http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-08-30/ebola-outbreak-spreads-6th-african-nation-20-cases-senegal
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/30/2014 11:52 -0400
http://www.firstpost.com/world/liberia-reopens-slum-barricaded-contain-ebola-spread-1688577.html
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Dr. Borbor is only the second person to have died after receiving the ZMAPP. Father Miguel Pajares, a Spanish priest working at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital, also received the drug, but died, a few days after he was airlifted to Spain. Seven persons in total have received the ZMAPP: The drug has also been administered to a Nigerian doctor, Dr. Aroh Cosmos Izchukwu and an unnamed Ugandan doctor assisting the JFK Hospital.
The improved conditions of two American medical workers previously infected in the outbreak, Nancy Writebol and Kent Brantly, who were transported from Liberia to Atlanta for care and released from Emory University Hospital last week, further raised the expectations of many that the ZMAPP could be the answer that West Africa has been looking for to deter the outbreak wreaking havoc and drawing attention from the rest of the world.
Seventh Person Receives ZMapp
On Wednesday, Britain announced that its first confirmed Ebola patient had been treated with an experimental drug. The Huffington Post UK reports that doctors caring for William Pooley at the Royal Free Hospital in north London said he had been given ZMapp. Describing him as a "resilient and remarkable young man", medics said he was sitting up, reading and chatting to staff.
The 29-year-old volunteer nurse was flown back to the UK for emergency treatment after contracting the virus in Sierra Leone. ZMapphas been dubbed by some as the "cure" after two aid US workers were successfully treated for Ebola after taking it.
Similar responses were said of Dr. Borbor, whose death, however, appears to have slowed the momentum and dimmed hopes about the ZMAPP’s ability at least for now, of becoming the clearest hope yet for a cure for the deadly virus. The Liberian government’s chief spokesman, Lewis Brown, a former high school classmate of Dr. Borbor, said Monday that it was not possible to know from anecdotal reports whether the ZMAPP drug helps or hurts.
Ebola Outbreak Spreads To 6th African Nation: 20 Cases In Senegal
Despite border closures, flight bans, cordoning off the sick (and healthy), and rubber (and live) bullets and tear gas on 'protesters'; the world's worst outbreak of Ebola just keeps spreading, now to a sixth African nation. Just day after Congo (5th nation) reported cases of Ebola, as The BBC reports, Senegal's health minister confirmed the first case of Ebola in his nation yesterday and Bloomberg confirms 20 more people are "under surveillance." Meanwhile, in Guinea a Red Cross official said riots had broken out in the nation's 2nd largest city over rumors that health workers had infected people with the virus; and Nigerians are protesting plans to build isolation units in some local clinics. "contained"
Senegal becomes the 6th African nation with Ebola after Congo, Nigeria, Guinea, Sierra-Leone, and Liberia
As The BBC reports, Senegal had tried to block this...
Senegal had previously closed its border with Guinea in an attempt to halt the spread of Ebola, but the frontier is porous.It had also banned flights and ships from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - the three worst-hit countries.
But...
- *EBOLA-INFECTED MAN ENTERED SENEGAL BY CAR FROM GUINEA: MINISTER
Awa Marie Coll Seck told reporters on Friday that a young man from Guinea had travelled to Senegal despite having been infected with the virus.The man was immediately placed in quarantine, she added.
For now he is 'stable'...
- *EBOLA CASE IN SENEGAL IS STABLE, NO FEVER, MAY RECOVER
But...
- *ABOUT 20 PEOPLE UNDER SURVEILLANCE FOR EBOLA: SENEGAL MINISTER
And...
- *SENEGAL WILL REQUEST EBOLA DRUG VIA WORLD HEALTH ORG.: MINISTER
* * *
In Guinea, a 24-hour curfew has been imposed in the second city, Nzerekore, because of a riot after the main market was sprayed with disinfectant in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.
The exact cause of the riot is not clear - some people reportedly feared the spray would spread Ebola, while other chanted: "Ebola is a lie". Police responded by firing tear gas."A rumor, which was totally false, spread that we had sprayed the market in order to transmit the virus to locals," Traore said. "People revolted and resorted to violence, prompting soldiers to intervene."The city is the capital of the Forest Region, where the Ebola epidemic has its epicentre - near the town of Gueckedou.However the BBC's Alhassan Sillah in Guinea says the town has miraculously remained free of Ebola so far.
And Nigerians are not happy...
In Nigeria, meanwhile, some have pushed back against government plans to build isolation units in their neighborhoods, even saying they would sooner burn Ebola centers down than allow them to operate.In the northern city of Kaduna, hundreds of people on Wednesday protested plans to convert sections of a local clinic into an Ebola treatment center. Many carried signs that said: "No Ebola in our hospital."
http://www.firstpost.com/world/liberia-reopens-slum-barricaded-contain-ebola-spread-1688577.html
Monrovia: Crowds celebrated in the streets of Liberia's capital on Saturday after authorities reopened a slum where tens of thousands of people had been barricaded for more than a week to contain the country's Ebola outbreak.
Liberia reopend a slum barricaded to fight Ebola. AP
The blockade of the West Point neighborhood had sparked unrest as residents feared running out of food and safe water on the peninsula.
Lifting the quarantine on Saturday morning doesn't mean there is no Ebola in the West Point slum, said Information Minister Lewis Brown. Authorities, though, are more confident now that they can work with residents to screen for the sick, he said.
"They're comfortable with the way the leadership and the community is working with the health team to make sure that the community remains safe," he said.
Liberia has been the hardest hit of the five countries with Ebola cases in West Africa, reporting at least 694 deaths among 1,378 cases. More than 3,000 cases have been reported across Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, and on Friday Senegal announced its first case.
A student from Guinea who had been missing for several weeks showed up at a hospital in Dakar on Tuesday, seeking treatment but concealing that he had been in contact with other Ebola victims, Health Minister Awa Marie Coll Seck confirmed.
The next day, an epidemiological surveillance team in neighboring Guinea alerted Senegalese authorities that they had lost track of a person they were monitoring three weeks earlier, and that the person may have crossed into Senegal.
The student was tracked down in the Dakar hospital and immediately quarantined where he is reported to be in satisfactory condition, Seck said. Authorities also sent out a team to disinfect the home where he was staying in Senegal.
http://www.firstpost.com/world/resuming-flights-ebola-hit-countries-vital-1686913.html
Geneva: The World Health Organization today said it was vital that airlines resume flights to Ebola-hit
west Africa, warning that suspenion of flights was threatening efforts to beat the epidemic.
west Africa, warning that suspenion of flights was threatening efforts to beat the epidemic.
"Right now there is a super risk of the response effort being choked off because we simply cannot get enough seats on enough airplanes to get people in and out, and get goods and supplies in," WHO's emergency chief Bruce Aylward told reporters as he launched a nine-month Ebola battle plan.
Representational image. AFP
"We assume that the current restrictions on airlines will stop within the next couple of weeks," he told reporters. "This is absolutely vital."
WHO has declared Ebola an international health emergency, but has insisted repeatedly that trade and travel restrictions are not the answer.
But in the face of the spiralling Ebola toll in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, airlines have reduced and suspended flights.
"There's got to be global preparedness. There's got to be preparedness in major transport hubs. But bans on travel and trade will not stop this virus. In fact, you are more likely to compromise the ability to respond," said Aylward.
