NIGERIA, LIBERIA TO SHUT DOWN EBOLA HOSPITALS

[Wilikon]

WHO, govt shut down hospital over Ebola virus


As part of measures to prevent the spread of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Federal Government have shut down the hospital, First Consultants Medical Centre Limited, Ikoyi Road, Obalende, Lagos, where the first victim died.

They have also begun testing of all passengers on the same flight with the first Ebola virus victim in Nigeria who died on Friday in a Lagos hospital. Already, the WHO African Region has opened a sub-regional outbreak coordination centre in Conakry, Guinea.

It is feared that all the over 200 passengers on board are exposed to the deadly virus and may continue to spread the disease if they are not quarantined.

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/lead-story/172675-who-govt-shut-down-hospital-over-ebola-virus



Liberia: JFK to Shut Down! Ebola Kills Chief Medical Doctor

Authorities at the state run John F. Kennedy (JFK) Memorial Hospital here are said to be considering plans to shut down all activities at the hospital for 21-days due to the increasing number of reported Ebola cases, this paper have learnt.

JFK is one of the biggest state run referral hospitals here and has ushered in a number of Ebola suspected cases, many of whom have died.

The news come amidst unconfirmed reports of the death of one of the hospital’s senior medical practitioner, Dr, Samuel Brisbane, a former Chief Medical Doctor at the Firestone Rubber Plantation run Hospital from the deadly Ebola virus here on Thursday July 24, 2014.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201407251064.html

[RodeoX]

Hemorrhagic fever is no joke. Scary shit happening right now and it looks like containment is lost. The disease experts have never been sure what would happen if Ebola got into an urban population. It looks like we may find out. 

[Daniel91]

Medical standard in this area is very low, people (specially from countryside) don't trust doctors and hospitals and I'm afraid that this countries can't win this battle alone, without support from international community.
Ebola is very dangerous virus and if we don't stop the spread of Ebola Virus Disease now, whole world can be affected very soon.

[Wilikon]

Nigeria government confirms Ebola case in megacity of Lagos


A Liberian man who died in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos on Friday tested positive for the deadly Ebola virus, Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu said.

Patrick Sawyer, a consultant for the Liberian finance ministry in his 40s, collapsed on Sunday after flying into Lagos, a city of 21 million people, and was taken from the airport and put in isolation in a local hospital. Nigeria confirmed earlier on Friday that he had died in quarantine.

"His blood sample was taken to the advance laboratory at the Lagos university teaching hospital, which confirmed the diagnosis of the Ebola virus disease in the patient," Chukwu told a press conference on Friday. "This result was corroborated by other laboratories outside Nigeria."

However, at a separate press conference held by the Lagos state government at the same time, the city's health commissioner, Jide Idris, said that they were only "assuming that it was Ebola" because they were "waiting for a confirmative test to double check" from a laboratory in Dakar.

Paul Garwood, spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, said the U.N. health agency was also still waiting for test results.

"We're still waiting for laboratory-confirmed results as to whether he died of Ebola or not," he said.

It could not be immediately determined why there was a contradiction in the comments from central government and city officials.

If confirmed, the man would be the first case on record of one of the world's deadliest diseases in Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy and with 170 million people, its most populous country. Ebola has killed 660 people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since it was first diagnosed in February.

Sawyer was quarantined on arrival and had not entered the city, a Nigerian official told Reuters.

"While he was quarantined he passed away. Everyone who has had contact with him has been quarantined," the official said.

Liberia's finance minister Amara Konneh said Sawyer was a consultant for the country's finance ministry.

"Our understanding is that the cause of death was Ebola," Konneh told Reuters.

The victim's sister had died of the virus three weeks previously, and the degree of contact between the two was being investigated by Liberian health ministry officials, he said.

Earlier on Friday, WHO spokesman Paul Garwood said: "I understand that he was vomiting and he then turned himself over basically, he made it known that he wasn't feeling well. Nigerian health authorities took him and put him in isolation."

Nigeria has some of the continent's least adequate healthcare infrastructure, despite access to billions of dollars of oil money as Africa's biggest producer of crude.

Some officials think the disease is easier to contain in cities than in remote rural areas.

"The fear of spread within a dense population would be offset by better healthcare and a willingness to use it, easier contact tracing and, I assume for an urban population, less risky funerary and family rites," Ian Jones, a professor of virology at the University of Reading in Britain, said.

"It would be contained more easily than in rural populations."

There have been 1,093 Ebola cases to date in West Africa's first outbreak, including the 660 who have died, according to the WHO.

