Ebola warning: WHO increases risk level to ‘very high’ – world on alert
The WHO Africa Region division tweeted as we speak: “So far there have been 18 instances, 9 deaths, 523 contacts, 82 % monitored and 1604 individuals vaccinated.” An outbreak has additionally been recorded within the Democratic Republic of Congo. The WHO has warned international locations neighboring Guinea weren’t ready for outbreaks or for future vaccination campaigns.
However, at current the worst-hit nation of the newest outbreak is Guinea.
It is the primary outbreak of the lethal virus there since a 2013-2016 outbreak, which was thought of the world’s worst.
The 2013-2016 outbreak unfold all through a number of West African international locations.
The lethal pathogen killed hundreds of individuals throughout its final outbreak and the WHO is fearful in regards to the newest resurgence, particularly amid the coronavirus crises.
The WHO’s Regional Emergency Director Abdou Salam Gueye mentioned: “There are six neighboring international locations to Guinea and we carried out an evaluation of readiness.
“Two of the international locations aren’t prepared and one is borderline and there are three international locations kind of prepared.”
The international locations that border Guinea are at the moment not ready to roll-out mass Ebola vaccination programmes.
Mr Gueye added: “Those neighboring international locations agreed on cross-border cooperation and coordination to management the outbreak.”
The nation has the present capability to inoculate 100 individuals per day.
This would be the first time an Ebola vaccine has been distributed within the nation.
Currently, 1604 individuals had been vaccinated in Guinea.
Bachir Kanté, an official on the well being ministry, mentioned: “In the approaching days, we will likely be in a position to vaccinate extra individuals so as to include this pandemic correctly.”
Courtesy of today-india.in
Ebola kills 4 in Guinea as West African nation suffers first outbreak of deadly disease in 5 years
A resurgence of Ebola has killed four people in Guinea, marking the first time in five years that the disease has been linked to fatalities in the West African country.
The latest victims of the virus had participated in a funeral for a nurse who had fallen ill and died, Guinea’s National Health Security Agency chief Sakoba Keita told local media. Her death has now been attributed to Ebola.
Following the burial, eight people showed symptoms of the virus, including diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. Three of the individuals died, while four others have been hospitalized. Keita said that one of the patients had “escaped” from where he was being treated but was later located and taken to a hospital in the capital, Conakry. The outbreak occurred in the southeast region of Nzerekore.
Health Minister Remy Lamah said that the government was “really concerned” about the new Ebola deaths. Guinea has not recorded a fatality from Ebola since 2016, when the virus ripped through the country and the surrounding region, killing more than 11,000 over a three-year period.
Ebola is a highly infectious and deadly disease that causes hemorrhagic fever and internal bleeding. The virus is spread through contact with infected body fluids.
The outbreak comes as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) struggles to rein in its own resurgence of the virus. The country recently saw two deaths that have been attributed to the disease, raising fears that it may have been premature to declare in November that its latest struggle against Ebola was “over.” The DRC has fought the virus for decades, having suffered 11 outbreaks since the disease was first discovered near the Ebola river in 1976.
Courtesy of rt.com
Ebola panic: Deadly virus outbreak sparks panic after 50 deaths and 124 new cases #Ebola #DRC #Africa
EBOLA is spreading across central Africa after 50 deaths and 124 new cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The country has been praised for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic this year, with cases in Africa lower than in Europe, the US or Asia. But other deadly infectious diseases have not been as easy to contain over recent years, including Ebola, which killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa in 2013-16. Now the disease is now becoming a growing threat in the Congo again, according to the International Rescue Committee.
They said: “We are alarmed that the new outbreak continues to take the lives of the people of DRC at a high rate, with more than 40 percent of the 124 people infected dying from the disease.
“The impact of this outbreak is compounded by the complex logistical challenges in the rural areas around Mbandaka, and a challenging situation in DRC as communities struggle to recover from years of poor health infrastructure, a previous Ebola outbreak in 2018 in the same area, and now the COVID pandemic, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 270 people in the country.
“With a recent Ebola case on the border with the Republic of Congo, this outbreak could spread across international borders.”
