Ebola in Uganda: November 30 - December 17, 2007

HenryN · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Ebola - National Task Force Situation Report

The Monitor (Kampala)

DOCUMENT
7 December 2007 </B>
Posted to the web 6 December 2007

National Task Force Situation Report (Sitrep No 2) as at 17.00 Mrs; 6th December 2007. Seen and cleared by Dr. Sam Okware/Chairman/NTF & Dr Melville George, WR/Uganda/Co chair/NTF
1. Situation in the Field:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=right><SCRIPT language=JavaScript> GA_googleFillSlot("AllAfrica_Other_Inset");</SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://partner.googleadservices.com/gampad/ads?correlator=1197132483781&output=json_html&callback=_GA_googleAdEngine.setAdContentsBySlotForSync&impl=s&prev_afc=1&client=ca-pub-2420009840005975&slotname=AllAfrica_Other_Inset&page_slots=AllAfrica_Other_BannerBottom%2CAllAfrica_Other_BannerMid%2CAllAfrica_Other_Inset%2CAllAfrica_Other_Leaderboard%2CAllAfrica_Other_LeftA%2CAllAfrica_Other_LeftB%2CAllAfrica_Other_RightA%2CAllAfrica_Other_RightB%2CAllAfrica_Other_RightC&cust_params=language%3Denglish%26Topics%3Dhealth%26Countries%3Deastafrica%252Cuganda&cookie=ID%3D12eb1897ba9e5266%3AT%3D1196690060%3AS%3DALNI_MYcPugH4NRq_bqTduMuz7P2dTJ5Fw&ga_vid=836489085.1196690017&ga_sid=1197132404&ga_hid=2116866267&ga_fc=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com%2Fstories%2Fprintable%2F200712061162.html&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com%2Fstories%2F200712061162.html&lmt=1197128774&dt=1197132484484&cc=120&u_h=800&u_w=1280&u_ah=770&u_aw=1280&u_cd=32&u_tz=-300&u_his=0&u_java=true&u_nplug=0&u_nmime=0"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

• To date there are 93 cases, 22 deaths (CFR of 24%) including 4 health workers
• There are 9 confirmed Ebola cases
• 5 sub-counties of Bundibugyo district are affected putting about 253,000 people at risk
• Epidemic is on the increase with epicenter (most affected ) is Bundibugyo Town Council
• There have been alert cases in Kasese, Mbarara & Kabarole districts
• Total current admissions in the isolation camps are 38 cases (15 in Kikyo HC IV and 23 in Bundibugyo Hospital)
2. Laboratory and Surveillance:
• Active listing, tracing and follow-up of contacts is on going involving Village Health Teams and Community Medicine Distributors.
• There are 327 contacts listed and being followed up. 175 are in Bundibugyo town council while 152 are in Kikyo Sub County
• Specimen collection and referral for confirmation is also being done
• CDC Atlanta Laboratory experts arrived yesterday to establish an Ebola Laboratory at the Uganda Virus Research Institute and also build capacity
• 28 specimens were collected yesterday.
• Patients and caretakers are to be provided with food within the isolation camps to minimize movement of people
3. Case Management and Infection Control:
• Isolation camp staff at Kikyo HC IV have been trained these include 6 Nurses, 2 cleaners, sprayers and 2 watchmen at Kikyo
• Patient triages systems have been established in Kikyo HC IV and Bundibugyo Hospital Out Patient Departments and staff trained
• Health workers given peer and social support and mentoring to maintain a functional Hospital /
• Burial teams trained and given practical demonstration on how to handle and burry the dead
• Attendants of the cases in the isolation camps were trained on minimum personal protection practices and provided with supplies
• The Isolation camp at Bundibugyo Hospital has been re-organised and expanded
• Training in barrier nursing is also ongoing
4. Coordination - Collaboration:
• The Acting Medical Superintendent of Bundibugyo Hospital is Dr Kaka-Amone who also the Assistant Commissioner of Health Services (clinical) I the Ministry of health. He arrived in the district yesterday .
• The operational plan for 60 days has been drawn up and will cost an estimated USD 1.5m
5. Logistics:
• Inventory of drugs, supplies including Personal Protection Equipments(PPEs) is being developed
• Participating agencies have provided some vehicles to support response
• Unicef has supplied two Emergency Health Kits to the district to cater for 10,000 people for 30 days
• WHO and MSF are bring logisticians to establish a logistics system
• Two stores are currently established by MSF for the EVHF supplies and drugs.
• There is urgent need for light/electricity at Kikyo HC and Bundibugyo hospital
6. Social mobilization, media and psycho social support:
• Social mobilization going on in the district using MoH film vans
• Radio messages have are running on 5 radio stations
• IEC materials i.e. fact sheets, brochures and posters in English and local languages have been printed and are to be distributed starting today
• Radio programmes have also been planned to start today targeting the affected area.
• Preparation for ecological study underway.
7. Travel advice:
• There is no travel restricts to the affected district as this disease is transmitted through direct contact with an Ebola patient or contact with body fluids from an infected person.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200712061162.html

