Ebola & Updates

darksai

Jedi Master
_http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Ebola-death-toll-keeps-rising-20140610-2


Conakry - One preacher advocated fasting and prayer to spare people from a virus that usually leads to a horrible death. Some people pray that the Ebola outbreaks, which are hitting three countries in West Africa, stay away from their home areas. Others seem unruffled and say it will blow over.

But more than a month after Guinea President Alpha Conde told reporters the Ebola outbreak that originated in his country was under control, the death toll continues to climb in his country as well as in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

At least 231 people have died since the outbreak of the fearsome disease, which causes bleeding internally and externally and for which there is no known cure. Guinea has recorded just over 200 deaths, along with about a dozen each in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Experts say the outbreak may have begun as far back as January in southeast Guinea. Ebola typically begins in remote places and it can take several infections before the disease is identified, making a precise start date virtually impossible to pin down.

It's one of the worst outbreaks since the disease was first recorded in 1976 in simultaneous outbreaks in Sudan and Congo, said Dr Armand Sprecher of Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

The West Africa Ebola situation is especially challenging because of the number of "satellite outbreaks" [hints of cometary origins?] that have cropped up, said Sprecher, who has worked on the emergency responses in Guinea as well as in Uganda in 2000 and in Congo in 2007.

There have been at least six satellite outbreaks elsewhere in Guinea - including the sprawling seaside capital of Conakry - and in Sierra Leone and Liberia, Sprecher said.

In each outbreak, health workers must identify patients, trace and monitor everyone they've been in contact with and teach people how to avoid the disease.

"Family members and traditional leaders are strongly advised to work with health teams to avoid dead bodies and their body fluids and prevent spreading of Ebola and deaths of member of communities. The public is also urged to wash their hands with soap and water or use sanitizer, ashes, avoid eating bush meat [monkeys, fruit bats], and to chlorinate their water before drinking," Bernice Dahn, Deputy Minister for Health Services in Liberia, said in a 7 June news release.

One preacher in Sierra Leone called for divine intervention.

"Even though the virus is said to have originated from birds and other animals, I believe the virus could be contained through God's miracle," said pastor Balogun Macauley, chair of the Coalition of Religious Youths in Sierra Leone, which has called for a 21-day period of fasting and prayer.

Clinic attacked

In Sierra Leone, some people take the threat seriously and heed advice put out on radio and TV stations and in newspapers by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. There is fear that Ebola might get to Freetown, the capital.

Some note nervously that while the outbreak has been restricted to eastern Kailahun District next to the border with Liberia, that is the same district where on 23 March 1992 war spread to Sierra Leone from Liberia. That war wound up engulfing the whole country of Sierra Leone for more than ten years.

Fear of the first outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has even bred violence.

Doctors Without Borders was forced to suspend activities at one treatment centre in Guinea after it came under attack by protesters in April. The mob accused Doctors Without Borders health workers of bringing Ebola to Guinea, where there had never previously been any cases.

Doctors Without Borders cycles health workers out after three or four weeks because of concerns about fatigue, Sprecher said.

"Given that there are only so many people experienced with Ebola in the world, you get stretched thin," he said, noting that some have undertaken multiple tours.

The number of Ebola cases in the three countries has risen above 400, according to the World Health Organization. The most devastating outbreak on record came in Uganda's Gulu district 14 years ago, with 425 cases and 224 deaths. [Total death count in this outbreak has surpassed this, though this record was in a single district. Still..]

"By the time this thing is done it will probably be one of the longer outbreaks, if not the longest," Sprecher said.
- AP
 
Re: Ebola Update

Thanks for sharing.
Saieden said:
_http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Ebola-death-toll-keeps-rising-20140610-2


Conakry - One preacher advocated fasting and prayer to spare people from a virus that usually leads to a horrible death. Some people pray that the Ebola outbreaks, which are hitting three countries in West Africa, stay away from their home areas. Others seem unruffled and say it will blow over...

One preacher in Sierra Leone called for divine intervention.

