Ebola Bulletins, Media and Timelines ***NO DISCUSSION***

bessie

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Use this thread to post ebola news. This is a NON-DISCUSSION thread.

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ETA: DON'T forget to include LINKS.
 
U.S. to Begin Ebola Screenings at 5 Airports
By SABRINA TAVERNISE and MICHAEL D. SHEAROCT. 8, 2014

ATLANTA — Federal officials said Wednesday that they would begin temperature screenings of passengers arriving from West Africa at five American airports, beginning with Kennedy International in New York as early as this weekend, as the United States races to respond to a deadly Ebola outbreak.

Travelers at the four other airports — Washington Dulles International, O’Hare International, Hartsfield-Jackson International and Newark Liberty International — will be screened starting next week, according to federal officials.
 
The White House

Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
October 06, 2014
FACT SHEET: The U.S. Response to the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa

Since the first cases of Ebola were reported in West Africa in March 2014, the United States has mounted a whole-of-government response to contain and eliminate the epidemic at its source, while also taking prudent measures at home. The President last month outlined a stepped-up U.S. response, leveraging more thoroughly the unique capabilities of the U.S. military to support the civilian-led response in West Africa. Domestically, we have prepared for the diagnosis of an Ebola case on U.S. soil and have measures in place to stop this and any potential future cases in their tracks.

Specifically, our strategy is predicated on four key goals:

  • Controlling the epidemic at its source in West Africa;
  • Mitigating second-order impacts, including blunting the economic, social, and political tolls in the region;
  • Engaging and coordinating with a broader global audience; and,
  • Fortifying global health security infrastructure in the region and beyond, including within the United States.
International Response

In support of national government efforts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea—and alongside the international community—the U.S. response builds upon the measures we have had in place since the first cases of Ebola were reported. The United States already has committed more than $350 million toward fighting the outbreak in West Africa, including more than $111 million in humanitarian aid, and the Department of Defense (DoD) is prepared to devote more than $1 billion to the whole-of-government Ebola response effort. As a further indication of our prioritization of this response, the United States convened a special UN Security Council session on the epidemic, and President Obama called the world to action during a subsequent UN session called by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. These U.S. actions have galvanized millions of dollars in international funding and in-kind support.

Among the specific response efforts, the United States has:

  • Deployed to West Africa more than 130 civilian medical, healthcare, and disaster response experts from multiple U.S. government departments and agencies as part of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Disaster Assistance Response Team as well as approximately 350 U.S. military personnel, constituting the largest U.S. response to an international public health challenge;
  • Increased the number of Ebola treatment units (ETU) in the region, including supporting ETUs in Sierra Leone and Liberia, and one of our new ETUs in Liberia discharged its first four Ebola survivors last week;
  • Increased to 50 the number of safe burial teams, which are now working across every county in Liberia to safely and respectfully dispose of bodies;
  • Deployed and commenced operation of five mobile Ebola testing labs in the region, two of which opened this week in Liberia and have doubled lab capacity in the country—reducing from several days to just a few hours the time needed to determine if a patient has Ebola;
  • Provided more than 10,000 Ebola test kits to the Liberian Institute of Biological Research and Sierra Leone’s Kenema Government Hospital;
  • Received and passed to interested humanitarian organizations information from nearly 2,200 volunteers willing to provide healthcare in the affected countries;
  • Delivered approximately 2,200 rolls of USAID heavy-duty plastic sheeting for use in constructing Ebola treatment units across the region;
  • Procured 140,000 sets of personal protective equipment, 10,000 of which have already been delivered, along with hundreds of thousands of medical gloves and thousands of protective coveralls, goggles, face shields, and other personal protective supplies;
  • Delivered an initial 9,000 of 50,000 community care kits to Liberia;
  • Supported aggressive public education campaigns reaching every Liberian county with life-saving information on how to identify, treat and prevent Ebola;
  • Administered nutritional support to patients receiving care at Ebola treatment units and in Ebola-affected communities across the region; and
  • Provided technical support to the Government of Liberia’s national-level emergency operation center.
In the days and weeks to come, U.S. efforts will include:

  • Scaling-up the DoD presence in West Africa. Following the completion of AFRICOM’s assessment, DoD announced the planned deployment of 3,200 troops, including 700 from the 101st Airborne Division headquarters element to Liberia. These forces will deploy in late October and become the headquarters staff for the Joint Forces Command, led by Major General Gary Volesky. The total U.S. troop commitment will depend on the requirements on the ground;
  • Overseeing the construction of and facilitating staffing for at least 17 100-bed Ebola treatment units across Liberia;
  • Deploying additional U.S. military personnel from various engineering units to help supervise the construction of ETUs and provide engineering expertise for the international response in Liberia;
  • Establishing a training site in Liberia to train up to 500 health care providers per week, enabling them to provide safe and direct supportive medical care to Ebola patients;
  • Setting up and facilitating staffing for a hospital in Liberia that will treat all healthcare workers who are working in West Africa on the Ebola crisis should they fall ill;
  • Operating a training course in the United States for licensed nurses, physicians, and other healthcare providers intending to work in an ETU in West Africa;
  • Leveraging a regional staging base in Senegal to help expedite the surge of equipment, supplies, and personnel to West Africa;
  • Continuing outreach by all levels of the U.S. government to push for increased and speedier response contributions from partners around the globe; and,
  • Sustaining engagement with the UN system to coordinate response and improve effectiveness.
Domestic Response

We have been prepared for an Ebola case in the United States and have the healthcare system infrastructure in place to respond safely and effectively. Upon confirming the Ebola diagnosis, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and our interagency team activated plans that had been developed.

Our public health officials have led the charge to prepare and fortify our national health infrastructure to respond quickly and effectively to Ebola cases domestically. Their efforts include:

  • Enhancing surveillance and laboratory testing capacity in states to detect cases; in the last three months, 12 Laboratory Response Network labs have been validated to perform Ebola diagnostic testing throughout the United States;
  • Authorizing the use of a diagnostic test developed by DoD to help detect the Ebola virus.
  • Providing guidance and tools for hospitals and health care providers to prepare for and manage potential patients, protect healthcare workers, and respond in a coordinated fashion;
  • Developing guidance and tools for health departments to conduct public health investigations;
  • Providing recommendations for healthcare infection control and other measures to prevent disease spread;
  • Disseminating guidance for flight crews, Emergency Medical Services units at airports, and Customs and Border Protection officers about reporting ill travelers to CDC;
  • Providing up-to-date information to the general public, international travelers, healthcare providers, state and local officials, and public health partners;
  • Advancing the development and clinical trials of Ebola vaccines and antivirals to determine their safety and efficacy in humans;
  • Monitoring by the Food and Drug Administration for fraudulent products and false product claims related to the Ebola virus and implementing enforcement actions, as warranted, to protect the public health; and,
  • Issuing by the U.S. Department of Transportation, in coordination with CDC, an emergency special permit for a company to transport large quantities of Ebola-contaminated waste from Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas as well as from other locations in Texas for disposal.
Passenger Screening

On top of these domestic measures, we recognize that passenger screening efforts in West Africa and at domestic airports represent another line of defense. We have developed and supported a stringent screening regimen both at home and abroad, and we are constantly evaluating the effectiveness of these and other potential measures. We will make adjustments as deemed prudent by health professionals and the appropriate U.S. departments and agencies.

Exit screening measures are routinely implemented in the affected West African countries, and U.S. government personnel have worked closely with local authorities to implement these measures. Since the beginning of August, CDC has been working with airlines, airports, ministries of health, and other partners to provide technical assistance for the development of exit screening and travel restrictions in countries with Ebola. This includes:

  • Assessing the capacity to conduct exit screening at international airports;
  • Assisting countries with procuring supplies needed to conduct exit screening;
  • Supporting with development of exit screening protocols;
  • Developing tools such as posters, screening forms, and job-aids;
  • