Santé : Une étrange fièvre se déclare à Macenta, plusieurs cas de ... - Africaguinee.com
"A new disease that we do not know the name was reported in the prefecture of Macenta located 800 KM from Conakry, killing 8 people dead and several others contaminated learned Africaguinee.com."
Symptoms "manifested by anal and nasal bleeding."
Seems to resemble Lassa Fever.
Mystery hemorrhagic fever kills 23 in Guinea - The Standard Digital News
"An outbreak of hemorrhagic fever has killed at least 23 people in Guinea's southeastern forest region since February when the first case was reported, health authorities in the West African nation said on Wednesday."
Guinea: 35 suspected cases, 23 deaths
"Symptoms appear as diarrhoea and vomiting, with a very high fever. Some cases showed relatively heavy bleeding."
Most of the victims had been in contact with the deceased or had handled the bodies
Samples sent to Senegal and France for further tests
Death Toll from Guinea Hemorrhagic Fever Rises to 29 - Voice of America
Guinea: 49 suspected cases, 29 deaths
French tests inconclusive so far
"However, we are narrowing it down to Ebola and Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever (MHF)," Sakoba Keita, a Guinea health ministry official, said.
"The first case of the outbreak in Guinea was reported on Feb. 9."
"Cases have been recorded in three southeastern towns and in the capital Conakry."
Guinea hemorrhagic fever may have crossed into Sierra Leone - KDAL
"An outbreak of hemorrhagic fever that has killed 29 people in Guinea may have spread across the border into neighboring Sierra Leone, according to a World Health Organisation (WHO) document and a senior Sierra Leone health official."
Suspected Death: 14-year-old boy in the town of Buedu, eastern Kailahun District, Sierra Leone
Boy had travelled to Guinea to attend the funeral of one of the outbreak's earlier victims
Ebola virus cause of hemorrhagic fever in Guinea - P.M. News
"The Ebola virus has been identified as the source of an outbreak of hemorrhagic fever in southern Guinea."
"Scientists in the French city of Lyon confirmed it was Ebola, the Guinean health ministry said."
Guinea: 49 suspected cases, 34 deaths
Guinea confirms fever is Ebola, has killed up to 59 - Reuters UK
Guinea: 59 deaths
"Six of the 12 samples sent for analysis tested positive for Ebola, Dr. Sakoba Keita, who heads the epidemics prevention division at Guinea's health ministry, told Reuters."
Ebola epidemic spreads to Guinea's capital - Geo News, Pakistan
"An Ebola epidemic which has already killed dozens of people in Guinea's southern forests has spread to the capital Conakry, the United Nations Children's Fund said on Sunday."
Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever in Guinea - World Health Organization (press release)
"The Ministry of Health (MoH) of Guinea has notified WHO of a rapidly evolving outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in forested areas south eastern Guinea. As of 22 March 2014, a total of 49 cases including 29 deaths (case fatality ratio: 59%) had been reported. The cases have been reported in Guekedou, Macenta, Nzerekore and Kissidougou districts. In addition, three suspect cases including two deaths in Conakry are under investigation. Four health care workers are among the victims. Reports of suspected cases in border areas of Liberia and Sierra Leone are being investigated."
Ebola Threatens Sierra Leone - Patriotic Vanguard
"There has been an outbreak of the deadly disease called Ebola in neighbouring Guinea-Conakry and experts say it’s likely to spread in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Guinea Bissau and Mali, five countries that share borders with Guinea-Conkary."
Virus in Guinea capital Conakry not Ebola - BBC News
"Tests on suspected cases of deadly Ebola virus in Guinea's capital Conakry are negative, health officials say."
Guinea Ebola outbreak believed to be deadly Zaire strain - Reuters UK
"Scientists tackling an outbreak of Ebola in Guinea believe they have identified the virus as the Zaire strain, the most lethal of all that 'raises the already high level of concern', according to France's Institut Pasteur."
Ebola outbreak in West Africa kills at least 61 - Parent Herald
Guinea: 87 suspected cases, 61 dead
Ebola Deaths Suspected in Liberia as UN Responds in Guinea (3) - Businessweek
. Five people are suspected to have died from the disease in Lofa county in northern Liberia, Bernice Dahn, Liberia’s chief medical officer, said at a briefing today
Five dead of Ebola in Liberia - Africa | IOL News | IOL.co.za
"Five patients have died in Liberia of suspected Ebola fever, the government said on Monday, as neighbouring Guinea battled an outbreak of the virus which has killed dozens."
“As of this morning six cases have been reported of which five have already died Ä four female adults and one male child. One of the suspected cases, a female child, is under treatment,” Health Minister Walter Gwenigale said in a statement
Canadian man hospitalized with Ebola-like virus after trip to West Africa - U.S. News & World Report
"A man who recently traveled to West Africa is seriously ill and being kept in isolation in a Canadian hospital with symptoms of a hemorrhagic fever resembling the Ebola virus, Saskatchewan health officials said."
11 suspected Ebola virus cases registered in Liberia, five dead - The Voice of Russia
Liberia: 11 suspected cases, 5 deaths
At least 61 have died in Guinea Ebola outbreak - euronews
Guinea: 61 deaths
"This is the first time Ebola has been recorded in Guinea."
Health Officials Scramble to Contain Guinea Ebola Outbreak - Voice of America
"Health officials are also investigating suspected cases in Sierra Leone."
Guinea Ebola outbreak thought to have spread to Sierra Leone - GlobalPost
"Karbo said one of the cases concerned a 14-year-old boy who is thought to have died two weeks ago in Guinea and then been taken back to his village on the Sierra Leonean side of the border. The second suspected case, in a patient who has not died, was in the northern border district of Kambia."
Ebola has now spread into Liberia, say Irish aid workers - thejournal.ie
"An Irish Aid agency has confirmed that the deadly Ebola virus has spread from Guinea into the neighboring West African state of Liberia. The report released by Plan Ireland confirms two separate cases of Ebola infection in Liberia, fuelling claims that the outbreak is becoming a regional epidemic."
"Travel has been restricted in ‘high risk areas’ of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia alongside the implementation of a host of safety precautions. Those working or living in affected areas have been advised to travel only if on essential business, to regularly wash hands, and to avoid eating bush meat."
Guinea Ebola outbreak: Bat-eating banned to curb virus - BBC News
"Guinea has banned the sale and consumption of bats to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, its health minister has said."
"Bats, a local delicacy, appeared to be the 'main agents' for the Ebola outbreak in the south, Rene Lamah said."
Guinea: 62 deaths
Ebola Patients Transferred to JFK - AllAfrica.com
"At least two patients suspected to have contracted the Ebola virus were on Sunday, March 23 transferred from neighboring Guinea to Liberia, specifically in Nimba County."
Guinea: 86 suspected cases, 60 deaths
"The cases have been reported in Guekedou, Macenta, and Kissidougou districts. As of 25 March 2014, a total of 86 suspected cases including 60 deaths (case fatality ratio: 69.7%) had been reported. Four health care workers are among the victims. Reports of suspected cases in border areas of Liberia and Sierra Leone are being investigated."
Liberia Declares Ebola Outbreak a National Emergency - AllAfrica.com
"On Tuesday during their separate regular sessions, the issue of the outbreak of the disease was discussed with consensus for collaborative efforts with the Executive Branch of government through the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in tackling the spread of the disease."
"In the letter, Representative Kaprkar requested plenary to mandate the health committee to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to hasten the necessary preventive and remedial measures to protect Liberians against the deadly Ebola disease."
Death toll rises to 63 in Ebola outbreak in West African nation of Guinea - U.S. News & World Report
Guinea: 63 deaths
"Health officials in the West African nation of Guinea say the death toll from a rare Ebola outbreak has risen to 63."
No "confirmed" ebola case in Sierra Leone: Chief Medical Officer - Shanghai Daily (subscription)
"The Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation said Wednesday that there is no 'confirmed' ebola case in Sierra Leone."
Guinea says Ebola outbreak contained, but death toll rises - The Globe and Mail
Guinea: 63 suspected cases
"Guinea said on Wednesday it had stopped an outbreak of deadly Ebola fever from spreading beyond the country's remote southeast, although the number of deaths from suspected infections rose to at least 63."
"'The epidemic is not spreading to other regions,' Guinean Health Minister Remy Lamah told Reuters by telephone from the affected area in Guinea's remote Forest region. 'Medical equipment has been shipped in,' he said. 'MSF is helping us to control the outbreak.'"
Liberia: 'No Ebola in Monrovia' - Diagnosis of Suspected Cases Negative - AllAfrica.com
"Confirmed health authorities in Liberia say there have been no new suspected deaths from the deadly Ebola virus since the admission early this week of four (2 in Guinea, 1 in Foya and 1 in Zorzor) reported cases."
"'I can confirm to you that there has been no reported case of Ebola on admission in any of Liberia's hospitals. Samples from suspected persons have been provided to MSF in Guinea for preliminary examination. Further confirmation from the preliminary findings will be provided from Lyon, France,'"
Ministry of Health Statement/Advisory on Ebola Situation - AllAfrica.com
"The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would like to inform the public that the number of suspected viral hemorrhagic fever cases remains at six with four deaths as of March 26, 2014. The two cases and one death reported from Curran Ho spital in Zorzor yesterday did not meet the case definition of viral hemorrhagic fevers. Hence, this has reduced the cumulative number of suspected cases and deaths."
Four cases of Ebola confirmed in Guinean capital Conakry- Minister - Thomson Reuters Foundation
"Four cases of infection by the deadly Ebola virus have been confirmed in Conakry, Guinea's Health Minister Remy Lamah said on Thursday, marking the first confirmed spread of the disease from rural areas to West African state's capital."
Ebola Death Toll Rises to 66 as Cases Reported in Guinea Capital - Businessweek
"Guinea’s Health Ministry reported five suspected cases of Ebola in the capital, Conakry, as the death toll from the hemorrhagic fever increased to 66. At least 15 suspected cases of the infectious disease were registered yesterday, including those in Conakry, the ministry said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. A total of 103 suspected cases have now been registered, while there has been one death in the capital, it said."
Guinea: 103 suspected cases, 66 deaths
"Health officials in the West African nation of Guinea say they're now treating eight cases of Ebola in the capital."
10 new Ebola cases with 7 deaths reported in Guinea - Shanghai Daily (subscription)
"Ten new cases of Ebola with seven deaths were reported on Friday in Guinea, bringing the total number of cases to 112 and 70 deaths since the declaration of this deadly epidemic, a source from the health ministry has said."
Guinea: 112 suspected cases, 70 deaths
Liberian health authorities confirm two cases of Ebola: WHO| Reuters
"The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Sunday that Liberia has confirmed two cases of the deadly Ebola virus that is suspected to have killed at least 70 people in Guinea."
Liberia: 2 confirmed cases
Ebola Confirmed in Liberia as Guinea Death Toll Rises to 78 - Bloomberg
"Two cases of Ebola were confirmed in Liberia as the death toll from Guinea’s outbreak, called “unprecedented” by an international aid organization, climbed to 80. One of the confirmed cases in Liberia has died, while a second person who died with a suspected Ebola infection tested negative for the virus, the World Health Organization said in a statement. Both confirmed cases in Liberia were exposed to Ebola in Guinea, Gregory Hartl, a WHO spokesman, said on Twitter."
"With eight confirmed cases of Ebola reported in the capital Conakry, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is facing an unprecedented epidemic in terms of the distribution of cases now scattered in several locations in Guinea."
Ebola's Death Toll Reaches 80 in 'Unprecedented' Outbreak - Bloomberg
Guinea: 80 deaths; Liberia: 2 confirmed cases, 1 death
WHO plays down Guinea Ebola outbreak despite 80 deaths - Channel 4 News
"The World Health Organisation says an outbreak of the incurable disease in Guinea is still 'relatively small' compared to past epidemics, after charity workers called it 'unprecedented' in scale."
Worst Ebola outbreak in seven years fuels concern as death toll climbs to 83 - Hamilton Spectator
"The death toll from the worst Ebola outbreak in seven years climbed to 83 in Guinea as the aid organization Doctors Without Borders said the disease's geographical spread marks the flare-up as unprecedented."
Guinea: 83 deaths
Death toll in Guinea's Ebola epidemic hits 84 - Xinhua
Guinea: 129 suspected cases, 84 deaths
Miners in lock-down as Ebola death toll hits 83 in Guinea - Reuters Africa
"Foreign mining firms have locked down operations in Guinea and pulled out some international staff, executives said on Wednesday, as the death toll from suspected cases of Ebola there hit 83."
Race to find up to 400 carriers of Ebola - The Times (subscription)
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Liberia reports first Ebola case - eNCA
"Liberia said Thursday, April 3 it was dealing with its first suspected Ebola case thought to be unconnected to the epidemic raging in Guinea and to have originated separately within its borders.If confirmed, the case in the eastern town of Tapeta would mark a worrying development in the fight against Ebola, as cases so far have been attributed to people returning with the infection from neighboring Guinea, where 84 people have died."
Two New Ebola Deaths in Liberia, Health Minister Confirms, Seven Total - AllAfrica.com
"A woman confirmed to have traveled to the Firestone Plantation Camp in Liberia with the deadly Ebola virus has been pronounced dead. Health and Social Welfare Minister Dr. Walter Gwenigale told the weekly Ministry of Information press briefing Thursday that the death now brings to total death in Liberia since the outbreak started to seven."
Liberia: 7 deaths
Mali reports three suspected Ebola cases - SBS
"Mali says it has detected three suspected victims of Ebola, the deadly disease that has killed 84 people in Guinea. Three suspected cases of haemorrhagic fever have been detected in the country. Samples have been taken and sent abroad for analysis, the country's health minister Ousmane Kone said on Thursday."
Mali: 3 suspected cases
04/04/2014Plane from Guinea briefly quarantined in Paris after Ebola scare - Expatica France
"An Air France plane from the Ebola-hit west African country of Guinea was quarantined in Paris for two hours Friday after the crew suspected a passenger may have the deadly disease, the airline said. The flight from the Guinean capital Conakry landed at Paris's Charles De Gaulle airport at 5:28 am (0328 GMT) with 187 passengers and 11 crew members on board."
Angry mob attacks Ebola treatment centre in Guinea - Reuters Africa
"An angry crowd attacked a treatment centre in Guinea on Friday where staff from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) were working to contain an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, forcing it to shut down, a spokesman for the medical charity said."
Fears of Ebola virus spur protests in Mali capital city - TheCelebrityCafe.com
"People in Mali began protesting in the country's capital of Bamako because of increasing worry over the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa."
Ebola toll rises to 86 in West Africa - kdvr.com
West Africa: 137 suspected cases, 86 dead
"The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in coastal West Africa has risen to 86, with dozens more ill, aid workers reported Friday."
Guinea raises Ebola death toll to 95 - RTE.ie
"Guinea's government raised the death toll in the Ebola epidemic raging through its southern forests and capital to 95. The health ministry added nine deaths to the toll of 86 given before the weekend, saying that 52 cases had been confirmed in laboratories to be the killer tropical virus.Up to now, the Guinean authorities have registered 151 suspect cases and 95 deaths, the ministry's chief disease prevention officer Sakoba Keita told AFP, without specifying the locations of the new deaths."
Guinea: 151 suspected cases, 95 deaths
Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa (07 April 2014) - WHO | Regional Office for Africa
"Guinea: A cumulative total of 151 clinically compatible cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) including 95 deaths had officially been reported from Guinea . 65 samples were tested of which 34 are tested positive for Ebola. The date of onset of the most recent laboratory confirmed case is 3 April. 14 of the cases including 8 deaths are health workers of which 11 are laboratory confirmed cases. Liberia 21 clinical cases of EVD, including 10 deaths, have been reported from Liberia. All 5 of the laboratory confirmed cases have died Sierra-Leone 2 probable cases of EVD were reported from Sierra Leone in one family who died in Guinea and their bodies repatriated to Sierra Leone. Mali 4 patients suspected to have a viral haemorrhagic fever who presented for health care in Sibiribougou, Koulikoro Region of Mali. Two of the suspected cases had travelled from Guinea."
2 Out Of 3 Suspected Ebola Cases In Mali Turned Negative - Leadership Newspapers
"Two out of three suspected Ebola cases in Mali “do not contain the Ebola virus,’’ the Malian government said on Tuesday. “The results of the third suspected case are still under examination,’’ the government said, adding that so far there was no confirmed Ebola case in Mali."
12 Ebola Deaths Reported - AllAfrica.com
Liberia: 22 suspected cases, 12 dead
10/04/2014WHO unveils emergency moves against Ebola onslaught in Guinea - Expatica Switzerland
"The World Health Organization launched a raft of emergency measures in the Guinean capital Conakry Thursday to control an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus that has so far killed a hundred people across the country."
Our update on #Ebola in #Guinea http://t.co/RVP8Z1JlvV Scaling up response, key work with partners
Guinea: 157 suspected cases, 66 confirmed cases, 101 deaths
10 April update on #Ebola virus disease, West Africa http://t.co/pWJyx2XYpH
"As of 10 April, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) of Liberia has reported a cumulative total of 5 laboratory confirmed cases and 20 suspected cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). The date of onset of the most recent confirmed case is 6 April, with 6 patients currently hospitalised. Lofa County accounts for 32% of the clinical cases reported to date (4 laboratory confirmed and 6 suspected cases) followed by Margibi County (27%, 1 confirmed and 5 suspected cases). Other Counties at risk include Bong (4 suspected cases) and Nimba (3 suspected cases). Montserrado and Grand Cape Mount Counties have each reported one suspected case. At present 32 contacts remain under medical observation. The cumulative number of 12 deaths are being attributed to EVD; Lofa (9), Nimba (1), Margibi (1) and Montserrado (1). All 5 laboratory confirmed cases have died. Laboratory confirmed deaths have occurred in Lofa County (4) and Margibi County (1)...As of 10 April, the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Mali reports a cumulative total of 6 suspected cases after 2 suspected cases tested negative for ebolavirus and other viral haemorrhagic fever viruses in assays conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta."
Liberia: 20 suspected cases, 5 confirmed cases; Mali: 6 suspected cases
Guinea: 168 suspected cases, 108 deaths
West Africa Ebola Is Novel Strain - MedPage Today
"In March 2014, the World Health Organization was notified of an outbreak of a communicable disease characterized by fever, severe diarrhea, vomiting, and a high fatality rate in Guinea. Virologic investigation identified Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) as the causative agent. Full-length genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis showed that EBOV from Guinea forms a separate clade in relationship to the known EBOV strains from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon. Epidemiologic investigation linked the laboratory-confirmed cases with the presumed first fatality of the outbreak in December 2013. This study demonstrates the emergence of a new EBOV strain in Guinea."
Liberia: 28 suspected cases, 13 deaths
Guinea: 197 suspected cases, 101 confirmed cases, 121 suspected deaths, 56 confirmed deaths
Update #Ebola virus disease outbreak, West Africa http://t.co/DK5BhyWR9j
"As of 18:00 on 20 April, the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Guinea has reported a cumulative total of 208 clinical cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), including 136 deaths. To date, 169 patients have been tested for ebolavirus infection and 112 cases have been laboratory confirmed, including 69 deaths. From 13 March, the date of onset of the first laboratory confirmed case in Liberia, to 21 April, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Liberia has reported a total of 34 clinically compatible cases of EVD; 6 confirmed cases, including 6 deaths, 2 probable cases and 26 suspected cases.As of 22 April 2014, clinical samples from 19 clinically compatible cases of EVD have been tested at the Kenema Government Hospital. All 19 samples tested negative for ebolavirus."
Guinea: 224 cases (of which 121 confirmed), 143 deaths
"As of 18:00 on 1 May 2014, the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Guinea has reported a cumulative total of 226 clinical cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD), including 149 deaths. Of 210 patients tested for ebolavirus infection, 127 cases have been laboratory confirmed by PCR, including 81 deaths...The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) of Liberia has completed the process of revising clinical cases of EVD based on their final laboratory results. All cases which tested PCR positive or ebolavirus IgM positive have been reclassified as “confirmed acute” cases. PCR negative but ebolavirus IgG positive cases are considered “confirmed convalescent” cases. Following the reclassification of suspected cases, as of 2 May the total number of clinical EVD cases reported in Liberia is 13 (6 confirmed, 2 probable and 5 suspected cases), including 11 deaths. There were 2 confirmed cases in HCWs, both of whom died. There have been no new clinical cases in Liberia since 6 April."
Guinea Ebola death toll at 155 - The Global Dispatch
"The Ministry of Health (MOH) of Guinea has reported a cumulative total of 231 clinical cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD), including 155 deaths, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) update today...The geographical distribution of clinical cases of EVD since the beginning of the outbreak is: Conakry (53 cases, including 24 deaths), Guekedou (145/105), Macenta (22/16), Kissidougou (6/5), Dabola (4/4) and Djingaraye(1/1). There have been no new cases of EVD in Kissidougou since 1 April and in Macenta since 9 April. In Djingaraye and Dabola, no new cases have been reported since the end of March 2014."
In Sierra Leone, as more Ebola Cases are confirmed, mixed messages and ... - Sierra Express Media
"Yet on May 25, 2014 the sad news came as a rude awakening for the health authorities and the people of Sierra Leone, Ebola had struck in the very place everyone had been looking; Koindi, Kissy Teng chiefdom, in the Kailahun district east of Sierra Leone near the border with Guinea."
9 May update on Ebola virus disease, West Africa http://t.co/yu22voURzB
"On 7 May 2014, the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Guinea has reported a cumulative total of 236 clinical cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), including 158 deaths... As of 7 May, 113 experts have been deployed to assist in the response. This includes 54 experts deployed through the global WHO surge mechanism, 33 international experts from among partner institutions of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN), 10 externally recruited consultants, 16 WHO staff who were locally repurposed."
"May 12, Guinean Ministry of Health reported 248 cases of clinical cases, 171 cases of death. Where: 138 confirmed cases and 92 deaths; 67 cases (57 deaths) were classified as probable cases, 43 cases (including 22 deaths) were classified as suspected cases. Conakry: 40 cases (20 deaths), the final case report time is April 26 - Gueckedou: 83 cases (60 deaths), the final case report time was May 11. Ma Sangda: 12 cases (10 deaths), the final case report time is April 9. Kissidougou: 2 cases (1 death), the final case report time is April 1. Dabola: 1 case (1 death), the final case report time is the end of March."
Latest update on #Ebola in West Africa http://t.co/Vt8pXeBodk (24 May 2014)
"As of May 23, 2014, 8 new cases and 3 new deaths were reported from one newly affected district, Telimele (3 cases and 0 deaths) and two existing affected areas, Gueckedou (2 cases and 0 deaths) and Macenta (3 cases and 3 deaths). Since the beginning of the outbreak, the cumulative total number of clinical cases of EVD is 258, including 174 deaths. The geographical distribution of the clinical cases of EVD is as follows: Conakry (50 cases, including 25 deaths), Gueckedou (170/121), Macenta (22/17), Kissidougou (8/6), Dabola (4/4), Djinguiraye (1/1) and Telimele (3/0)"
UPDATE 1-West Africa Ebola outbreak still spreading, "situation serious" -WHO - Reuters
"Guinea's govt previously said outbreaks were contained; New areas affected, including spread into Sierra Leone; Families remove four patients from Sierra Leone clinic (Adds patient removals)"
West Africa Ebola outbreak still spreading -WHO - www.worldbulletin.net
"The WHO has documented a total of 281 clinical cases of Ebola, including 185 deaths in Guinea since the virus was first identified as Ebola in March. The disease is thought to have killed 11 people in Liberia, thought there have been no new cases there since April 9. Sixteen cases - seven of them confirmed through laboratory testing and another nine suspected - have been reported in Sierra Leone's Kailahun district, where four people were believed to have died of the disease."
Ebola cases in Sierra Leone triple, to 50 - CIDRAP
"Cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Sierra Leone have more than tripled in just 3 days, from 16 reported on May 27 to 50 reported today by the World Health Organization (WHO). The agency also reported 10 new EVD cases in Guinea and 1 in Liberia...The 34 new cases in Sierra Leone include 7 confirmed, 3 probable, and 24 suspected, as well as 1 (suspected-case) death in five districts. The WHO said that the country now has a total of 14 confirmed, 3 probable, and 36 suspected EVD cases, including 6 deaths...Guinea's 10 new cases bring the country's total to 291, including 193 fatal cases. The WHO broke down the cases as 172 confirmed (including 108 deaths), 71 probable (62 fatal), and 48 suspected (23 fatal). Seven of the 10 new cases were fatal...The WHO also reported a new fatal case in Foya district in Liberia...Liberia had not reported an EVD case since Apr 9 and now has 35, according to previous reports."