"Even though the virus is said to have originated from birds and other animals, I believe the virus could be contained through God's miracle," said pastor Balogun Macauley, chair of the Coalition of Religious Youths in Sierra Leone, which has called for a 21-day period of fasting and prayer.
Really seems a predecessor of the worst viral plague.
Will have to see how the religious factor acts in all this. Perhaps priests will sell these tragedies as a purge for sins or some other big story of the divine will, so believers will be able of die in a calmer way; and for many people will be the confirmation of the death of "God" (another more. Seems that the death of God is also cyclic in society simultaneous with catastrophes).
 
Re: Ebola Update

Uh oh.

Links on Drudge Report said:
HUNT FOR 30,000 EBOLA 'VICTIMS'...
MAN NEARLY REACHED USA...
FEAR IN CHARLOTTE...
Could go global...
'Speeding up not slowing down'...
If Ebola Hits America, Even Healthy Will be Quarantined...
Doctor tells of his hell on ward...
CDC issues airline advisory...
Travelers could face flight restriction...
Fight against disease hampered by belief in witchcraft...
Rep: Close Border to Virus Countries...
Peace Corps volunteers exposed...
Hospitals Training Staff To Be on Lookout...
Doctor Quarantined in Canada...
Woman treated in Hong Kong...
Schools closed in Liberia...
 
Re: Ebola Update

I'm not sure which will be worse when this hits the US. The virus itself, or whatever the PTB will do to "help" the situation. They never let a good crisis go to waste.
 
Re: Ebola Update

Mark said:
I'm not sure which will be worse when this hits the US. The virus itself, or whatever the PTB will do to "help" the situation. They never let a good crisis go to waste.
I'm not so sure that would work...

[url=https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php/topic said:
Q: (Andromeda) That's an interesting... (L) Way to look at it. (Burma Jones) So then back to what Galaxia was wanting to know, is there going to be a revolution? Are people actually going to wake up and start... (Galaxia) And do something about it?
A: Oh indeed!
Q: (Galaxia) Now that's what I like to hear! (Andromeda) Is it going to be a very bloody revolution?
A: Yes.
 
Re: Ebola Update



Health Ministry Failing to Pick up Abandoned Dead Bodies
_http://frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/news/2495-dead-bodies-health-ministry-failing-to-pick-up-abandoned

As the deadly Ebola virus continues to spread, Liberians are panicking as dead bodies of people who have died from unknown causes continue to dawdle around the city of Monrovia and its environs without the Ministry of Health collecting them. The situation is creating Health hazard as communities worry that Liberia’s Health ministry is incapacitated to cater to the Ebola crisis.

Monrovia - Following the government of Liberia’s declaration of a national health emergency in the face of the deadly Ebola outbreak that has killed close to 130 Liberians and an entire government ministry at risk because of an employee that died of the deadly disease in Nigeria, there have been reports of dead bodies lying around with no effort by the ministry of health to remove them.

Over the lake that divides the police academy road from the rest of the SKD Boulevard community two objects in the shape of body bags white in color were afloat. Residents and motorists were concerned about the floating object, but all efforts made to contact the health ministry to confirm what the object actually is proved futile as no health response team showed up to remove the object that looked like the body bag in which Ebola victims are buried.

In Harbel, Margibi County it was reported that three persons had died in a house, but the corpses were still in the house three days after. The Gardnersville community was a scene of chaos and confusion as youth blocked the main highway because a corpse had been abandoned for five days and had started to decay.


The government had reported that burial teams were facing challenges in burying people who die from the deadly virus as many communities are concerned about people who die from the virus being buried in their areas. Assistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyeswah told FPA weeks ago that the ministry was concerned that some Liberians were still in denial of the disease.

It seems at the high level the government is losing its wits on how to deal with the deadly virus that has claimed 129 lives including that of a government official. Sources say it is obvious that the Government is playing catch-up with measures to curb the deadly virus in a meeting held recently.