Treyfish · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Ebola outbreak spreads
<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> var imageL= '/images/14/69/46628a8e4873be21be0aa5dcdca3.jpeg' if(imageL) { document.write('

'); } else{ document.write(''); } </SCRIPT>

REUTERS
Staff of the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres treat one of two suspected Ebola patients in the isolation unit of Kampungu in Congo's Eastern Kasai province, September 26, 2007.





Dec 08, 2007 11:38 AM
Reuters

KAMPALA ? Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has urged his people to stop shaking hands to try halt a deadly epidemic of Ebola fever that has infected 101 people and caused 22 deaths, state media reported today.
"Ebola spreads through contact. For the time being, people should resort to jambo (waving)," Museveni was quoted in the state-owned newspaper New Vision as saying. "If I don't shake your hand, it doesn't mean I don't like you."
On Friday, the government said suspected cases of Ebola ? most of them in western Bundibugyo district bordering Democratic Republic of the Congo ? had risen to 101. They included two in Kampala, one of them a doctor who died.
Another 338 people were being monitored because they came into contact with those infected by the virulent haemorrhagic fever.
Doctors say the virus can be passed through contact with an infected person.
The outbreak began in August and has spread panic since it was confirmed last week. Eleven health workers treating Ebola patients have contracted the disease. Four of them died.
Ebola is spread by contact with body fluids, including saliva. Kenya, Rwanda and Congo are screening travellers entering their borders with Uganda.
However, Ugandans remained free to move anywhere, raising fears that the disease could spread outside Bundibugyo, through the east African country's highly mobile population.
Uganda was last hit by an epidemic of Ebola in 2000, when 425 people were infected and just over half died.
This year, an outbreak in Congo ? where some of the first cases in 1976 gave the virus its name after the country's Ebola river ? infected up to 264 people, killing 187.:tiphat: http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/283804

<SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://www.thestar.com/omniture/new/s_code.js"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript></SCRIPT>

<SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/thestar/in-article;sz=468x60;ord=' + ord + '?" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>

</NOSCRIPT>

Treyfish · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=485 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=menutitle height=18>Opinions | December 8, 2007</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top height=30>We could have done better on Ebola
EDITORIAL
Ugandans are in a state of panic, uncertainty, and desperation as the country grapples with the deadly Ebola haemorrhagic fever.

The epidemic had by Thursday evening claimed 24 lives out of 93 reported cases , many of who are struggling to recuperate in poorly facilitated medical centers.

The latest outbreak presented itself in a scientifically atypical form ? the fifth new strain of the virulent disease that has been identified by medical experts in the US. This in itself presents unprecedented challenges to combat the epidemic.

Information from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicates that basing on initial field investigations; the current outbreak was first reported in August this year. :magnify:

Up until the end of November when Government officially confirmed the presence of Ebola following laboratory tests carried at the US-based Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the deaths were only being linked to what was referred to as ?a strange disease.?

Now, this period of quietness on the ?strange disease? is what provided the perfect breeding ground for the spread and loss of lives including medical workers a situation that could have been averted had the government been proactive.

There have been reports to suggest that government might have covered-up the outbreak of the deadly epidemic fearing that official communication on the presence of the epidemic in the country would have jeopardised preparations to host the historic Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala last month.

Government has since dismissed as false claims that it covered up the outbreak and spread of Ebola in the western border district of Bundibugyo.

Strange, because the same government sent blood samples to the US for testing and did very little or nothing at all to warn the citizens of this country let alone taking preventive measures to contain the ?strange disease?.

According to World Health Organisation guidelines governments are compelled inform and warn the public about possible outbreaks of epidemics or ?strange disease? in an effort to control the spread of such diseases.

The government of Uganda failed its citizens in this respect and now the country is in a crisis.
That we failed on mitigation, can the government now employ the mass media to publicly sensitise people on what should be done to avoid contracting and spreading the dreaded Ebola epidemic.:tiphat:
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/opinions/We_could_have_done_better_on_Ebola.shtml

sharon sanders · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

"Strange disease" report from Nov 29th ----

Uganda: No Details Yet On Bundibugyo Strange Disease

<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="180"> <tbody><tr> <td>

</td> <td align="center">
</td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2">

</td> </tr> <tr> <td rowspan="2">

</td> <td align="center"> <table style="width: 135px; height: 55px;" bgcolor="#e8e8ff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td align="left" height="10" valign="top" width="10">