Ebola Disease Takes Toll On Guinea, Sierra Leone, Other West African Countries - CHANNELS
WHO update: May 29th, 34 new cases in Sierra Leone (7 confirmed, 3 probable, 24 suspected, including 1 death) and 10 new cases in Guinea. New case totals: Sierra Leone has 14 confirmed, 36 suspected cases, including 6 deaths. Guinea has 291 cases including 193 deaths.
Four Die of Ebola in Sierra Leone - Sierra Express Media
Director of Disease Prevention and Control, MOHS Dr. Amara Jambai confirmed 4 deaths in Sokoma village, Kailahun District on May 26. The virus has allegedly killed 15 in Koindu.
Ebola in West Africa. Is it the worst Ebola outbreak ever? - The Global Dispatch
367 total clinically compatible cases: Guinea has 291, Sierra Leone has 50, Liberia has 26.
Ebola virus death toll hits 113 in Guinea - www.worldbulletin.net
"Guinean Health Minister, Remy Lamah on Sunday...'113 deaths are been recorded out of the 178 confirmed cases throughout the Guinean territory," said Lamah, during a press conference. He added that the virus has gained ground around the country because of "laxness" and "lack of information.' "
Sierra Leone raises Ebola... - Rappler
Health ministry spokesman Yaya Tunis announced a fifth death due to Ebola. The updated case count is 15 confirmed cases out of 36 suspected cases.
Christian Aid responds to Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone - Christian Aid (press release)
Christian Aid is collaborating with the Council of Churches, Sierra Leone (CCSL) and district health authorities to prevent the spread of disease. There are now five confirmed deaths and a further 31 suspected cases.
Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa: 10 New Cases, 7 Deaths - Infection Control Today
In Guinea, the classification of cases is as follows: 172 confirmed cases and 108 deaths; 71 probable cases and 62 deaths; 48 suspected cases and 23 deaths. The breakdown of cases and deaths by affected areas is as follows: Conakry, 53 cases and 27 deaths; Gueckedou, 179 cases and 133 deaths; Macenta, 40 cases and 23 deaths; Kissidougou, 7 cases and 5 deaths; Dabola, 4 cases and 4 deaths, Djinguiraye, 1 case and 1 death; and Boffa, 4 cases and 0 deaths. In Sierra Leone, the geographical distribution of these cases and deaths is as follows: Kailahun (37 cases and 6 deaths), Kenema (1 case and 0 death), Koinadugu (1 case and 0 death), Bo (1 case and 0 death), Moyamba and (1 case and 0 death). As of May 29, 1 new suspected case who died in Foya district, Liberia was reported.
Ebola outbreak: UK firm London Mining evacuates staff - BBC News
A number of "non-essential" staff at iron ore company London Mining have left Sierra Leone following the Ebola outbreak. Non-essential travel to the area has been restricted.
Hon. Robin Faley On Ebola Sensitization In The East - Cocorioko
Robin Faley, All Peoples Congress (APC) National Publicity Secretary embarked on campaign to educate residents, particularly in Kailahun and Kenema Districts, on Ebola signs, symptoms, transmission, prevention, and treatment.
Guinea, Sierra Leone see spike in Ebola cases: WHO - KDAL
WHO reports 328 cases in Guinea, of which 193 are confirmed. There have been 208 deaths. In the period between May 29 and June 1, at least 21 people died and 37 new suspected cases were reported. During this period, Sierra Leone recorded 3 new confirmed and 10 suspected cases
Suspected Case of Ebola Virus in Freetown - Sierra Express Media
One suspected but unconfirmed case has been recorded in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone.
Ebola Death Toll Rises In Guinea And Neighbouring Countries - malaysiandigest.com
79 confirmed and suspected cases have been recorded in Sierra Leone to date. The death count has jumped from one death a week ago to six currently. Liberia has not had new cases for two months. The suspected death in Foya is attributed to an individual believed to have been infected in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, and was taken back to Kailahun to be buried.
Ebola update: 11 new cases in Guinea, nine in Sierra Leone - The Global Dispatch
WHO reports 11 new cases (8 confirmed, 1 probable, 2 suspected) and 3 new deaths in Guinea between June 2 and 3. The breakdown is as follows: Conakry (7 new cases and 1 death), Gueckedou (2 new cases and 1 death), Telimele (1 new case and 0 deaths), and Boffa (1 new case and 1 death). There are now 344 cases in Guinea (207 confirmed, 81 probable, and 56 suspected cases) including 215 deaths. The geographical distribution of these cases and deaths is as follows: Conakry, 65 cases and 27 deaths; Gueckedou, 193 cases and 143 deaths; Macenta, 44 cases and 26 deaths; Dabola, 4 cases and 4 deaths; Kissidougou, 7 cases and 5 deaths; Dinguiraye, 1 case and 1 death; Telimele, 23 cases and 5 deaths; and Boffa, 7 cases and 4 deaths. In Sierra Leone, WHO reports 9 new suspected cases between June 2 and 5. The current case count is 81 (31 confirmed, 3 probable, 47 suspected) including 6 deaths. Most cases are from Kailahun district. Liberia has not had any new confirmed cases since April 6.
Deadly Ebola Outbreak Threatens to Swamp Volunteers - NBCNews.com
"The World Health Organization says 22 new cases of Ebola virus were reported in Sierra Leone between May 29th and June 5. WHO counts 81 cases with 6 deaths but Sierra Leone’s health ministry says it has a total of 95 confirmed and suspected cases...At least 35 lab-confirmed cases have been traced to a traditional healer whose grieving patients handled her infected body at her funeral."
Sierra Leone News: Ebola hits Mambolo, Kambia as Kailahun Weeps from its ... - Awareness Times
Ebola has moved to the northern town of Mambolo in the Kambia district, where 2 cases have been confirmed and 10 suspected cases are awaiting test results.
Ebola death toll in Sierra Leone continues to grow - Techsonia
The number of deaths from Ebola in Sierra Leone has doubled from 6 to 12 in the last week, according to Sierra Leonian health authorities. There may be more unconfirmed deaths. Director of Disease Control and Prevention for Sierra Leone, Amara Jambai, said there have been 42 confirmed cases of Ebola in Sierra Leone.
Ebola death toll climbing in West Africa - Times LIVE
"At least 231 people have died since the outbreak of the fearsome disease, which causes bleeding internally and externally and for which there is no known cure. Guinea has recorded just over 200 deaths, along with about a dozen each in Sierra Leone and Liberia"
Ebola kills paramount chief's wife - Sierra Express Media
Ebola has killed the senior wife of Paramount Chief of Jawei Chiefdom, Madam Amie Ngumbu Klah (Kailahun District, Sierra Leone)
Sierra Leone Ebola update – June 10, 2014 - Cocorioko
"In Sierra Leone, 114 suspected cases have been tested for Ebola, with 43 confirmed cases and 16 deaths. All deaths are confirmed cases from the Kailahun district, two of which traveled from Kailahun to Kambia district."
Sierra Leone News: Ebola, 17 Deaths - Awoko
Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Dr. Brima Kargbo, has confirmed 17 deaths due to Ebola. There have been 117 suspected cases, 43 of which have been confirmed.
Sierra Leone shuts borders, closes schools to fight Ebola - Thomson Reuters Foundation
On June 11, Sierra Leone shut its borders to trade with Guinea and Liberia and closed schools, cinemas, and nightclubs in a frontier region to slow the spread of Ebola. Health checkpoints will be established in the eastern Kailahun district and Ebola victims must be buried under supervision of health personnel.
Sierra Leone declares health emergency from Ebola outbreak in Kailahun ... - The Tribune
The Sierra Leone government has announced a state of emergency in the Kailahun district due to the Ebola virus that has killed 17 in the nation. According to government figures, there have been 122 suspected and 46 confirmed cases in the district.
Ebola update as of June 12, 2014 - Sierra Express Media
Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health and Sanitation has confirmed 50 cases of the 132 tested cases. There have been 17 deaths. The Ministry is not restricting the movement of people but is implementing screening at checkpoints and border crossing areas.
More: Sierra Leone Confirms Number of Ebola Cases Rises to 52 - Businessweek
The number of lab-confirmed cases has risen to 52 in Sierra Leone, according to an emailed statement from the Health Ministry. The number of suspected cases rose to 138 and the number of deaths to 19.
Liberia: Fresh Ebola outbreak in Monrovia - StarAfrica.com
"Liberia’s Health and Social Welfare Ministry (MOHSW) has confirmed a fresh outbreak in New Kru Town with seven cases reported...six have been confirmed dead." These cases are attributed to a woman who traveled to Kailahun District, Sierra Leone and settled in New Kru Town with family members, as well as six contacts. Since the start of the outbreak in Liberia, there have been 17 deaths out of 31 reported cases.
Liberia: Deadly Ebola Bounces Back in Liberia - 10 Unconfirmed Deaths - AllAfrica.com
"On June 10, 2014, The Ministry of Health (MoH) of Guinea reported 376 suspect and confirmed cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), including 241 fatal cases and 233 laboratory confirmed cases. New cases were reported in Gueckedou, Telimele, and Boffa districts and follow-up investigations continue in Conakry, Boke, and Dubreka districts in the west, and Macenta, and Kouroussa districts in the south. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone reported 117 suspect cases, 19 fatal cases, and 43 laboratory confirmed cases on June 9, 2014. Confirmed cases have been reported from the Kailahun district, near Gueckedou, Guinea, and for the first time in Kambia and Port Loko districts in northwest Sierra Leone. Reports of and investigations of suspect cases continue in Kailahun, Kenema, Kono, Bo, Moyamba , Kambia, Koinadugu, Port Loko, Tonkolili, Bombali, and Western area districts. Laboratory testing is being conducted in Kenema city. Sierra Leone and WHO have sent experts to aid in the response and investigation. On June 7, 2014, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Liberia reported 1 laboratory confirmed EHF case and 1 new death in the Foya District of Liberia. This is the first reported case since April 6, 2014."
Ebola deaths on rise in Sierra Leone - Daily Sun
Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health and Sanitation has confirmed 53 cases of 138 tested cases. There have been 19 deaths.
3 Ebola cases reported in Liberia's Foya district - StarAfrica.com
"Dr. Aaron Kollie, Health Officer of Lofa County, has reported a new outbreak in Foya district, Lofa County." Three cases have been reported, of which one is confirmed and two are suspected.
AIRTEL partners with AWOL to fight against Ebola - Sierra Express Media
Mr. Charles Mambu, head of Health For All Coalition, said that 62 cases have been confirmed of 157 tested. 19 have died.
Journalist dies of Ebola - Sierra Express Media
"Sources close to the Ebola treatment center in Daru, Jawei Chiefdom, Kailahun district have reported 34 deaths, of which 33 have been in Daru town and one in Koindu."
Liberian official: 7 more deaths linked to Ebola - The Herald | HeraldOnline.com
Deputy Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah reported seven new deaths from Ebola in Monrovia, Sierra Leone's capital. One of the deaths was a woman who had traveled to an infected area in Sierra Leone and is believed to have brought the disease back with her to the capital city. Four of the seven deaths have been confirmed to be victims of Ebola. Nyenswah reports 16 deaths in the country so far.
Ebola Fears Spark Random African Minerals Health Checks - Businessweek
Miatta Kargbo, minister for health and sanitation in Sierra Leone, told lawmakers that 83 cases have been confirmed of 193 tested, and 20 people have died.
New Ebola outbreak in Liberia - StarAfrica.com
Director of the Community Health Department in Voinjama, Lofa County, Edmund Esiah, reports nine new cases of Ebola at the Tellewoyan Hospital in Voinjama. Six have been confirmed and the remaining three are suspected, awaiting lab confirmation. One person has died. The victim had traveled from Sierra Leone to the Tellewoyan Memorial Hospital to seek treatment.
Ebola Kills Nine in Lofa - AllAfrica.com
Nine deaths have been reported from Lofa County: eight in Foya and one in Voinjama.
Ebola death toll rises to 337, outbreak spreading: WHO - CTV News
A WHO update states that over 500 cases have been recorded (confirmed and suspected combined), while 337 are reported to have died. Affected countries are Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
Ebola outbreak update: New cases in Guinea, Sierr... - The Global Dispatch
According to a WHO update, Guinea saw 7 new cases and 5 new deaths between June 14 and 16 (Gueckedou had 4 cases and 5 deaths, Boffa had 3 cases). To date, there have been 398 cases (254 confirmed, 88 probable and 56 suspected) and 264 deaths. The geographical breakdown is as follows: Conakry, 70 cases and 33 deaths; Gueckedou, 224 cases and 173 deaths; Macenta, 41 cases and 28 deaths; Dabola, 4 cases and 4 deaths; Kissidougou, 8 cases and 5 deaths; Dinguiraye, 1 case and 1 death; Telimele, 30 cases and 9 deaths; Bofa, 19 cases and 10 deaths; and Kouroussa, 1 case and 1 death. Sierra Leone had 31 new cases and 4 new deaths between June 15 and 17 (Kailahun had 29 cases and 4 deaths, Kono had 1 case, and Western had 1 case). To date, Sierra Leone has had 97 cases (92 confirmed, 3 probable, and 2 suspected) and 49 deaths. The geographical distribution is as follows: Kailahun, 92 cases and 46 deaths; Kambia, 1 case; Port Loko, 2 cases and 1 death; Kono, 1 case; and Western, 1 case and 1 death. Liberia had 9 new cases and 5 new deaths between June 11 and 16 (Lofa had 6 cases, Montserrado had 3 cases and 5 deaths). The cumulative total of cases is 33 (18 confirmed, 8 probable, and 7 suspected) with 24 deaths. The geographical distribution of these cases and deaths is as follows: Lofa, 21 cases and 14 deaths; Montserrado, 8 cases and 8 deaths; Margibi, 2 cases and 2 deaths; and Nimba, 2 cases and 0 deaths. Since the beginning of this outbreak, West Africa has had a total of 528 confirmed and suspected cases (combined), including 337 deaths.
Which doctor? - The Economist (blog)
Many people in Sierra Leone have refused to accept Western approaches to dealing with the disease. They prefer to use traditional healers, which may help the disease spread faster. Some believe that victims have been cursed by a "witch gun," and that only a witch doctor can remove the curse. Official healthcare workers have been denied access to the sick or refused blood samples. In one case, health workers were stoned by villagers who were trying to remove ebola patients from a healthcare center. "Given a health-care system lacking decent equipment, qualified staff and affordable drugs (rather than the more popular counterfeit ones), a lack of faith in Western medicine is understandable. The ministry of health has put out flyers with answers to questions such as “Is it true Ebola is a curse?” and “Can a mix of ginger, honey, garlic, onion and vinegar cure ebola?” At the same time, the authorities have used mobile-phone networks to warn people by text to avoid eating the meat of bats, one of the disease’s prime carriers. A band based in neighbouring Liberia, which also has the scourge, has released a catchy new song with lyrics such as “Ebola, ebola in town/Don’t touch your friend/No eating something/It’s dangerous”."
Ebola virus kills 26 in Sierra Leone: health ministry - Shanghai Daily (subscription)
Miata Kargbo, Health Minister of Sierra Leone, has confirmed 103 cases and 26 deaths in the country. 246 cases were investigated. There have been 12 survivors.
Ebola 'Out of Control': Doctors Without Borders - ABC News
A senior official for Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF, or Doctors Without Borders) has declared West Africa's Ebola outbreak "totally out of control." Armand Sprecher, a public health specialist with MSF, said it "is the highest outbreak on record and has the highest number of deaths, so this is unprecedented so far."
Eight Now Dead from Ebola Virus in Liberia's Capital - VICE News
Liberia's Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has declared eight deaths in Monrovia since June 8. The country's total number of lab-confirmed deaths is 17, and there are at least seven suspected deaths.
21/06/2014Ebola spread due to 'relaxation' of efforts: WHO - Expatica Switzerland
Pierre Formenty, a WHO specialist, attributes the recent resurgence of Ebola in West Africa to a "relaxation" of efforts to contain the virus. Although the first wave of cases began to diminish by the end of April, a second wave that began in early May is now hitting West Africa. Formenty stresses that one cas can restart an entire epidemic. WHO, Medecins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders), and other international partners have sent 100-160 international experts to work on the ground to get the outbreak under control.
4 new Ebola cases reported in Guinea - GlobalPost
Guinean health authorities have reported 258 cases and 160 deaths--significantly lower numbers than what the WHO reports. Four of these cases are recent, three from Guekedou and one from Boffa. Recent deaths include two in Tielimele and one in Boffa.
Ebola cases rise in Africa - 10News
A WHO update shows 567 cases and 350 deaths in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. While most of the deaths are in Guinea, the growth of cases has been greater in Sierra Leone recently. Medecins Sans Frontiers has stated that the outbreak will require a "massive deployment of resources."
Health Official - Ebola Death Toll Hits 11 in Lofa - AllAfrica.com
A Lofa County health official has stated that the death toll in the county has risen to 11.
Sierra Leone collaborates with MRU sister states to fight Ebola - Cocorioko
"The Minister of Health and Sanitation, Miatta Kargbo and Team has concluded a one day Mano River Union (MRU) Ministers of Health Meeting in Conakry, Guinea to strengthen collaboration, communication and coordination in the fight against the spread of the Ebola disease."
Ebola Virus Disease in West Africa: 10 New Cases, 15 Deaths - Infection Control Today
According to a WHO update, Guinea now has 390 reported cases (260 confirmed, 87 probable, and 43 suspected) and 270 deaths. The geographical distribution is as follows: Conakry, 65 cases and 33 deaths; Gueckedou, 226 cases and 177 deaths; Macenta, 41 cases and 28 deaths; Dabola, 4 cases and 4 deaths; Kissidougou, 6 cases and 5 deaths; Dinguiraye, 1 case and 1 death; Telimele, 25 cases and 9 deaths; Boffa, 21 cases and 12 deaths; and Kouroussa, 1 case and 1 death. Currently, 19 patients are in EVD Treatment Centres in Conakry (9), Gueckedou (9), and Telimele (1). Between June 18 and 20, there were no new cases but 3 new deaths in Guinea (2 from Gueckedou and 1 from Telimele). In Sierra Leone, there are now 158 reported cases (147 confirmed, 8 probable, and 3 suspected) and 34 deaths from confirmed cases. Between June 18 and 20, no new cases were reported but 4 new deaths occurred in Sierra Leone (3 from Kailahun and 1 from Kenema). The geographical breakdown of the total cases and deaths is as follows: Kailahun, 135 cases and 32 deaths; Kambia, 1 case and 0 deaths; Port Loko, 2 cases and 0 deaths; Kenema, 19 cases and 2 deaths; and Western, 1 case and 0 deaths. Currently, 52 patients are in EVD Treatment Centres in Kenema (12) and Kailahun (40). In Liberia, 10 new cases and 8 new deaths were reported between June 19 and 22 (Lofa: 8 cases, 6 deaths; Montserrado: 2 cases, 2 deaths). The total number of cases in Liberia is now 51 (34 confirmed, 10 probable, and 7 suspected) with 34 deaths. The geographical breakdown is as follows: Lofa, 36 cases and 21 deaths; Montserrado, 11 cases and 11 deaths; Margibi, 2 cases and 2 deaths; and Nimba, 2 cases and 0 deaths.
Ebola Center Opened At ELWA Hospital - AllAfrica.com
A new center has opened for Ebola patients at the ELWA Hospital in Paynesville (outside Monrovia, Liberia). Some see the opening of this center as dangerous and worrisome, in part because of its nearness to the hospital laboratory and Nurses' Station, where visitors and family members come in and out daily.
Ten more Ebola cases confirmed in Liberia - London South East
Liberia's Assistant Health Minister, Tolbert Nyensweah, reports a total of 29 confirmed cases of Ebola in the country, after the discovery of 10 new cases. According to the government, there are an additional 14 suspected cases. Of the confirmed cases, 21 are in Lofa County and eight are in Monrovia. Three more deaths were confirmed recently, with over 30 deaths total.
New WHO reporting method for Ebola reduces death toll in Sierra Leone - CTV News
The WHO has altered its fatality reporting in Sierra Leone at the request of the government. Previously, the death count had reached 58, with both probable and suspected deaths included. Now, the WHO will only report lab-confirmed cases in Sierra Leone's death count, lowering the number to 34. Fatality reporting in Guinea and Liberia will remain unchanged. There have been a total of 599 cases and 338 fatalities in West Africa due to the Ebola outbreak.
Ebola kills 46 in Sierra Leone - APA
The Sierra Leonean Chief Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health, Brima Kargbo, has stated that 46 people have died in the country during the outbreak. Kargbo reported 163 confirmed cases, 142 of which are from the Kailahun district.
Ebola outbreak in West Africa: MSF says 'We... - The Global Dispatch
"Dr. Bart Janssens, MSF director of operations said, 'The epidemic is out of control. With the appearance of new sites in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, there is a real risk of it spreading to other area'. He goes on to say, 'We have reached our limits', noting the organizations inability to send teams to the new outbreak sites."
Ebola Awareness Team Chased in Lofa - AllAfrica.com
Several health workers were chased by a number of citizens of Konia Town, Zeyeama Clan in Zorzor District, Lofa County (Liberia) as they tried to raise awareness about Ebola. The citizens claimed that reports of the Ebola outbreak were false.
26/06/2014WHO urges 'drastic action' on Ebola, calls 11-nation meeting - Expatica Switzerland
There have now been 635 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola in West Africa, with 399 deaths. This is the largest outbreak in history "in terms of the number of cases and deaths, as well as geographical spread." The WHO has called for "drastic action" to be taken against the disease. WHO will convene a meeting of health ministers from 11 countries in Accra, Ghana "to discuss the best way of tackling the crisis collectively as well as develop a comprehensive inter country operational response plan."
OFWs from Sierra Leone choose to come home after Ebola tagged 'out of control' - InterAksyon
At least 20 OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) have chosen to return to the Philippines from Sierra Leone following declarations that the Ebola outbreak is "out of control." The OFWs' manning agencies requested the DFA to help remove them from the area.
Medics Vent Anger at Government Inaction over Ebola - Naharnet
Medics in Guinea have expressed their frustration with how government officials have handled the Ebola outbreak. "They lied, so our partners, and even the local population, put down their guard. And this is the result -- the epidemic has spread throughout the country," says Dr Alphadio of the Donka hospital. The Guinean president, Alpha Conde, has been criticized for saying that the outbreak was "well in hand" during a visit to WHO headquarters in Geneva in April. Religious leaders are also telling the government to take action. An imam, Thierno Ousmane Camara, recently called on the president "not to play down this disease, which, sadly, is causing so much grief to families." Similar frustration against the government exists in Liberia, where the government has not conducted any public awareness campaigns or implemented specific prevention measures against Ebola.
Ebola epidemic in Guinea: 'People think it's made-up' - The Observers
Where cases have disappeared or results have returned negative, people think that Ebola is "make-believe" or that it never existed. Hygiene measures are no longer followed: people shake hands and kiss at the market and buckets of chlorinated water for hand-washing have disappeared from restaurants. "Some even believe that the virus was in the chlorinated water," says Simon Gbanamou, a resident of Macenta with a degree in medicine helping to raise public awareness. Vigilance has diminished, even though MSF and WHO have warned not to claim victory against the disease just yet.
Expanding Ebola toll and reach prompts high-level meeting - CIDRAP
WHO reports that Guinea now has 396 cases and 280 deaths, Sierra Leone has 176 cases and 46 deaths, and Liberia has 63 cases and 41 deaths. In total the 3 nations have had 635 cases and 367 deaths. Over 150 experts have been deployed by the WHO to help stop the spread of Ebola.
Churches Are Not Hospital for Curing Ebola - Chief Medical Officer Warns - AllAfrica.com
Some infected patients are being kept in churches so that they can be healed through prayer. Liberia's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Bernice Dahn, has warned churches to stop keeping infected people from going to hospitals. Three suspected Ebola patients died in a church in New Kru Town when they went in for prayer. "The churches are not hospitals," said Dr. Dahn.
Runaway Ebola Patient Strikes Terror - Sierra Express Media
An Ebola patient, recently diagnosed positive for the virus, fled the Kenema Government Hospital and caused serious alarm. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation issued a press release warning people to be vigilant and to report the patient's presence to prevent the spread of disease. The patient reported fled with his mother and other family members to Bo City.