At the second meeting of the national task force set up by President Sirleaf in which she was present, the government did not seem to have a set plan and there was a lot of talking about decisions.

At the meeting attended by many dignitaries including the US ambassador Deborah Malac, the head of the United Nations in Liberia Karen Langren, ministers and other prominent members of society, it was clear that the only reason the president is acting now is because foreigners are dying from the deadly virus.

(Long article with more information.)

Peace Corps leaves West Africa as Ebola outbreak expands
_http://rt.com/usa/176856-peace-corps-ebola-outbreak-africa/

The US Peace Corps announced on Wednesday that it was removing its 340 volunteers from West Africa due to recent Ebola outbreak, while the federal government is being urged to fast-track a new a drug that could possibly stave off a global pandemic.

According to Reuters, 130 volunteers will leave Sierra Leone, while another 108 and 102 will depart Liberia and Guinea, respectively. The Peace Corps blamed the virus’ continued spread for the decision.

“The Peace Corps today announced that it is temporarily removing its volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea due to the increasing spread of the Ebola virus,” the organization said in a statement to the news service.

Since February, 672 people have been killed in all three countries, making the recent outbreak the most devastating on record, per the World Health Organization.

Meanwhile, the US State Department confirmed one American citizen has died from the virus – which triggers diarrhea and vomiting before causing internal and external bleeding. Two other aid workers have been infected and are in serious condition.

As RT reported on Tuesday, Sierra Leone’s only specialist on Ebola has also died, not even one week after being diagnosed with the virus. The current fatality rate stands at 60 percent, which is lower than the 90 percent rate typically associated with the disease.

As the highly contagious virus continues to raise concern across the world, activists have started apetition on Change.org pushing the US Food and Drug Administration to speed up the authorization of new medication that could potentially stop the virus in its tracks. There’s currently no cure for Ebola, but several drugs and vaccines are currently being tested.

“One of the most promising is TKM-Ebola manufactured by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals,” the petition states. “This drug has been shown to be highly effective in killing the virus in primates and Phase 1 clinical trials to assess its safety in humans were started earlier this year.”

The petition points to the fact that there’s been one confirmed case of the disease being transferred via air travel – from Liberia to Nigeria – and suggests the impending shadow of a pandemic makes fast-tracking the drug’s approval necessary.

“In view of this it’s imperative that the development of these drugs be fast-tracked by the FDA and the first step should be releasing the hold on TKM-Ebola. There is a precedent for fast tracking anti-Ebola drugs in emergency cases as happened last year when a researcher was exposed to the virus and received an experimental vaccine.”

Speaking with the Daily Mail, Professor Jeremy Farrar of the Welcome Trust global charity said drugs that have already been tested on humans should be deployed to the areas where they could be the most beneficial.

“It’s ridiculous that we haven’t got these (experimental) products out of labs and animal trials and into human testing, and at least offered to people,” he said.

“If you had a 60 per cent chance of dying tomorrow, and there was something that had been tested in healthy volunteers (but not yet tried in patients or approved), would you take it?”
 
Re: Ebola Update

"Liberians are panicking as dead bodies of people who have died from unknown causes continue to dawdle around the city of Monrovia and its environs without the Ministry of Health collecting them."

tfd.com said:
daw·dle (dôdl)
v. daw·dled, daw·dling, daw·dles
v.intr.
1. To take more time than necessary: dawdled through breakfast.
2. To move aimlessly or lackadaisically: dawdling on the way to work.
v.tr.
To waste (time) by idling: dawdling

It sounds like the Ministry of Health is dawdling while the bodies continue to gather around the city - but to say that the bodies themselves dawdle conjures up images of zombies slowly wandering around aimlessly.
 
Re: Ebola Update

Laura said:
"Dawdle"!!??

Dead bodies don't dawdle. What an odd choice of words.

Psalehesost said:
"Liberians are panicking as dead bodies of people who have died from unknown causes continue to dawdle around the city of Monrovia and its environs without the Ministry of Health collecting them."

tfd.com said:
daw·dle (dôdl)
v. daw·dled, daw·dling, daw·dles
v.intr.
1. To take more time than necessary: dawdled through breakfast.
2. To move aimlessly or lackadaisically: dawdling on the way to work.
v.tr.
To waste (time) by idling: dawdling

It sounds like the Ministry of Health is dawdling while the bodies continue to gather around the city - but to say that the bodies themselves dawdle conjures up images of zombies slowly wandering around aimlessly.

My thoughts exactly.
 
Re: Ebola Update

_http://www.sott.net/article/282930-Ebola-What-you-re-not-being-told

Everyone catch that? The virus is seemingly transmissible by large aerosol droplets. That fact is being omitted from major media outlets.

_http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2014/07/31/expert-reasonable-chance-person-infected-with-ebola-could-come-to-us/

The incubation period is anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, as many as 3 weeks before onset of symptoms. Onset includes headache, sore throat and fever. I'm officially creeped out. :umm:
 
Re: Ebola Update

Puck said:
_http://www.sott.net/article/282930-Ebola-What-you-re-not-being-told

Everyone catch that? The virus is seemingly transmissible by large aerosol droplets. That fact is being omitted from major media outlets.

_http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2014/07/31/expert-reasonable-chance-person-infected-with-ebola-could-come-to-us/

The incubation period is anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, as many as 3 weeks before onset of symptoms. Onset includes headache, sore throat and fever. I'm officially creeped out. :umm:

I guess what we can do - apart from speading information - is sticking with the ketogenic diet, the importance of which (in times of possible plague) is discussed here. (As mentioned in that thread, those not on the ketogenic diet should consider getting on it ASAP: Forget about the old detox and paleo diets - they have become completely obsolete with what we're learned more recently.) This virus sounds bad enough, but if it spreads widely, it may well mutate and become more "efficient" - i.e. more deadly - over time. If that happens, we'd have a repeat of the plague, which was an Ebola-like virus.

Apart from diet (where carbs impact the immune system while eating meat and animal fat helps), there's smoking tobacco (which historically has helped against pandemics), getting good sleep (since sleep disturbances impact the immune system), and generally making sure to avoid anything else we know impacts the immune system. Given the mind-body connection (psychoneuroimmunology), as described by Gabor Mate in When the Body Says No, being in good emotional shape is also crucial.

As far as I know, that's about it for short-term individual preparation - to be maintained consistently over time. Apart from other, longer-term preparation for a time of worldwide crisis, we can then only wait and see how it all turns out - for us, individually and in groups, and for others. Either we survive or we don't - there is no certainty.
 
Re: Ebola Update

Reuters only produced two short paragraph's on this serious subject?

U.S. government seeking to test Ebola vaccine on humans: reports
_http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/31/us-usa-ebola-vaccine-idUSKBN0G02T320140731

Thursday July 30. 2014

(Reuters) - The U.S. government will begin testing on people an experimental Ebola vaccine as early as September, after seeing positive results from tests on primates, according to media reports on Thursday.

The National Institutes of Health's infectious disease unit is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to put the vaccine into trial as quickly as possible, according to CNN and USA Today. The director of that unit could not be reached for comment.
 
Re: Ebola Update

_http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/02/ebola-outbreak-moving-faster-than-efforts-to-control-it-says-who-chief/

Ebola outbreak ‘moving faster than efforts to control it,’ says WHO chief
This week, Awa Faye added a new feature to her restaurant on a crowded street in Sierra Leone’s hilly capital of Freetown: a sign that instructs all patrons to wash their hands in the buckets of chlorinated water positioned outside. “I don’t allow anybody inside if they don’t wash your hands. We’re all trying to protect ourselves from Ebola one way or another,” said the 55-year old, who put the sign up after learning that the country’s top Ebola doctor had died on Tuesday.

Over in neighbouring Liberia, residents in the capital Monrovia have also been placing “Ebola buckets” outside offices, restaurants and homes. In Guinea, the prices of hand sanitiser and rubber gloves have soared.

Initially focusing battling misinformation and mistrust, the effort to curb the world’s biggest outbreak of Ebola, now spread across three nations, has shifted its emphasis to treating the number of cases coming forward, and finding those who have come into contact with victims of the highly contagious virus.

As Sierra Leone and Liberia declared states of emergency this week, a summit between the presidents of all three countries and the World Health Organisation underlined a renewed sense of urgency over the largest ever epidemic of the disease, which has so far claimed 729 lives.

“This outbreak is moving faster than our efforts to control it,” Margaret Chan, head of the global health body, said on Friday following a crisis meeting in Guinea’s capital of Conakry.

“If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of lost lives but also severe socioeconomic disruption and a high risk of spread to other countries.”

Chan added that the longer the virus circulated, the more it became a public risk: “Constant mutation and adaptation are the survival mechanisms of viruses and other microbes. We must not give this virus opportunities to deliver more surprises.”

WHO said the summit “must mark a turning point”. A $100m fund will be used to back an emergency plan by all three countries.

Guinea ranked last in a 2011 World Bank study of beds per capita, and Liberia and Sierra Leone are both recovering from almost two decades of uninterrupted civil war. The already weak health services are over stretched and have struggled to cope.

Spread through contact with bodily fluids of infected patients, bush meat or surfaces, Ebola has no known cure or vaccine, although early detection gives a greater chance of survival. Symptoms may take up to 21 days to appear.

In Guinea, where the outbreak started, cases have now been confined to the forested interior region. But health officials there said new hotspots have flared up, fuelled by cross-border trade and family ties.

“Yesterday we had a case of a man who fell ill while in Liberia. He came back home to Macenta [the disease epicentre] so his family could look after him. They took him to hospital thinking it was malaria, and only there discovered it was in fact Ebola,” said Sakouba Keita, the ministry of health official directing the country’s Ebola response.

Bah Mamdou, a taxi driver in the frontier town of Nzérékoré, said he had to continue plying his trade across the border to earn an income. “The way I see it, either I die of starvation or I die of Ebola. I won’t take any passengers that have the symptoms but in most cases it’s malaria,” whose early symptoms mimic those of Ebola, and kill thousands each year.

The response has been further hampered as NGOs have steadily reduced support staff in the affected countries. They include WaterAid and Samaritan’s Purse, a medical charity where two US doctors have contracted the disease. “My gut instinct is that it’s going to get worse before it gets better, and we can’t afford to take those risks anymore,” the director of another organisation told The Guardian.

“If you leave behind even one burning ember, one case undetected, it could reignite the epidemic,” Thomas Frieden, director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters this week. He said the situation could take three to six months to bring under control. “CDC along with others are surging to begin to turn the tide. It’s not going to be quick. It’s not going to be easy. But we know what to do _ so difficult as it is, it can be done”

The CDC said it would send a further 50 specialists to boost the several dozen more expected from the World Health Organisation.

In a region with communities are interlinked across porous borders, other countries are already tightening preventative measures. Nigerian officials began screening airport and seaport passengers this week after a Liberian man who collapsed in Lagos airport was later confirmed to have died of Ebola.

Further west, Ivory Coast set up four “surveillance posts” equipped with epidemiologists along its western border, where many maintain strong ties with Liberia. “For now we’re on red alert, and we haven’t ruled out closing our borders. We’re obviously concerned and doing everything possible to prevent its spread,” government spokesperson Bruno Kone said. Four women have been arrested for illegally selling bush meat in Yamoussoukro, the country’s capital located near the centre, he added.

Health officials in Germany and France have advised against non-essential travel to the three affected nations, and the outbreak has had unexpected effects beyond its borders. A military spokesperson for the African Union said it had cancelled a Sierra Leonean battalion rotation to Somalia, where the organisation is battling Al-Shabab Islamists.

Seems like plague flair ups coincide with violence.
 
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