</td> <td bgcolor="#e8e8ff">

</td> <td align="right" height="10" valign="top" width="10">

</td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#e8e8ff">

</td> <td align="left" bgcolor="#e8e8ff" valign="top" width="160">
</td> <td bgcolor="#e8e8ff">

</td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left" height="10" valign="bottom" width="10">

</td> <td bgcolor="#e8e8ff">

</td> <td align="right" height="10" valign="bottom" width="10">

</td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan="2">

</td> </tr> </tbody></table> The Monitor (Kampala)
29 November 2007
Posted to the web 28 November 2007
Jane Nafula & Al-Mahdi Ssenkabirwa
Kampala
THE Ministry of Health has failed to establish the type of strange disease that has hit the western district of Bundibugyo.
The Director General of Health Services, Dr Sam Zaramba, told Daily Monitor yesterday that more blood samples would be sent to South Africa and the Centre for Disease Control in the US for further scrutiny.
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td align="right">  <script language="JavaScript"> GA_googleFillSlot("AllAfrica_Story_Inset"); </script><script src="http://partner.googleadservices.com/gampad/ads?correlator=1197135818469&output=json_html&callback=_GA_googleAdEngine.setAdContentsBySlotForSync&impl=s&prev_afc=0&client=ca-pub-2420009840005975&slotname=AllAfrica_Story_Inset&page_slots=AllAfrica_Story_BannerBottom%2CAllAfrica_Story_BannerMid%2CAllAfrica_Story_BannerSubbody%2CAllAfrica_Story_Inset%2CAllAfrica_Story_Leaderboard%2CAllAfrica_Story_LeftA%2CAllAfrica_Story_LeftB%2CAllAfrica_Story_RightA%2CAllAfrica_Story_RightB%2CAllAfrica_Story_RightC&cust_params=language%3Denglish%26Topics%3Dhealth%26Countries%3Deastafrica%252Cuganda&cookie=ID%3D11ec780ca6d62c93%3AT%3D1194747278%3AS%3DALNI_MaSGGNGks2Ty74ijJS3kR_YjIMnpA&ga_vid=1638380937.1194747314&ga_sid=1197135819&ga_hid=1888330520&ga_fc=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com%2Fstories%2F200711281196.html&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.google.com%2Fnews%3Ftab%3Dwn%26hl%3Den%26ned%3Dus%26q%3Dstrange%2Bdisease%26btnG%3DSearch%2BNews&lmt=1197132129&dt=1197135818767&cc=100&u_h=900&u_w=1440&u_ah=870&u_aw=1440&u_cd=32&u_tz=-300&u_his=5&u_java=true&u_nplug=17&u_nmime=58"></script><script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script><iframe name="google_ads_frame" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-2420009840005975&dt=1197135818945&lmt=1197132129&format=160x90_0ads_al_s&output=html&correlator=1197135818944&url=http%3A%2F%2Fallafrica.com%2Fstories%2F200711281196.html&color_bg=F0F0F0&color_text=000000&color_link=0000FF&color_url=008000&color_border=000000&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.google.com%2Fnews%3Ftab%3Dwn%26hl%3Den%26ned%3Dus%26q%3Dstrange%2Bdisease%26btnG%3DSearch%2BNews&cc=100&ga_vid=1638380937.1194747314&ga_sid=1197135819&ga_hid=1888330520&ga_fc=true&flash=9&u_h=900&u_w=1440&u_ah=870&u_aw=1440&u_cd=32&u_tz=-300&u_his=5&u_java=true&u_nplug=17&u_nmime=58" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" vspace="0" hspace="0" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="90" scrolling="no" width="160"></iframe>
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
"We sent three different blood samples to South Africa and the US but they tested negative. But we will send more samples to help us identify this disease," Mr Zaramba said on telephone.

The highly infectious strange disease was first reported in Bundibugyo in August.

It has similar symptoms to the Marburg hemorrhagic fever which struck Kamwenge District in western Uganda, killing two people and infecting four others at Kitaka mine. It comes in form of a rush, severe headache, vomiting and diarrhea.
The disease has so far claimed 16 lives while over 40 people have been infected.
However, both local and foreign medical experts have since failed to establish its name and cause.
The first samples which were taken to South Africa and the US when the disease had just hit the district tested negative for viral hemorrhagic fever.
The disease is spread through contact with infected people or staying within close range with victims.
The victims have therefore been isolated and are being given treatment.
"We give them general medication like antibiotics to treat things like rashes," Dr. Zaramba said.
<table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="9" cellspacing="0" width="180"> <tbody><tr> <td align="right"> <table style="width: 144px; height: 52px;" bgcolor="#000000" border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr><td> <table style="width: 122px; height: 24px;" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="3"> <tbody><tr><td class="basic-seventy" align="center"></td></tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"> <table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td class="nav" align="center"> </td></tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> "We are also concentrating on sensitising people about infection control methods ," he added.
Recently, the ministry of health, the World Health Organisation and Makerere Medical School dispatched a response team to trace contacts of the sick persons and carry out public awareness campaigns on preventive measures.
Dr Sam Okware -the Director of Community Health said they suspected the disease to be Leptospirosis- a rare disease caused by small mammals. The first victims reportedly fed on goat meat which infected the entire family, according to Dr. Okware.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200711281196.html