Those providing shelter to Ebola-infected patients will be punished: Sierra Leone - CTV News
Sierra Leone's Health Ministry has warned that it is a serious crime to shelter someone infected by Ebola. The Health Ministry also laments the fact that some patients have discharged themselves from the hospital and gone into hiding. "The Health Ministry wishes the general public to know that any person who obstructs or interferes with the performance of the medical team in any of the ebola observation and treatment centres, would be guilty of an offence and liable to punishment," said the statement.
Ebola outbreak 'not out of hand', UN health agency says readying response - UN News Centre
Pierre Formenty of the WHO told journalists in Geneva, "The situation is not out of hand." He continued, “WHO has been supporting the three affected countries and their Ministries of Health staff, and are working with them on a daily basis to try to contain the outbreak.”
Guinea's Ebola death toll rises to 182 - Business Standard
Guinea has had 286 confirmed cases of Ebola so far, with 182 deaths. 27 health workers were affected and 20 have died.
Getting Rid of Ebola Dead Bodies a Daunting Task for Liberia - AllAfrica.com
"We need to find a special place to bury these corpses, if not, the bodies will keep piling up on us. If we don't bury them, they will begin to decompose and then that will be trouble for all of us," said a burial team member. Sometimes citizens chase burial teams away. They also try to wait for consent from the family before burying, and some family members are afraid to come up to identify the bodies of relatives.
Ebola Death Toll Rises - AllAfrica.com
Liberian health authorities have reported 61 confirmed and probable cases, of which 35 are confirmed deaths: 21 in Lofa County, 13 in Montserrado County, and one in Margibi County.
Liberia president vows to prosecute anyone caught hiding suspected Ebola ... - The Tribune
Liberia's health ministry has now reported 49 deaths including 26 confirmed deaths.
Liberian president Sirleaf expresses concern about resurgence of the ebola virus - Times LIVE
"Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf expressed concern about a resurgence of Ebola in the country: 'As the number of cases and deaths of Ebola virus disease continues to rise in our sub region, we are all gravely concerned by the rate at which this cross-border transmission is taking place.' The virus is currently affecting Lofa, Montserrado, and Margibi County. The Ministry of Health reports 90 confirmed cases in Liberia, including 49 deaths."
Fear, suspicion undermine fight against Ebola - The Japan Times
"Dr. Amara Jambai, Sierra Leone's director of disease prevention and control, said at least 57 suspected and confirmed Ebola cases have gone "missing," as victims have fled treatment centers and gone into hiding. 'My biggest problem, as it stands, is getting people to accept the disease,' said Sheik Umar Khan, the doctor leading the fight against Ebola in Kenema's hospital."
At Redemption Hospital - Fear Grips Nurses, Patients After Ebola Outbreak - AllAfrica.com
"Fear of contracting Ebola has slowed patient turnout at the Redemption Hospital in the Borough of New Kru Town (Liberia). The has virus killed at least four patients and a nurse at the hospital. Most patients are now requesting to be taken to the outpatient department rather than the inpatient department so they can leave the same day. Nurses have been working in fear of contracting the disease."
DEATH TOLL FROM EBOLA VIRUS IN GUINEA, LIBERIA AND SIERRA LEONE ... - Reuters Africa
West Africa: 759 suspected cases, 467 deaths
"The number of deaths attributed to an epidemic of Ebola virus in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone stood at 467 by Monday, out of 759 known cases in total, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday."
Red Cross suspends Guinea Ebola treatment after staff attacked - TrustLaw
The Red Cross temporarily removed international staff from an Ebola center in Gueckedou, in the southeast of Guinea. Operations were suspended following a threat on a Red Cross vehicle by locals wielding knives. MSF has faced similar threats.
Alert level 2 up in 3 countries over Ebola - Sun.Star
The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has raised the alert on Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia to Level 2 (Restriction Phase). This alert level restricts non-essential movements of Filipinos in these countries and warns them to avoid public places and take extra precautions.
Liberia: Nurses Flee Ebola - CH Rennie Hospital the Latest Hit - 441 Persons ... - AllAfrica.com
Nurses at the C.H. Rennie Memorial Hospital in Kakata, Liberia have fled their work due to fear of contracting Ebola. The nurses blame the lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needed to treat suspected Ebola patients, saying this endangers their lives and puts their families and communitites at risk. The nurses have refused to work until the PPEs and other safeguards are provided.
Ugandan Doctor Latest Ebola Casualty in Liberia, Toll Rising - AllAfrica.com
A Ugandan doctor serving at Redeption Hospital in New Kru Town has died of Ebola. This is the fourth death of a healthcare worker nationally. There have been 17 newly reported Ebola cases in the country.
Ebola Deaths Swell to 90 - AllAfrica.com
"UNICEF reports 90 deaths in Liberia. Of the confirmed cases, 26 are from Lofa County, 1 is from Margibi County, and 16 are from Montserrado County. 9 cases have been healthcare workers, of which 5 have died."
Liberia: 90 deaths
Ebola: President Koroma's Address to the Nation - Patriotic Vanguard
Sierra Leone's President Koroma reported 199 lab-confirmed cases of 388 tested cases, including 65 confirmed deaths and 23 discharged cases in an address to the nation. He adds, 'This is a national fight, and all must be involved. And I strongly believe that our country has the goodwill, the resilience and the determination to scale this challenge.'
Sierra Leone: 199 lab-confirmed cases, 65 confirmed deaths
Liberia's Ebola deathtoll rises to 66 - The New Age Online
Liberia: 104 suspected cases, 48 confirmed cases, 66 deaths
Liberia's Health Ministry reports 104 suspected and 48 confirmed cases in the country, including 66 deaths. 35 of these deaths were reported from Lofa County, 2 from Margibi County, and 29 from Montserrado County.
UN says Ebola epidemic will 'last months' - Sky News Australia
WHO expects outbreak to continue for "several months".
Keiji Fukuda, the WHO assistant director-general of health security, said 'I certainly expect that we are going to be dealing with this outbreak, minimum, for a few months to several months.' He expressed hope that a turnaround would come, with a decrease in cases over the next several weeks.
As ebola virus spreads in West Africa, some blame health workers - Los Angeles Times
Guinea: MSF/Doctors Without Borders no longer allowed to visit 20 villages in southern Guinea due to hostility.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF/Doctors Without Borders) can no longer visit 20 villages in southern Guinea, where healthcare workers have faced too much hostility. “A worrying issue is that because of the lack of understanding of the disease there’s a real problem in communities in southern Guinea with growing hostility towards any foreigners. And this is really due to a lack of effort to explain well enough the reality of the disease,” said Bart Janssens, the MSF director of operations. Janssens stated that MSF, "which has sent 300 staff members and 40 tons of equipment, has reached the limits of what it can do."
African ministers agree on Ebola plan; cases swell to 779 - CIDRAP
West Africa: 779 suspected cases, 481 deaths
The WHO reports a total of 779 cases including 481 deaths in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Between July 1 and 2, the countries reported 21 new cases and 14 new deaths.
Ebola epidemic unlikely to spread beyond Africa, experts say - Daily Digest
Public health officials warn that there is a high risk of spread beyond the 60 locations already affected. According to CBC news, however, many experts believe that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is unlikely to spread outside of Africa. Some of the main factors allowing the virus to spread so rapidly are cultural practices that are not practiced elsewhere.
Ebola: Experts highlight problems in Sierra Leone - Yahoo News
Grassroots doctors published a letter in The Lancet warning that many cases in Sierra Leone are going undetected. Their explanation cited Sierra Leone's poverty and lack of doctors, diagnostic tools, a disease-monitoring network, and protective clothing for healthcare workers as reasons why the country is struggling to contain the Ebola outbreak. Many cases are unreported because sick people may choose to self-treat or use traditional medicine rather than go to a hospital. In addition, diagnostic tests are expensive and diagnosis may stigmatize a patient.
Sierra Leone Ministry Says 73 Deaths Linked to Ebola Virus - Businessweek
Sierra Leone: 254 confirmed cases, 73 deaths, 92 patients undergoing treatment
"The Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone said there have been 73 deaths as a result of 254 confirmed cases of the Ebola virus. There are 92 patients currently in treatment centers, the ministry said today in an e-mailed statement. Cases of the hemorrhagic fever have killed 467 people, including at least 32 health workers, in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the World Health Organization said yesterday."
Survivor brings hope for others hit by Ebola - eNCA
An Ebola patient in Guinea has survived the disease after receiving treatment at a MSF center in southern Guinea. His survival has sparked hope that others will beat the odds as well.
West Africa: MSF activities in Ebola outbreak - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International
"In Conakry, MSF has treated 59 Ebola patients, 33 of whom have recovered. In Gueckedou, they have treated 130 patients, and 31 have recovered. In Telimele, they have treated 21, and 16 have recovered. In Macenta, 7 people were treated and 2 recovered. In Sierra Leone, MSF is operating in Kailahun, Kenema, Koindu, and Daru. They treated 45 in Kailahun; 12 died. In Liberia, an MSF team of 4 is supporting the MoH in the fight to stop the spread of Ebola in Monrovia. MSF is handing over operations in Foya to another NGO."
Health Official - Ebola Deaths Rise to 66 - AllAfrica.com
Liberia: 104 supected cases, 48 confirmed cases, 66 deaths
"Liberia's Health Ministry has disclosed that the total number of deaths from the Ebola virus in the country has risen to 66 as of July 2. Addressing the Ministry of Information regular press briefing in Monrovia, Assistant Health Minister for Preventive Services, Tolbert Nyenswah said of the 66 deaths, Lofa County accounts for 35. Montserrado County, which hosts the Liberian capital Monrovia, accounts for 29, while two deaths are recorded in Margibi County. Mr. Nyesuah put the cumulative probable and suspected cases at 104 and total confirmed cases at 48."
FIFTY NEW EBOLA CASES AND 25 DEATHS REPORTED IN SIERRA LEONE ... - Reuters Africa
West Africa: 844 suspected cases, 518 deaths
"In a statement, the United Nations agency said that the latest figures from health ministries in the three countries showed a total of 844 cases including 518 deaths in the epidemic that began in February."
Death toll in West African Ebola... - Rappler
Liberia: 131 suspected cases, 84 deaths; Sierra Leone: 305 suspected cases, 127 deaths; Guinea: 408 suspected cases, 307 deaths
"The total number of laboratory-confirmed, probable or suspected cases of Ebola in the region has now risen to 844, the WHO said. The hardest-hit country remains Guinea, with 408 cases and 307 deaths. Liberia reported 16 new cases and nine deaths, bringing its overall count to 131 cases, with 84 fatalities. Sierra Leone's figures showed 34 new cases and 14 deaths. That took its case-count to 305 and its death toll to 127."
US$1.5 Million Needed to Fight Ebola - AllAfrica.com
Liberia: 138 suspected cases, 43 deaths
"Making the disclosure yesterday at Capitol Hill during the Senate 45th day sitting in its chambers, Grand Kru County Senator, Dr. Peter S. Coleman, told Plenary that it is essential that funds should be allotted in order to equip the Health Ministry to combat the virus."
"Senator Coleman, who won on the ticket of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in his presentation to his colleagues in chambers, disclosed that there are 138 cases of Ebola in the country currently with 43 deaths recorded. Out of these 43 deaths, 10 health workers have also died in the process."
Sierra Leone hospital battles Ebola - Gant Daily
Kenenma Hospital, Sierra Leone: "The government hospital in Kenema, Sierra Leone has been hit hard by Ebola; to date, 7 healthcare workers infected at the hospital have died. Health workers, some of whom are volunteers, have been working long hours in close contact with the disease. Workers in the Ebola ward went on strike, saying that the 100,000 leone (US$23) monthly bonus was inadequate considering the risks associated with working with Ebola patients."
Liberia's Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is holding information sessions for community leaders in Montserrado, Margibi, and Lofa Counties with support from the WHO. Sessions are also being conducted around the country for religious leaders.
Liberia reports two new Ebola cases - StarAfrica.com
Liberia: 143 suspected cases, 64 confirmed cases, 81 suspected deaths, 38 confirmed deaths
"Liberia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has reported two new Ebola cases, bringing the cumulative cases to 143 including 64 confirmed. According to Assistant Health Minister for Preventive Services Tolbert Nyensuah, one new death was reported, bringing the total number of deaths to 81, including 38 confirmed deaths."
Sierra Leone News: 28 people survive Ebola in Salone - Awoko
"Ever since the outbreak of Ebola, he explained that out of the 433 Screened Ebola cases, 211 have been confirmed positive of the dreadful disease. Out of the 211, Kailahun he expressed has 165; Kenema has 42; Kambia 1; Port Loko 2 and Bo 1. And out of the 211 total infected cases within the country, 67, he revealed, have died of the disease."
Kailahun: 165.
Kenema: 42
Kambia: 1
Bo: 1
Port Loko: 2
Sierra Leone: 211 confirmed cases; 67 deaths
Ebola claims more lives - Washington Post
"The World Health Organization reported Friday 44 new cases of Ebola in West Africa and 21 more deaths between July 6 and July 8. The total in the worst outbreak of the deadly virus now stands at 888 cases, including 539 deaths since February, according to Reuters."
West Africa: 888 suspected cases, 539 deaths
Guinea: 409 suspected cases
Sierra Leone: 337 suspected cases
Liberia: 142 suspected cases
Guinea reported 1 new case and 2 new deaths between July 6 and 8. During this period, Liberia reported 11 new cases and 4 new deaths while Sierra Leone reported 32 new cases and 15 new deaths.
Guinea: 309 deaths (197 confirmed, 96 probable, and 16 suspected)
Sierra Leone: 142 deaths (127 confirmed, 11 probable, and 4 suspected)
Liberia: 88 deaths (44 confirmed, 28 probable, and 16 suspected)
These death counts go along with the case counts from the most recent WHO report.
Ebola Spreads to Sierra Leone Capital of Freetown as Deaths Rise - Businessweek
Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health reports 315 lab-confirmed Ebola cases including 99 deaths. The disease has reached the capital after an Egyptian patient traveled from Kenema to Freetown.
"There have been 99 Ebola deaths in Sierra Leone out of 315 laboratory-confirmed cases, the ministry said in an e-mailed statement today. The ministry said yesterday that 92 people had died out of 305 cases. Cases of the hemorrhagic fever have killed more than 540 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in an outbreak that according to the World Health Organization may last another three to four months."
Religious Leaders Adopt Action Plan to Fight Ebola in Liberia - AllAfrica.com
"The religious leaders amongst several things agreed to provide Ebola education in their various churches and Sunday schools, homes and communities."
West Africa: 930 suspected cases, 580 deaths
The WHO stressed the importance of contact tracing as one of the most important ways to control the outbreak, which has resulted in about 930 cases and 580 deaths thus far.
West Africa's Ebola Outbreak Is Now the Largest on Record - The Wire
A tweet from ActionAid UK reports -- West Africa: 888 suspected cases, 584 deaths
West Africa: 964 suspected cases, 603 deaths
Guinea: 406 suspected cases,304 deaths
Liberia: 172 suspected cases, 105 deaths
"In Guinea, there were six new reported cases and three deaths. 'As of 12 July 2014, the cumulative number of cases attributed to EVD in the three countries stands at 964, including 603 deaths,' WHO said. 'The distribution and classification of the cases are as follows: Guinea, 406 cases and 304 deaths; Liberia, 172 cases and 105 deaths; and Sierra Leone, 386 cases and 194 deaths.'"
Between July 8 and 12, 68 new deaths were reported in the three countries. Only three of those deaths were from Guinea; the rest were from Sierra Leone and Liberia. MSF reports facing hostility, mistrust, and intimidation tactics.
Sierra Leone News: 15 Health Personnel die of EBOLA - Awoko
Sierra Leone: 346 lab-confirmed cases of 687 suspected cases, 110 deaths.
15 of those deaths were health personnel
Liberia's suspected Ebola death toll rises to 94 - GlobalPost
Liberia:163 suspected cases, 94 deaths
"Among the cases, 104 are from Lofa County in northern Liberia where the disease first entered the country from neighboring Guinea, 55 from Montserrado County, 3 from Margibi County and 1 from Bomi County. Of the 94 deaths, 42 have been lab-confirmed."
WHO Opens Regional Ebola Response Center - Infection Control Today
Following requests made during an 11-nation meeting in Accra, Ghana, the WHO has activated a Sub-regional Outbreak Coordination Center in Conakry, Guinea. The center will be responsible for tasks including ensuring effective use and deployment of limited, critical resources based on prioritization and objectives.
Gov't Alarms Over Fake Ebola Vaccine - AllAfrica.com
"A senior health official here has alarmed of the issuance of 'false Ebola vaccine' by imposters, acting as health workers in Monrovia and surroundings. Deputy Health Minister for Research Planning, Ms. Yah Zolia told UNMIL radio Wednesday, July 16 that the Health Ministry is receiving reports of imposters offering Ebola vaccine in some communities."
Ebola virus spreads in four more Liberian counties - Press TV
"New cases of Ebola virus have been found in four additional counties in Liberia, raising the number of affected counties to seven out of a total of 15."
WHO reports 18 new Ebola cases in West Africa - CIDRAP
"Cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa continue surfacing at a steady clip, as the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed 18 new illnesses and 11 new deaths over 2 days. The new figures expand what is by far the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in history to 982 cases and 613 deaths."
Sierra Leone creates Ebola emergency center as deaths top 127 - Akron Beacon Journal
"Sierra Leone, one of three West African nations hit by the worst-ever outbreak of the Ebola virus, will create an emergency center to coordinate responses to contain a disease that’s killed 127 people in the country. The center, which will be located at the World Health Organization’s office in the capital Freetown, will act as a central command unit to link district health officials with regional authorities, the health ministry said in an e-mailed statement. Sierra Leone has 397 confirmed cases of Ebola."
Ebola 2014: West Africa outbreak tops 1000 cases, situation remains 'serious' - The Global Dispatch
"The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa has hit a new “milestone” as the World Health Organization reports in an update today than the number of cases have exceeded 1,000...The WHO says as of 17 July 2014, the cumulative number of cases attributed to EVD in the three countries stands at 1,048, including 632 deaths. The breakdown by country is as follows: Guinea, 410 cases (301 confirmed, 95 probable, and 14 suspected) and 310 deaths (203 confirmed, 95 probable, and 12 suspected); Liberia, 196 cases (76 confirmed, 56 probable, and 64 suspected) and 116 deaths (54 confirmed, 40 probable, and 22 suspected); and Sierra Leone, 442 cases (368 confirmed, 48 probable, and 26 suspected) and 206 deaths (165 confirmed, 35 probable, and 6 suspected)."
Four Nurses in Ebola Web At Phebe Hospital - AllAfrica.com
"Four nurses working at the Phebe Hospital in Suakoko, Bong County, have reportedly contracted the Ebola virus, while the test result of the fifth nurse is yet to be released. All four nurses, whose names were not disclosed, have since been transferred to the John F. Kennedy Hospital in Monrovia and the ELWA Hospital in Paynesville where they are being treated and monitored by doctors."
Good News: Health Ministry says almost 100 have survived Ebola and been ... - Awareness Times
Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health & Sanitation reports a total of 409 confirmed cases including 139 confirmed deaths. 98 patients have survived and been discharged.
Ganta Records First Ebola Death - AllAfrica.com
The United Methodist Hospital has reported the first Ebola death in Ganta, Liberia. The patient was a man from Monrovia who was transferred to the hospital.
Ebola infects doctor leading Sierra Leone's fight against outbreak - The Globe and Mail
Sheik Umar Khan, a Sierra Leonean virologist credited with treating over 100 Ebola patients, has contracted the disease himself. 3 nurses working alongside Khan also caught the disease and died. Approximately 100 healthcare workers have been infected so far and 50 have died.
Ebola Strikes Doctor At Phebe - AllAfrica.com
"A doctor at the Phebe Hospital in Bong County has tested positive for Ebola...[he] was transferred to Monrovia for testing along with four nurses, three of whom died yesterday."
Operational Update: The Ebola outbreak in West Africa - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International
There have now been 1093 cases including 660 deaths. Cases in Guinea have declined significantly, but the situation continues to worsen in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Sierra Leone is now the epicentre of the outbreak, reporting 454 cases.
Has Ebola spread to Nigeria? Liberian man is being tested for the deadly virus in ... - Daily Mail
A Liberian man is being tested for Ebola in Lagos, Nigeria. This would be the country's first case. Nigeria is Africa's most populous nation, with 170 million people, and Lagos is the country's commercial capital.
Ebola Kills More Women - AllAfrica.com
Liberian authorities have announced that 75% of the country's 129 Ebola deaths have been women. Liberia has reported a total of 249 cases so far. Many women are vulnerable because they engage in cross-border trade between Liberia and Guinea.
JFK to Shut Down! Ebola Kills Chief Medical Doctor - AllAfrica.com
Authorities at Liberia's JFK Memorial Hospital are considering a shutdown of hospital activities for 21 days due to the increase in reported Ebola cases. JFK is one of the biggest state-run referral hospitals. Dr. Samuel Brisbane, one of the hospital's senior medical practitioners, died on Thursday, July 24. Some nurses have fled due to fear of contracting the disease and the hospital's supposed refusal to pay their salary and incentives.
First case of ebola reported in Africa's most populous city Lagos - The Guardian
The Liberian man who was being tested for Ebola in Lagos has died and been confirmed as Nigeria's first Ebola case. He arrived and collapsed at the airport in Lagos from Monrovia after a brief stopover in Togo.
Ebola virus disease, West Africa – update 25 July 2014 - WHO | Regional Office for Africa
The WHO reports 108 new cases and 12 new deaths between July 21 and 23. Guinea had 12 new cases and 5 deaths, Liberia had 25 new cases and 2 deaths, and Sierra Leone had 71 new cases and 5 deaths. The total number of cases is now 1201 including 672 deaths. The distribution is as follows: Guinea, 427 cases (311 confirmed, 99 probable, and 17 suspected) and 319 deaths (208 confirmed, 99 probable, and 12 suspected); Liberia, 249 cases (84 confirmed, 84 probable, and 81 suspected) and 129 deaths (60 confirmed, 50 probable, and 19 suspected); and Sierra Leone, 525 cases (419 confirmed, 56 probable, and 50 suspected) and 224 deaths (188 confirmed, 33 probable, and 3 suspected). The WHO is also conducting tests to confirm Nigeria's first suspected case and death. Initial tests conducted at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital were positive for the virus.
Ebola outbreak: Sierra Leone escaped patient dies - BBC News
Dr. Samuel Brisbane, a prominent doctor in Liberia, has died after a three-week battle with Ebola. A U.S. doctor, Kent Brantly, has also been infected and is being treated in Monrovia.
High Alert In Nigeria Over Potential Ebola Outbreak - SaharaReporters.com
Nigeria is on high alert after the death of a Liberian man in Lagos. Officials in Togo also went on high alert. "Wider screening and re-checking of patients entering local hospitals have been stepped up...Nigerian airports are now setting up holding rooms to [be] ready in case another Ebola victim arrives in the country."
Liberia President declares Ebola outbreak a national emergency - StarAfrica.com
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has declared the Ebola outbreak a national emergency. A National Task Force has been formed to combat the outbreak.
2 Samaritan's Purse Workers Contract Ebola in Liberia - TWC News
Two Americans have now contracted Ebola while working to combat the disease in Liberia. Dr. Brantly and missionary Nancy Writebol were both working at a Samaritan's Purse compound in Liberia when they fell ill.
Ebola Outbreak: Sierra Leone Nurse Says Virus Is a Ruse Meant to Encourage ... - Latin Post
A former nurse in Kenema, Sierra Leone, has called Ebola a ruse "aimed at carrying out cannibalistic rituals." The rumor spread when she spoke to local residents at a fish market.
First Ebola victim in Sierra Leone capital: ministry - eNCA
A woman suffering from the first confirmed case of Ebola in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, has died of the disease. She was forcibly removed from the hospital by relatives and later died en route to an Ebola treatment center when she decided again to seek treatment.
Liberia shuts border crossings, restricts gatherings to curb Ebola spreading - Yahoo News UK
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf closed the nation's borders except at major entry points. She said public gatherings such as marches and demonstrations would also be restricted.
Lagos quarantines hospital where Ebola victim died - BusinessDay
The hospital where a Liberian man died of Ebola has been quarantined and hospital staff who had close contact with the victim have been isolated. The hospital will be closed for a week. Nigerian airports, seaports, and borders are on "red alert."
Nigeria places 59 people under Ebola surveillance - Times LIVE
Nigeria has placed 59 people under surveillance who had contact with the Liberian man who died of Ebola. In addition, the Nigerian airline Arik Air has suspended flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Ebola Scare - Finance Ministry Shut Down - AllAfrica.com
The Liberian Ministry of Finance and Development Planning has shut down temporarily for sanitizing following the death of Patrick Sawyer, Coordinator of the ECOWAS National Unit. Mr. Sawyer's death was the first confirmed case in Nigeria. All senior officials who had contact with Mr. Sawyer have been placed under surveillance and requested to telecommute.
Sierra Leone Is Epicenter of Ebola as Guinea Clinic Shut - Businessweek
Sierra Leone has become the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak. MSF is scaling up its response in the country with 22 international and 250 local staff currently working to control the outbreak. The situation is worsening in Liberia, where 7 counties are affected. New cases in Conakry and Gueckedou (Guinea) have been slowing, and MSF has closed a center in Telimele where 75% of patients have recovered.
PCI Responds to Ebola Outbreak in Liberia with Supplies, Awareness Campaigns - DigitalJournal.com
Project Concern International (PCI) is working with partners to procure critical emergency supplies locally and send donations from the U.S. to Liberia.
Peace Corps pulls volunteers over Ebola outbreak - Port Huron Times Herald
Peace Corps announced it will withdraw 340 volunteers from Ebola affected countries after two of its aid volunteers were exposed to an Ebola infected patient. The exposed volunteers are to be quarantined until cleared by doctors.
Amid Ebola, Buses, Taxi Cabs Ordered to Reduce Passengers - AllAfrica.com
Liberian Justice Minister Christian Tah ordered buses and taxis to reduce their passenger loads or face criminal charges. "The Justice Minister promised to provide police protection for health workers because of a number of threats coming out of some communities". It was reiterated that all border points would be manned by health workers conducting screenings.
Ebola toll jumps to 181 in Liberia-Official - StarAfrica.com
New report by Liberia's health ministry puts Ebola case counts as follows: Total deaths: 181. "Of these, the total confirmed deaths are 82, total suspected deaths 23 and total probable deaths 76" Total cases: 360. "Of these, total suspected cases stand at 101, total probable cases 158 and total confirmed cases at 101". The report indicated that there have been 47 cases of health workers infected with Ebola in the country, of which 28 have died.
W. Africa Ebola outbreak tops 700 deaths - Kansas City Star
"Ebola now has been blamed for 729 deaths in four West African countries this year: 339 in Guinea, 233 in Sierra Leone, 156 in Liberia and one in Nigeria." Authorities in Sierra Leone vowed to quarantine at home all those who refuse to go to treatment centers. Health workers will be conducting house-to-house inspections in Freetown looking for patients.
As Ebola threat grows, CDC calls for halt to nonessential travel to West Africa - Sacramento Bee
The CDC upgraded its previous Level 2 travel warning for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to a Level 3. This level warns against all non-essential travel to these countries.
WHO, leaders launch Ebola battle plan - Independent Online
"Dubai's Emirates became the first global airline to announce it was suspending flights to the stricken area"
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION CHIEF SAYS EBOLA OUTBREAK IS ... - Reuters Africa
"World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan told the presidents of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone at a meeting in Conakry...'This outbreak is moving faster than our efforts to control it. If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of lost lives but also severe socioeconomic disruption and a high risk of spread to other countries'."
Ebola deaths in West Africa top 800 - Outbreak News Today
West Africa: 1,440 suspected cases, 826 deaths
"According to the UN health agency as of 30 July 2014, the cumulative number of cases attributed to EVD in the four countries (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria) stands at 1,440 including 826 deaths."
"The distribution and classification of the EVD cases are as follows: Guinea, 472 cases (337 confirmed, 122 probable, and 12 suspected) including 346 deaths; Liberia, 391 cases (109 confirmed, 181 probable, and 101 suspected) including 227 deaths; Sierra Leone, 574 cases (507 confirmed, 41 probable, and 26 suspected) including 252 deaths; and Nigeria, 3 cases (1 probable and 2 suspected) and 1 death."
Ebola outbreak: Infected US missionary arrives back home for treatment - The Independent
"Dr Kent Brantly touched down in Atlanta, Georgia, on Saturday to receive specialist care at Emory University Hospital after contracting the deadly disease, which has killed more than 700 people in west Africa. Missionary Dr Brantly, who became infected in Liberia, will be joined by fellow aid worker Nancy Writebol, 59, in a few days. Both are thought to be in a critical condition and will be admitted to an isolation unit for infectious diseases, in a hospital reportedly well equipped to deal with dangerous viruses."
Tragic visitor tested for Ebola - News Guardian
"An elderly woman who died shortly after arriving in the UK from West Africa has tested negative for the Ebola virus. The woman, thought to be in her early 70s, arrived at Gatwick Airport on a Gambia Bird flight from The Gambia and health officials said she was tested for the deadly virus that has struck in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia."
Nigerian doctor has Ebola, officials say - KCRA Sacramento
"A Nigerian doctor has been diagnosed with Ebola, nearly three weeks after a Liberian-American man with Ebola died after traveling to Lagos, Nigerian officials said Monday."
Troops deploy in Sierra Leone, Liberia to try to stop Ebola spread - Reuters
"Hundreds of troops deployed in Sierra Leone and Liberia...to quarantine communities hit by the deadly Ebola virus, as the death toll from the worst-ever outbreak reached 887 and three new cases were reported in Nigeria."
WHO reports 163 new Ebola cases and 61 new deaths - WCNC
New WHO case counts bring outbreak total to 1,663 cases, 887 deaths.
Liberia's Ebola Death Toll Rises To 268 - London South East
"A total of 268 people had died of the virus as of August 2, said Assistant Health Minister for Preventive Services Tolbert Nyenswah. On July 28, the Health Ministry had recorded 181 deaths, a week earlier 130 deaths. Among the dead were 37 health workers"
First Bassa Ebola Case Confirmed - AllAfrica.com
"Grand Bassa County Superintendent Etweda Cooper said the first case of Ebola has been reported in the county. Speaking over the weekend in Buchanan, Madam Cooper said an unidentified man died at the Catholic Health Center in Buchanan and was buried on Thursday. She added that his blood sample was taken to the laboratory and was tested and confirmed positive the next day."
"She added that the two health workers that came in contact with this man at the Catholic Health Center are currently undergoing observation at medical facilities in Buchanan."
Nigerian official says 7 more show Ebola symptoms - WFTV Orlando
"Nigerian health authorities acknowledged Tuesday that they did not immediately quarantine a sick airline passenger who later died of Ebola, announcing that eight health workers who had direct contact with him were now in isolation with symptoms of the disease."
"A doctor who cared for Sawyer has tested positive for the disease, and seven other health workers are now showing symptoms so have been placed in isolation. They are among 14 people who had "serious direct contact" with Sawyer, most of them at the hospital, Idris said. Authorities say they are also following the conditions of 56 other people who had "primary contact" with Sawyer — presumably less at risk than those in the first group."
Nigerian Nurse Dies of Ebola as 5 Others Confirmed With Disease - Businessweek
"A Nigerian nurse became the second person to die of the Ebola virus in Africa’s most populous nation, Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said, while officials suspected a patient died of the disease in Saudi Arabia."
"The Nigerian health worker, who died yesterday, had helped treat Liberian Patrick Sawyer, who fell ill from the virus after arriving on a flight to Lagos, the commercial capital. He was taken to a hospital in the city and died five days later on July 25."
"Nigeria has five other confirmed cases of Ebola in Lagos, a city of about 20 million people, Chukwu said in a statement handed to reporters today in Abuja, the capital of Africa’s biggest economy."
Global health experts to meet over Ebola outbreak - Famagusta Gazette
"... Emergency Committee meeting to ascertain whether the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa constitutes a 'public health emergency of international concern'...This is the first time the WHO Emergency Committee is being convened to deliberate on the Ebola Virus."
Liberia's president declares state of emergency amid Ebola outbreak | The ... - The Tribune
"Liberia's president has declared a state of emergency in the West African nation amid an Ebola outbreak that shows no signs of slowing. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf made the announcement on national television late Wednesday, saying that some civil rights may have to be suspended as a result of the crisis."
Ebola Outbreak a National Emergency, Says Health Minister - AllAfrica.com
Nigeria's Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, says Ebola outbreak a "national emergency"
Ebola outbreak prompts Liberia state of emergency, Sierra Leone blockades - CBC.ca
"Police and soldiers in Sierra Leone blockaded rural areas hit by the deadly Ebola virus on Thursday, a senior officer said, after neighbouring Liberia declared a state of emergency to tackle the worst-ever outbreak of the disease, which has killed 932 people."
"In eastern Sierra Leone — the worst-hit area of the country — the head of police said security forces deployed last night "to establish a complete blockade" of Kenema and Kailahun districts, setting up 16 checkpoints on major roads. "No vehicles or persons are allowed into or out of the districts," Alfred Karrow-Kamara told Reuters, saying the measures would last for an initial 50-day period. He said traders who had registered with security agencies would be able to bring in food and medicines. Security forces would mount foot patrols to ensure civilians did not slip past their roadblocks through the bush."
WHO: Ebola outbreak is a public health emergency
"The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to be an international public health emergency that requires an extraordinary response to stop its spread. On Friday, WHO announced the Ebola outbreak — the largest and longest in history — is worrying enough to merit being declared an international health emergency. WHO declared similar emergencies for the swine flu pandemic in 2009 and for polio in May. This agency had convened an expert committee this week to assess the severity of the ongoing epidemic in West Africa. The current outbreak of Ebola began in Guinea in March and has since spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia. There is no licensed treatment or vaccine for Ebola and the death rate has been about 50 percent."
Guinea shuts borders with Sierra Leone, Liberia in bid to halt Ebola - Reuters Africa
"Guinea announced the closure of its borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia on Saturday in a bid to halt the spread of Ebola, a virus that has killed nearly 1,000 people in the three countries this year. "We have provisionally closed the frontier between Guinea and Sierra Leone because of all the news that we have received from there recently," Health Minister Rémy Lamah told a news conference, noting that Guinea had also closed its border with Liberia."
Ebola outbreak traced back to death of toddler last year - 9news.com.au
"Researchers have revealed the Ebola outbreak currently sweeping across West Africa may have begun with the death of a two-year-old boy in December. The team of contagious disease experts traced the outbreak to the village of Guéckédou in Guinea, where a toddler died after falling ill with Ebola-like symptoms. A week after the child’s death on December 6, several members of his family including his mother and grandmother also fell ill and died."
UPDATE 4-Liberia president apologises for high toll for Ebola health workers - Reuters Africa
"Liberia president apologises for high toll for Ebola health workers"
"Guinea borders with Sierra Leone, Liberia stay open"
"Sierra Leone doctor confirmed with Ebola"
"Zambia, Gambia impose new restrictions (Recasts, adds that Guinea says it has not closed its borders, contrary to an earlier announcement"
Suspected case of Ebola: Passenger from Guinea kept under observation in ... - Times of India
"A male passenger, who landed in Chennai from Guinea on Saturday night, has been kept under observation for suspected case of Ebola. Senior officials in the health department said the man, hailing from Theni district of Tamil Nadu, approached the health facility at the airport and asked to be checked."
Ebola outbreak: FG bans movement of corpses across states - DailyPost Nigeria
Nigeria's Minister of State for Health, Dr. Khalliru Alhassan says that the "federal government has banned movement of corpses from one state of the federation to another until there a noticeable reduction in the spread of the disease."
"According to the Minister, all dead bodies would be buried wherever they die so that the chances of transporting the disease either from within or outside would be curtailed."
Nigerian man in Hong Kong suspected to have Ebola - Channel News Asia
"A Nigerian man in Hong Kong has tested negative for the deadly Ebola virus, said Chinese media. He had been placed in quarantine after he was suspected of carrying the virus."
To Contain Ebola - No Access to Bomi - AllAfrica.com
"The Government of Liberia (GoL) has deployed soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia(AFL) in Bomi County, one of the four counties the government had declared a no go area. In an effort to combat the fast growing Ebola virus in the country, the government declared Lofa, Bong, Bomi and Grand Cape Mount Counties as no go area. Liberia's Information Minister Lewis G. Brown said the four counties, including Montserrado County had been identified as "intensively" affected areas by the virus."
Man Isolated At JKIA for Fear He Had Ebola Test Negative - AllAfrica.com
Kenya: "A passenger from Entebbe isolated earlier on Saturday at JKIA for fear of having Ebola virus has tested negative the ministry of health has announced."
"In Uganda, health officials on Friday announced a man they had isolated since Wednesday at Entebbe, suspecting he had Ebola, tested negative."
Mumbai man suspected to have contracted Ebola virus - Daily News & Analysis
"A 31-year-old man from Mumbai who has returned from Nigeria is suspected to be infected with the deadly Ebola vius, the worst outbreak of which is raging in four countries in West Africa. The man, who was in Nigeria for some work, returned to Mumbai from West Africa after the Ebola outbreak. But soon afterwards, he began experiencing body pains and diarrhoea, and got in touch with the Health Department. "
Mauritania bans entry of citizens from Ebola-hit states - Middle East Eye
"Mauritanian authorities on Sunday decided to deny entry to citizens from African countries hit by Ebola to prevent the spread of the deadly virus. In a statement, the Health Ministry said the decision applies to the citizens of Liberia and Seirra Leone. Mauritania stepped up health checks at its border with Senegal and Mali, a Mauritanian health ministry official said, but so far no suspicious cases had been detected."
CIV bans flights from Ebola countries - iAfrica.com
"The Ivory Coast announced Monday that it has banned all flights from countries hit by the deadly Ebola virus. The government said in a statement that it has banned all carriers from transporting passengers from these countries. It has also suspended flights by its national airline to and from these locations."
US FDA, Obama OK use of experimental Ebola drug in Liberia - presidency - Yahoo News UK
"U.S. President Barack Obama and the Food and Drug Administration have approved a request from Liberia's government to send sample doses of an experimental drug to treat Liberian doctors infected with Ebola, the Liberian presidency said in a statement. The statement, posted on the Liberian presidency's official website, said the experimental drugs would be delivered to the West African country this week by a representative of the U.S. government, following a direct appeal to Obama on Friday by Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf."
"Margaret Chan, the head of the World Health Organization, has also authorised the dispatch of additional doses of the experimental drug to Liberia to support the treatment of affected doctors, the statement said. Those doses will be delivered by a WHO expert this week."
LIBERIA ASKED MAPP BIOPHARMACEUTICAL FOR EXPERIMENTAL ANTI ... - Reuters Africa
"Liberia will receive enough of an experimental Ebola drug to treat just two infected Liberian doctors, Information Minister Lewis Brown said, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved its export. Brown said Liberia's Health Ministry had contacted the U.S. manufacturer of ZMapp, Mapp Biopharmaceutical, and asked the FDA to quickly approve its export. The doctors had consented in writing to the treatment, the minister said."
Guinea-Bissau shuts border with Ebola-hit Guinea: PM - Focus News
"Guinea-Bissau is closing its border with Guinea, one of the west African countries hardest hit by the deadly Ebola virus, Prime Minister Domingos Simoes Pereira said Tuesday, cited by AFP. "In light of information provided by the health ministry and after a series of consultations, the government of Guinea-Bissau has decided to close its southern and eastern borders" with Guinea "until further notice," Pereira told a press conference."
Ebola Kills ECOWAS Staff Member Who Assisted Patrick Sawyer In Lagos - SaharaReporters.com
"The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, announced today the death of Jatto Abdulqudir, a member of its staff, from the Ebola virus. Abdulqudir is the third person in Nigeria to die of the disease, following the initial Liberian case, Patrick Sawyer, and a nurse who attended to him after he collapsed in Lagos."
Liberia Applies Experimental Vaccine against Ebola - Prensa Latina
"Liberia will begin to apply today an experimental vaccine against Ebola virus, said Health Minister, Walter Gwenigale."
Officials: Nigerians suspected Ebola in İstanbul have malaria - Today's Zaman
"Officials from the Health Ministry have said that two Nigerian passengers, who were put under medical supervision at the İstanbul Atatürk Airport on suspicions that they have the Ebola virus, are suffering from malaria. The officials added that whether the passengers have the Ebola virus has not yet been determined, but the passengers are still being medically examined. A female passenger and her child from a Turkish Airlines (THY) flight traveling from Lagos, Nigeria, to İstanbul on Tuesday morning were put under medical supervision at İstanbul Atatürk Airport after they showed symptoms of fever and vomiting."
"Sidie Yayah Tunis, director of communications for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, announced that Modupeh Cole died Wednesday. The U.S.-trained Cole was one of the lead doctors working in the Ebola isolation ward in Connaught Hospital in Freetown, the capital."
Ebola Outbreak: 56 People Dead In Two Days - Yahoo News UK
"There have been 56 more deaths in a 48-hour period in West Africa's ebola outbreak, bringing the total number of fatalities to 1,069."
"In the two days to August 11, there were 128 new cases, meaning a total of 1,975, according to the World Health Organisation."
"There have also been three deaths in Nigeria, following the worst-ever outbreak which began in March."
Ebola: FG says 198 Nigerians quarantined - The Punch
"The Federal Government on Wednesday said a total of 198 persons are currently being quarantined for the Ebola Virus Disease. It said while 177 are being quarantined in Lagos where the index case was reported, 21 persons are being attended to in Enugu."
"Maku said Enugu came into the picture because one of the nurses that treated the American-Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, who brought the virus to the country disobeyed medical advice and travelled to Enugu. He said all those the nurse had contacts with, including her husband, are currently being quarantined."
Guinean President Declares National Health Emergency Over Ebola Outbreak ... - RIA Novosti
"Guinean President Alpha Conde late on Wednesday declared a national health emergency over Ebola virus outbreak, according to Agence France-Presse. "The World Health Organisation has declared a global health emergency over Ebola. Considering that Guinea is a signatory to the WHO constitution I declare Ebola a national health emergency in Guinea," Conde said in a statement."
Ebola - Nurse, Husband Who Escaped Quarantine Relocated to Lagos in ... - Vanguard
"Nigerian Minister for Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu has confirmed that the Lagos nurse who travelled to Enugu against medical advice is now back in Lagos and is under quarantine with her husband. The suspect, identified as a nurse, said to have travelled to her home town to visit her family, is now under surveillance with 20 others she came into contact with in the city."
Ebola patient's family, colleagues seek help from US, others - The Guardian Nigeria
Nigeria's Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu gave a news briefing on the Ebola outbreak: " 'Nigeria has now recorded 10 confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). Out of these, four have died and eight are currently under treatment. It is important to note that the number of confirmed cases remains 10 as at today and not 11 as earlier announced this morning.' ... The fourth death recorded today was a Nigerian nurse who participated in the initial management of the index case. 'The total number of persons under surveillance in Lagos is now 169. These are all secondary contacts as all the primary contacts have completed the 21-day incubation period and have been delisted to resume their normal lives.' "
WHO | Ebola virus disease update - west Africa
WHO released new outbreak case counts. Outbreak total: 2127 cases, 1145 deaths.
Guinea: 519 cases, 380 deaths.
Liberia: 786 cases, 413 deaths.
Sierra Leone: 810 cases, 348 deaths.
Nigeria: 12 cases, 4 deaths.
Kenya shut borders to Ebola hit countries - P.M. News
"Health Minister James Macharia said Kenya is closing its borders to travellers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — the countries most affected by the worst-ever Ebola outbreak. National carrier Kenya Airways also said it would suspend its flights to Freetown and Monrovia when the ban takes effect on Wednesday."
Ebola Sufferers Flee Attack On Liberia Clinic - Orange UK News
"At least 29 ebola patients have reportedly fled a treatment centre in Liberia after it was attacked by armed men. "They broke down the doors and looted the place. The patients all fled," Rebecca Wesseh, who witnessed the attack, told AFP news agency. Local residents and the head of Health Workers Association of Liberia confirmed the attack had taken place."
17 Ebola patients 'missing' in Liberia after raid on hospital - Times of Oman
"Seventeen Ebola patients are missing after fleeing an attack on an isolation ward in Monrovia by armed youths claiming the epidemic does not exist, training the spotlight on the struggle to raise awareness in the fight against the deadly virus."
"The head of Health Workers Association of Liberia, George Williams, said the unit housed 29 patients who "had all tested positive for Ebola" and were receiving preliminary treatment before being taken to hospital. "Of the 29 patients, 17 fled last night (after the assault). Nine died four days ago and three others were yesterday taken by force by their relatives" from the centre, he said. "
Cameroon closes all borders with Nigeria over Ebola outbreak - GlobalPost
"Cameroon has closed all its land, sea and air borders with Nigeria in a move to help prevent the spread of the Ebola virus...No cases of Ebola have been recorded so far in Cameroon which shares a nearly 2,000-kilometre-long (1,240-mile) border with Nigeria, where the virus has claimed four lives with about a dozen people infected."
Liberia finds missing Ebola patients - Blouin News Blogs
"Seventeen suspected Ebola patients who went missing in Liberia after a health centre in the capital was attacked have been found, a minister has said. The BBC reports: 'They were traced and finally they turned themselves in' at a treatment centre, Lewis Brown, an information minister, told the BBC. The government had previously denied they were missing...The Liberian information minister said the missing patients were now at the newly expanded treatment unit opened over the weekend at the John F Kennedy Memorial Medical Center in the capital, Monrovia. Mr Brown also said the health of three Liberian doctors infected with Ebola had improved after they receiving the experimental drug Zmapp."
WHO says Ebola has killed more than 1200 - WNCN
"More than 1,200 people have died of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria in the current outbreak, and more than 2,200 have been sickened, the WHO said...The WHO said it is seeing some encouraging signs in other parts of West Africa. In Guinea, people from villages that had previously rejected outside help were beginning to seek medical care, according to a WHO statement. The statement said the situation is 'less alarming' in Guinea than in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Although the outbreak began in Guinea, Liberia has now recorded the highest number of deaths and Sierra Leone the most cases. The WHO also said there is 'cautious optimism' that the spread of the virus in Nigeria can be stopped. So far, all recorded cases have been linked to one man, who flew from Liberia to Nigeria while infected."
Liberia imposes Ebola quarantine and curfew in a Monrovia slum - Los Angeles Times
"Liberia's president declared a curfew and ordered security forces to quarantine a slum in Monrovia that is home to at least 50,000 people late Tuesday as the West African country battled to stop the spread of Ebola in the capital. Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf announced a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Security forces also will be ensuring that no one enters or leaves West Point, a slum in the capital where angry residents attacked an Ebola observation center over the weekend. Johnson-Sirleaf declared a state of emergency early this month. 'We have been unable to control the spread due to continued denials, cultural burying practices, disregard for the advice of health workers and disrespect for the warnings by the government,' she said. 'As a result and due to the large population concentration the disease has spread widely in Monrovia and environs.' 'May God bless us all and save the state' ."
Nigeria's Ebola death toll hits five as Liberia imposes Ebola curfew - eNCA
"Nigeria's toll from Ebola hit five as another death was reported, according to the local newspaper Vanguard...Nigerian doctor Ameyo Stella Adadevoh contracted the virus while treating Liberian government consultant Patrick Sawyer"
Over 300 Ebola deaths traced back to a healer in Sierra Leone - eNCA
"The outbreak need never have spread from Guinea, health officials told AFP, except for a herbalist in the remote eastern border village of Sokoma. 'She was claiming to have powers to heal Ebola. People from Guinea were crossing into Sierra Leone for treatment,' Mohamed Vandi, the top medical official in the hard-hit district of Kenema, told AFP. 'She got infected and died. During her funeral, women around the other towns also got infected'."
Nigeria may be Ebola-Free in a Week, Minister says - BusinessDay
"Onyebuchi Chukwu Nigeria’s Minister of Health has said the nation may be free of Ebola within a week as the number of people being treated for the virus dropped to two. 'It will be a matter of maybe one week’s time because we have only two cases now of Ebola virus disease and both of them are in an isolation ward,' ... The country has enough equipment to contain the outbreak, Chukwu said."
Death toll from Ebola outbreak in West Africa rises to 1350 - Reuters
"The death toll from the Ebola oubreak in West Africa has risen to 1,350, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, with 106 new deaths reported between August 17-18 in three countries."