(Reporting by Tom Miles; Additional reporting by Tim Cocks and Oludare Mayowa in Lagos, Kate Holtan in London, Clair MacDougall in Monrovia, Emma Farge in Dakar and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Stephanie Nebehay and Tim Cocks; Editing by Susan Fenton and Sonya Hepinstall)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/25/us-heath-ebola-nigeria-idUSKBN0FU1LE20140725?irpc=932

[Wilikon]

A Woman With Ebola Escaped Quarantine And Is On The Run In A City Of 1 Million


FREETOWN — Sierra Leone officials appealed for help on Friday to trace the first known resident in the capital with Ebola whose family forcibly removed her from a Freetown hospital after testing positive for the deadly disease.
Radio stations in Freetown, a city of around 1 million inhabitants, broadcast the appeal on Friday to locate a woman who tested positive for the disease that has killed 660 people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since an outbreak was first identified in February.

"Saudatu Koroma of 25 Old Railway Line, Brima Lane, Wellington," the announcement said. "She is a positive case and her being out there is a risk to all. We need the public to help us locate her."

Koroma, 32, a resident of the densely populated Wellington neighborhood, had been admitted to an isolation ward while blood samples were tested for the virus, Health ministry spokesman Sidi Yahya Tunis said. The results came back on Thursday.

"The family of the patient stormed the hospital and forcefully removed her and took her away," Tunis said. "We are searching for her."

Fighting one of the world's deadliest diseases is straining the region's weak health systems, while a lack of information and suspicion of medical staff has led many to shun treatment.

DOZENS UNACCOUNTED FOR

Earlier this year, a man in Freetown tested positive for Ebola, although he is believed to have caught it elsewhere.

According to health ministry data and officials, dozens of people confirmed by laboratory tests to have Ebola are now unaccounted for in Sierra Leone, where the majority of cases have been recorded in the country's east.

While international medical organizations have deployed experts to the field in an attempt to contain the outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said poor health infrastructure and a lack of manpower were hindering their efforts.

"We're seeing many of these facilities simply don't have enough people to provide the constant level of care needed," WHO spokesman Paul Garwood told a news briefing in Geneva on Friday.

There is no cure or vaccine for Ebola, which causes diarrhea, vomiting, and internal and external bleeding. It can kill up to 90 percent of those infected, although the mortality rate of the current outbreak is around 60 percent. 

The West African outbreak is the first time that Ebola, which was first discovered in what is now Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976, has appeared in heavily populated urban areas and international travel hubs.

Cases have already been confirmed in Conakry and Monrovia, the capital cities of Guinea and Liberia.

On Thursday authorities in Nigeria announced that they were testing a Liberian man for Ebola after he collapsed upon arrival at an airport in Lagos, the country's commercial capital and a mega-city of 21 million people.



http://www.businessinsider.com/r-first-ebola-victim-in-sierra-leone-capital-on-the-run-2014-25#ixzz38omv442b

[Mike Christ]

Very troubling, let's hope for the best.

[misterbowls]

60% mortality rate means you're 4 times more likely to not die. 

[gmx95]

This is starting to remind me horror movie scenarios

[MsCollec]

This is really sad that health aid workers are showing symptoms of the Ebola too.

[Wilikon]

Ebola Coming to D.C.? “Every Precaution” Being Taken by Obama Admin as African Summits Start


The Obama administration is taking “every precaution” to prevent the deadly Ebola virus from being brought to Washington D.C. as thousands of African government officials and young leaders, including those from countries affected by the current Ebola outbreak, gather in the nation’s capital for two summits hosted by President Barack Obama.

Speaking at Monday’s State Department briefing, spokeswoman Jen Psaki responded to a question about the Ebola outbreak affecting the summit(s):

“QUESTION: And can I just ask – sorry, Nicole, because I know you had other questions – but is this going to affect in any way the planning for next week’s summit of African leaders in the White House and State Department?

“MS. PSAKI: Obviously, we’re taking every precaution, but at this point we don’t believe it will.”

The death of Liberian government official Patrick Sawyer from the Ebola virus after he flew to Nigeria from Liberia via Togo has alarmed the international community as it showed that plane passengers could spread the virus around the world unnoticed until it is too late.

Sawyer was on his way to an international conference when he fell ill and died.

Two American health workers have recently been infected with Ebola in Liberia. The family of one Ebola victim that recently returned from Liberia to the United States is being observed for 21 days for signs of the virus though they have so far tested negative.

Sawyer’s family lives in Minnesota. His wife and three daughters were not at risk as they had not had recent contact with him.

As reported earlier by The Gateway Pundit, President Barack Obama invited the leaders of 50 African nations to the summit, in addition to holding a separate summit this week for young African leaders. Leaders from the four nations hit by Ebola deaths are on the list of invitees: Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. The summits will affect large swaths of Washington, D.C. including Georgetown, Foggy Bottom, the Maine Avenue waterfront and areas around the White House.

Psaki did not specify what precautions the government was taking to prevent the Ebola virus from being brought to Washington, D.C. The virus can be spread by close contact with bodily fluids. The chance of the Ebola virus showing up at the summit is low, but should it infect people in Washington, D.C. it would cause global concerns.

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/07/ebola-coming-to-d-c-every-precaution-being-taken-by-obama-admin-as-african-summits-start/

[bryant.coleman]

I really hope that Ebola stays out of Lagos. If the infection spreads to Lagos, then mark my words, millions will die of the disease. It is 100% impossible to contain the epidemic if it spreads to the slums of Lagos. Ebola might be less mortal when compared to HIV (90% vs 99.9999%), but it is much more infectious and spreads much more rapidly.

[noviapriani]

So....let me get this straight.  Ebola outbreak is out of control, and we're flying people from Africa over to the U.S.?  Seriously....how do we know these people are not infected themselves?  Complete and total madness o the part of Obama, the CDC, and Homeland Security.    No planes from Africa should be allowed to land in the U.S until this virus is contained and under control.......period.

[solid12345]

Captain Trips

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUAvTn3uz5w

[Rigon]

Liberia shuts border crossings, restricts gatherings to curb Ebola spreading

(Reuters) - The Liberian government on Sunday closed most of the West African nation's border crossings and introduced stringent health measures to curb the spread of the deadly Ebola virus that has killed at least 660 people across the region.

The new measures announced by the government on Sunday came as Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone struggle to contain the worst outbreak yet of the virus.

Speaking at a task force meeting, Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said the government is doing everything to fight the virus including inspecting and testing all outgoing and incoming passengers by Liberia's airport authority.

"All borders of Liberia will be closed with the exception of major entry points. At these entry points, preventive and testing centers will be established, and stringent preventive measures to be announced will be scrupulously adhered to," she said.

Ebola can kill up to 90 percent of those who catch it, although the fatality rate of the current outbreak is around 60 percent. Highly contagious, especially in the late stages, its symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea as well as internal and external bleeding.

Under the new measures, public gatherings such as marches, demonstrations and promotional advertisements also will be restricted.

The outbreak has placed a great strain on the health systems of some of Africa's poorest countries.

"No doubt, the Ebola virus is a national health problem. And as we have also begun to see, it attacks our way of life, with serious economic and social consequences," Sirleaf said in a statement.

Still, despite efforts to fight the disease, the virus continues to spread. A 33-year-old American doctor working for relief organization Samaritan's Purse in Liberia tested positive for the disease on Saturday.

The charity said on Sunday a second American, who was helping a team treating Ebola patients at a case management center in Monrovia had also tested positive.

Samuel Brisbane, a senior Liberian doctor, who was also treating infected patients has died after contracting the virus, authorities said on Sunday. In Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, a Liberian man who tested positive died in on Friday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/28/us-health-ebola-africa-idUSKBN0FX00V20140728

[noviapriani]

Just saw a segment on Morning Joe in regards to Ebola. Dr. Nancy Snyderman stated that the latest victims to come down with Ebola, was not around any of the patients, but responsible for gathering up the hazmat suits for cleaning.  Obama bringing in potential disease via plane....besides what he's doing on our southern border.  What a POS!


As Ebola outbreak rages, medical community searches for answers

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ebola-outbreak-spreads-confusion-fear-in-medical-community/

[lepirate]

Awareness song from Liberia, and it sure does make me a bit scared:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_WOR22-SnY

[Tzupy]

The cruel irony is that Ebola is treatable now, but the idiots don't know and keep believing there is no treatment.
25 days ago I saw the CNN interview of Dr. Peter Piot, the dicoverer of the Ebola virus, and after doing some
superficial research I found that there are several chemicals with good activity in vivo against Ebola, the most
promising being clomiphene (others: toremiphene, chloroquine, amodiaquine, ketotifen, diphenoxylate,
amiodarone, dronedarone, verapamil). I sent an e-mail to CNN about this but nothing happened...

[RodeoX]

The cruel irony is that Ebola is treatable now, but the idiots don't know and keep believing there is no treatment.
25 days ago I saw the CNN interview of Dr. Peter Piot, the dicoverer of the Ebola virus, and after doing some
superficial research I found that there are several chemicals with good activity in vivo against Ebola, the most
promising being clomiphene (others: toremiphene, chloroquine, amodiaquine, ketotifen, diphenoxylate,
amiodarone, dronedarone, verapamil). I sent an e-mail to CNN about this but nothing happened...

There is a lot of confusion about this. It has been noted that some of the fertility / estrogen control drugs seem to provide some prophylaxis in mice. It may lead to something, but right now there is no specific treatment for ebola. Sadly patients receive only palliative care.

Fingers crossed. Let's hope something can be developed in the next 5-10 years.

[Tzupy]

Clomiphene provided 90% protection in mice. Of course it's not an approved treatment, because getting a treatment
approved takes lengthy clinical trials. But with Ebola it's not possible to go by the book, the best option is to try clomiphene now
on patients that have a meager chance to survive with only palliative care. And see what happens, IMO it's worth trying.

[foggyb]

60% mortality rate means you're 4 times more likely to not die.  

That makes the virus theoretically 4x more likely to be spread. A 90% mortality rate is ironically a containment benefit.