Treyfish · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Friday, Dec. 7:

Yesterday marked one week since the diagnosis of Ebola was announced. In that week we moved from thoughtful concern to alarm to grief to acceptance of the daily reality of work. As soon as we heard the news last Thursday Scott was setting up chlorine and gloves at the health center and communicating with MSF and Ministry of Health, and holding meetings with our team to inform and calm.

A week ago today the advance team flew in and out. In the first few days help seemed to come in slowly, this is a remote place, not easy to access with tons of supplies. It took time for the experts to set up barriers and isolate people, to train staff on protective techniques.

In those first days we felt the crunch of panicked patients, fearful and sometimes absent staff. But now a week into the response the sheer volume of people who have arrived is astonishing. We find ourselves moving more and more to the periphery as agencies much bigger than ours, and people with more power and experience take over. And the non-Ebola medical needs are becoming more difficult to quantify as people stay home, afraid.:tiphat:

http://www.whm.org/news/ebolainuganda/updates/friday-dec.-7#KbtKUvizSz1ykyD8ubEXHw

Treyfish · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Saturday, 8 dezembro 2007, 16h29
Ebola epidemic kills 25 pessoas em Uganda
Hundreds of pessoas est?o of quarentena not Bundibugyo district, onde foi or localized focus gives epid CAMPALA, 8 dez 2007 (AFP) - A atual Ebola epidemic j? matou 25 pessoas em Uganda, com or register mais tr?s deaths dg past 48 hours , informaram fontes medical neste Saturday.
Hundreds of pessoas est?o of quarentena not Bundibugyo district, onde foi or localized focus gives epidemic.

"Duas pessoas morreram na noite passada," informou Sam Okware, funcion?rio do minist?rio da Sa?de encarregado do battle or Ebola.

At? or time, or v?rus j? infectou 104 pessoas, incluindo membros da equipe medical n?o utilizaram luvas and masks to treat two patients.

Or focus da atual epidemic is coming ? fronteira com muito to do Democratic Republic Congo (DRC).

Oito specialists em infectious agents do Centro de Controle e Preven??o de Enfermidades Atlanta (CDC em ingl?s) est?o investigating this nova do v?rus strain, which tem "different characteristics and symptoms" and ? a fourth conhecida, second to Organiza??o Mundial de Sa?de ( WHO).

Or Ebola causes febre and 'muscle, followed by v?mitos, diarr?ia and internal bleeding. Second as primeiras informa??es, a nova strain kills mainly devido ? febre high.

There tratamento specific ou N?o vacina or against Ebola.

A transmiss?o ocorre by contato direto com sangue, secre??es corporais ou manipula??o week two corpos care gives v?timas.:tiphat: http://noticias.terra.com.br/mundo/interna/0,,OI2136721-EI294,00.html

HenryN · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Ebola outbreak in Uganda; borders closed

Ebola - a virulent haemorrhagic fever, is found in the Bundibugyo district of Uganda. Nine confirmed dead of the disease and 93 infected. Rwanda, Kenya, and Congo borders closed.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has closed its borders with Uganda from fear that an Ebola outbreak in Uganda?s western districts spreads over the border. The measure was decided after Kampala?s Health ministry announced a hotbed of the virulent haemorrhagic fever in the Bundibugyo district, on the border with DR-Congo, following the same moves by Kenya and Rwanda, for the monitoring of Ugandan citizens entering their respective territories.
Ugandan Health officials today also reported that around 350 people were confined to their homes in the Bundibugyo and Kasese districts, after entering in contact with victims that died from the virus. ?We have established that 335 such people participated in burying some of the cases, either as relatives or sympathisers?, said the Bundibugyo district chairman, Jackson Bambalira, specifying that experts will be sent to their homes to verify whether they develop any symptoms. Meanwhile, in the neighbouring Kabarole district, residents threatened to flee if the central government set up an isolation centre for Ebola cases.
?We are worried. Some of our elderly people and drunkards may stray into the isolation centres and get infected. We ask the Government to identify another place far away from human settlement?, explained a local representative in a meeting convoked by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Health officials to decide on setting up an isolation centre in the area.
Based on the latest toll issued by authorities, 22 dead and 93 infected, of which 9 confirmed dead from Ebola, and 253,000 are at risk of contracting the deadly haemorrhagic fever. Local health officials are however also concerned about other epidemics of meningitis and bubonic plague in West Nile, cholera in Hoima and Buliisa, and yellow fever in the northern district of Kitgum, which have already left 33 dead.
Missionary International Service News Agency (MISNA)

http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=12819&t=Ebola+outbreak+in+Uganda;+borders+closed<SCRIPT type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT>

sharon sanders · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

If the borders are closed then have any international travel restrictions been issued?