Last month, World Health Organisation (WHO) director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the outbreak a “worrying” development.
He added the WHO has around 100 staff in the Congo working with the Ministry of Health, nongovernmental agencies, and people in communities to tackle the outbreak.
Dr Tedros added $2.5 million has been issued in emergency response funds to support the growing crisis.
He added the outbreak was “one of the most difficult Ebola outbreaks the world has ever faced”.
Dr Tedros said: “It is a matter of global health security.
“Whether it’s COVID-19, Ebola or other high impact epidemics, we must be prepared, we need to be on high alert and we need to respond quickly.”
The WHO also warned earlier this year Ebola could spread across borders in Africa.
At the start of September, Bomongo was the latest area affected by Ebola.
This is located between the Ubangi and Congo rivers and was the second region to be affected that borders the Republic of the Congo.
WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib warned other countries were at risk too – especially Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur province.
She said: “The population is also very highly mobile.
“Mbandaka, for example, is a strategic hub on the Congo River, and there is the fear and stigma surrounding the disease.
“As it is a trading hub, WHO is helping also to screen travellers.”
Ms Chaib added the disease could spread along the rivers in the region.
She said: “This makes cross-border collaboration between the DRC and Congo more important than ever and will require coordination on disease surveillance and efforts to screen travellers,”
Back in May, the WHO also warned 190,000 people in Africa could die from coronavirus.
The continent has so far recorded 1,210,251 cases with the confirmed coronavirus death rate at 35,459,
Hospitals in many African countries say COVID-19 admission rates are falling.
Rashida Ferrand, a professor working at the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals in the Zimbabwean capital Harare, said: “Based on what we have seen so far it is unlikely that we are going to see anything at the scale that we are seeing in Europe – both in terms of infections and mortality.
Courtesy of express.co.uk
Case of Ebola detected in DRC Democratic Republic of Congo #Ebola #DRC
A case of Ebola has been detected in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, more than six weeks after the last case, the government said in a statement.
The central African country planned on Sunday to declare an end to the second biggest outbreak of the disease in history, which had killed more than 2,200.
So far no cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in DRC. However, if and when one is detected, the country faces a epidemic battle on two fronts.
Courtesy of theguardian.com
#Ebola outbreak in DR #Congo declared as an International Public #Health #Emergency
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus today declared the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
“It is time for the world to take notice and redouble our efforts. We need to work together in solidarity with the DRC to end this outbreak and build a better health system,” said Dr. Tedros. “Extraordinary work has been done for almost a year under the most difficult circumstances. We all owe it to these responders — coming from not just WHO but also government, partners and communities — to shoulder more of the burden.”
The declaration followed a meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee for EVD in the DRC. The Committee cited recent developments in the outbreak in making its recommendation, including the first confirmed case in Goma, a city of almost two million people on the border with Rwanda, and the gateway to the rest of DRC and the world.
This was the fourth meeting of the Emergency Committee since the outbreak was declared on 1 August 2018.
The Committee expressed disappointment about delays in funding which have constrained the response. They also reinforced the need to protect livelihoods of the people most affected by the outbreak by keeping transport routes and borders open. It is essential to avoid the punitive economic consequences of travel and trade restrictions on affected communities.
“It is important that the world follows these recommendations. It is also crucial that states do not use the PHEIC as an excuse to impose trade or travel restrictions, which would have a negative impact on the response and on the lives and livelihoods of people in the region,” said Professor Robert Steffen, chair of the Emergency Committee.
Since it was declared almost a year ago the outbreak has been classified as a level 3 emergency – the most serious – by WHO, triggering the highest level of mobilization from WHO. The UN has also recognized the seriousness of the emergency by activating the Humanitarian System-wide Scale-Up to support the Ebola response.
In recommending a PHEIC the committee made specific recommendations related to this outbreak.
“This is about mothers, fathers and children – too often entire families are stricken. At the heart of this are communities and individual tragedies,” said Dr. Tedros. “The PHEIC should not be used to stigmatize or penalize the very people who are most in need of our help.”
Courtesy of who.int
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