysis] as
resulting directly from Ebola virus infection. The deaths were all in
western Kasai [Kasai Occidental province], a remote province where about
187 people died of Ebola fever last year [2008].

Ebola kills up to 90 per cent of the people it infects and is spread
through direct contact with blood and secretions, or via contaminated objects.

On Tue 6 Jan 2009, neighbouring Angola shut down its north eastern border
with the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a bid to stop the spread of
the deadly Ebola virus.

--
communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>

[As reported in the previous report from the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, the number of laboratory confirmed cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever
remains at 7. The total of confirmed and suspected cases has risen to 46.
There have been 14 deaths of patients exhibiting signs and symptoms of
Ebola hemorrhagic fever, but only one of these fatalities has been
confirmed by laboratory analysis. There is a continuing suspicion that the
outbreak may be more complex and involve more than a single etiological agent.

A map of the Democratic Republic of the Congo can be accessed at
<http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa/congo_demrep_pol98.jpg>, and the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map is available at
<http://healthmap.org/promed/en?g=214139&v=-4.5,22,5>. The location of
Mweka District (the site of the outbreak) can be found at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mweka,_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo> or
by downloading the pdf file of the ICRF report at
<http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/EDIS-7N5R2X?OpenDocument>. -
Mod.CP]
:tiphat:http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,75616

 

[Treyfish]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

DR Congo: Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Kasai Occidental, Situation Report No. 13 of 14 January 2009
Source: World Health Organization (WHO)

Date: 14 Jan 2009


Rapport_complet (pdf * format - 70.3 Kbytes)

1. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION

The epidemiological situation, to date, is as follows:

- New cases: 0; new deaths: 0.

- Total number of suspected cases: 47 including 34 female, 17 suspected cases are under the age of 15 years, 30 were aged 15 and over.

- Total number of deaths: 14, CFR: 30%.

- Residence of patients: 35 to Kaluamba 1 to Mweka, 1 Nsungi Munene, 2 Kabao, 6 and 1 to Kampungu Bakatombi and 1 Mwanyika.

- Total number of contacts under surveillance: 155, all were seen today by the monitoring teams.

- Number of patients currently in isolation: 4.

- Investigations into suspected cases reported in Kinshasa are continuing and charges were made.
:tiphat:http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VDUX-7NBU5P?OpenDocument

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Ebola field blog by Evelyne Frauman, working for MSF at the location of the current ebola outbreak in DR Congo:

http://msf.ca/blogs/ebolablog/

 

[Treyfish]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

IRC responds to Ebola epidemic in Congo


<!--docTitle--><!--Attention ligne utilis?e pour l'impression-->Source: International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Date: 16 Jan 2009

<!-- START BOTTOM Attachments links -->
<!-- END BOTTOM Attachments links -->
<!--Attention ligne utilis?e pour l'impression-->
Kasai Occidental, Democratic Republic of Congo 16 Jan 2009 - The International Rescue Committee is contributing essential drugs to emergency interventions in the Kasai Occidental province of the Democratic Republic of Congo in response to an epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever.
The Congolese minister of public health declared an epidemic in the Mweka health zone on Sept. 10, 2008. Since that date, Ebola has been the cause of 13 deaths; there are currently 42 suspected cases, according to the World Health Organization.
"One confirmed case of Ebola is considered an epidemic because of the extremely contagious nature of the virus and the lack of any vaccine or treatment to cure the disease," says Dr. Pascal Ngoy, the IRC's senior health coordinator.
Curbing the spread of the virus is critical. To this end, the IRC is expanding its relief efforts beyond the 13 clinics in the affected area. To minimize population movement, the IRC has distributed fever-reducing anti-pyretic, IV fluid, oral rehydration salts, antibiotics and anti-malarials to Demba, Lukongo and Mutoto health zones, all of which are in close proximity to the Mweka zone.
IRC staff members are also educating at-risk communities about Ebola in the affected health zones. We hope to provide 500,000 people with crucial information about Ebola?how to recognize signs and symptoms and how to prevent further spread of the disease.
"When we find a suspected case of Ebola, all of the patient's belongings are burned and they are isolated from others for 21 days," explains Dr. Ngoy. Because of the severe poverty in Congo, families resist destroying items like mattresses and blankets. Community information sessions help family members of Ebola patients understand the necessary steps to contain the disease.
Response to outbreaks like this one is complicated by poor roads connecting remote areas in Congo. IRC mortality surveys have demonstrated the link between lack of access to health care and high mortality from preventable diseases. The IRC, which supports 55 health clinics in three health zones, has been working in Kasai Occidental since 2002 with funding from the United Kingdom's Department for International Development. We responded with logistical support and medical supplies to a previous Ebola outbreak in Congo in 2007. :tiphat:http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MUMA-7ND974?OpenDocument