HenryN · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Florida1 said:
If the borders are closed then have any international travel restrictions been issued?

I don't consider the border closings "credible". I think it is a mis-interpretation of border checks.

HenryN · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

25 dead from Ebola in Uganda

Sunday, December 9, 2007 at 07:09 EST
KAMPALA ? A dreaded Ebola outbreak has killed two people, bringing the toll to 25 in western Uganda, an official said Saturday, as health teams battled to contain the virulent strain in the region.
Health authorities continued to monitor hundreds of quarantined people who had contacts with the Ebola victims in Bundibugyo district, home to 250,000 people and the outbreak's epicentre.
"Two people died last night in Bundibugyo, bringing the death toll to 25," said Sam Okware, a health ministry official heading the battle against the disease.
The mysterious strain has so far infected 104 people ? including the 25 dead ? some of them medical workers who treated patients without latex gloves and respirator gowns.
Health authorities said the situation, although still grave, had started to improve mainly in hospitals where the government has deployed additional personnel and protective equipment.
"It seems we are on top of the situation because all medical personnel and equipment have been sent to where they are required," Okware said.
"What is more important is that four people have recovered and they are about to be discharged from Bundibugyo hospital and two others are about to be discharged from Kikyo health centre," said Sam Kazinga, the area's district commissioner.
Alarmed by the new outbreak, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has pleaded with the public to refrain from handshakes and kissing while radio stations and mobile films are reaching out to communities at risk to pass on similar information.
In addition, posters, brochures and factsheets were being distributed in a bid to educate the largely unschooled public. Affected districts have banned discotheques, crusades and public video halls to reduce human contact.
Experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were studying new blood and tissue samples from western Kanungu and Kasese districts and northwestern Adjuman district for possible Ebola infections.
The health ministry said the previously unknown Ebola virus hit the region in September, simmered unnoticed while obscured by chaos and spurred other infections with similar symptoms, until it was identified in late November.
Unlike other Ebola strains, which kill after signature non-stop haemorrhage, the new strain takes life after provoking mainly high fever, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Although containing the strain is the priority, epidemiologists are also scouring the area to search for the source of the virus, seven years after it killed at least 170 people in northern Uganda, in a bid to stall future outbreaks.
Spread by body fluids, the blood-borne disease, Ebola was named after a small DRC river where it was discovered in 1976. It re-emerged in Sudan later the same year. Other outbreaks have been recorded in Ivory Coast, Gabon and Uganda.
In the previous outbreaks, the disease struck with initial ferocity causing massive fatalities, then faded away months later without leaving a hint where it came from. Experts are still seeking its footprints, if any.
Because of its scanty history, scientists have concluded that the strain is somewhat containable because it kills its victims faster than it can spread to new hosts. (AFP)

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/422680

Treyfish · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Ebola Bundibugyo: The Saturday Numbers and other things

Scott?s report from tonight?s task force meeting:

Cumulative cases: 106 (note that he discussed with the CDC the fact that most of the early cases had been excluded. This is understandable, they are retrospective diagnoses, but it is good to remember that this number is at best a guess. It does not include the first dozen (?20 ?30) cases from the Kikyo area, before a real epidemic had been recognized. On the other hand it probably includes a number of non-Ebola cases that have similar non-specific symptoms.)
Deaths: 26. There were two more in Bundibugyo, and one in Kikyo. One of the Bundi deaths was a lady who had been admitted on a general female ward and then developed a rash . . .the rash is usually a late sign and this lady died soon after transfer to the isolation ward. It points out again the difficulty in distinguishing cases because of the different not-so-hemorrhagic nature of this strain.
Hospital Census: 19 Bundibugyo (2 died, 1 was discharged, no new ones . . . 3 of the patients are critical). Kikyo 14 (1 died, 2 new, 3 were discharged, including 1 health worker, also have 3 critical cases.)
Health Care Workers: 16 nurses are now in play, only about 4 from Bundi working on the isolation ward but a good number from MSF in other parts of Uganda or Europe. We?ve met two young female doctors (Belgian and Nordic). The MSF team is now huge with their WatSan (water and sanitation), logistic, anthropologic experts, etc. We met the airplane today with the CDC health communications man, whom we then hooked up with Hannington Bahemuka as a good source of cultural information and language appropriateness.
Contacts: 340. Today 158 received check-in visits from mobile teams (46%).
Lab: was supposed to do a practice run with non-Ebola blood today to ascertain safety precautions were intact, first run of potential Ebola samples tomorrow. We?re all on the edge of our seats for this news.
Fear: definitely there. It is hard to really overestimate the impact Jonah?s death has had on the public perception of the epidemic. He was such a loved and public figure, his death has very much intensified the feeling of vulnerability that people carry. Sadly the families of patients who have died, especially Jonah?s and Joshua Kule?s, have experienced isolation, neighbors running away from them, merchants refusing to accept/touch the money they are offering to buy food. Even we have heard that people are afraid of us, and avoiding us.