"It's a self-defeating strategy to ban travel," he added. "That's not the problem. People with Ebola are symptomatic. You can exit screen" flights leaving the affected countries by taking passengers temperatures, which can "substantively reduce risk".
Yesterday, Air France became the latest carrier to announce a suspension of its service to Sierra Leone, while British Airways said it was stopping its flights to Freetown and Monrovia until next year.
Royal Air Morocco is now the only airline providing a regular service to the capitals of Sierra Leone and Liberia, while Brussels Airlines offer an irregular schedule.
The UN envoy on Ebola, David Nabarro, this week criticised airlines for scrapping flights, warning that
Ebola-hit countries faced increased isolation and made it harder for the UN to carry out its work.
Ebola-hit countries faced increased isolation and made it harder for the UN to carry out its work.
http://www.firstpost.com/world/india-origin-doctor-says-possible-therapy-help-treat-one-ebola-strain-1686633.html
Toronto: In a study that holds promise for developing new drugs against the deadly Ebola virus, a team led by Sachdev Sidhu from the University of Toronto has reported a possible therapy that could help treat patients infected with Sudan Ebola virus (SUDV).
Although not the strain currently devastating West Africa, SUDV has caused widespread illness.
Representational image. Reuters
During the study, the team identified an antibody directed against SUDV in mice. They began working towards making a "humanised" version of the antibody.
For this, the team put the ebola-specific part of the mouse antibody onto a human antibody scaffold and made some changes to this molecule.
"These antibodies represent strong immunotherapeutic candidates for the treatment of SUDV infection," said Sachdev Sidhu from University of Toronto.
According to Sidhu and colleagues John Dye and Jonathan Lai, about 50-90 percent of Ebola patients die after experiencing the typical symptoms of the disease, which include fever, muscle aches, vomiting and bleeding.
Of the five known ebolaviruses, the Zaire (EBOV) and SUDV strains are the most deadly and cause the most recurring outbreaks.
Many studies have focused on EBOV, the culprit of the current epidemic, but much less attention has been placed on SUDV until now, the study concluded.
The study appeared in the journal ACS Chemical Biology.
http://www.infowars.com/biggest-ever-weekly-rise-in-ebola-cases/
BIGGEST EVER WEEKLY RISE IN EBOLA CASES
500 new infections reported across West Africa, including first case in Senegal
25240The West African Ebola outbreak took a more deadly turn Friday with the World Health Organization announcing an estimated 500 new cases this week — the biggest jump in infections so far.
Most of the new cases arose in Liberia, the U.N. health agency said, but cases in Guinea and Sierra Leone also rose sharply, the Associated Press reported.
“There are serious problems with case management and infection prevention and control,” according to the WHO report. “The situation is worsening in Liberia and Sierra Leone.”
Senegal — a prime tourist destination in the region — has also now recorded its first case, an infected university student from Guinea who sought treatment at a hospital in Senegal’s capital city, Dakar, the AP reported.
http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/2818-liberia-s-ebola-quagmire-more-patients-less-beds-694-dead
- Written by Wade C. L. Williams, wade.williams@frontpageafricaonline.com
- Published: 29 August 2014
"It is simply unacceptable that, five months after the declaration of this Ebola outbreak, serious discussions are only starting now about international leadership and coordination. They can do more, so why don't they?" – Brice de le Vingne, Director of Operations at Doctors Without Borders
Monrovia - In the newest Ebola Management Center set up by the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a man lay on a plastic sheet protected mattress. His eyes are red and his face is pale; he has no shirt on and he turns from side to side, too weak to move and too sick to call for help with food or water.
One of the nurses in the other partition of the isolation center through a doorway to where the man is laying orders that he be given water mixed with Oral Rehydration Salt. The man is among some 120 patients at the center who are probable, suspected and confirmed cases of Ebola. He lies on the confirmed side.
Dr. Tom Frieden, Director of the United States, Centers for Disease Control is shown around the center and the smell of the high concentration of Chlorine fills the air as the team moves around to get a firsthand view of what is happening. One look at the patients brings despair and the only hope they have is the mobile phones that those who are not too weak to speak are allowed to use to communicate with their families in the outside world. Some of them look as though they feel trapped by a disease that offers no hope for tomorrow.
“This is a difficult situation for them. We allow them to use their phones because they need to communicate with their families out there. But this is the safest place for them to be-away from the rest of the world where they pose no harm to others,” MSF’s Tim Shenk, MSF Press officer, said in a conversation with journalists on Wednesday at the center.
Rapidly Scaling up
Shenk says when the patients leave the isolation center, all their belongings are no longer usable, so fire is set for them, including cell phones for fear they might be infected with the deadly Ebola virus. He said the center’s 120-bed capacity is already overwhelmed and the MSF is putting up more structures to increase the capacity to be able to take on more patients.
On the other side of the partition in what seems an open field, health workers dressed in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) hand out food in disposable bowls to patients. A woman dressed in PPE holds the hand of a young child about three-years-old. She has stripped off his clothes because he was burning with fever and very sick. The MSF center is the largest in the country at the moment, but the organization states that it is rapidly scaling up its operations to increase the capacity of the area to meet the demands as more patients continue to come in.
“As the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues to be chaotic and entirely inadequate. In its first week, MSF’s newest Ebola management center—known as ELWA3—in the capital, Monrovia, is already at capacity with 120 patients, and a further expansion is underway,” said the organization in a release issued Wednesday.
“Meanwhile, in the north of the country, patients continue to flow into the newly rehabilitated Ebola management center in Foya.” MSF stated that the international response to the West African Ebola outbreak has been "chaotic and entirely inadequate". The group plans to construct three additional tents with space for 40 more beds. Doctors Without Borders' guidelines were written for Ebola treatment centers with just 20 beds.
Numbers ‘Unlike Anything We’ve Seen’
"We have to constantly adapt" to address a crisis of this scale, Lindis Hurum, the group's emergency coordinator in Monrovia, said in a statement. "The numbers of patients we are seeing is unlike anything we've seen in previous outbreaks," Hurum said. It stated that the new treatment center can slow the spread of the outbreak by isolating patients, preventing them from infecting friends and family. But added that overworked health workers have had to reduce the level of care they provide, according to Doctors Without Borders. They can no longer administer intravenous treatments, for example, which could limit doctors' ability to help dehydrated patients.
Dr. Tom Frieden, Director of the United States, Centers for Disease Control is shown around the center and the smell of the high concentration of Chlorine fills the air as the team moves around to get a firsthand view of what is happening. One look at the patients brings despair and the only hope they have is the mobile phones that those who are not too weak to speak are allowed to use to communicate with their families in the outside world. Some of them look as though they feel trapped by a disease that offers no hope for tomorrow.
“This is a difficult situation for them. We allow them to use their phones because they need to communicate with their families out there. But this is the safest place for them to be-away from the rest of the world where they pose no harm to others,” MSF’s Tim Shenk, MSF Press officer, said in a conversation with journalists on Wednesday at the center.
Rapidly Scaling up
Shenk says when the patients leave the isolation center, all their belongings are no longer usable, so fire is set for them, including cell phones for fear they might be infected with the deadly Ebola virus. He said the center’s 120-bed capacity is already overwhelmed and the MSF is putting up more structures to increase the capacity to be able to take on more patients.
On the other side of the partition in what seems an open field, health workers dressed in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) hand out food in disposable bowls to patients. A woman dressed in PPE holds the hand of a young child about three-years-old. She has stripped off his clothes because he was burning with fever and very sick. The MSF center is the largest in the country at the moment, but the organization states that it is rapidly scaling up its operations to increase the capacity of the area to meet the demands as more patients continue to come in.
“As the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues to be chaotic and entirely inadequate. In its first week, MSF’s newest Ebola management center—known as ELWA3—in the capital, Monrovia, is already at capacity with 120 patients, and a further expansion is underway,” said the organization in a release issued Wednesday.
“Meanwhile, in the north of the country, patients continue to flow into the newly rehabilitated Ebola management center in Foya.” MSF stated that the international response to the West African Ebola outbreak has been "chaotic and entirely inadequate". The group plans to construct three additional tents with space for 40 more beds. Doctors Without Borders' guidelines were written for Ebola treatment centers with just 20 beds.
Numbers ‘Unlike Anything We’ve Seen’
"We have to constantly adapt" to address a crisis of this scale, Lindis Hurum, the group's emergency coordinator in Monrovia, said in a statement. "The numbers of patients we are seeing is unlike anything we've seen in previous outbreaks," Hurum said. It stated that the new treatment center can slow the spread of the outbreak by isolating patients, preventing them from infecting friends and family. But added that overworked health workers have had to reduce the level of care they provide, according to Doctors Without Borders. They can no longer administer intravenous treatments, for example, which could limit doctors' ability to help dehydrated patients.
"It is simply unacceptable that, five months after the declaration of this Ebola outbreak, serious discussions are only starting now about international leadership and coordination," said Brice de le Vingne, director of operations at Doctors Without Borders. Referring to other countries that have the potential to help, he says, "They can do more, so why don't they?"
In Monrovia, "much of the city's medical system has shut down over fears of the virus among staff members and patients, leaving many people with no health care at all, generating an emergency within the emergency." On Wednesday at a news conference in Monrovia, Dr. Frieden said that the disease is unprecedented and that the world needs to do more to fight it.
“The situation with Ebola in Liberia today, is dire. There is need for urgent action. The world has never seen an outbreak of Ebola like this,” he said on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, not only are the numbers large, but we know that there are many more cases, than have been diagnosed and reported. I wish, I didn’t have to say this, but it is going to get worse, before it gets better.”
Some Survivors
Despite the despair caused by the deadly Ebola virus there are some survivors coming out of isolation. On Monday, the ELWA Liberian government run center release six persons from isolation, including two Catholic nuns and a ten-year-old boy. Health workers at the center have not lost hope in combating the disease and despite the death of the second John F. Kennedy Medical Doctor Abraham Borbor. “Of the suspected cases that came, you have three of them coming out, who have shown negative on a number of days- multiple days,” said Dr. I. B. Pabs-Garnon.
“Now a word of caution, they have not contracted Ebola, but they may still contract Ebola outside so, everybody must be careful. Wash your hands, stay away from sick people, dead bodies. For now we say thank God for their safe delivery.” Health worker Benedict E. E. Reeves told journalists that this week has been a bright one as there continue to be a positive signal for many who came in with the disease.
“Up to 60 were here, but the number has reduced and so far we have between 30 to 35. We are getting mostly negative results this week,” he said. “We do the test three times because under three days you can’t show anything. You have to wait for three days then you do it. We have done some people’s tests up to five times.”
Impact on travel
The deadly Ebola virus continues to affect the free movement across borders that travelers getting to and from West Africa have become more difficult as airlines have canceled flights because of the epidemic. In Sierra Leone’s Kailahun district, there are four ambulances for a region of 470,000 people. The World Health Organization states that Ebola has infected more than 2,600 people and killed more than 1,400 in the four affected countries – Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. A separate Ebola outbreak has been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo but appears unrelated.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) airlifted 168 tons of health and hygiene supplies to Liberia in the past week. AmeriCares sent a shipment of antibiotics, medical supplies and "desperately needed safety equipment," including 15,000 pairs of gloves and nearly 10,000 protective masks the group said.
MSF’s Emergency Coordinator Lindis Hurum, states that there is no more space at any of Treatment Units in Liberia for Ebola patients. “ETU at ELWA has stock-out of Loperimide, anti-malaria drug, hoods, duct tape and cefixame, PPEs will also run out in 5 days,” said the MSF official.
According to the latest Ministry of Health numbers, in Montserrado County1,126 out of 1,247 contacts (90%) were seen by the four tracing teams. JFK, ELWA-2 and ELWA-3 are currently full to capacity and the medical humanitarian group, MSF states that currently, there are 38 bodies that need to be removed from ELWA. The West Point transit center was reopened and took in two cases – as of late afternoon on the August 25, 2014, Food and water were delivered to them. “The tracing team has been working for the past three days to generate line lists for contacts in West Point,” stated MSF.
20,000 More Deaths Likely, WHO says
“So far, 129 contacts have been listed, and the contact tracing team has identified 32 deaths (occurring over the period from July 29th to August 24th) that are suspected of being Ebola. The team is working to complete investigation forms for these deaths.” Regionally, the outbreak has killed 1,552 people, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
The total number of cases stands at 3,069, with 40% occurring in the past three weeks. "However, most cases are concentrated in only a few localities," the WHO said. The outbreak, the deadliest ever, has been centered in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, with a handful of cases in Nigeria. The overall fatality rate is 52%, the WHO said, ranging from 42% in Sierra Leone to 66% in Guinea.
The WHO is predicting that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa could eventually infect more than 20,000 people - more than six times as many doctors currently know about. The organization made the statement Thursday, as it called for a global response to the spread of the virus. The United Nations’ health agency warned that it needed $490 million to combat Ebola over the next six months as it set out a "roadmap" for tackling the outbreak. The death toll has climbed to 1, 552 and "continues to accelerate,” the agency said.
The Ebola crisis continues to claim the lives of many Liberians as the days go by and those currently in isolation would need all the support from the public to overcome a disease that has no cure.
In Monrovia, "much of the city's medical system has shut down over fears of the virus among staff members and patients, leaving many people with no health care at all, generating an emergency within the emergency." On Wednesday at a news conference in Monrovia, Dr. Frieden said that the disease is unprecedented and that the world needs to do more to fight it.
“The situation with Ebola in Liberia today, is dire. There is need for urgent action. The world has never seen an outbreak of Ebola like this,” he said on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, not only are the numbers large, but we know that there are many more cases, than have been diagnosed and reported. I wish, I didn’t have to say this, but it is going to get worse, before it gets better.”
Some SurvivorsDespite the despair caused by the deadly Ebola virus there are some survivors coming out of isolation. On Monday, the ELWA Liberian government run center release six persons from isolation, including two Catholic nuns and a ten-year-old boy. Health workers at the center have not lost hope in combating the disease and despite the death of the second John F. Kennedy Medical Doctor Abraham Borbor. “Of the suspected cases that came, you have three of them coming out, who have shown negative on a number of days- multiple days,” said Dr. I. B. Pabs-Garnon.
“Now a word of caution, they have not contracted Ebola, but they may still contract Ebola outside so, everybody must be careful. Wash your hands, stay away from sick people, dead bodies. For now we say thank God for their safe delivery.” Health worker Benedict E. E. Reeves told journalists that this week has been a bright one as there continue to be a positive signal for many who came in with the disease.
“Up to 60 were here, but the number has reduced and so far we have between 30 to 35. We are getting mostly negative results this week,” he said. “We do the test three times because under three days you can’t show anything. You have to wait for three days then you do it. We have done some people’s tests up to five times.”
Impact on travel
The deadly Ebola virus continues to affect the free movement across borders that travelers getting to and from West Africa have become more difficult as airlines have canceled flights because of the epidemic. In Sierra Leone’s Kailahun district, there are four ambulances for a region of 470,000 people. The World Health Organization states that Ebola has infected more than 2,600 people and killed more than 1,400 in the four affected countries – Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria. A separate Ebola outbreak has been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo but appears unrelated.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) airlifted 168 tons of health and hygiene supplies to Liberia in the past week. AmeriCares sent a shipment of antibiotics, medical supplies and "desperately needed safety equipment," including 15,000 pairs of gloves and nearly 10,000 protective masks the group said.
MSF’s Emergency Coordinator Lindis Hurum, states that there is no more space at any of Treatment Units in Liberia for Ebola patients. “ETU at ELWA has stock-out of Loperimide, anti-malaria drug, hoods, duct tape and cefixame, PPEs will also run out in 5 days,” said the MSF official.
According to the latest Ministry of Health numbers, in Montserrado County1,126 out of 1,247 contacts (90%) were seen by the four tracing teams. JFK, ELWA-2 and ELWA-3 are currently full to capacity and the medical humanitarian group, MSF states that currently, there are 38 bodies that need to be removed from ELWA. The West Point transit center was reopened and took in two cases – as of late afternoon on the August 25, 2014, Food and water were delivered to them. “The tracing team has been working for the past three days to generate line lists for contacts in West Point,” stated MSF.
20,000 More Deaths Likely, WHO says
“So far, 129 contacts have been listed, and the contact tracing team has identified 32 deaths (occurring over the period from July 29th to August 24th) that are suspected of being Ebola. The team is working to complete investigation forms for these deaths.” Regionally, the outbreak has killed 1,552 people, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
The total number of cases stands at 3,069, with 40% occurring in the past three weeks. "However, most cases are concentrated in only a few localities," the WHO said. The outbreak, the deadliest ever, has been centered in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, with a handful of cases in Nigeria. The overall fatality rate is 52%, the WHO said, ranging from 42% in Sierra Leone to 66% in Guinea.
The WHO is predicting that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa could eventually infect more than 20,000 people - more than six times as many doctors currently know about. The organization made the statement Thursday, as it called for a global response to the spread of the virus. The United Nations’ health agency warned that it needed $490 million to combat Ebola over the next six months as it set out a "roadmap" for tackling the outbreak. The death toll has climbed to 1, 552 and "continues to accelerate,” the agency said.
The Ebola crisis continues to claim the lives of many Liberians as the days go by and those currently in isolation would need all the support from the public to overcome a disease that has no cure.
http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/2802-trial-error-ebola-cure-quest-offers-cautious-optimism-heartbreak
- Written by Rodney D. Sieh, Rodney.sieh@frontpageafricaonline.com
- Published: 28 August 2014
“Although ZMapp has been administered in several human cases for this outbreak, there is not enough data to know whether or not it is efficacious. Clinical trials in general require larger studies to know whether or not there is a significant improvement in the presence of the drug.” – Scientist Jonathan Lai, Associate Professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Monrovia - Hopes were high recently when a consignment of the experimental drug ZMAPP arrived in Ebola-stricken Liberia to treatdoctors suffering from the deadly virus, which has so far sickened more than 2,600 and killed more than 1,400, since it started in March. That was before the death, last Sunday of Dr. Abraham Borbor, Deputy Chief Medical Doctor at the John F. Kennedy Hospital in Monrovia, the only recorded internist in the post-war nation.
Dr. Borbor is only the second person to have died after receiving the ZMAPP. Father Miguel Pajares, a Spanish priest working at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital, also received the drug, but died, a few days after he was airlifted to Spain. Seven persons in total have received the ZMAPP: The drug has also been administered to a Nigerian doctor, Dr. Aroh Cosmos Izchukwu and an unnamed Ugandan doctor assisting the JFK Hospital.The improved conditions of two American medical workers previously infected in the outbreak, Nancy Writebol and Kent Brantly, who were transported from Liberia to Atlanta for care and released from Emory University Hospital last week, further raised the expectations of many that the ZMAPP could be the answer that West Africa has been looking for to deter the outbreak wreaking havoc and drawing attention from the rest of the world.
Seventh Person Receives ZMapp
On Wednesday, Britain announced that its first confirmed Ebola patient had been treated with an experimental drug. The Huffington Post UK reports that doctors caring for William Pooley at the Royal Free Hospital in north London said he had been given ZMapp. Describing him as a "resilient and remarkable young man", medics said he was sitting up, reading and chatting to staff.
The 29-year-old volunteer nurse was flown back to the UK for emergency treatment after contracting the virus in Sierra Leone. ZMapphas been dubbed by some as the "cure" after two aid US workers were successfully treated for Ebola after taking it.
Similar responses were said of Dr. Borbor, whose death, however, appears to have slowed the momentum and dimmed hopes about the ZMAPP’s ability at least for now, of becoming the clearest hope yet for a cure for the deadly virus. The Liberian government’s chief spokesman, Lewis Brown, a former high school classmate of Dr. Borbor, said Monday that it was not possible to know from anecdotal reports whether the ZMAPP drug helps or hurts.
Dr. Borbor’s Death Dimmed Hopes
Dr. Moses Massaquoi, Case Management coordinator of the Ebola Task Force, also a colleague of the late medical practitioner who contracted the virus while caring for other persons infected with the disease at the John F. Kennedy Medical center in Monrovia, confirmed that Dr. Borbor was administered the full dose of the experimental drug Z-Mapp, but died just when everyone thought he was making a recovery.
“He finished the full course. He also had some co-mobility. He had other problems than just Ebola,” said Dr. Massaquoi. That I don’t know that is why we are doing the test. His sample was taken yesterday (Saturday, August 23, 2014) and we want to know whether it worked. Three people took it. Two doctors, one nurse.” The mystery continues as Dr. Borbor died, leaving medical practitioners skeptical or unsure that the ZMapp works.
Jonathan Lai, a Scientist, and Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, whose group has developed new antibodies against the Sudan Ebolavirus as a potential therapy to Ebola, says while the possibilities are endless, full cure for Ebola may still many trials away.
“I can say that the published animal studies for antibody therapeutics in general against Ebola (including components of ZMapp) suggest that antibody therapies are possible,” Lai told FrontPageAfrica via email this week.
“Although ZMapp has been administered in several human cases for this outbreak, there is not enough data to know whether or not it is efficacious. Clinical trials in general require larger studies to know whether or not there is a significant improvement in the presence of the drug.”
Dr. Moses Massaquoi, Case Management coordinator of the Ebola Task Force, also a colleague of the late medical practitioner who contracted the virus while caring for other persons infected with the disease at the John F. Kennedy Medical center in Monrovia, confirmed that Dr. Borbor was administered the full dose of the experimental drug Z-Mapp, but died just when everyone thought he was making a recovery.