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Counting of 49 cases with 15 deaths so far of Ebola haemorrhagic fever reported in Mweka
in Kasai Occidental

Kinshasa, 23/01/2009 /

The Minister of Public Health provides information on the epidemic of Ebola fever detected
Mweka and its surroundings in the province of Kasai Occidental noting that it has been noted 49 cases
for people affected by the pandemic with 15 deaths counted so far
A Mweka in Kasai Occidental, the Ebola virus has killed 15 people. In total, 49
cases have been reported. As for the cities of Lubumbashi, Kinshasa and the city of Kisantu
(Bas-Congo), there was finally more fear than harm. This is the substance of the press
hosted last Wednesday by the Minister of Public Health.

For Minister Mopipi, 49 cases and 15 deaths were recorded today. At the same time,
the Ministry of Health claims to have the situation under control. In this regard, the national teams
and international continue to work in collaboration with the local population to
Overcome evil, has reported the minister.

Relatively alerts that have been launched in the cities of Lubumbashi and Kinshasa Kisantu,
Health Minister said he was pleased to confirm that in these cities, there were more
lest wrong. Samples collected and analyzed by the laboratory has given a satisfactory result
negative, which means that there is no Ebola virus in these cities.

In addition, the health minister has confirmed that the laboratory is already INRB
lay the diagnosis of viral haemorrhagic fevers including Ebola, because this
laboratory has been rehabilitated.

To finish his briefing, Mwami Mopipi expressed the wish to think about the post epidemic. For this
how, studies must be conducted to discover the risk factors, the reservoir of virus,
but also seek a change of behavior to avoid
the establishment of durable virus in this country.

In the same vein, the minister proposed the rehabilitation of all the other laboratories
national in other cities, to have a good control of the virus.

http://www.digitalcongo.net/article/56069

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

Re: DR Congo: Ebola - 14 Confirmed Deaths, More Suspected, 183 Quarantined

DRC Ebola Outbreak is Under Control; Patients Discharged

January 23, 2009

All patients have been discharged from the Doctors Without Borders/M?decins Sans Fronti?res (MSF) isolation center in Kampungu, Western Kasai province, in central Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where they were being monitored for Ebola hemorrhagic fever. The patients no longer presented symptoms and were in good overall health.

Since the last confirmed Ebola patient died, on January 1, all suspected patients' samples were analyzed and tested negative. Patients who were brought into the isolation center stopped presenting symptoms after a few days and no casualties occured. The three patients who were admitted last week were also discharged as their tests came back negative.

"We can say that for now the outbreak is under control," said Rosa Crestani, from the MSF emergency unit based in Brussels. "Until yesterday, MSF teams were still monitoring around 100 people who had been in contact with others suspected of or confirmed as having Ebola, in order to prevent further possible transmission of the disease. However, it has been 21 days since the last confirmed Ebola case, which is the longest incubation period known. This means that the contact people are not infected with the virus.

"On the other hand, one man who had been in the forest died yesterday and presented some symptoms that make him a suspect case," added Crestani. "The MSF teams are therefore on stand-by; the isolation center remains open and they are ready to respond to new cases, should they occur."

Samples from the deceased man have been taken and will be analyzed over the weekend.

To date, 48 patients in total have shown symptoms of Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Seven patients have tested positive for the Ebola virus after sample analysis in laboratories. Of the seven confirmed cases, two have died. The 41 remaining patients were all suspected cases, of whom 12 have died.

MSF arrived in Western Kasai on December 23 after an Ebola outbreak was declared in mid-December. Today, an MSF team of 15 is working in Western Kasai. The team consists of doctors, nurses, water and sanitation specialists, health promoters, logisticians, and a psychologist.

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/article.cfm?id=3359&ref=home-sidebar-right