Pray for the churches tomorrow to bring messages of hope, consolation, and be channels of information that will help people cope with the stress of this disease. Pray for us to know if we should shift from supporting medical care to mobilizing public health efforts in the community.

I visited Melen today, actually walked half of the way there and back because Scott is so busy with other efforts . . . I found her sitting on the floor of the house with Jonah?s mother and sister, all looking drained and blank. As before, and as with Job?s friends, it seemed the best thing to do was just to silently sit. Eventually I tried to get Melen to talk a bit, but she was unable, saying her thoughts were ?disorganized?. I assured her that was OK, and that we were making every effort to provide for the children, so that at least that worry would not weigh upon her. I was thankful to see that Jonah?s mother was well. What a strong woman, to have buried now 3 of her 9 children and her husband, to have been exposed to Ebola but so far not succumbing . . The girls are distracting themselves with the books I brought, and there were a handful of relatives around the house, though still nowhere near the number of consoling visitors one would otherwise expect. The district has sent food, and they seemed to be provided for, just overwhelmed with grief.

The most surreal moment of the day was a visit from a very kind and sincere American endocrinologist researcher, whom we met a few months ago in conjunction with his study of iodine deficiency in the Rwenzori region. He decided to drive 10 hours from the southwest tip of Uganda where he is now working, just to check with his own eyes that Scott was OK and Dr. Sessanga was really recovering, and bring them both thoughtful and costly gifts. That kind of generous concern from someone we have known only briefly humbles us, just like the many kind comments and sincere prayers from people around the world. :tiphat: http://www.paradoxuganda.blogspot.com/

Treyfish · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Ebola Scare Escalates

Latest reports from Bundibugyo show that Ebola has so far claimed at least 24 people including a heath worker in Kasitu and Babukwanga sub-counties in Bundibugyo District in less than a month. Sources say over 90 people are admitted in critical condition and males are more affected than females. It also indicates that the case fatality rate is high at about 1 to 2 deaths averagely daily, among the Bakonzo community alone in Kasitu Sub -county.

Most people had thought it to be a worm infection but the ministry of health has confirmed that it?s the deadly Ebola that has struck. ?Looking at the frequency of admissions and deaths, this disease can only be Ebola,? experts said. The signs and symptoms of the disease include severe fever, diarrhea and gastric pain leading to death.:tiphat:

http://www.redpepper.ug/news.php?item=1577&PHPSESSID=f9b72f253269e18f74b21bb1b37cc8b6

Treyfish · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

:tiphat: Mojo and Commonground:tiphat: hat-tip Mojo

Kyambogo University under Ebola panic

Meanwhile, Ebola fear has gripped Kyambogo University in Kampala after a group of students who had gone to bury a relative in Bundibugyo district returned and freely mixed with other students.

The fourteen students who were in Bundibugyo at the end of last week were attending a funeral of a relative who had succumbed to Ebola.

The National Ebola Task Force has urged Kyambogo University authority to isolate the fourteen students and put them under medical surveillance.

The dean of students at Kyambogo University, Siriyako Kabagambe this morning confirmed the directive from the National Ebola Task Force. He says the university is now looking for all the fourteen students who went to Bundibugyo will put them under medical surveillance.

The panic at Kyambogo University comes when students are undertaking end of semester examinations.

http://www.ugpulse.com//articles/daily/news.asp?ID=4551

Treyfish · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Ebola Puts Kyenjojo On Bukenke

AN EBOLA scare has hit Kyenjojo district very hard. As we report this, people here no longer hug, shake hands, visit, touch anything of common use, shaft or even wave. This follows scaring tales from neighboring Kabarole and Bundibugyo where the deadly viral disease originated.

The state of fear has been worsened by the death of a man in Kyenjojo town council from a disease with all signs like those of Ebola. Now, business is on a stand still because people fear to touch anything ion sale and money. Kyenjojo has been supplying Bundibugyo with a lot of produce and food with traders going to and from. These are causing tremendous fear that they might import the deadly virus which kills in a matter of days.