“He finished the full course. He also had some co-mobility. He had other problems than just Ebola,” said Dr. Massaquoi. That I don’t know that is why we are doing the test. His sample was taken yesterday (Saturday, August 23, 2014) and we want to know whether it worked. Three people took it. Two doctors, one nurse.” The mystery continues as Dr. Borbor died, leaving medical practitioners skeptical or unsure that the ZMapp works.
Jonathan Lai, a Scientist, and Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, whose group has developed new antibodies against the Sudan Ebolavirus as a potential therapy to Ebola, says while the possibilities are endless, full cure for Ebola may still many trials away.
“I can say that the published animal studies for antibody therapeutics in general against Ebola (including components of ZMapp) suggest that antibody therapies are possible,” Lai told FrontPageAfrica via email this week.
“Although ZMapp has been administered in several human cases for this outbreak, there is not enough data to know whether or not it is efficacious. Clinical trials in general require larger studies to know whether or not there is a significant improvement in the presence of the drug.”
Jonathan Lai, a Scientist, and Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York
Adds Lai: “Our group has developed new antibodies against the Sudan Ebola virus as a potential therapy (note: not a vaccine); the antibodies have demonstrated efficacy in mice. Although these results are promising, there are many steps before they could be considered for human use. We are hopeful we will be able to contribute to an Ebola therapeutic in the long run.”
But even amid the cautious optimism, some remain hopeful that drugs like the ZMapp could be ready now. Writebol offer that much shortly after her release from Emory when she said she believes that ZMapp contributed to her recovery, her son said on Friday. "And the suffering of the people in West Africa is still very deep for them."
Ebola is transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person. Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external hemorrhaging from areas such as eyes and gums, and internal bleeding which can cause organ failure. The outbreak began in Guinea and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
ZMapp is manufactured by a U.S. Biotech company Mapp Biopharmaceutical. WHO said only around 10 to 12 doses of the drug have been made. Canada has also pledged to donate 800 to 1,000 doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine developed in its government lab to the WHO for use in West Africa.
Several Untested Drugs Pitched to Liberia
In addition to the ZMapp has made several overtures to company in trial stages of drugs aimed at combating Ebola, but the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has not been transparent in revealing the extent of its reach, which companies have been approached and which drugs, other than ZMapp have been requested. FrontPageAfrica recently came in possession of an email from a manufacture which revealed that Health Minister Walter Gwenigale had made a request for trial Ebola drugs.
The communication from Dr. Alessandro Manini, President of the International Emergency Management Organization (IEMO) informed the Liberian embassy in Italy that it had dispatched the trial drug upon the request of Health & Social Welfare Minister Dr. Gwenigale, in a letter dated August 18, 2014, to the Liberian Ambassador to Italy, Ambassador Mohammed Sheriff, obtained by FrontPageAfrica, reveals that the package had been sent by EMS. The letter does not state the name of the drug and FrontPageAfrica has been unable to determine whether the organization has been successful with a trial drug of this magnitude in the past.
The IEMO is an international body having its provisional head office in Italy and was established through the Intergovernmental Convention on food micro-algae, university research and emergency prevention, first ratified by Benin, Madagascar and Somalia. Dr. Manini, according to the IEMO website, supervises and coordinates the activities of the Organization and, in coordination with the Chairman of the IEMO Council, directs the various areas of competence, relevant to the fulfillment of the Organizational's Mandate (work for natural and man-made emergency prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response).
Adds Lai: “Our group has developed new antibodies against the Sudan Ebola virus as a potential therapy (note: not a vaccine); the antibodies have demonstrated efficacy in mice. Although these results are promising, there are many steps before they could be considered for human use. We are hopeful we will be able to contribute to an Ebola therapeutic in the long run.”
But even amid the cautious optimism, some remain hopeful that drugs like the ZMapp could be ready now. Writebol offer that much shortly after her release from Emory when she said she believes that ZMapp contributed to her recovery, her son said on Friday. "And the suffering of the people in West Africa is still very deep for them."
Ebola is transmitted by direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person. Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external hemorrhaging from areas such as eyes and gums, and internal bleeding which can cause organ failure. The outbreak began in Guinea and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
ZMapp is manufactured by a U.S. Biotech company Mapp Biopharmaceutical. WHO said only around 10 to 12 doses of the drug have been made. Canada has also pledged to donate 800 to 1,000 doses of an experimental Ebola vaccine developed in its government lab to the WHO for use in West Africa.
Several Untested Drugs Pitched to Liberia
In addition to the ZMapp has made several overtures to company in trial stages of drugs aimed at combating Ebola, but the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has not been transparent in revealing the extent of its reach, which companies have been approached and which drugs, other than ZMapp have been requested. FrontPageAfrica recently came in possession of an email from a manufacture which revealed that Health Minister Walter Gwenigale had made a request for trial Ebola drugs.
The communication from Dr. Alessandro Manini, President of the International Emergency Management Organization (IEMO) informed the Liberian embassy in Italy that it had dispatched the trial drug upon the request of Health & Social Welfare Minister Dr. Gwenigale, in a letter dated August 18, 2014, to the Liberian Ambassador to Italy, Ambassador Mohammed Sheriff, obtained by FrontPageAfrica, reveals that the package had been sent by EMS. The letter does not state the name of the drug and FrontPageAfrica has been unable to determine whether the organization has been successful with a trial drug of this magnitude in the past.
The IEMO is an international body having its provisional head office in Italy and was established through the Intergovernmental Convention on food micro-algae, university research and emergency prevention, first ratified by Benin, Madagascar and Somalia. Dr. Manini, according to the IEMO website, supervises and coordinates the activities of the Organization and, in coordination with the Chairman of the IEMO Council, directs the various areas of competence, relevant to the fulfillment of the Organizational's Mandate (work for natural and man-made emergency prevention, preparedness, mitigation and response).
Fabipiravir, a Japanese-developed anti-influenza drug, is potential treatment to fight the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak. (Fukijilm Holdings/Associated Press)
The expressed Post EMS Package of 3 kg is said to contain sufficient dose amount for 30 people/patients (5 people per bottle) according to the relevant annexed Protocol.
“I have also doubled the expedition to your Embassy and put the photocopy of the envelope and a copy of the Note to the Minister for your perusal, together with 4 four) treatments for Ebola (2 of 0°UB and 2 of 25000° UB) and the relevant Protocol, just in case that the envelope for Monrovia should not arrive in time," Dr. Manini explained. To date, the Ministry of Health has not yet made public the name of the drug or whether it had arrived in Liberia.
The expressed Post EMS Package of 3 kg is said to contain sufficient dose amount for 30 people/patients (5 people per bottle) according to the relevant annexed Protocol.
“I have also doubled the expedition to your Embassy and put the photocopy of the envelope and a copy of the Note to the Minister for your perusal, together with 4 four) treatments for Ebola (2 of 0°UB and 2 of 25000° UB) and the relevant Protocol, just in case that the envelope for Monrovia should not arrive in time," Dr. Manini explained. To date, the Ministry of Health has not yet made public the name of the drug or whether it had arrived in Liberia.
This week, Japan announced that it would be sending another brand of trial drug to Liberia. The drug, with the brand name Avigan, was developed by Fujifilm subsidiary Toyama Chemical Co. to treat new and re-emerging influenza viruses, but according to the Associated Press, has not been proven to be effective against Ebola. Favipiravir was approved by Japan's health ministry in March for use against influenza. Fujifilm is in talks with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on clinical testing of the drug in treating Ebola, company spokesman Takao Aoki said.