At least 70 dead from hemorrhagic illness in northern Congo: WHO| Reuters
"At least 70 people have died in northern Democratic Republic of Congo from an outbreak of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, the World Health Organization said on Thursday, denying that the illness was Ebola. A WHO report dated Thursday and seen by Reuters said that 592 people had contracted the disease, of whom 70 died. Five health care workers, including one doctor, are among the dead."
'Let Experts Lead in Ebola Fight', Former Diplomat Asserts - AllAfrica.com
"As Liberia struggles to contain the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus which is new to the country, a former Liberian diplomat to France, the People's Republic of China, the United Nations, Cuba, other countries, says it is time that the Government of Liberia turns over full executive control of international efforts to fight Ebola to the international partners who have come to assist in fighting the scourge."
Senegal closes its borders with Guinea over Ebola fears: interior ministry - The Daily Star
"Senegal closed its borders with Guinea on Thursday over fears of the Ebola epidemic, more than three months after it re-opened them, said a statement from the interior ministry. 'Senegal has decided to once again close the land borders with the Republic of Guinea," the statement said, adding that this extends to "air and sea borders for aircraft and ships from the Republic of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia'."
Nigeria confirms 2 new Ebola cases - The Olympian
"Two alarming new cases of Ebola have emerged in Nigeria, widening the circle of people sickened beyond the immediate group of caregivers who treated a dying airline passenger in one of Africa's largest cities...Nigeria's total of confirmed infections is now 16. Five of them have died and five have recovered; the rest are being treated in isolation in Lagos, the commercial capital where Sawyer's flight landed."
Last Ebola free region of Liberia falls to virus - Capital FM Kenya
"Every region of Liberia has now been hit by Ebola, officials said Friday, as other affected west African nations scrambled to contain the spread of the killer virus. After seeing people fall to the deadly disease in area after area, Liberia said two people had succumbed to the virus in Sinoe province, the last Ebola free bastion in a country that has seen the biggest toll with 576 deaths."
WHO warns of 'shadow zones', hidden cases in Ebola outbreak - WTAQ
WHO reports 2615 cases and 1427 deaths.
"Families hiding infected loved ones and the existence of 'shadow zones' where medics cannot go mean the West African Ebola epidemic is even bigger than thought, the World Health Organization said on Friday."
"'We think six to nine months is a reasonable estimate,' Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's Assistant Director-General for Health Security, said during a visit to Liberia, speaking of the time the agency now believes will be required to halt the epidemic."
Senegal blocks Ebola aid flight, imposes travel curbs - Fox News
"Regional humanitarian hub Senegal said on Friday it had blocked a regional U.N. aid plane from landing and was banning all further flights to and from countries affected by Ebola, potentially hampering the emergency response to the epidemic."
"Chad closed its border with Nigeria and South Africa said it was banning all travellers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone from entering its territory, barring its own citizens."
Ebola outbreak widens in Nigeria; Liberia death toll tops 1000 - Waterloo Record
"On Friday, the Central African country of Gabon announced it was barring all flights and ships from Ebola-stricken countries."
Ivory Coast shuts border with Liberia over Ebola - The Daily Star
"Ivory Coast has closed its land borders with Ebola-affected West African neighbors Guinea and Liberia."
"'Faced with new outbreak sites and the reactivation of old sites ... the Ivorian government decides to close its land borders with sister republics Guinea and Liberia,' said a statement read on state-owned television late on Friday."
UN vows to radically scale up Ebola fight as 'invisible' caseloads are escaping ... - indiablooms
David Nabarro, Senior United Nations System Coordinator for Ebola stated that the UN is looking to significantly scale up their response to the outbreak.
"In parts of Liberia, WHO said, a phenomenon is occurring that has never before been seen in an Ebola outbreak. As soon as a new treatment facility is opened, it is immediately filled with patients, many of whom were not previously identified."
"'This phenomenon strongly suggests the existence of an invisible caseload of patients who are not being detected by the surveillance system,' the UN health agency said."
"WHO reiterated that it does not recommend any ban on international travel or trade. It stresses that closing borders doesn’t work and is detrimental, as affected countries will be pushed towards a humanitarian crisis and the international community’s ability to fight and reverse the Ebola outbreak will be hampered."
New Sierra Leone law makes it illegal to hide Ebola patients - Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Sierra Leone has passed a new law imposing possible jail time for anyone caught hiding an Ebola patient — a common practice that the World Health Organization believes has contributed to a major underestimation of the current outbreak."
Lawmaker, Ansumana Jaiah Kaikai said "the measure was necessary to compel residents to cooperate with government officials, noting that some residents had resisted steps to combat Ebola and build isolation centers in their communities."
Africa - DR Congo confirms first cases of Ebola - France 24
"The Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday confirmed its first two cases this year of Ebola but claimed they were unrelated to the epidemic ravaging West Africa. 'The results are positive. The Ebola virus is confirmed in DRC,' Health Minister Felix Kabange Numbi told AFP"
"Earlier this week Kabange had announced the deaths of 13 people with haemorrhagic symptoms, and had said dozens of others who had come into contact with them were being monitored."
WHO Expert in West Africa Infected by the Ebola Virus - The Cubic Lane
"An expert from the World Health Organization, operating in Sierra Leone to fight against the Ebola epidemic, contracted the deadly virus, according to a statement released on Sunday by the WHO. According to a spokesman for the WHO in Geneva, the person in question is an expert in epidemiology. This is the first time, the WHO added, that a member of its teams on the field is infected with the virus. The person 'is receiving the best possible treatment,' and an evacuation to another clinic is being considered."
Nigeria revises confirmed Ebola cases from 14 to 13 - Medical Xpress
"Nigeria on Monday revised down the number of confirmed Ebola cases in the country to 13, including five deaths, blaming the reporting of a 14th case on a false positive."
"All five deaths from Ebola and confirmed cases have occurred in the country's financial capital, Lagos, from a single chain of transmission."
NIGERIA HEALTH MINISTER SAYS COUNTRY HAS
"Nigeria's health minister said on Tuesday authorities had 'thus far contained' the Ebola outbreak that started last month, with only one out of 13 confirmed cases still being treated in isolation in the commercial capital Lagos. Onyebuchi Chukwu said of the other cases that five had died and the other seven had been discharged. The remaining one was the spouse of one of the doctors who treated Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian who brought the virus to Africa's most populous nation."
Death toll in Congo Ebola outbreak reaches 13 - ITV News
"A total of 13 people, including five health workers, have now died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a report by the UN. The government has said it will be quarantining the area around the town of Djera, in the northwestern jungle province of Equateur, where a high number of suspected cases has been reported."
UPDATE 1-Ebola toll tops 1550, outbreak accelerates - WHO - Reuters
"The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 1,552 people out of 3,069 known cases in four countries and 'continues to accelerate', the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday. The epidemic in the region, the deadliest since the disease was first discovered in 1976, has killed nearly as many people as all the previous known outbreaks combined. 'More than 40 percent of the total number of cases have occurred within the past 21 days. However, most cases are concentrated in only a few localities,' the United Nations health agency said in a statement."
Ebola outbreak 'could top 20000' - Irish Independent
"The Ebola outbreak in West Africa could eventually exceed 20,000 cases - more than six times the current level, the World Health Organisation says. SHARE A new study by the UN health agency also assumes that in many hard-hit areas the actual number of cases may be two to four times higher than is currently reported."
"At least 40% of the cases have been in the last three weeks, the WHO said, adding that 'the outbreak continues to accelerate'."
EBOLA: Rivers health official who secretly treated ebola patient in an hotel dies - Osun Defender
"The unnamed doctor, according to news website, Sahara Reporters, secretly treated a diplomat who had contact with Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American, who brought the virus to Nigeria. The doctor reportedly died on Friday, while his wife had also taken ill and now quarantined in Port Harcourt. The diplomat treated by the doctor is still alive, the report said. The diplomat is believed to be among those who met Mr. Sawyer on his arrival in Lagos. He then flew to Port Harcourt where he took ill. He was treated at an unnamed hotel in the Rivers state capital, an official said."
"This development, if confirmed will be a big blow to Nigeria’s effort to contain the deadly virus. With only one case being treated in Lagos, the Minister of Health had declared Tuesday that Nigeria had succeeded in checkmating the spread of the virus in the country."
First case of Ebola confirmed in Senegal - health minister| News by Country| Reuters
"The first case of Ebola has been confirmed in Senegal, a major hub for the business and aid community in West Africa, Health Minister Awa Marie Coll Seck told a news conference on Friday. The minister said the case was a Guinean national who had arrived from the neighbouring West African country, where the deadly virus was first detected in March."
Ebola rumours spark riots in Guinea - Independent Online
"Riots broke out in Guinea's second-largest city Nzerekore over rumours that health workers had infected people with the deadly Ebola virus, a Red Cross official and residents said on Friday. A crowd of young men, some armed with clubs and pistols, set up barricades across the southern city on Thursday and threatened to attack the hospital before security forces moved in to restore order. Gunshots were fired by the rioters and several people were injured, said Youssouf Traore, president of the Guinean Red Cross."
Liberia to lift cordon around slum neighborhood sealed off to stop Ebola's spread ... - The Tribune
"Liberia says it will open up a slum in its capital where thousands of people were barricaded to contain the spread of Ebola. Information Minister Lewis Brown says lifting the quarantine Saturday morning will not mean there is no Ebola in the West Point Slum. But authorities feel confident they can screen for the sick and that the community now actively fighting the disease. The slum of 50,000 people in Liberia's capital was sealed off more than a week ago, sparking unrest and leaving many without access to food or safe water."
Health workers strike at Sierra Leone Ebola hospital - Reuters Africa
"Health workers have gone on strike at a major Ebola treatment centre in Kenema, eastern Sierra Leone, over pay and poor working conditions, hospital staff told Reuters on Saturday. 'The workers decided to stop working because we have not been paid out allowances and we lack some tools,' said Ishmael Mehemoh, chief supervisor at the clinic. Clothing to protect health workers being infected from the deadly virus is inadequate and there is only one broken stretcher which is used to carry both patients and corpses, he added."
Ebola death toll in Guinea rises to 460 - Shanghai Daily (subscription)
"The latest data released by Guinea's health ministry shows that at least 690 Ebola cases have been confirmed in the country, out of which 460 people have died."
"A total of 143 patients were cured and discharged from treatment centers while 86 cases are still undergoing treatment in health centers. Since the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, 45 health workers have been infected with the virus and 26 of them have died while nine others are still hospitalized."
Port Harcourt elderly woman tests positive for Ebola Virus Disease - Osun Defender
"One of the three persons taken to the Ebola virus quarantine centre in Oduoha, Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State, has tested positive for the disease. The latest case, an elderly woman, contracted the virus in Good Heart Hospital, the health facility where Iyke Enemuo, the doctor who treated a Nigerian ECOWAS diplomat, Koye Olu-Ibukun, died last week."
"According to him, as of August 31, 2014, the total number of cases of EVD in Nigeria stood at 17 while the total number of cases treated at the isolation ward in Lagos State is 14. Also, the total number of those discharged is seven while the total number of deaths among those treated in Lagos is five. The total number currently under treatment in Lagos is two. Chukwu said the three confirmed cases not treated in Lagos comprised Olu-Ibukun, Enemuo and the elderly woman in Port Harcourt."
Nurses go on strike in Ebola-hit Liberia - Jamaica Observer
"Nurses at Liberia's largest hospital went on strike on Monday, demanding better pay and equipment to protect them against a deadly Ebola epidemic which has killed hundreds in the West African nation. John Tugbeh, spokesman for the strikers at Monrovia's John F Kennedy hospital, said the nurses would not return to work until they are supplied with "personal protective equipment (PPEs)", the hazmat-style suits which guard against infectious diseases. 'From the beginning of the Ebola outbreak we have not had any protective equipment to work with. As result, so many doctors got infected by the virus. We have to stay home until we get the PPEs,' he said."
Senegal monitoring contacts of 1st Ebola patient - CTV News
"Senegalese authorities on Monday were monitoring everyone who was in contact with a student infected with Ebola who crossed into the country, and who has lost three family members to the disease. An Ebola outbreak in West Africa has killed more than 1,500 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The university student is Senegal's first case of the dreaded disease. The 21-year-old left Guinea on Aug. 15, just days after his brother died of the disease, according to Guinea's Health Ministry. It said that the brother apparently caught Ebola in Sierra Leone. The student travelled by road, crossing into Senegal despite a border closure. He arrived in Dakar, the Senegalese capital, on Aug. 20, according to the World Health Organization, and was staying with relatives on the outskirts of the city. The agency said that on Aug. 23, he went to a medical facility seeking treatment for fever, diarrhea and vomiting -- all symptoms of Ebola but also many other diseases. But he concealed from doctors that he had had contact with infected people. He was treated instead for malaria and continued to stay with his relatives before turning up at a Dakar hospital on Aug. 26. Senegal's Health Ministry said Sunday that it has since traced everyone the student came into contact with, and they are being examined twice a day."
Ebola death toll rises to 31 in DR Congo - Shanghai Daily (subscription)
Death toll from an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Cong) has increased from 13 to 31, an advisor to the minister of health said Tuesday. 'The official account was 13 deaths, and then we add the 18 deaths, giving us a total of 31 deaths,' said Dr. Shodu Lomani to Xinhua. The Ebola outbreak was recorded in Djera, a remote region in the country's northwest province of Equateur. The government has banned travels out of the affected region by any one who may show signs of the Ebola virus disease, said Lomani. It was the DR Congo's seventh Ebola outbreak, which the government and the World Health Organization (WHO) said has no links with the ongoing Ebola epidemic in West Africa."
Doctor Enemuo's Sister Quarantined - AllAfrica.com
"The sister of late Dr Iyke Enemuo who died of the Ebola virus in Port Harcourt has been sent to the Ebola quarantine centre in Emohua local government area, Rivers state. Rivers State Commissioner of Health, Dr Sampson Parker who made this known Monday said she had to be sent there because she showed symptoms of the disease, adding that result of the Ebola test done on her would be released later in the day."
Dr. Sampson Parker went on to say: "'Sister of Dr Iyke Enemuo who went to Abia State, we have brought her back. She is symptomanic and we have sent her to the quarantined centre. The three cases we had at the quarantine centre, two tested negative while one, an elderly lady who was in the same room with the late Dr Enemuo at the hospital where he was admitted tested positive. The two cases who tested negative were the doctor and Pharmacist at the late Dr Enemuo hospital. They have Left the quarantine centre but we are still watching them within the 21 days period.',"
Nigeria to get Japanese drug for Ebola treatment - India.com
"Nigeria will soon get a Japanese drug to treat Ebola, the country’s Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said on Monday. The drug named Favipiravir and developed by a subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings in Japan, could be delivered anytime soon in Nigeria, Xinhua quoted Chukwu as telling reporters here. Apart from the Japanese drug, the west African country had also applied for another anti-Ebola drug alongside two other vaccines which have been positively identified by the local Treatment Research Group (TRG) in Nigeria. 'The TRG has been working hard to identify experimental drugs like Zmapp, and also make recommendations to government on further research on these drugs as well as vaccines for EVD treatment and prevention,' Chukwu said. The Nigerian minister said the drug was considered as it has strong anti-viral property against Ebola virus in-vitro and in-vivo. 'These and the fact that it is considered safe, having passed through phases one and two clinical trails makes it good candidate drug for use in emergency situation as the EVD,' he added."
"Disruptions in food trade and marketing in the three West African countries most affected by Ebola have made food increasingly expensive and hard to come by, while labor shortages are putting the upcoming harvest season at serious risk, FAO warned today. In Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, quarantine zones and restrictions on people's movement aimed at combating the spread of the virus, although necessary, have seriously curtailed the movement and marketing of food. This has lead to panic buying, food shortages and significant food price hikes on some commodities, especially in urban centers, according to a special alert issued today by FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS)."
Ebola outbreak: CDC director Tom Frieden gives update on visit to West Africa - CBC.ca
"The CDC director said it was upsetting during his visit to see the shortage of hospital beds and the lack of a rapid response needed to prevent a single cluster of Ebola from becoming a large outbreak. There is widespread transmission in Liberia and strong signs it will happen in Sierra Leone in the near future, he said. 'World is losing the battle' Frieden said more resources, expertise and a unified response are needed. 'The number of cases is increasing so quickly that for every day's delay it becomes that much harder to stop it'."
"In a speech to the United Nations on Tuesday, Dr. Joanne Liu, international president of Doctors Without Borders, denounced the lack of deployment of resources to address the outbreak, which the group says has overstretched ministries of health and private non-governmental organizations. 'Six months into the worst Ebola epidemic in history, the world is losing the battle to contain it' "
Another American Doctor Infected With Ebola in Liberia - Wall Street Journal
"A third American missionary has been infected with Ebola while working in Liberia and is being treated in an isolation unit in the Monrovia hospital where he works. The man, a doctor, was treating obstetrics patients, not Ebola patients. He is the second missionary working for SIM USA, a Charlotte, N.C.-based Christian organization, to contract the deadly disease. It isn't known how the doctor was infected, SIM USA said in a statement Tuesday. He isolated himself as soon as he felt symptoms and "is doing well and is in good spirits," the organization said."
Suspected Ebola patient dies at LUTH - Daily Sun
"The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba, was thrown into panic yesterday, following the admission of two patients suspected to be infected with the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) into the hospital. One of the patients later died after reportedly showing symptoms of the deadly disease."
Virological analysis: no link between Ebola outbreaks in west Africa and ... - HealthCanal.com
"Results from virus characterization, together with findings from the epidemiological investigation, are definitive: the outbreak in DRC is a distinct and independent event, with no relationship to the outbreak in west Africa."
"The response team has, to date, identified 53 cases consistent with the case definition for Ebola virus disease, including 31 deaths. Seven of these deaths were among health care workers. More than 160 contacts are being traced."
Suspected Ebola Case in Kaduna: ABU Student Tests Negative to the Virus - Nigerian Bulletin
"The 19-year old law student of the Ahmadu Bello University [ABU] suspected to manifest some symptoms of the Ebola Virus Disease [EVD] has tested negative to the virus. Authorities of ABU and the Kaduna State Government had sent the patient’s blood to Lagos for testing after he reportedly manifested some symptoms associated with Ebola while on admission at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital [ABUTH]."
Nigerian Ebola cases rise to 18, deaths up to 7 - Daily Mail
"Nigeria now has 18 Ebola cases, after a fourth case surfaced in Port Harcourt, home to Africa's biggest oil and gas industry, the health minister said on Wednesday. The Ebola outbreak in Africa's most populous country began on July 20 when a Liberian man with the disease collapsed at Lagos airport, spreading the virus to the hospital staff who treated him. A man who had travelled with him then skipped quarantine and travelled to Port Harcourt, bringing the disease there. A doctor died in the oil city last week. Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said a patient he had treated had also now died. A total of 255 people were under surveillance in Port Harcourt, while 41 were in Lagos."
Guinea detects Ebola in new region as US warns outbreak out of control - Yahoo News UK
"Guinea's government said on Wednesday that Ebola had spread to a previously unaffected region of the country, as U.S. experts warned that the worst ever outbreak of the deadly virus was spiralling out of control in West Africa. Guinea, the first country to detect the haemorrhagic fever in March, had said it was containing the outbreak but authorities announced that nine new cases had been found in the southeastern prefecture of Kerouane. The area, some 750 km (470 miles) southeast of the capital Conakry, lies close to where the virus was first detected deep in Guinea's forest region."
Abia Declares Manhunt for 50 Suspected Ebola Victims Who 'Escaped ... - Nigerian Bulletin
Nigerian Commisioner for Health, Mr. Okechukwu Ogah said that the Abia State Government will "'work with neighbouring states to track down the 50 people that were said to have fled from Rivers State and put them on surveillance. We need to work together to rid Nigeria of Ebola; and if there is anybody hiding in Abia we will ask for their names and announce them on air for the public to help us track them.'"
Sister Of Late Port Harcourt Doctor Who Skipped Quarantine To Abia Has Ebola - SaharaReporters.com
"Total number of confirmed cases of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria is now eighteen (18). The 18th confirmed case is the sister of the late Port Harcourt doctor."
"Total number of cases successfully managed and discharged is now eight (8). The last case to be discharged, the first secondary contact to be diagnosed and a spouse of a primary contact of the index case, went home from the isolation ward in Lagos yesterday. (The 9th survivor is the ECOWAS Commission official who jumped surveillance in Lagos and travelled to Port Harcourt where he infected the doctor who attended to him)."
"Total number of deaths from Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria is now seven (7). One (1), the index case, occurred in a private hospital in Lagos, four (4) in the Lagos isolation ward, one (1) in the Port Harcourt isolation ward (the female patient who was on admission in the same hospital where the late Port Harcourt doctor was also admitted), while another one (1) was the doctor who was infected by the ECOWAS Commission official in Port Harcourt and who did not come under the care and management of the Incident Management Committee."
"Total number of EVD patients currently under treatment is two (2), one in the Lagos isolation ward and another one (1) in the Port Harcourt isolation ward."
"Total number of contacts currently under surveillance in Lagos is forty one (41), while Port Harcourt has two hundred and fifty five (255)."
"Total number of contacts discharged in Lagos after they were observed for 21 days is 320. The minister also debunked rumours of EVD cases outside Lagos and Port Harcourt. These include the three (3) reported cases in the Federal Capital Territory and one case in Calabar."
Ebola outbreak: Nigerian doctor infected with Ebola operated on two patients ... - Radio Australia
"A Nigerian doctor with Ebola carried on treating patients and met scores of friends, relatives and medics before his death, leaving about 60 of them at high risk of infection, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says. The doctor, who has not been named, operated on two patients, according to the WHO."
"The doctor, whom the WHO did not name, was infected by a man who fled quarantine in Lagos, who was himself linked to the first case in Africa's most populous country, a Liberian man who sought treatment in Lagos. Doctor with Ebola operated on two patients: WHO The doctor's wife and one of his patients had since caught the deadly disease and 200 people who came into contact with him were being monitored for symptoms including fever and muscle pain, followed by vomiting and diarrhoea, the WHO said. Of these, around 60 are considered to have had high-risk or very high-risk exposure, it said. Two days after developing the symptoms on August 11, he went on treating patients at his private clinic and operated on two of them, the WHO statement said. 'Prior to hospitalisation, the physician had numerous contacts with the community, as relatives and friends visited his home to celebrate the birth of a baby,'"
WHO warning over Ebola in Nigeria's Port Harcourt - Channel News Asia
"An Ebola outbreak in Nigeria's oil producing hub of Port Harcourt could spread wider and faster than in the financial capital, Lagos, the World Health Organization warned on Thursday (Sep 4). The UN health body said the virus' arrival in Port Harcourt, 435 kilometres (270 miles) east of Lagos and home to oil and gas majors such as Shell, Total and Chevron, showed 'multiple high-risk opportunities for transmission of the virus to others'. Of the 255 people currently under surveillance for signs of the disease, the WHO said 60 were considered to have had 'high-risk or very high-risk exposure'."
Liberia: Ebola Casualties Reach 1015 - Government Announces - AllAfrica.com
"The Liberian Government has announced that confirmed, probable and suspected Ebola casualties in the country reach 1,015."
Sierra Leone contemplates nationwide shutdown over Ebola - NTV Uganda
"According to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation's Wednesday update, 1,146 cases have been reported and 399 people have died. Over 80 per cent of those who have died are from Kenema and Kailahun districts."
Liberia gives Ebola update - StarAfrica.com
"The Liberian health ministry says cumulative suspected, probable and confirmed Ebola cases for the period May 29 to September 1 now stands at 1,763."
"According to the report, the total number of patients discharged as of September 1 remains at 25. At the same time, Liberia’s case fatality rate in confirmed and probable Ebola incidence stands at 61.5 percent. Case fatality rate is the proportion of deaths within a designated population of cases over the course of a prevailing disease."
Patients Desert Hospital As Suspected Ebola Patient Storms FMC In Delta - SaharaReporters.com
"Patients as well as visitors and workers deserted the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, Delta State capital [Nigeria] on Thursday, following the rushing to the hospital of a suspected patient who manifested symptoms of the dreaded Ebola Virus."
WHO: Use Ebola survivors' blood to treat patients - TheNewsTribune.com
"After convening a two-day meeting of more than 200 experts to figure out which experimental Ebola treatments should be used first, the WHO said survivor's blood could be used immediately, tapping into the thousands of people who have survived the virus which has about a 50 percent death rate and no licensed treatments. 'We have to change the sense that there is no hope,' Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, a WHO assistant director-general, said during a press conference on Friday. The evidence for whether blood from survivors can help Ebola patients is mixed."
"Though Ebola clinics in West Africa are understaffed and often lack basic supplies, some said it is theoretically possible to offer the blood of survivors now. Experts believe the antibodies in the blood of people who have survived Ebola might help other patients stave off the virus long enough for their own immune systems to respond."
'No Ebola outbreak in Delta' - BusinessDay
"Delta State government has debunked story making the rounds that a patient died of Ebola disease in the state at the Eku Specialist Hospital, Eku. In a statement by Chike Ogeah, Delta commissioner for information, he said the story is completely false, noting that a diabetic woman who had earlier been undergoing treatment at Eku Specialist Hospital returned from a visit to Port Harcourt and reported at the hospital where she unfortunately died."
"The state government thereby assured all residents that there is no Ebola patient in the state."
Sierra Leone to impose 4-day, countrywide anti-Ebola
"Sierra Leone will impose a four-day, countrywide "lockdown" starting Sept. 18, an escalation of efforts to halt the spread of Ebola across the West African nation, a senior official in the president's office said on Friday. Citizens will not be allowed to leave their homes between Sept. 18-21 in a bid to prevent the disease from spreading further and allow health workers to identify cases in the early stages of the illness, said Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, a presidential advisor on the country's Ebola task force. 'The aggressive approach is necessary to deal with the spread of Ebola once and for all,' he told Reuters."
UN issues international rescue call for Ebola outbreak - Vatican Radio
"The death toll in the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone totaled 2,097 as at Sept 5, out of 3,944 cases. A further eight people have died in Nigeria and there is 1 confirmed case in Senegal. That puts the death toll at a total of 2,105 and the number of patients infected so far at 3,968."
Health Workers Endangered as Ebola Spreads Through West Africa - Latin American Herald Tribune
"The deadly Ebola virus has claimed the lives of 134 health workers in West Africa, mostly doctors and nurses, World Health Organization spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said Friday. The total number of infected health workers is as high as 256, he said, while stressing the need to bolster the already inadequate number of medical personnel in the countries hit by the virus, which has a high mortality rate."
Ebola outbreak: Doctors Without Borders calls 'lockdown' a mistake - CBC.ca
"Sierra Leone's proposed countrywide "lockdown" will not help control an Ebola outbreak and could lead to the disease spreading further as cases are concealed, medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Saturday."
"'It has been our experience that lockdowns and quarantines do not help control Ebola as they end up driving people underground and jeopardizing the trust between people and health providers,' said the group. 'This leads to the concealment of potential cases and ends up spreading the disease further,' added the group which has been helping fight the world's biggest outbreak of the disease across West Africa."
"Sierra Leone's deputy information minister, Theo Nichol, said on Saturday the three-day shutdown would make it easier for medical workers to trace suspected cases. Nichol said the period may be extended if needed. A presidency official had earlier said the lockdown would last for four days. But MSF said door-to-door screening required a high level of expertise and, even when cases were found, there were a lack of treatment centres and other facilities to take them to."
Despite Ebola, 70000 Nigerian Hajis coming - Arab News
"Saudi Arabia has no plan to ban some 70,000 Nigerian pilgrims from performing Haj this year because of Ebola virus cases that have surfaced in the West African country, a senior Saudi health official said."
Ebola Hits Liberian Police, 1 Infected, 18 Quarantined At Depot - AllAfrica.com
"According to sources, one Police officer serving the Police Support Unit (PSU) contracted the virus and is currently undergoing treatment at the ELWA Ebola center. One senior Police source confirmed to FrontPageAfrica that the officer is in critical condition at the Ebola treatment center. The Police officer is said to have contracted the virus from his wife who is a nurse, who transferred the virus to her husband after also getting infested from work. The health of the PSU officer prompted the quarantining of Bloc C of the Police barracks where accordingly the 18 Police officers are residing."
Liberia and Sierra Leon update Ebola case counts - Examiner.com
"The governments of Sierra Leone and Liberia have begun to release regular updates on the number of Ebola cases and Ebola-related death in their nations. These reports provide data which is more current than that released by the World Health Organization. As of Sept. 7, Sierra Leone is reporting 1,409 suspected, probable and confirmed Ebola illnesses and 474 deaths. The latest report from Liberia on Sept. 6 shows 2,038 Ebola cases and 1,213 related deaths. Across the five countries in West Africa reporting Ebola cases, the total using the Sept. 5 WHO Ebola situation report, as well as the local reports, there have been 4,282 illnesses since the outbreak began in March and 2,212 Ebola deaths."
African Union says border closures hinder Ebola fight; Senegal to open ... - Brandon Sun
"Border closures, flight bans and mass quarantines are creating a sense of siege in the West African countries affected by Ebola, officials at an emergency African Union meeting said Monday, as Senegal agreed to allow humanitarian aid pass through its closed borders."
"The largest Ebola outbreak ever has killed more than 2,000 people and public health officials say it is out of control. But they have criticized some of the more extreme efforts to slow the disease's spread, saying that border closures have hampered the response by holding up shipments of aid. They have also noted that, in a highly mobile region like West Africa with several unofficial border crossings, closing frontiers is usually ineffective."
Ebola spread is exponential in Liberia, thousands of cases expected soon - WHO - Yahoo News UK
"The Ebola virus is spreading fast in Liberia, where many thousands of new cases are expected over the coming three weeks, the World Health Organisation said on Monday. 'Transmission of the Ebola virus in Liberia is already intense and the number of new cases is increasing exponentially,' WHO said in a statement. The organisation noted that motorbike-taxis and regular taxis are 'a hot source of potential virus transmission' because they are not disinfected in Liberia, where conventional Ebola control measures 'are not having an adequate impact'."
Fresh Ebola Case Hits Lagos – Minister - 360Nobs.com
"Lagos has recorded yet another Ebola case, the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu, disclosed today September 8, through his Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Dan Nwomeh. Dan took to twitter to share some of the statements the minister made during a press conference held earlier today. The new confirmed case is the fiance of one of the primary contacts of the index case, Patrick Sawyer. However, the primary contact had made a full recovery. The new case brings the total number of Ebola cases in Nigeria to 19 with seven people dead from the disease while 10 others have recovered, the minister said. He noted that with the latest developments, the total number of people under surveillance in Lagos have reduced to 27 while Port Harcourt has 477."
African Union agrees to lift Ebola movement ban - www.worldbulletin.net
"Attendees of an emergency meeting of the African Union (A.U.)'s executive council held to address Africa's recent Ebola outbreak have agreed to lift a ban on the cross-border movement of people among member states. 'We have agreed that countries allow people to move,' Ncosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chairperson of the A.U. Commission, told reporters on Monday. Meeting participants also recommended that member states put screening mechanisms in place as a means of containing the deadly virus. No timetable has been given, however, for lifting the ban on cross-border movement."
With surge in Liberia, Ebola case toll above 4200 - NBC29 WVIR Charlottesville ... - NBC 29 News
"The outbreak sweeping West Africa is thought to have killed more than 2,200 people, and public health experts agree that it is out of control. More than 4,200 people have believed to have been sickened in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal. The disease is spreading particularly quickly in Liberia, where new WHO figures showed that more than 500 new cases were recorded in a week."
Sierra Leone to track down Ebola sufferers - Echonetdaily
"Sierra Leone has announced plans to visit every home in the country of six million to track down people with Ebola and remove dead bodies. More than 20,000 volunteers will go door-to-door as part of a three-day curfew announced on Saturday, Steven Ngaoja, the head of the country’s Ebola Emergency Operations Centre, told a news conference in Freetown. ‘From September 19 to 21, every household in the country will be visited. About 21,400 trained volunteers will be involved in the house-to-house sensitisation activity,’ Ngaoja said on Monday. ‘Likely Ebola cases will be identified or dead bodies will be referred to contact tracing, referral or burial teams.’"
Ebola seriously threatens Liberia's national existence: minister - GlobalPost
"Liberia's national existence is "seriously threatened" by the deadly Ebola virus that is "spreading like wild fire and devouring everything in its path," the country's national defense minister told the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday. Liberia is worst hit by West Africa's Ebola epidemic and will likely see thousands of new cases in coming weeks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. More than 1,000 people have already died in Liberia. "Liberia is facing a serious threat to its national existence. The deadly Ebola virus has caused a disruption of the normal functioning of our State," said Liberian Minister of National Defense Brownie Samukai."
UPDATE 2-Guinean who brought Ebola to Senegal recovers from virus - Reuters Africa
"The world's worst ever outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever has killed at least 2,296 people, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Senegalese authorities are still monitoring 67 people who came into contact with the Guinean student and trying to trace his route on the more than 1,000-km land journey across the border from southwest Guinea. Some 33 people have been placed under quarantine in the house in the teeming neighbourhood of Parcelles Assainies where he stayed with an uncle after arriving in Dakar in late August."
Ebola Outbreak: 200 Deaths From The Virus Reported In Just A Day (DETAILS) - Global Grind
"The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that the Ebola death toll increased by 200 in just a day, bringing the total number of dead to at least 2,296. As of Sept. 6, 4,293 cases have been recorded in five West African nations. But the WHO is having trouble compiling data on cases, especially in the nation of Liberia, which health officials say is the worst affected country. The U.N. health organization said they expect thousands of new cases in Liberia in the next three weeks."
No new case of Ebola in Nigeria, as one under quarantine in Ile-ife - WorldStage
"Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu on Wednesday said that there is no new cases of Ebola Virus Disease in the country as a Ile-ife case has been quarantined and being investigated. The minister in a press statement signed by his media aide Mr. Dan Nwomeh said the number of people under surveillance in Lagos had reduced drastically to 16 with 400 in Port Harcourt. He said: 'There are no new cases of Ebola at present, there is no single current case of confirmed EVD in Nigeria. However, a suspected case of EVD from Ile-Ife, a university student who had contact with the late Port Harcourt doctor at a naming ceremony in Port Harcourt has been quarantined and is being investigated'."
WHO | Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of Congo
"Epidemiological situation Between 2 and 9 September 2014, there have been 31 more cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), increasing the cumulative number of cases to 62 (14 confirmed, 26 probable, and 22 probable). In total, 35 deaths have been reported (9 confirmed and 26 probable). No deaths have been reported among suspected cases. Nine health-care workers have been diagnosed with EVD, including 7 deaths. All the cases have been localized in Jeera county. The affected villages are Watsi Kengo, Lokolia, Boende, and Boende Muke. Currently, 9 cases have been hospitalized: 4 in Lokolia; 2 in Watsikengo; 2 in Boende; and 1 in Boende Moke. A total of 386 contacts have been listed and 239 contacts have been followed-up. All cases and contacts are linked to the initial index case reported to the World Health Organization on 26 August 2014."
Early transmission dynamics of Ebola virus disease (EVD), West...
"The effective reproduction number, Rt, of Ebola virus disease was estimated using country-specific data reported from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to the World Health Organization from March to August, 2014. Rt for the three countries lies consistently above 1.0 since June 2014. Country-specific Rt for Liberia and Sierra Leone have lied between 1.0 and 2.0. Rt<2 indicate that control could be attained by preventing over half of the secondary transmissions per primary case."
Fourth doctor dies of Ebola in Sierra Leone - CP24 Toronto's Breaking News
"Sierra Leone has lost a fourth doctor to Ebola after a failed effort to transfer her abroad for medical treatment, a government official said Sunday, a huge setback to the impoverished country that is battling the virulent disease amid a shortage of health care workers. Dr. Olivet Buck died late Saturday, hours after the World Health Organization said it could not help medically evacuate her to Germany, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Brima Kargbo confirmed to The Associated Press. Sierra Leone had requested funds from WHO to transport Buck to Europe, saying the country could not afford to lose another doctor. WHO had said that it could not meet the request but instead would work to give Buck "the best care possible" in Sierra Leone, including possible access to experimental drugs."
UPDATE 1-Liberia must wait weeks or months for new Ebola centres - WHO - Reuters Africa
Media reported case counts:
Guinea: 936 cases; Sierra Leone: 1602 cases; Liberia: 2407 cases
Obama: Ebola epidemic 'spiralling out of control' - BBC News
"US President Barack Obama has announced new support measures that will be put in place to help combat the deadly Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. He said the spread of the disease was "spiralling out of control" and posed a potential threat to global security. Mr Obama confirmed plans to send US troops to the region and new teaching and treatment units to Liberia. The announcement was made after Mr Obama met officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta."
Death toll in W.Africa Ebola epidemic reaches 2,622 - WHO| News by Country| Reuters
"At least 2,622 people have died in the worst outbreak of Ebola virus in history, which has so far infected at least 5,335 people in West Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday."
Ebola outbreak accelerating: 700 more cases emerge in a week - CTV News
"The outbreak sweeping West Africa has also touched Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria and Senegal, and is believed to have sickened more than 5,300, according to figures released by the World Health Organization on Thursday. In a sign that the outbreak is picking up steam, more than 700 of those cases were recorded in the last week for which data is available."
"In an attempt to slow the outbreak and identify the sick in hiding, Sierra Leone's 6 million people must stay home starting Thursday at midnight, except for thousands of volunteers who will go house-to-house delivering bars of soap and information about how to prevent Ebola."
"Authorities have said they also expect to discover hundreds of new cases during the Friday, Saturday and Sunday exercise. Many people during this outbreak have not sought treatment for Ebola out of fear that hospitals are merely places people go to die. Still others have been turned away by centres overwhelmed by the increasing number of patients. Sierra Leone's government says it has prepared screening and treatment centres to accept the expected influx of patients after the shutdown."
WHO: Ebola Response Roadmap Situation Report 18 September 2014
Total (West African) case count reported by WHO: 5335 cases, 2622 deaths.
Number of newly reported cases in Guinea has not increased, however the Situation Report states: "there is no indication of a sustained reduction in case incidence in Guinea".
Number of newly reported cases in Liberia continues to rise, reclassifications of cases continues: "new figures will be published soon, and will reflect significant improvements in data collection, and therefore provide a more accurate understanding of the situation".
Over 200 newly reported cases in Sierra Leone in the past week: "Transmission remains high in the capital, Freetown, and the surrounding urban areas".
"As at 15 September 2014, there have been 71 cases (53 confirmed and probable, 18 suspected) of Ebola virus disease (EVD) reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In total, 40 deaths have been reported. 11% of cases have occurred among health-care workers have been diagnosed with EVD."
Bodies Found After Ebola Health Care Workers Go Missing In Guinea (UPDATES) - Huffington Post
"A spokesman for the government in Guinea said on Thursday that eight bodies were found two days after a group of health workers and journalists went missing in the country. The journalists and officials came under attack near the southern city of Nzerekore, close to the Liberian border. One journalist was able to escape and later told reporters that she could hear villagers looking for her. The Associated Press said that the group "was doing disinfection and education on prevention methods" when it went missing. Doctors and researchers trying to contain the Ebola outbreak, which is deadlier than all previous outbreaks combined, have run up against a population deeply suspicious of medical personnel. Last month, riots broke out in the same Guinean city over rumors that health care workers were infecting people with the virus."
Sierra Leone begins three-day Ebola lockdown - Citifmonline
"A three-day curfew or lockdown to try to stop the spread of the Ebola virus has come into effect in Sierra Leone. The aim of the move is to keep people confined to their homes while health workers isolate new cases and prevent Ebola from spreading further."
"The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has been strongly critical of the lockdown, arguing that ultimately it will help spread the disease. MSF, whose staff are helping to tackle the outbreak, said in a statement this month that quarantines and lockdowns 'end up driving people underground and jeopardising the trust between people and health providers'. 'This leads to the concealment of potential cases and ends up spreading the disease further.'"
SENEGAL HEALTH MINISTER SAYS NO RISK OF EBOLA SPREADING FROM ... - Reuters Africa
"Senegal's health minister said on Friday there was no further risk of Ebola spreading in the West African country, following the end of a quarantine period for those who came into contact with an infected Guinean man. 'The risk of the Ebola virus spreading from the imported case is non-existent for our country,' Awa Marie Coll Seck told a news conference."
Sierra Leone's Ebola lockdown 5:34 - CBC.ca
"Health workers in Sierra Leone have come under attack while trying to bury the bodies of five Ebola victims east of the capital, a police official said. Sgt. Edward Momoh Brima Lahai said there was a confrontation Saturday between a group of youths and the burial team in the Waterloo district. A witness told state television the burial team initially had to abandon the five bodies in the street and flee. Lahai said the burial was successfully completed after police reinforcements arrived. Sierra Leone is in the middle of an unprecedented three-day lockdown intended to stop the spread of Ebola. Stephen Gauja, co-ordinator of an emergency operations centre in the capital, said Saturday that residents were "largely compliant" with health care workers and volunteers who distributed soap and information about the deadly disease."
S. Leone's Ebola shutdown uncovers 70 dead in capital - Ahram Online
"Sierra Leone wrapped up its 72-hour shutdown on Sunday, with authorities reporting that the action aimed at containing the Ebola epidemic had uncovered up to 70 dead bodies in and around the capital. Most of the west African country's six million people were confined to their homes for a third straight day, with only essential workers such as health professionals and security forces exempt."
"Deputy Chief Medical Officer Sarian Kamara revealed that the authorities had received thousands of calls but only a handful of new patients in the Western Area covering Freetown and its surroundings. 'We were... able to confirm new cases which, had they not been discovered, would have greatly increased transmission,' she said. 'Up to this morning, we had 22 new cases.'"
Ebola epidemic losing potency - DRC gov't - StarAfrica.com
"The Ebola epidemic plaguing Djera, in the Equateur province northwest of the Democratic Republic of Congo is on the verge of being contained, government spokesman Lambert Mende claimed. Speaking after Saturday’s cabinet meeting held in Kinshasa under the leadership of President Joseph Kabila, Mr. Mende said some success has been registered by the Congolese government and its partners to contain the epidemic where it was first detected 1200 km from the capital with a reduced infection rate. Over the past ten days, no new cases of Ebola have been detected in Djera, Mende noted."
92 BODIES AND AT LEAST 56 NEW EBOLA INFECTIONS DISCOVERED IN ... - Reuters Africa
"A three-day lockdown in Sierra Leone aimed at stemming the worst Ebola epidemic on record has identified at least 56 new infections, but has not reached everyone in the country and is likely to be extended, a senior official said on Sunday. Stephen Gaojia, head of the Emergency Operations Centre which leads the Ebola response, also said 92 bodies had been recovered across the country by the end of Saturday, the second day of the emergency measure."
Ebola Rages Hell in Bassa - 27 Dead - 43 Confirmed Cases - AllAfrica.com
"As Liberians battle the Ebola virus, the epidemic continues to spread throughout the country with Grand Bassa County is the latest political subdivision to be hit. The county superintendent, Madam Etweda Cooper, told a group of journalists over the weekend in Buchanan, Grand Bassa that her county is experiencing tough times with the virus. Supt. Cooper has said since the outbreak in July to present, the county has recorded 27 deaths, 43 confirmed cases, 281 contacts and 16 patients with barely three survivals."
Ebola outbreak 'pretty much contained' in Senegal and Nigeria - Reuters
"Two of the five countries affected by the world's worst ever Ebola outbreak are managing to halt the spread of the disease, the World Health Organization said on Monday, although the overall death toll rose to 2,793 out of 5,762 cases. "On the whole, the outbreaks in Senegal and Nigeria are pretty much contained," a WHO statement said. There were no new deaths in Guinea, four in Sierra Leone and 39 in Liberia. A separate Ebola outbreak has killed 40 people in Democratic Republic of Congo, where there have been 71 cases, it said in a statement on the situation as of Sept. 18."
WHO: Ebola Response Roadmap Update, 22 September 2014
"5843 (probable, confirmed and suspected; see Annex 2) cases and 2803 deaths have been reported in the current outbreak of EVD as at 20 September 2014 by the Ministry of Health of Guinea, as at 17 September 2014 by the Ministry of Health of Liberia, and as at 19 September 2014 by the Ministry of Health of Sierra Leone"
"Exposure of health-care workers (HCWs) to EVD continues to be an alarming feature of this outbreak. As of 22 September 2014, 348 HCWs are known to have developed EVD (67 in Guinea, 174 in Liberia, 11 in Nigeria, and 96 in Sierra Leone). 186 HCWs have died as a result of EVD infection (35 in Guinea, 85 in Liberia, 5 in Nigeria, and 61 in Sierra Leone)."
"As at 18 September 2014, there have been 68 cases (28 confirmed, 26 probable, 14 suspected) of Ebola virus disease (EVD) reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including eight among health-care workers (HCWs). In total, 41 deaths have been reported, including eight among HCWs. 432 contacts have now completed 21-day follow-up. Of 488 contacts currently being monitored, 468 (96%) were seen on 18 September, the last date for which data has been reported."
Congo's Ebola Outbreak 'almost Over', Prime Minister Says - Business Insider
"An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Democratic Republic of Congo, unrelated to the epidemic in West Africa, is "almost over" with no new cases detected for several days, Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo said. The government body coordinating the response to Ebola released data on Monday showing Congo had recorded 68 cases in Equateur province since August. Four previously suspected cases had tested negative, but one new case was added. Congo has registered 41 deaths from its outbreak. "Ebola outbreak in DRC almost over," Matata Ponyo said on his official Twitter account. "No new case recorded for nearly 10 days." Unlike West African states, Congo has experience fighting Ebola. However, aid workers are likely to be cautious about declaring victory over the disease after governments in West Africa appeared to downplay the threat of the virus there in the early stages of the outbreak."
Ebola could infect 1.4 million people by January - KSDK
"If the world doesn't get the Ebola outbreak in West Africa under control quickly, the disease could become a permanent fixture in the region, spreading as routinely as malaria or the flu, the World Health Organization warns today in a new report. In the worst-case scenario – if nothing is done to effectively control the outbreak -- there could be 1.4 million Ebola cases in Liberia and Sierra Leone by January 20, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Red Cross Ebola team attacked in Guinea - CTV News
"A Red Cross team was attacked while collecting bodies believed to be infected with Ebola in southeastern Guinea, the latest in a string of assaults that are hindering efforts to control West Africa's current outbreak. One Red Cross worker is recovering after being wounded in in the neck in Tuesday's attack in Forecariah, according to Benoit Carpentier, a spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Family members of the dead initially set upon the six volunteers and vandalized their cars, said Mariam Barry, a resident. Eventually a crowd gathered and headed to the regional health office, where they threw rocks at the building. The attack is the most recent in a series that have plagued teams working to bury bodies, provide information about Ebola and disinfect public places."
SLeone says 300 sick or dead found in Ebola lockdown - Capital FM Kenya
"Sierra Leone said on Wednesday around 100 bodies and 200 patients had been collected from homes during its three-day lockdown to stem the deadly Ebola epidemic raging in west Africa. Almost six million people across the country were confined indoors for 72 hours from Friday while 28,000 volunteers went door-to-door, giving out advice and identifying new suspected cases and deaths that had been kept from the authorities. 'Over 92 bodies were discovered nationwide during the three-day lockdown of the country,' Karamoh Kabbah, the deputy minister for political affairs, told a news conference in the capital Freetown. He said 77 of the bodies had been collected in the Western Area, a division including the city of 1.2 million and its immediate surroundings. 'Over 200 suspected cases were identified… of which, so far, 130 have been confirmed positive,' he added."
DRC sees Ebola breakthrough - News24
"The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has recorded no new cases of the Ebola virus in the past 12 days, a local official said on Tuesday, suggesting that the efforts to contain the outbreak have been successful. Nason Kabuya Ndowole, mayor of the eastern city of Goma, added that it was too early to assess whether the Ebola threat was over. Ebola cases in the DRC had previously been reported every 1-5 days, and the virus's incubation period - the time interval from infection to onset of symptoms - is between 2 and 21 days, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Earlier this month, the WHO reported that the number of suspected and confirmed Ebola infections in the DRC had doubled to 62 in a week's time."
No more patients under Ebola surveillance in Nigeria - GlobalPost
"Nigeria has cleared all patients under surveillance for the Ebola virus, the federal health ministry said on Wednesday. 'There is nobody again under surveillance for the Ebola virus in any part of Nigeria. All those under surveillance have completed their mandatory 21-day period stipulated by the WHO,' ministry's spokesman Dan Nwomeh told AFP, referring to the World Health Organization. But 42 days, the total of two incubation periods, must elapse before a country can be declared free of the disease, according to the WHO."
WHO: Ebola Response Roadmap Situation Report - 24 September 2014
New WHO case counts released: 6263 cases; 2917 deaths.
"The upward epidemic trend continues in Sierra Leone and most probably also in Liberia. However, the situation in Guinea, although still of grave concern, appears to have stabilized: between 75 and 100 new confirmed cases have been reported in each of the past five weeks."
Liberia: "Notably, there were no new reported confirmed cases from the capital, Monrovia, which in previous weeks has reported a surge in cases. These data differ from credible reports obtained from responders in Liberia, who indicate a deterioration of the situation in the country, and in Monrovia in particular."
Sierra Leone: "Nationally, the situation in Sierra Leone continues to deteriorate, with an increase in the number of new confirmed cases reported over each of the past five weeks. The increase is driven primarily by a sharp increase in the number of newly reported cases in the capital, Freetown. The neighbouring districts of Port Loko, Bombali, and Moyamba have also reported increases in the numbers of cases over the past four to five weeks. The numbers of newly reported cases in Kailahun and Kenema, which have previously been stable or slowly declining, have fallen over the past week, though further investigation will be required to confirm whether this fall is genuine. Cases and deaths found during the three-day house-to-house Ebola sensitization campaign, which came to an end on 21 September, are not yet included in official data."
Healthcare worker infection and and death continues to rise, with the largest jump seen in Sierra Leone. Healthcare worker case counts for Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria stand at 373 cases and 208 deaths.
WRAPUP 1-Ebola spread stabilising in Guinea as toll nears 3000 -WHO - Reuters Africa
"The spread of Ebola seems to have stabilised in Guinea, one of three West African states worst-hit by the disease, but a lack of beds and resistance in affected communities means its advance continues elsewhere, the World Health Organisation said."
Sierra Leone to quarantine 1m people - iAfrica.com
"Sierra Leone has ordered the quarantine "with immediate effect" of three districts and 12 tribal chiefdoms - affecting more than one million people - in the largest lockdown in west Africa's deadly Ebola outbreak. President Ernest Bai Koroma, in a national televised address late Wednesday, announced that the northern districts of Port Loko and Bombali were to be closed off along with the southern district of Moyamba - effectively sealing off around 1.2 million people."
"With the eastern districts of Kenema and Kailahun already under quarantine, more than a third of the population, in five of the nation's 14 districts, now finds itself unable to move freely. "The isolation of districts and chiefdoms will definitely pose great difficulty but the lives of everyone and the survival of our country takes precedence over these difficulties," Koroma said."
Grand Gedeh Records First Ebola Case - AllAfrica.com
"A 35-year-old man in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, has tested Ebola positive, making it the first case in the county since the outbreak of the disease in the country in March. The man...was showing signs and symptoms of the disease when the Grand Gedeh County Health Team (CHT) picked him up from the Zwedru Central Market last Friday. In a brief interview with the Liberia News Agency Wednesday, the Coordinator of the CHT, Netus Nowena, said the man migrated from Ganta, Nimba County to Grand Gedeh County following the death of nine of his family members from the disease early this month. According to Nowena, the health team was taking the man to Gbarnga, Bong County for treatment when they observed that he was showing signs and symptoms of the virus, adding that he later tested positive for the disease. According to Nowena, the 36 people who were at the holding center for 21 days of observation have been released without any signs or symptoms of Ebola."
Bong County - 21 New Suspected Ebola Deaths Reported - AllAfrica.com
"Reports coming from the Central Province of Bong County say there were 36 new suspected Ebola cases in the County last week. This was disclosed by the head of the Bong County Ebola Response task force Superintendent Selena Polson Mappy last Thursday. Out the number, 21 died, she said. Superintendent Mappy also disclosed that four persons out of the number of confirmed cases that were treated at the Ebola Testing Unit have also died."
DEATH TOLL FROM WEST AFRICA EBOLA OUTBREAK RISES TO AT LEAST ... - Reuters Africa
"The death toll from an outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has risen to at least 3,091 out of 6,574 probable, suspected and confirmed cases, the World Health Organisation said on Friday. Liberia has recorded 1,830 deaths, around three times as many as both Guinea and Sierra Leone, the two other most affected countries, according to WHO data. Nigeria and Senegal, the two other nations that have had confirmed cases of Ebola in the region, did not record any new cases or deaths."
Liberia: Chief medical officer places herself under Ebola quarantine after ... - Newser
"Liberia's chief medical officer is placing herself under quarantine for 21 days after her office assistant died of Ebola."
Ebola-hit Liberia on brink of societal collapse – experts - Rappler
"With its collapsed health service, sick and poorly equipped security forces and broken economy, Ebola-hit Liberia finds itself on the brink of complete societal breakdown, experts warn. The already impoverished west African state was on the slow road to recovery after 14 years of ruinous civil war ended in 2003, following the deaths of 250,000 people. But Information Minister Lewis Brown recently warned that the epidemic, which has left more than 1,800 dead so far this year, risks plunging Liberians back into conflict. Many observers of the country's latest devastating crisis, while stopping short of talk of war, worry about the heightened risk of unrest in a country stalked by death."
"Several police stations in Monrovia have closed after officers died of Ebola fever, and a military camp on the outskirts of Monrovia has reported around 30 sick soldiers, according to a diplomat."
"The health system – embryonic at best before the crisis, with some 50 doctors and 1,000 nurses for 4.3 million people – has been hit hard, losing 89 health workers out of 184 infected, according to the World Health Organization (WHO)."
"Schools have been closed for months with no reopening date in sight, and unemployment is soaring as both the formal and black-market economies collapse."
CDC: Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak — West Africa, September 2014
CDC released new outbreak update for West Africa: "The updated data in this report were compiled from ministry of health situation reports and World Health Organization (WHO) sources."
"The highest reported case counts were from Liberia (3,458 cases), Sierra Leone (2,021), and Guinea (1,074)."
"Geographic distribution of the cumulative incidence of Ebola, as of September 23, indicates that the highest cumulative incidence (>100 cases per 100,000 population) was found in five districts in Guinea (Boffa, Dubreka, Gueckedou, Macenta, and Telimele), two districts in Liberia (Loffa and Margibi), and two districts in Sierra Leone (Kailahun and Kenema)"
CDC: Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak — Nigeria, July–September 2014
CDC released a report on the control measures used in the outbreak in Nigeria.
"Applying lessons from its NCDC and successful polio EOC, Nigeria quickly established a National Ebola EOC after importation of the disease on July 20, 2014. The early use of the EOC/IMS system enabled the country to streamline a coordinated and effective response in Lagos, (pop. 21 million) and to expand that response to Port Harcourt, another large city. As of September 24, a total of 894 contacts in three states had been monitored, and 20 confirmed or probable Ebola cases identified, of whom eight died. No new cases had occurred since August 31, suggesting that the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria might have been contained."
CDC: Importation and Containment of Ebola Virus Disease — Senegal, August–September 2014
CDC releasted a report on the control measures used in the imported case in Senegal. Please see report for full timeline of events.
Reports: CDC confirms 1st Ebola case diagnosed in US - FOX31 Denver
"The first confirmed case of Ebola has been diagnosed in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the announcement during a news conference late Tuesday afternoon. The patient is a man who traveled from Liberia to the U.S. September 19-20. He started exhibiting symptoms on September 24 and was admitted to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas Sunday, September 28. Texas health officials say he is in 'strict isolation.' They also say there are no other suspected cases of Ebola in the state. Experts say the man did not exhibit symptoms of the disease on the plane, which is good news. Ebola does not spread until an individual is sick with the virus. It’s not spread through the air, it’s spread through direct contact with a person who is infected with it. This is the first case of Ebola where someone traveled to the United States and became sick after arriving in this country. 'There is no doubt in my mind that we will stop it here,' CDC Director Tom Frieden says."
DR Congo Ebola outbreak has killed 42 since August - Yahoo News
"The Democratic Republic of Congo raised its death toll from the Ebola virus to 42 on Wednesday as it struggled to contain the second outbreak of the disease in Africa this year. The latest figures include eight health workers, Health Minister Felix Kabange Numbi said in a message sent to AFP. Some 70 cases of the deadly virus have been confirmed in a remote region near the town of Boende some 800 kilometres (500 miles) northwest of Kinshasa, with a mortality rate of around 60 percent."
After Ebola Case in Dallas, Health Officials Seek Those Who Had Contact With ... - New York Times
"Health officials in Dallas are monitoring at least five schoolchildren in North Texas who came into contact with a man found to have Ebola virus, after he became sick and infectious. The authorities also said that an early opportunity to put the patient in isolation, limiting the risk of contagion, may have been missed because of a failure to pass along critical information about his travel history. The patient was identified by Liberian health officials and The Associated Press as Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian national. Mr. Duncan came to the United States on Sept. 20 aboard a commercial airliner and officials said that he had shown no symptoms of the disease while on the flight and that he had posed no threat to other passengers. Mr. Duncan worked at a shipping company in Monrovia, Liberia, but had just quit his job, giving his resignation in early September, his boss said. He had gotten a visa to the United States and had decided to go, his neighbors said. He lived alone, but has family in the United States, they said. Mr. Duncan may have become infected after his landlord’s daughter fell gravely ill."
"Even as public officials sought to reassure the public that the situation was under control, there were questions about how the patient was treated when he first went to a hospital on Sept. 26. Dr. Mark Lester, executive vice president of the Texas Health Resources System, said the hospital staff had been instructed to ask patients about their travel history, following the advice of federal authorities. That checklist, he said, was utilized by a nurse and the patient volunteered that he had just come from Liberia. 'Regretfully that information was not fully communicated' to the full medical team, Dr. Lester said. As a result, that information was not used in the clinical diagnosis and Mr. Duncan was sent home, with the diagnostic team believing he simply had a low-grade fever from a viral infection. He was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance two days later, his condition having significantly deteriorated. He remains in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas in serious condition. In the time between Mr. Duncan’s trips to the hospital, health officials said he came into contact with more people while he was symptomatic and infectious."
WHO: Ebola Response Roadmap Situation Report - 1 October 2014
New WHO case counts released: 7178 cases; 3338 deaths.
"Transmission remains persistent and widespread in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with strong evidence of increasing case incidence in several districts. There are few signs yet that the EVD epidemic in West Africa is being brought under control."
Guinea: "Transmission is persistent in Gueckedou, the region in which the outbreak originated, which has reported between five and 20 new cases over the past 10 weeks. There has been a slight increase in the number of new cases reported in the capital, Conakry, with 27 new confirmed cases reported this week. Beyla district, which borders Côte d’Ivoire, has now reported its first confirmed case."
Liberia: "There remains compelling evidence obtained from responders and laboratory staff in the country that there is widespread under-reporting of new cases, and that the situation in Liberia, and in Monrovia in particular, continues to deteriorate...A large number of suspected new cases (and deaths among suspected cases) have been reported from Liberia over the past week.
Sierra Leone: "Nationally, the situation in Sierra Leone continues to deteriorate, with an increase in the number of new confirmed cases reported over each of the past six weeks. The neighbouring districts of Port Loko, Bombali, and Moyamba, which are adjacent to the capital, Freetown, have now been quarantined after a surge in new cases over the past four weeks. Tonkolili has also reported a rise in the number of new cases this week."
Health-Care Workers: As of 28th of September, 337 cases, 216 deaths.
U.S. Ebola patient in isolation - myfoxny.com
"A second person is being closely watched while at least 80 people are being monitored by health officials in Texas after having contact with Thomas Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the United States. Five school-aged children are among the people the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Dallas County Health and Human Services are keeping a watchful eye on. None are showing symptoms, said Erikka Neroes, Spokeswoman for the Dallas County Health and Human Services. Duncan is critically ill and has been in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital since Sunday. The children are being monitored at home. Authorities have been tracking down family, friends and anyone else who may have come in close contact with him and could be at risk. Several close family members are required by a special state order to remain at home and comply with CDC testings until Oct. 19."
4 People Quarantined Over Ebola Fears, About 100 More Being Assessed - TIME
"Health officials in Dallas were assessing about 100 people for possible contact with the Ebola virus Thursday, while four family members of the Texas hospital patient diagnosed with the disease were placed under quarantine Wednesday night to stem its potential spread."
Report: American cameraman in Liberia has Ebola - KEYT
"An American cameraman working for NBC News in Liberia has tested positive for Ebola, the network reported Thursday. He will return to the United States for treatment."
WHO: EBOLA RESPONSE ROADMAP UPDATE 3 October 2014
New WHO case counts released: 7470 cases; 3431 deaths.
"In Guinea, the district of Lola, which borders Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire, has reported its first two confirmed cases."
"Exposure of health-care workers (HCWs) continues to be an alarming feature of this outbreak. As of 1 October, 382 HCWs are known to have developed EVD (69 in Guinea, 188 in Liberia, 11 in Nigeria and 114 in Sierra Leone). 216 HCWs have died as a result of EVD infection (35 in Guinea, 94 in Liberia, five in Nigeria, 82 in Sierra Leone).
"On 30 September 2014, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) was informed of the first confirmed imported case of EVD in the United States of America. The patient is an adult with recent travel history to West Africa who developed symptoms compatible with EVD on 24 September 2014, approximately 4 days after arriving in the United States of America. The patient sought medical care on 26 September 2014, and was admitted into isolation on 28 September 2014 at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. Samples were sent for testing to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, and to the Texas state laboratory. Results were positive for Ebola virus."
DR Congo: 70 cases, 43 deaths.
Ebola Virus US 2014: Homeless Man With Possible Ebola Found - International Business Times
"Texas authorities found a homeless man at risk of Ebola, NBC News reported Sunday. He reportedly came into contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person in America to be diagnosed with the virus. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said the person, who was preliminarily identified as Michael Lively, was a “low-risk individual.”"
Spanish Nurse Is Suspected of Ebola Infection - ABC News
"In what is the first reported incident of Ebola transmission outside Africa, a Spanish nurse who treated a missionary for the disease at a Madrid hospital tested positive for the disease, Spain's health minister said Monday. The female nurse was part of the medical team that treated a 69-year-old Spanish priest who died in a hospital last month after being flown back from Sierra Leone, where he was posted, Health Minister Ana Mato said. The woman went to the Alcorcon hospital in the Madrid suburbs with a fever and was placed in isolation. Mato said the infection was confirmed by two tests and that the nurse was admitted to a hospital on Sunday. The woman's only symptom was a fever, Antonio Alemany, Madrid director of primary health care, told a news conference. Alemany said authorities are drawing up a list of people the nurse had contact with."
Ebola Outbreak: 56 Being Monitored In Spain - Orange UK News
"Spain's health authorities said they had been in touch with a total of 22 people who are thought to have been in contact with the 40-year-old nurse, whose name has not been released. They are also monitoring around 30 other members of the health care team that treated one of the missionaries. Officials added that although the nurse began a holiday after one of the missionaries she had been caring for died on 25 September, she did not leave Madrid during this time. She began feeling ill on 30 September and was diagnosed with ebola on Monday, but is in a stable condition."
Sierra Leone strike halts burial of Ebola dead - Chron.com
"Burial teams in Sierra Leone abandoned the dead bodies of Ebola victims in the capital after going on strike this week, though an official claimed Wednesday the situation had been 'resolved.' In neighboring Liberia, health workers said they planned to strike if their demands for more money and safety equipment were not met by the end of the week. The Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation reported that bodies of Ebola victims were being left in homes and on the streets of Freetown because of the strike by burial teams, who complained they had not been paid."
Dallas Ebola victim who flew to US from Liberia dies - KRMG
"The first known Ebola patient in the United States has died. Thomas Eric Duncan was pronounced dead about 8:00 a.m. Wednesday Central Time at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. "
WHO: Ebola Response Roadmap Situation Report 8 October 2014
New WHO case counts released: 8033 cases; 3865 deaths.
"A confirmed case of EVD has been reported in Spain, but because the case was confirmed during the week ending 12 October (epidemiological week 41), information on this case will be included in the next Ebola Response Roadmap update."
"The past week has seen a continuation of recent trends: the situation in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone continues to deteriorate, with widespread and persistent transmission of EVD. Problems with data gathering in Liberia continue. It should be emphasized that the reported fall in the number of new cases in Liberia over the past three weeks is unlikely to be genuine. Rather, it reflects a deterioration in the ability of overwhelmed responders to record accurate epidemiological data."
"There is no evidence that the EVD epidemic in West Africa is being brought under control, though there is evidence of a decline in incidence in the districts of Lofa in Liberia, and Kailahun and Kenema in Sierra Leone."
Guinea: "Transmission in Guinea is persistent (figure 1), with approximately 100 new confirmed cases of EVD reported in the past week. For many weeks the outbreak in Guinea has been driven by transmission in three areas: the capital Conakry, Macenta, and Gueckedou, the region in which the outbreak originated...In the east of country, on the border with Côte d’Ivoire, the district of Lola has now reported cases of EVD for the first time (three confirmed cases; figure 4). The neighboring district of Beyla reported its first confirmed cases the previous week."
Liberia: "Approximately 200 new probable and suspected cases, but very few confirmed cases, have been reported in the capital Monrovia in each of the past three weeks...The district of Margibi continues to report high numbers of new confirmed and probable cases (31 in the past week), while the district of Grand Cape Mount has reported new cases for the first time in three weeks. There continues to be a fall in the number of new cases reported in Lofa, which borders Gueckedou in Guinea, with 12 confirmed and probable cases reported this week compared with 39 the previous week. This appears to be a genuine reduction."
Sierra Leone: "Nationally, the situation in Sierra Leone continues to deteriorate, with an increase in the number of new confirmed cases reported over each of the past seven weeks"
United States: "48 contacts are being followed up."
Treatment center capacity versus estimated requirements for countries with widespread transmission: Guinea: 160 beds, 210 required; Liberia: 620 beds, 2930 required; Sierra Leone: 304 beds, 1148 required.
DR Congo: 71 cases, 43 deaths.
Sharp Increase Of Ebola Cases Reported In Guinean Capital - RTT News
"The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has reported a sharp increase of Ebola cases in the Guinean capital, Conakry, where there were glimpses of hopes three months ago that the disease was being stabilised. In July, case numbers appeared to decrease in Guinea, suggesting the end of the outbreak might be near. But Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders, (MSF) is now caring for more than 120 patients, of whom 85 are confirmed to have the virus, in its two case management facilities in the country, Conakry and Guéckédou."
WHO: EBOLA RESPONSE ROADMAP UPDATE 10 October 2014
New WHO case counts released: 8399 cases; 4033 deaths.
Countries with widespread transmission: "8376 (probable, confirmed and suspected; see Annex 2) cases and 4024 deaths from EVD have been reported up to the end of 7 October 2014 by the Ministries of Health of Guinea and Liberia, and up to the end of 8 October by the Ministry of Health of Sierra Leone (table 1)."
United States: "On 30 September 2014, the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) was informed of the first confirmed imported case of EVD in the United States. The patient passed away on 8 October."
Spain: "On 6 October 2014, WHO was informed of the first confirmed case of human-to-human transmission of EVD in Spain, after a HCW tested positive for EVD after treating a patient who had repatriated from West Africa. This case represents the first human-to-human transmission of EVD outside Africa. So far there have been no further reports of EVD infection in Spain or the United States of America."
Liberia bans journalists from Ebola centres - Capital FM Kenya
"Liberia said on Friday it was banning journalists from Ebola clinics, defying media rights campaigners who have warned panicked African governments against 'muzzling' reporters in response to the crisis."
"The minister told the Monrovia based station he would insist that journalists report his statements from now on rather than what they saw for themselves. 'There is no protest, everything is fine with the healthcare workers and patients are well taken care of,' he said of the clinic. Earlier, a caller identifying himself as a nurse at the centre told the station that patients had been dying because they were not receiving adequate care."
United Nations Quarantines 41 Personnel in Ebola-Hit Liberia - NDTV
"The United Nations said on Friday it had quarantined 41 personnel from its Liberia mission, including 20 soldiers, following a second infection among its staff of the deadly Ebola virus. The measure came two days after the mission, known as UNMIL, announced an 'international staff member' working in its medical department tested positive after complaining of symptoms consistent with the Ebola virus. 'Following the discovery on October 5 that an UNMIL medical staff member was symptomatic for Ebola, the mission conducted robust contact tracing to ensure all people that came into contact with the staff member while they were symptomatic are assessed and isolated as necessary,' it said in a statement."
"The announcement of the infection came a week after UNMIL said a Liberian employee had died of probable Ebola. The mission said it would extend a review of its actions launched after the first case to investigating the circumstances of the latest infection."
Staff protest and resign as 'fear' of Ebola takes hold - Olive Press
"Medical staff at Madrid’s Carlos III hospital are unwilling to treat Ebola patients and suspected cases while cleaning staff refused to clean infected areas. Cleaning staff did not want to sanitise the emergency room where Ebola infected nurse Theresa Romero was treated on Monday. Labour unions demanded that better protocols be put in place to protect workers as they voiced their fears over the current situation. On the other hand, medical staff complained about inadequate safety measures and lack of training for dealing with Ebola cases. The provincial Vice-Secretary of the SAE nursing assistants’ union, Elvira González, explained: 'There are staff members who are handing in their notice so that they don’t have to enter.' She added that medical staff could accuse the hospital’s administration of a public health offence should they be forced to work under inadequate conditions."
Texas Health Care Worker Tests Positive for Ebola: Hospital - NBCNews.com
"A health care worker at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital who cared for dying Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, has tested positive for the virus after a preliminary test, officials said early Sunday. If confirmed, it would be the first known person-to-person transmission of the disease in the United States. Confirmatory testing of the second case on U.S. soil will be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, the statement from the Texas Department of State Health Services said. The worker reported a fever late Friday and was isolated and referred for testing. 'We knew a second case could be a reality, and we've been preparing for this possibility,' said Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services. 'We are broadening our team in Dallas and working with extreme diligence to prevent further spread.' The statement added that people who had contact with the health care worker after symptoms emerged 'will be monitored based on the nature of their interactions and the potential they were exposed to the virus.'"
"Thousands of Liberian health care workers are set to begin an indefinite strike at midnight on Monday that could undermine the country’s effort to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus and leave several hundred patients without care. Health workers in the West African nation threatened to abandon hundreds of patients in Ebola treatment units, clinics and hospitals if demands for better incentives, working conditions and protective equipment were not met. A meeting to resolve their grievances on Oct. 10 ended in a deadlock with the government refusing the meet their demands, said George Williams, secretary general of the National Health Workers Association of Liberia."
43 Ebola Suspects Resist Quarantine - AllAfrica.com
"Forty-three Ebola suspects resident in Bo-Waterside in Tewor District, Grand Cape Mount County have refused to be quarantined. Authorities want the forty-three persons quarantined because they interacted with a suspected Ebola patient who died later. According to the Liberia News Agency correspondent in the county, this was disclosed by the county Assistant Superintendent for Development, Tenneh Simpson Kpedebah, Wednesday during the County Ebola Task Force coordination meeting held in Sinje. She expressed fear that the refusal of the people to be quarantined in accordance with Ministry of Health regulations could lead to the spread of the Ebola virus in the county."
"Kpedebah said the citizens are refusing to be quarantined on grounds that they need supplies such as mattresses, clothes and cooking utensils. Madam Kpedebah explained that the citizens said they will not honor the quarantine regulations if the county Ebola Task Force fails to supply them with the needed items. She noted that presently, Grand Cape Mount County does not have any withholding Center; so they are quarantining people in their respective homes. She said the lack of withholding centers is one of the major challenges facing the county task force in the fight against the spread of the Ebola disease."
WHO Chief Calls Ebola Outbreak a 'Crisis for International Peace' - New York Times
"The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is 'unquestionably the most severe acute public health emergency in modern times,' Dr. Margaret Chan, the director general of the World Health Organization, said Monday. Dr. Chan, who dealt with the 2009 avian flu pandemic and the SARS outbreaks of 2002-3, said the Ebola outbreak had progressed from a public health crisis to 'a crisis for international peace and security'."
"'I have never seen a health event threaten the very survival of societies and governments in already very poor countries,' she said in a statement delivered on her behalf to a conference in Manila and released by her office in Geneva. 'I have never seen an infectious disease contribute so strongly to potential state failure.' More than 4,000 people have died from the Ebola virus, all but a handful of them in the West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to W.H.O. estimates issued last week. Dr. Chan declined to expand on those figures because they were still rising 'exponentially'."
"Conakry, the first major city to be affected by the West Africa Ebola outbreak, is currently seeing a massive spike in cases. The Donka Ebola management centre, situated inside the Ministry of Health hospital complex in Conakry, has been particularly badly affected. The facility admitted 22 patients in one day (6 October), 18 of them coming from the Coyah region, 50 kilometres east of Conakry."
Bong Ebola Cases Triple - Health Workers Strike Enters Second Day - AllAfrica.com
"The Bong County Health Team has reported 73 new cases of Ebola for the period of one week. According to the administrator of the County Health Team Fartormah Jusu, out of the number, nine were confirmed and forty- nine suspected and probable."
"He named Gbarpolu County as the latest epic center of the virus. The disclosure was made Monday during a regular weekly briefing by the County Health Team. The latest increase in the number of suspected Ebola cases in Bong County comes amid an ongoing back off by Health Workers around the country."
Death rate in Ebola outbreak has risen to 70 percent: WHO - Firstpost
"The death rate in the Ebola outbreak has risen to 70 percent and there could be up to 10,000 new cases a week in two months, the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday. WHO assistant director-general Dr Bruce Aylward gave the grim figures during a news conference in Geneva. Previously, WHO had estimated the death rate at around 50 percent. Aylward said the 70 percent death rate was 'a high mortality disease' in any circumstance and that the UN health agency was still focused on trying to get sick people isolated and provide treatment as early as possible. He told reporters that if the world's response to the Ebola crisis isn't stepped up within 60 days, 'a lot more people will die' and there will be a huge need to deal with the spiraling numbers of cases. For the last four weeks, there's been about 1,000 new cases per week — including suspected, confirmed and probable cases, he said, adding that the UN health agency is aiming to get 70 percent of cases isolated within two months to reverse the outbreak. WHO increased its Ebola death toll tally to 4,447 people on Tuesday, nearly all of them in West Africa, from 8,914 cases."
UPDATE 2-Sierra Leone residents clash with police over Ebola response - Reuters
"* Residents complain over delays in removing corpse * WHO says Ebola still spreading, could reach 9,000 per week * USAID, Norway announce more funding to tackle Ebola * Liberia minister quarantined after driver died from Ebola (Recasts with clashes in Freetown, adds Liberian minister quarantined, USAID)"
Texas: Another Hospital Worker Has Ebola - Newser
"Nurse Nina Pham is no longer the only American to contract Ebola while caring for Thomas Duncan. A second health care worker at Dallas' Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital has tested positive for the virus. The Texas Department of State Health Services says the worker reported a fever yesterday and was immediately isolated at the hospital. A preliminary Ebola test conducted last night came back positive; confirmatory testing will be conducted at the CDC in Atlanta, reports the AP."
WHO: Ebola Response Roadmap Situation Report 15 October 2014
New WHO case counts released: 8997 cases; 4493 deaths.
"Data for epidemiological week 41 are incomplete, with missing data for 12 October from Liberia. This reflects the challenging nature of data gathering in countries with widespread and intense EVD transmission. These challenges remain particularly acute in Liberia, where there continues to be a mismatch between the relatively low numbers of new cases reported through official clinical surveillance systems on one hand, and reports from laboratory staff and first responders of large numbers of new cases on the other"
"It is clear, however, that the situation in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone is deteriorating, with widespread and persistent transmission of EVD. An increase in new cases in Guinea is being driven by a spike in confirmed and suspected cases in the capital, Conakry, and the nearby district of Coyah."
Guinea: "There is evidence of an increase in the intensity of transmission in Guinea. Compared with the previous week, a very slight drop in the number of new confirmed cases reported from the capital Conakry (figure 1) has been more than offset by a sharp rise in the number of new cases in the neighbouring district of Coyah, with 25 cases reported between 6 and 12 October ... In the east of the country, on the border with Côte d’Ivoire, the districts of Beyla and Lola both reported new cases (figure 4), emphasizing the need for active surveillance at local border crossings. To the North, the district of Boke, on the border with Guinea-Bissau has reported active transmission for the first time in more than 21 days. The central district of Mamou has reported a confirmed case for the first time."
Liberia: "Data acquisition continues to be a challenge in Liberia. Evidence obtained from responders and laboratory staff in the country suggests that the situation in Liberia is getting worse, and that transmission remains intense in the capital, Monrovia ... Outside Monrovia, most newly reported cases have come from the districts of Bong (75 cases) and Margibi (28 cases)."
Sierra Leone: "EVD transmission is rampant in Sierra Leone, with 425 new confirmed cases reported between 6 and 12 October (figure 3). The areas hardest hit are the capital, Freetown, with 172 new cases, along with the neighbouring western districts of Bombali (94 cases) and Port Loko (67 cases)."
Health-Care Workers: As of 12th of October, 427 cases, 236 deaths.
"In Spain, 72 people, including 13 high-risk contacts, are being monitored. In the United States of America, 125 contacts are being monitored."
16 staff members of Doctors Without Borders infected with Ebola; Liberia's ... - Zegabi
"Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday that 16 of its staff members have been infected with Ebola and that nine have died. The toll highlights the high risk of caring for Ebola patients even at well-equipped and properly staffed treatment centers."
New district in Sierra Leone gets Ebola - Bellingham Herald
"The deadly Ebola virus has infected two people in what was the last untouched district in Sierra Leone, the government said Thursday, a setback in efforts to stop the spread of the disease in one of the hardest-hit countries. The Emergency Operations Center in its report covering Wednesday noted the two Ebola cases in the Koinadugu district, in Sierra Leone's far north, which had taken aggressive measures to keep the virus out of its mountainous territory since the outbreak early this year."
EBOLA DEATH TOLL RISES TO 4546 OUT OF 9191 CASES IN GUINEA ... - Reuters Africa
"EBOLA DEATH TOLL RISES TO 4,546 OUT OF 9,191 CASES IN GUINEA, LIBERIA AND SIERRA LEONE - WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION."
4 suspected Ebola cases in Spain test negative - Omaha World-Herald
"Four people suspected of having Ebola in Spain have tested negative in a first round of tests, the government said Friday. Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz Santamaria said the four people taken into hospitals Thursday with fevers had each tested negative. They will be tested a second time in the coming days. They include a passenger on an Air France jet that was isolated at Madrid's airport Thursday and a person who traveled in the same ambulance used to hospitalize infected Spanish nursing assistant Teresa Romero on Oct. 6. The other two were a Red Cross health worker who recently worked with Ebola patients in Sierra Leone and a missionary who came down with a fever after returning from Liberia."
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DECLARES SENEGAL FREE OF EBOLA - Reuters Africa
"The outbreak of Ebola in Senegal is officially over but the country remains vulnerable to further cases of the deadly disease being imported, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. Twice the maximum incubation period of 21 days, or 42 days, has passed since a Guinean man who traveled to Dakar was confirmed as having Ebola, it said in a statement praising Senegalese authorities for their "diligence". The man has recovered and his 74 known contacts have not caught the disease. "While the outbreak is now officially over, Senegal's geographical position makes the country vulnerable to additional imported cases of Ebola virus disease. It continues to remain vigilant for any suspected cases by strict compliance with WHO guidelines," the U.N. agency said."
WHO: EBOLA RESPONSE ROADMAP UPDATE - 17 October 2014
New WHO case counts released: 9216 cases; 4555 deaths.
Health-Care Workers: As of 14th of October, 423 cases, 239 deaths.
"The district of Mamou, Guinea, recently reported a confirmed case for the first time. However, in accordance with more recent conflicting data, this case has been discarded pending further clarification."
"In Spain, 72 people, including 13 high-risk contacts, are being monitored"
"In the United States of America, 125 contacts are being monitored"
Guinea is struggling with massive spike of Ebola cases - spyghana.com
"Of the nearly 9,000 cases, Guinea has had the smallest amount, at 1,472. Yet it needs just as much help as its neighbors. Guinea, which is ground zero of this outbreak, is now the one country with the least amount of resources or even attention. This week Doctors Without Borders or Medecins San Frontieres (MSF) warned that Guinea’s capital Conakry is seeing “a massive spike in cases.” The president of Guinea, where 843 people have died, has just begged retired doctors to come back and assist in the treatment effort."
Guinea Says Ebola Spreads to New Regions Near AngloGold Mine - Businessweek
"Guinea officials said the Ebola virus has spread to two new regions, including one with an AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (ANG) mine, complicating efforts to control the disease. The village that reported the infections in Siguiri is 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Johannesburg-based company’s facility, the Ministry of Health and AngloGold said in statements yesterday. No employees have been infected and operations continue, the mining company said. The death toll in Guinea has risen to 887 since the outbreak started in December, the ministry said in its statement."
Nigeria's Ebola outbreak declared officially over, containment a 'spectacular ... - Press Herald
"The World Health Organization has declared that Nigeria is now free of Ebola. In an update issued Monday, the U.N. health agency said the country’s containment of the lethal disease was a “spectacular success story.” The announcement comes after 42 days have passed — twice the disease’s maximum incubation period — since the last case in Nigeria tested negative. WHO said Nigeria had traced nearly every contact of Ebola patients in the country, all of whom were linked to the country’s first patient, a Liberian man who arrived with symptoms in Lagos and later died."
Gbarpolu Records First Ebola Death, As 28 Are Quarantined At Bo-Waterside in ... - AllAfrica.com
"The Gbarpolu County Ebola Taskforce has recorded its first confirmed Ebola-related death since the outbreak of the virus in that part of the country. Supt. Allen Gbowe said in a document read last Thursday by the Gbarpolu County Ebola Taskforce, which he chairs, that the victim, a 16-year-old female from Kpayeaquelleh Town in Gbarpolu, died on October 10 at the Bomi Ebola Treatment Unit in Tubmanburg City. Meanwhile, Superintendent Gbowee has disclosed that there are two other confirmed cases of persons afflicted by the Ebola virus disease (EVD), who were receiving treatment at the Jallah Lone Hospital in Bopolu City. They were later transferred to the Tubmanburg Hospital. He further disclosed that a 14-year-old boy from Parker Town in Gbarma District, who contracted the virus few weeks ago, has fully recovered after undergoing treatment. At the same time, at least 28 residents of Bo-Waterside in Tewor District, Grand Cape Mount County, have been quarantined for their alleged association with a suspected Ebola patient, who later died of the disease."
Bong County Ebola Task Force Reports 73 New Ebola Cases - AllAfrica.com
"The number of people infected with Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Bong County last week rose from 200 to 250 both suspected and confirmed, although no new deaths had been reported by press time, according to the Bong County Health Team. The head of the Bong County Health Team Monday said there were also 73 new cases reported during the period under review."
Liberia: Less Than 400 Ebola Cases Nationwide As Ebola Declines, Says ... - AllAfrica.com
"Restrictions on the movement of people, quarantining of communities and positive response to the frequent washing of hands and avoiding infested dead bodies have helped to reduce the infection rate of the Ebola virus throughout Liberia, according to Mr. James Dorbor Jallah, Deputy Incident Manager for support services at the Incident Management System."
"According to Mr. Jallah, coordinated information reaching his office from the various Ebola Treatment Units, (ETUs), indicates that across the country, 'there are less than 400 people who are in treatment.' 'Therefore,' Jallah said, 'there are more than 300 ETUs that are empty, which means they are without people who are being treated for the virus.' The latest report has also made it clear that decisions and recommendations approved by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and implemented by the Liberian government have worked to reduce increased infection from the insidious disease, Mr. Jallah said. 'All of us should continue with the measures outlined in this fight,' he said, 'because the less than 400 people being treated in the various ETUs is still a high number,' he noted."
"With particular reference to the six hardest hit counties of Montserrado, Bomi, Bong, Lofa, Nimba and Margibi, Jallah said, 'Lofa County, particularly Foya and Barkedu, have registered less than ten persons in treatment in the last couple of weeks'."
"While these reports show a success story, the World Health Organization, (WHO) has indicated that there could be 10,000 infections weekly in the coming weeks in Liberia."
UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) External Situation Report 21 October 2014
UNMEER Update:
"The Liberian Senate will meet today to decide whether to pass a vote of no confidence against the Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Walter T. Gwenigale, which could lead to his dismissal. The action by the Senate was in response the Minister’s refusal to reinstate two dismissed health workers."
"A UNICEF survey of 1,400 households across Sierra Leone found that EVD survivors face high levels of stigma, shame, and discrimination from communities, undermining their ability to rebuild their lives. About 96 per cent of households in the study reported some discriminatory attitudes toward people with suspected or confirmed EVD, and 76 per cent said they would not welcome someone who was infected with EVD back into their community, even if that person has recovered"
"A rapid assessment survey in Sierra Leone conducted by the FAO found that 47 per cent of farmers have had their work 'considerably disrupted' by the EVD outbreak."
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Update (October 21, 2014)
Sierra Leone Ministry of Health Ebola Virus Disease Update: 3297 cases, 997 deaths.
Report highlights new case counts (72) and their locations.
Cases increase in Sierra Leone - Longview News-Journal
"After emerging months ago in eastern Sierra Leone, Ebola is now hitting the western edges of the country where the capital is located with dozens of people falling sick each day, the government said Tuesday. So many people are dying that removing bodies is reportedly a problem. Forty-nine confirmed cases of Ebola emerged in just one day, Monday, in two Ebola zones in and around the capital, the National Ebola Response Center, or NERC, said."
WHO: EBOLA RESPONSE ROADMAP SITUATION REPORT 10/22/2014
New WHO case counts released: 9936 cases; 4877 deaths.
Health-Care Workers: As of 19th of October, 443 cases, 244 deaths.
Guinea: "The outbreak in Guinea is being driven by transmission in four key areas. The 18 confirmed cases newly reported this week from the capital, Conakry, is the second highest weekly total since the outbreak began (figure 1). N'Zerekore (19 confirmed cases) and Kerouane (18 confirmed cases) have shown a sustained increase in new cases over the past two weeks. Both areas are near the border with Cote d'Ivoire to the east; to the west they border the district of Macenta, where transmission has been intense for the past 10 weeks (38 new confirmed cases reported during the past week)."
Guinea: Two districts with first reported cases - Kankan 1 case, Faranah 1 case.
Liberia: "The 444 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases reported from Liberia this week is the highest number in the past four weeks and the fourth highest since the outbreak began (figure 2). Liberia remains the country worst affected by the outbreak. All but one of Liberia s 15 administrative districts has now reported at least one confirmed or probable case of EVD (figure 4) since the outbreak began, but transmission is most intense in the capital, Monrovia, with 305 new probable and suspected cases reported this week."
Liberia: "Only 15 of the 444 new cases reported nationwide from Liberia this week are confirmed cases. This is due to a continuing failure to integrate laboratory results into clinical epidemiology reports."
Sierra Leone: "EVD transmission remains intense in Sierra Leone, with 325 new confirmed cases reported during the past week (figure 3). The capital, Freetown, reported 138 new confirmed cases, and remains the area of most intense transmission, followed by the neighbouring western districts of Bombali (53 confirmed cases) and Port Loko (39 confirmed cases)."
United States: "Of 172 possible contacts, 60 have completed 21-day follow-up. A total of 112 contacts are currently being monitored in Texas. In Ohio, 153 crew and passengers who shared a flight with the third confirmed case (prior to the case developing symptoms) are being followed-up, though they are considered low-risk."
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Update (October 22, 2014)
Sierra Leone Ministry of Health Ebola Virus Disease Update: 3347 cases, 1001 deaths.
Report highlights new case counts (50) and their locations.
BBC News - Ebola crisis: Mali confirms first infection case
"The Malian government has confirmed the first case of Ebola in the country. It said a two-year-old girl had tested positive for the haemorrhagic virus. Reports say she recently returned from the neighbouring Guinea."
A DOCTOR in New York has been confirmed as the city's first case of Ebola. - NEWS.com.au
"A doctor in New York has been confirmed as the city’s first case of Ebola. The man is Dr Craig Spencer, who was treating Ebola patients in Guinea working with the group Doctors Without Borders. The health worker had recently returned from Ebola-stricken Africa, and is believed to have travelled on the New York subway, visited a Manhattan bowling alley and caught a taxi in the 24 hours before he was diagnosed. The bowling alley Dr Spencer visited, The Gutter in Brooklyn, has reportedly been advised to close its doors. Dr Spencer was rushed by ambulance from his home in Harlem to Bellevue Hospital suffering from a 103-degree Fahrenheit (39.4 degree Celsius) fever and nausea, The New York Post reported."
TWO-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO WAS MALI'S FIRST EBOLA CASE HAS DIED ... - Reuters Africa
"A two-year-old girl who was Mali's first confirmed case of Ebola has died, a local health official said on Friday. The health official, who asked not to be named, said she died in the western Malian town of Kayes at around 1600 GMT. There was no immediate official comment from health authorities but Oumar Sylla, a Kayes resident, said local radio stations were reporting the information."
Liberia Ebola Daily Sitrep no. 162 (24 October 2014)
Liberia's MOH Daily Situation Report - 6253 cases; 2104 deaths. See report for additional information.
EBOLA RESPONSE ROADMAP SITUATION REPORT UPDATE - 25 OCTOBER 2014
New WHO case counts released: 10141 cases; 4922 deaths.
"All but one district in Liberia and all districts in Sierra Leone have now reported at least one case of EVD since the start of the outbreak (figure 1). Of the eight Guinean and Liberian districts that share a border with Cote d'Ivoire, only two are yet to report a confirmed or probable case of EVD."
"Five countries (Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, and the United States of America) have now reported a case or cases imported from a country with widespread and intense transmission."
United States: "There have now been four cases and one death (table 2) in the United States of America. The most recent case is a medical aid worker who volunteered in Guinea and returned to New York City on 17 October. The patient was screened and was asymptomatic on arrival, but reported a fever on 23 October, and tested positive for EVD. The patient is currently in isolation at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, one of eight New York State hospitals that have been designated to treat patients with EVD. Possible contacts are being identified and followed up."
Mali: "On 23 October, Mali reported its first confirmed case of EVD (table 2). The patient was a 2-year old girl who travelled from the Guinean district of Kissidougou with her grandmother to the city of Kayes in western Mali, which is approximately 600 km from the Malian capital Bamako and lies close to the border with Senegal. The patient was symptomatic for much of the journey. On 22 October the patient was taken to Fousseyni Daou hospital in Kayes, where she died on on 24 October. At present, 43 contacts, of whom 10 are HCWs, are being monitored; efforts to trace further contacts are ongoing. A WHO team was already in Mali to assess the country's state of readiness for an initial case. A rapid-response team will also arrive in the coming days."
"A two year-old girl, who tested positive for the Ebola virus in Mali, died Friday amid suspicion from the World Health Organization, or WHO, that she might have come in contact with several more people in the country. She had travelled from Guinea to Mali’s western town of Kayes with her grandmother while she was ill and tested positive for the virus on Thursday. The girl, whose name has not been released, was diagnosed with the virus in Kayes on Thursday, making Mali the sixth African nation to have a confirmed Ebola case and death. The WHO is monitoring 43 people, including 10 health workers, in Mali who are suspected to have come in contact with the girl."
"The WHO said that an investigation into the girl’s case showed that she had already started showing symptoms before being taken to Kayes, making her contagious and raising the risk of more people being infected. 'The WHO is treating the situation in Mali as an emergency. The child’s symptomatic state during the bus journey is especially concerning, as it presented multiple opportunities for exposures -- including high-risk exposures -- involving many people,' the WHO said in a statement Friday, adding: 'Key staff from WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were already in Mali assisting with the country’s preparedness measures, should an imported case occur.'"
Mali to keep Guinea border open despite Ebola death - president - The Star Online
"Mali will not close its border with neighbouring Guinea after a two-year-old girl infected with Ebola was brought across the frontier by her grandmother and died in Mali this week, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita said on Saturday. The girl travelled hundreds of kilometres through Mali - including a stop in the capital Bamako - on public transport, potentially exposing many people to the virus, before she died in the western town of Kayes on Friday. Keita said that the incident showed it was impossible to completely seal his country off from Ebola in neighbouring Guinea but said he remained calm as the girl's journey and potential contacts had already been traced. "Guinea is Mali's neighbour. We have a shared border that we did not close and we will not close," he told France's RFI radio station. Land-locked Mali relies on the ports of neighbouring Senegal, Guinea and Ivory Coast as gateways for much of its import needs."
"After two-year-old Fanta Kone's father died in southern Guinea, the toddler's grandmother took her from the forested hills where the Ebola outbreak first began months ago to bring her home to Mali. It wasn't long, though, before the little girl started getting nosebleeds. By the time the pair made their way back more than 1,000 kilometres to the heat-baked town of Kayes several days later, the toddler had a high fever and was vomiting blood. Doctors swiftly diagnosed Fanta with Ebola, but she soon succumbed to the virus already blamed for killing nearly 5,000 people in the region."
"Public transport buses in Guinea and Mali are often overcrowded, with children sitting on laps and passengers standing in the aisles. Already they are making a list of the towns that Fanta and her grandmother passed through: Keweni, Kankan, Sigouri, Kouremale and the capital of Bamako. Health officials there are rushing to finish an isolation facility that can be used should additional cases emerge."
WHO Said to Track 111 People in Mali After Ebola Death - Businessweek
"Health officials in Mali have identified 111 people who came into contact with the nation’s first Ebola patient last week, according to an internal World Health Organization document. Workers have been unable to find at least 40 of those people who may have been exposed to the toddler, the Geneva-based WHO said in the document, seen by Bloomberg News. The two-year-old girl contracted the disease in Guinea and died on Oct. 25 in Mali. Mali’s government is working with the Red Cross and Medecins Sans Frontieres to limit the spread of the disease, which has already killed about 5,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since March. Mali’s weak health system will make it harder to track everyone down and isolate them, the Red Cross said last week. Medical charity MSF, known as Doctors Without Borders in English, said that four health and sanitation experts should be in Mali tomorrow."
Huge drop in Ebola bodies across Liberian capital: Red Cross
"The Red Cross said Tuesday the weekly total of Ebola victims collected by its body disposal teams around the Liberian capital is falling dramatically, indicating a sharp drop in the spread of the epidemic. The announcement appears at odds with an assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO), which said last week transmission 'remains intense' in the capitals of Liberia and neighbouring Guinea and Sierra Leone. Fayah Tamba, head of the Liberian Red Cross, said his workers collected 117 bodies last week from Montserrado county, which includes Monrovia -- a drop of almost two-thirds from the high of 315 from September 15 to 21."
CDC MMWR Update: Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak — West Africa, October 2014
"The geographic distribution of the number of Ebola cases reported during September 28–October 18 changed from the distribution of cases reported during August 31–September 23 (3), when counts were highest in the areas where Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea meet. Counts of Ebola cases reported during September 28–October 18 were highest in the area around Monrovia and in the district of Bong, Liberia; the Freetown area and the northwest districts of Sierra Leone; and the district of Macenta, Guinea (Figure 2)."
"The map of the cumulative incidence of Ebola, as of October 18, indicates that the highest incidence rate (>100 cases per 100,000 population) was reported by two districts in Guinea (Guéckédou and Macenta), five districts in Liberia (Bomi, Bong, Lofa, Margibi, and Montserrado), and four districts in Sierra Leone (Bombali, Kailahun, Kenema, and Port Loko) (Figure 3)."
WHO'S AYLWARD SAYS APPEARS EBOLA SPREAD IS SLOWING IN LIBERIA - Reuters Africa
"Liberia may be seeing decline in the spread of Ebola, with a decline in the number of burials and a plateau in laboratory-confirmed cases, World Health Organization Assistant Director General Bruce Aylward said on Wednesday. 'Do we feel confident that the response is now getting an upper hand on the virus? Yes, we are seeing slowing rate of new cases, very definitely,' he told a news conference. He said there had been 13,703 cases and the reported death toll, to be published later on Wednesday, was likely to be over 5,000. A jump in the number of cases was due to the data being updated with old cases rather than new cases, he said."
Community contributed report - 29 Oct 14 16:37:25
WHO Situational Report 10/29:
Guinea: 1906 Cases, 997 Deaths
Liberia: 6535 Cases, 2413 Deaths
Sierra Leone: 5235 Cases, 1500 Deaths
West Africa: 13,676 Cases, 4,910 Deaths
The dark color shows real cases and the light color shows projected.
These projections do not consider under-reporting. They model only what we might expect to see among cases reported to the WHO.