Some locals were already beginning to flee. District leaders especially the district woman MP, Joyce Kwebiiha (Maama Mission) are appealing for calm and caution in this trying time. ?We are doing all it takes to safe guard you from the disease and we are working with government. Just be calm and report any suspicious cases you see as soon as possible,? Kwebiiha is appealing.

She has a team helping to manage the Ebola alert which is now in action.

http://www.redpepper.ug/news.php?item=1597

sharon sanders · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Thank you to (in no special order): Hawkeye, Niman, Dutchy, Niko, Mordan, Mojo, Commonground, AlaskaDenise, FrenchieGirl, Laidback Al, Thornton, Vinny, MoMosMom, and Exodia for contributing to this thread to illuminate the situation there.

A special thanks for Treyfish who makes all these posts on dial-up!

:tiphat:

HenryN · Dec 8, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Map updated

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=U...,32.651196&spn=4.558041,8.668213&t=h&z=7&om=1

Commonground · Dec 9, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Was Ebola outbreak covered-up?

Excerpt:

Confirmation of the epidemic, says the government, was complicated after blood specimens from five patients that were sent for laboratory diagnostics to the National Institute of Virology in South Africa - on September 29 - all turned negative for Ebola.

For such a dangerous infection, it is unclear why the government took well over a month to send blood samples just to South Africa, which is four-hours away by flight, yet previous laboratory tests, including those for Marburg and Ebola had been done there.

So the label of ?a strange disease? became curious as more people got infected and died, many more unknowingly moved in and out of Bundibugyo as overstretched and barehanded medics in the under-resourced district grappled with full-blown Ebola cases.
?What government has done,? said workers MP Dr Sam Lyomoki, ?is not pardonable and a glaring violation of the right of workers.

It is insensitivity and recklessness on the part of government and it must apologise.?
Sunday Monitor has established that after the failed South African tests, it was not until nearly four weeks later - on November 24 and the second day of Chogm in Kampala ? that the batch of 20 blood samples of suspected Ebola patients reached the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States, where it took only 48 hours for the epidemiological experts to confirm the hemorrhagic fever as Ebola.

Mr Rolling Pierre, the chief of diagnostics in the Special Pathogen branch at the CDC, said in an exclusive interview on Friday evening that when they ran the first ?Polymorase Chain Reaction test? on the blood samples on Monday, November 26, it tested positive for the genetic matter of the Ebola virus but negative against the four known sub-types of the hemorrhagic fever.

The partial failure of this molecular procedure to identify the new strain prompted the American experts to carry out the Elisa test, an older but robust laboratory examination, to establish the antigens for the virus in the blood samples and this then tested positive for Ebola strains.

To be absolutely sure, a repeat test was administered, which again turned positive for Ebola. Those confirmed results were immediately wired to government through the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Entebbe in the early morning hours (local time) of November 27.

?The laboratory tests took two days instead of one day because this strain of Ebola was different from the ones we knew (Ebola Congo, Sudan, Ivory Coast and Reston) and that is why the genetic test first gave a negative result,? Mr Pierre said.

He said the CDC has since helped install a new Ebola testing machine at UVRI in Entebbe where the Elisa test technique would be used because ?it has an advantage to recognise all Ebola viruses, including this new strain, which was not known?.

The equipment is expected to start being used either today or tomorrow, Monday Ebola has a gestation period of 2-21 days, the known symptoms of sudden high fever, headache, vomiting, bleeding through orifices, measles-like body rash, among others would not show on newly infected persons until days later, predisposing other people with whom they make body contact, to infection.

That perhaps explains the wide dispersion of Ebola to the countryside with Ministry of Health reporting sporadic alert cases in seven new districts in West Nile, east, central and western parts of the country.

The haemorrhagic fever has a potential mortality rate of 70-90 percent of all clinically ill cases.

http://www.monitor.co.ug/artman/publish/sun_news/Was_Ebola_outbreak_covered-up.shtml

sharon sanders · Dec 9, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

<table id="texttable"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td class="almost_half_cell">Suman 25 killed by Ebola in Uganda

AFP

The Ministry of Health reported that the figure increased after three people died in the last 48 hours.

Kampala. An Ebola epidemic caused at least 25 deaths in Uganda, new stock after the announcement of three more victims in the past 48 hours, health sources reported Saturday.

Hundreds of people are in quarantine in the district of Bundibugyo, which has been located at the center of the epidemic.

"Two people died last night," said Sam Okware, an official of the Ministry of Health in charge of the fight against this deadly disease.

So far the outbreak has infected 104 people - including 25 dead, some of them members of health teams, which catered to patients without latex gloves or masks.

The center of the epidemic is also very close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Eight experts pathogens in the laboratory of the Center for the Control and Prevention of Diseases (CDC English), in Atlanta (United States) are investigating this new strain with different characteristics and symptoms, "and that is the fourth known, according to the Organization World Health Organization (WHO).

The symptoms of Ebola are a fever and muscle pain, followed by vomiting, diarrhea and internal bleeding, but according to preliminary reports, the new strain causes death due to high fever.

There is no specific treatment or vaccine against the disease.

The transmission is by direct contact with blood, secretions or body without careful handling infected corpses.
</td></tr><tr><td id="submitcell"><table style="width: 48px; height: 8px;"><tbody><tr><td id="selectcell">
</td><td>
</td></tr></tbody></table></td><td>
</td><td align="right">

</td></tr></tbody></table>

Suman 25 muertos por ébola en Uganda

AFP
El Ministerio de Sanidad reportó que la cifra aumentó luego de que tres personas fallecieron en las últimas 48 horas.
Kampala. Una epidemia de Ébola causó al menos 25 muertos en Uganda, nuevo balance tras el anuncio de tres víctimas más en las últimas 48 horas, informaron fuentes sanitarias este sábado.
Centenares de personas se encuentran en cuarentena en el distrito de Bundibugyo, donde ha sido localizado el centro de la epidemia.
"Dos personas murieron la pasada noche", informó Sam Okware, un responsable del Ministerio de Sanidad a cargo de la lucha contra esta enfermedad mortal.
Hasta ahora el brote ha infectado a 104 personas -incluidos los 25 muertos-, algunos de ellos miembros de los equipos sanitarios, que atendieron a los pacientes sin guantes de látex ni mascarillas.
El centro de la epidemia se encuentra además a poca distancia de la frontera con la República Democrática del Congo (RDC).
Ocho expertos en agentes patógenos del laboratorio del Centro de Control y Prevención de las Enfermedades (CDC en inglés) de Atlanta (Estados Unidos) están investigando esta nueva cepa "con características y síntomas diferentes", y que es la cuarta conocida, según la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS).
Los síntomas del Ebola son un estado febril y dolores musculares, seguidos de vómitos, diarreas y hemorragias internas, aunque según las primeras informaciones, la nueva cepa provoca la muerte debido a las fiebres altas.
No existe ni tratamiento específico ni vacuna contra la enfermedad.
La transmisión se produce por contacto directo con la sangre, las secreciones corporales o la manipulación sin precaución de cadáveres infectados.

http://www.jornada.unam.mx/ultimas/2007/12/08/suman-25-muertos-por-ebola-en-uganda

FrenchieGirl · Dec 9, 2007

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: New Ebola Strain in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Readers' letters in NewVision newspaper, dated 7 December 2007:

http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/21/600953?highlight&q=ebola

Relatives of an Ebola victim in Bundibyo taking the body for burial

I understand there is a sports gala in Arua on December 10 for all nursing institutions in Uganda. As we all know, there is an outbreak of Ebola in western Uganda. There is a risk that the gathering will attract all nursing schools, including those in Fort Portal and Bundibugyo where the disease has been detected. Prevention is better than cure.

I pray this gala be postponed until further notice so as to avoid more infections. It is believed that the incubation period of the Ebola virus is 21 days.
Kamugisha Kabahweza
Kabale

------------------------

The deadly Ebola has resurfaced. This time it is more cunning and vicious. At least 18 people are already dead and over 80 suspected to be infected. The health ministry should devise new methods to control the scourge. I suggest the dead bodies of Ebola victims should not be removed from where the death takes place. Instead they should be cremated immediately.

Timothy Muthee
kampala

HenryN · Dec 9, 2007

Re: FluTrackers : Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Re: FluTrackers : Ebola in Uganda Spreading - Death toll rising

Ebola Spreads To Kabarole

The RDC Kabarole Kakonge Kambarage has asked residents to be extra conscious about the outbreak of the deadly Ebora disease which has claimed over 30 people in Bundibugyo and is now reported in Kabarole. The RDC made the call following the death of one person in Kicwamba sub-county, an area that borders Bundibugyo. It is said the deceased reportedly died with all Ebola symptoms.

In a related development, Kabarole District health officer Dr Jao Okech Ojony has asked people to desist from the greeting culture of shaking hands to avoid contracting Ebola which is transmitted through physical interaction. The situation in Fort Portal town is very tense and people are locking themselves in their houses.

http://www.redpepper.ug/spotlight.php?item=366

Ebola in Uganda: November 30 - December 17, 2007

Retired

Moderator

Moderator

Editor-in-Chief & President

Moderator

Moderator

Retired

Editor-in-Chief & President

Retired

Retired

Moderator

Moderator

Moderator

Moderator

Editor-in-Chief & President

Retired

Senior Moderator

Editor-in-Chief & President

Senior Moderator

Retired