Japan, Canada Offer Trial drugs
He said Ebola and influenza viruses are the same general type, and a similar response can theoretically be expected from Ebola. Favipiravir inhibits viral gene replication within infected cells to prevent propagation, while other anti-viral drugs often are designed to inhibit the release of new viral particles to prevent the spread of infection, the company said. The company has enough stock of favipiravir for more than 20,000 patients, Aoki said.
He said Ebola and influenza viruses are the same general type, and a similar response can theoretically be expected from Ebola. Favipiravir inhibits viral gene replication within infected cells to prevent propagation, while other anti-viral drugs often are designed to inhibit the release of new viral particles to prevent the spread of infection, the company said. The company has enough stock of favipiravir for more than 20,000 patients, Aoki said.
Japan is said to be awaiting a decision by the World Health Organization(WHO) that would provide more details on the use of untested drugs against Ebola. In case of an emergency, Japan may respond to individual requests before any further decision by WHO.
WHO said earlier this month that it is ethical to use untested drugs on Ebola patients given the magnitude of the outbreak. Several drugs are being developed for the treatment of Ebola. They are still in the early stages and there is no proven treatment or vaccine for the often fatal disease. The Canadian government has also promised a shipment from one experimental vaccine, but it remains at a Canadian laboratory, but officials have been tightlipped on how many weeks it could be before those are given to volunteers.
Other drug makers are also moving ahead with possible solutions in hopes of finding the right formula that works. GlaxoSmithKline and U.S. Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases hope to start a clinical trial of an experimental Ebola vaccine as soon as next month, after promising test results in primates.
Another experimental vaccine from Johnson & Johnson's Crucell unit should enter Phase I clinical trials in late 2015 or early 2016, while Profectus Biosciences is also working with U.S. Scientists on another preclinical vaccine. The outbreak is the world's largest and deadliest and the U.N. agency last week declared it an international health emergency. The WHO has appealed for funds and medical staff to supplement health care in one of the poorest regions in the world.
In the absence of a cure and amid cautious optimism, some have turned to unproven traditional medicine, religious figures promising to have a remedy or other unproven drugs, also promising to be the perfect antidote to Ebola. One such drug is Nano, a trial drug recently introduced in Liberia by a group of concerned Liberians as a possible cure for the deadly Ebola virus.FrontPageAfrica later uncover that the drug is nothing more than a pesticide which was recently rejected by health authorities in Nigeria.
The drug was rejected by the Nigerian government, which had initially struck a deal to accept Nano Silver solutions to treat Ebola from a yet to be named “Diaspora Nigerian” who claimed to have “invented” Nano Silver. Nigeria rejected the drug after the US Food and Drugs Administration has stated that the Nano Silver solution being paraded in Nigeria as a cure for Ebola is classified as a pesticide.
For now, lingering hope is keeping many infected Ebola patients on a tight rope, desperately hoping that a solution to their Ebola ailment is in sight. But in the absence of a known, the only treatment that has worked so far is prevention, containment and quarantine with Nigeria apparently on the verge of proving what many countries including Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea failed to do.
WHO said earlier this month that it is ethical to use untested drugs on Ebola patients given the magnitude of the outbreak. Several drugs are being developed for the treatment of Ebola. They are still in the early stages and there is no proven treatment or vaccine for the often fatal disease. The Canadian government has also promised a shipment from one experimental vaccine, but it remains at a Canadian laboratory, but officials have been tightlipped on how many weeks it could be before those are given to volunteers.
Other drug makers are also moving ahead with possible solutions in hopes of finding the right formula that works. GlaxoSmithKline and U.S. Scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases hope to start a clinical trial of an experimental Ebola vaccine as soon as next month, after promising test results in primates.
Another experimental vaccine from Johnson & Johnson's Crucell unit should enter Phase I clinical trials in late 2015 or early 2016, while Profectus Biosciences is also working with U.S. Scientists on another preclinical vaccine. The outbreak is the world's largest and deadliest and the U.N. agency last week declared it an international health emergency. The WHO has appealed for funds and medical staff to supplement health care in one of the poorest regions in the world.In the absence of a cure and amid cautious optimism, some have turned to unproven traditional medicine, religious figures promising to have a remedy or other unproven drugs, also promising to be the perfect antidote to Ebola. One such drug is Nano, a trial drug recently introduced in Liberia by a group of concerned Liberians as a possible cure for the deadly Ebola virus.FrontPageAfrica later uncover that the drug is nothing more than a pesticide which was recently rejected by health authorities in Nigeria.
The drug was rejected by the Nigerian government, which had initially struck a deal to accept Nano Silver solutions to treat Ebola from a yet to be named “Diaspora Nigerian” who claimed to have “invented” Nano Silver. Nigeria rejected the drug after the US Food and Drugs Administration has stated that the Nano Silver solution being paraded in Nigeria as a cure for Ebola is classified as a pesticide.
For now, lingering hope is keeping many infected Ebola patients on a tight rope, desperately hoping that a solution to their Ebola ailment is in sight. But in the absence of a known, the only treatment that has worked so far is prevention, containment and quarantine with Nigeria apparently on the verge of proving what many countries including Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea failed to do.
ZMapp ‘Has Run Out’, CDC Chief Says
On Wednesday, Nigeria announced that it had contained the virus from spreading further and has brought the disease under control. Two treated patients, a male doctor and a female nurse, were discharged on Monday evening, having satisfied the criteria for discharge. The lone confirmed case as a secondary contact of Mr. Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who took the disease into Nigeria, and a spouse of one of the physicians who participated in the management of the index case.
On Wednesday, Nigeria announced that it had contained the virus from spreading further and has brought the disease under control. Two treated patients, a male doctor and a female nurse, were discharged on Monday evening, having satisfied the criteria for discharge. The lone confirmed case as a secondary contact of Mr. Patrick Sawyer, the Liberian-American who took the disease into Nigeria, and a spouse of one of the physicians who participated in the management of the index case.
Father Miguel Pajares, Spanish Priest, Americans Dr. Kent Brantly & Nancy Writebol
Since the outbreak entered Nigeria, through Sawyer, there have so far been 13 cases of EVD, including the index case. Of these thirteen (13), five (5), including the index case, unfortunately did not survive the disease. However, seven (7) of the infected persons were successfully managed at the Isolation ward in Lagos and have been discharged home, a point U.S. President Barack Obama hit home recently when he praised Nigeria for the way it has handled the Ebola outbreak.
For those still hanging on to hope, the most publicized ZMapp has run out, according to Dr. Tom Frieden, head of the U.S. Center for Disease Control, who’s visiting Liberia this week, along with a team of health experts: “A handful of patients received it, we hope it helpedthem, but we don’t know if the medicine works and there is no more of it and it is very difficult to make so; it’ll take a long time to make more."
"We do know that the standard medical care can save your life if you have Ebola. Yesterday the WHO issued an appeal for Ebola control for 438 million dollars for just a few months,” Dr. Tom Frieden, says.
For those still hanging on to hope, the most publicized ZMapp has run out, according to Dr. Tom Frieden, head of the U.S. Center for Disease Control, who’s visiting Liberia this week, along with a team of health experts: “A handful of patients received it, we hope it helpedthem, but we don’t know if the medicine works and there is no more of it and it is very difficult to make so; it’ll take a long time to make more."
"We do know that the standard medical care can save your life if you have Ebola. Yesterday the WHO issued an appeal for Ebola control for 438 million dollars for just a few months,” Dr. Tom Frieden, says.
http://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/2803-cdc-boss-bemoans-liberia-worst-ever-ebola-outbreak
- Written by Al-Varney Rogers alrogers2008@gmail.com
- Published: 28 August 2014
“The situation with Ebola in Liberia today, is dire. There is need for urgent action. The world has never seen an outbreak of Ebola like this. Unfortunately, not only are the numbers large, but we know that there are many more cases, than have been diagnosed and reported. I wish, I didn’t have to say this, but it is going to get worse, before it gets better.” - Dr. Tom Frieden, Director, Centers for Disease Control
Monrovia - U.S medical experts and emergency responders say the Ebola crisis is a dire one that needs the efforts of all Liberians and the world to contain it. The head of the U.S Centers for Disease Control CDC Dr. Tom Frieden at a news conference in Monrovia said the disease is unprecedented and that the world needs to do more to fight it.
“The situation with Ebola in Liberia today, is dire. There is need for urgent action. The world has never seen an outbreak of Ebola like this,” he said on Wednesday. “Unfortunately, not only are the numbers large, but we know that there are many more cases, than have been diagnosed and reported. I wish, I didn’t have to say this, but it is going to get worse, before it gets better.”
Dr. Frieden said the amount of Ebola death is increasing, adding that the more Ebola cases have been diagnosed and suspected than have been reported. He said the outbreak is severe for Liberia and West Africa, adding that it is a potential threat to Africa and other parts of the world. Dr. Frieden called for a joint global fight against the virus adding: “The world must come together because every day this virus continues to spread in Liberia and there is a risk of an export of the virus to another country.”
Frieden said, the CDC is committed to fight against Ebola in the region and has seventy experts spread in countries affected by Ebola in West Africa. Dr. Frieden said there has to be tougher action to combat the Ebola crisis, adding that progress has to be measured on an hourly basis. “This virus is a tough virus to fight and it is unprecedented and it will need an unprecedented response, our progress has to be measured in hours not in week, the CDC is here to work with you and we will be here until it is over,” he said.
The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends to the government of Liberia that all of its activities be organized at all levels, the increase in Ebola treatment unit adding that they should ensure that all burials are safe. Dr. Frieden said he is impressed by the response so far, despite the challenges faced by the governments to combat the virus. “I have been impressed by the response I have seen. We met dozens of volunteers answering dozens of calls every day, 24hr daily, we met dozen of healthcare workers and dozens of community volunteers in rural areas willing to help with the response,” said Dr. Frieden.
The CDC boss said there are misconceptions surrounding the spread of Ebola adding that it spread through two strings. “We know how to stop it, there is misconception but we know how it spreads by just two strings, if you block those strings, you can stop the outbreak,”Frieden said. Continued Frieden: “One if somebody is sick, don’t touch them or their body fluid; someone who is not sick cannot spread Ebola and when they are sick, they become increasingly infectious, if someone is sick, help support, but don’t touch, if someone has died don’t touch.”
Dr. Frieden said his visit is to see firsthand the impact of the Ebola outbreak, to assess response activities and hear from government, international partners and health care workers. Jeremy Konyndyk Director of USAID’s Office of U.S Foreign Disaster Assistance said that U.S government has provided additional $5 million to help combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The announcement brings USAID commitment for the Ebola response to nearly $ 19.6 million since the outbreak was first reported in March. Konyndyk said, the additional funding would be used to provide health equipment and emergency supplies, train and support health care workers and public outreach campaigns.
“We know that Liberia can and will survive this outbreak, we will do everything possible from the U.S government side to support Liberia fight this Virus,” he said. “We are particularly focusing on rescuing the healthcare workers, the healthcare workers are on the frontline in containing this outbreak. We will be providing additional funds in the coming weeks and months to scale up efforts.” The announcement comes just days after USAID airlifted more than 16 tons of medical supplies and emergency equipment to Liberia.
Dr. Frieden and the team visited the isolation center set up by the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on Wednesday. MSF said it is rapidly scaling up its operations in Liberia, as the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues to be chaotic and entirely inadequate. The center, which is MSF’s newest Ebola management center—known as ELWA3—in Monrovia is already overwhelmed and housing 120 patients.
Liberia: MSF's New Ebola Management Centers Already Overwhelmed
The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is rapidly scaling up its operations in Liberia, as the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues to be chaotic and entirely inadequate. In its first week, MSF’s newest Ebola management center—known as ELWA3—in the capital, Monrovia, is already at capacity with 120 patients, and a further expansion is underway. Meanwhile, in the north of the country, patients continue to flow into the newly rehabilitated Ebola management center in Foya.
“It is simply unacceptable that, five months after the declaration of this Ebola outbreak, serious discussions are only starting now about international leadership and coordination,” said Brice de le Vingne, MSF director of operations. “Self-protection is occupying the entire focus of states that have the expertise and resources to make a dramatic difference in the affected countries. They can do more, so why don’t they?”
The outbreak is spreading rapidly in Monrovia, overwhelming the few medical facilities accepting Ebola patients. Much of the city’s medical system has shut down over fears of the virus among staff members and patients, leaving many people with no health care at all and generating an emergency within the emergency.
“In the aftermath of an earthquake, it would be unthinkable that there are so few places where women can safely deliver their babies, or where people can be treated for life-threatening conditions,” said Lindis Hurum, MSF emergency coordinator in Monrovia. “This is not only an Ebola outbreak — it is a humanitarian emergency, and it needs a full-scale humanitarian response.”
The number of people seeking care at the newly constructed 120-bed center in Monrovia, which opened on August 17, is growing faster than the team can handle, both in terms of the number of beds and the capacity of the staff. Patients are coming from nearly every district of the city. The staff is struggling to screen new arrivals, care for admitted patients, safely remove the bodies, and transport them to the crematorium.
“The numbers of patients we are seeing is unlike anything we’ve seen in previous outbreaks,” said Hurum. “Our guidelines were written for an Ebola center with 20 beds, and now we are expanding beyond 120 beds. The situation means we have to constantly adapt and we are recruiting and training, health and hygiene staff day and night. The priorities now are maintaining a safe facility; separating suspected, probable, and confirmed cases; and providing compassionate care.”
Like other Ebola centers, ELWA3 serves an important role in slowing the outbreak by isolating Ebola patients and preventing further infections. However, the unprecedented influx of patients is forcing MSF to reduce the level of care. It is not currently possible, for example, to administer intravenous treatments. MSF is preparing for further construction and to erect three larger tents with space for 40 beds each.
In the very remote area of Foya, near the border with Guinea, the lack of assistance is compounding the emergency. MSF teams are working around the clock to contain the epidemic and the Ebola management center currently has 67 patients.
“We have arrived into an extremely chaotic situation, and there are hardly any aid organizations to be seen,” said Hugues Robert, emergency manager for MSF. “In some places around Foya, the Ministry of Health is experiencing shortages of protective equipment essential for the medical management of the disease. They also have limited capacity to safely bury bodies, and to provide ambulance services to refer patients. They need support. Aside from the provision of urgent medical care, we will also make it our priority to educate the community about the disease and how to prevent transmission.”
In Nigeria, MSF has also recently started providing technical support to the health authorities in their fight against the Ebola outbreak in the city of Lagos. MSF provides technical expertise in areas such as isolation, contact tracing, training, and public education. MSF's assistance is designed to last over a month and is exclusively advisory. At this point, Nigeria does not need MSF’s hands-on support. The six-person MSF team is supporting the isolation ward set up at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), the referral center for Ebola patients in Lagos.
MSF began its Ebola intervention in West Africa in March 2014 and is now present in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The organization runs five Ebola case management centers with a total capacity of 415 beds. Since March, MSF has admitted a total of 1,885 patients. Of those, 907 people tested positive for Ebola, and 170 have recovered. MSF has deployed 184 international staff to the region and employs 1,800 nationally hired personnel.
Dr. Frieden said the amount of Ebola death is increasing, adding that the more Ebola cases have been diagnosed and suspected than have been reported. He said the outbreak is severe for Liberia and West Africa, adding that it is a potential threat to Africa and other parts of the world. Dr. Frieden called for a joint global fight against the virus adding: “The world must come together because every day this virus continues to spread in Liberia and there is a risk of an export of the virus to another country.”
Frieden said, the CDC is committed to fight against Ebola in the region and has seventy experts spread in countries affected by Ebola in West Africa. Dr. Frieden said there has to be tougher action to combat the Ebola crisis, adding that progress has to be measured on an hourly basis. “This virus is a tough virus to fight and it is unprecedented and it will need an unprecedented response, our progress has to be measured in hours not in week, the CDC is here to work with you and we will be here until it is over,” he said.
The Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends to the government of Liberia that all of its activities be organized at all levels, the increase in Ebola treatment unit adding that they should ensure that all burials are safe. Dr. Frieden said he is impressed by the response so far, despite the challenges faced by the governments to combat the virus. “I have been impressed by the response I have seen. We met dozens of volunteers answering dozens of calls every day, 24hr daily, we met dozen of healthcare workers and dozens of community volunteers in rural areas willing to help with the response,” said Dr. Frieden.
The CDC boss said there are misconceptions surrounding the spread of Ebola adding that it spread through two strings. “We know how to stop it, there is misconception but we know how it spreads by just two strings, if you block those strings, you can stop the outbreak,”Frieden said. Continued Frieden: “One if somebody is sick, don’t touch them or their body fluid; someone who is not sick cannot spread Ebola and when they are sick, they become increasingly infectious, if someone is sick, help support, but don’t touch, if someone has died don’t touch.”
Dr. Frieden said his visit is to see firsthand the impact of the Ebola outbreak, to assess response activities and hear from government, international partners and health care workers. Jeremy Konyndyk Director of USAID’s Office of U.S Foreign Disaster Assistance said that U.S government has provided additional $5 million to help combat the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
The announcement brings USAID commitment for the Ebola response to nearly $ 19.6 million since the outbreak was first reported in March. Konyndyk said, the additional funding would be used to provide health equipment and emergency supplies, train and support health care workers and public outreach campaigns.
“We know that Liberia can and will survive this outbreak, we will do everything possible from the U.S government side to support Liberia fight this Virus,” he said. “We are particularly focusing on rescuing the healthcare workers, the healthcare workers are on the frontline in containing this outbreak. We will be providing additional funds in the coming weeks and months to scale up efforts.” The announcement comes just days after USAID airlifted more than 16 tons of medical supplies and emergency equipment to Liberia.
Dr. Frieden and the team visited the isolation center set up by the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on Wednesday. MSF said it is rapidly scaling up its operations in Liberia, as the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues to be chaotic and entirely inadequate. The center, which is MSF’s newest Ebola management center—known as ELWA3—in Monrovia is already overwhelmed and housing 120 patients.
Liberia: MSF's New Ebola Management Centers Already Overwhelmed
The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is rapidly scaling up its operations in Liberia, as the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues to be chaotic and entirely inadequate. In its first week, MSF’s newest Ebola management center—known as ELWA3—in the capital, Monrovia, is already at capacity with 120 patients, and a further expansion is underway. Meanwhile, in the north of the country, patients continue to flow into the newly rehabilitated Ebola management center in Foya.
“It is simply unacceptable that, five months after the declaration of this Ebola outbreak, serious discussions are only starting now about international leadership and coordination,” said Brice de le Vingne, MSF director of operations. “Self-protection is occupying the entire focus of states that have the expertise and resources to make a dramatic difference in the affected countries. They can do more, so why don’t they?”
The outbreak is spreading rapidly in Monrovia, overwhelming the few medical facilities accepting Ebola patients. Much of the city’s medical system has shut down over fears of the virus among staff members and patients, leaving many people with no health care at all and generating an emergency within the emergency.
“In the aftermath of an earthquake, it would be unthinkable that there are so few places where women can safely deliver their babies, or where people can be treated for life-threatening conditions,” said Lindis Hurum, MSF emergency coordinator in Monrovia. “This is not only an Ebola outbreak — it is a humanitarian emergency, and it needs a full-scale humanitarian response.”
The number of people seeking care at the newly constructed 120-bed center in Monrovia, which opened on August 17, is growing faster than the team can handle, both in terms of the number of beds and the capacity of the staff. Patients are coming from nearly every district of the city. The staff is struggling to screen new arrivals, care for admitted patients, safely remove the bodies, and transport them to the crematorium.
“The numbers of patients we are seeing is unlike anything we’ve seen in previous outbreaks,” said Hurum. “Our guidelines were written for an Ebola center with 20 beds, and now we are expanding beyond 120 beds. The situation means we have to constantly adapt and we are recruiting and training, health and hygiene staff day and night. The priorities now are maintaining a safe facility; separating suspected, probable, and confirmed cases; and providing compassionate care.”
Like other Ebola centers, ELWA3 serves an important role in slowing the outbreak by isolating Ebola patients and preventing further infections. However, the unprecedented influx of patients is forcing MSF to reduce the level of care. It is not currently possible, for example, to administer intravenous treatments. MSF is preparing for further construction and to erect three larger tents with space for 40 beds each.
In the very remote area of Foya, near the border with Guinea, the lack of assistance is compounding the emergency. MSF teams are working around the clock to contain the epidemic and the Ebola management center currently has 67 patients.
“We have arrived into an extremely chaotic situation, and there are hardly any aid organizations to be seen,” said Hugues Robert, emergency manager for MSF. “In some places around Foya, the Ministry of Health is experiencing shortages of protective equipment essential for the medical management of the disease. They also have limited capacity to safely bury bodies, and to provide ambulance services to refer patients. They need support. Aside from the provision of urgent medical care, we will also make it our priority to educate the community about the disease and how to prevent transmission.”
In Nigeria, MSF has also recently started providing technical support to the health authorities in their fight against the Ebola outbreak in the city of Lagos. MSF provides technical expertise in areas such as isolation, contact tracing, training, and public education. MSF's assistance is designed to last over a month and is exclusively advisory. At this point, Nigeria does not need MSF’s hands-on support. The six-person MSF team is supporting the isolation ward set up at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), the referral center for Ebola patients in Lagos.
MSF began its Ebola intervention in West Africa in March 2014 and is now present in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The organization runs five Ebola case management centers with a total capacity of 415 beds. Since March, MSF has admitted a total of 1,885 patients. Of those, 907 people tested positive for Ebola, and 170 have recovered. MSF has deployed 184 international staff to the region and employs 1,800 nationally hired personnel.
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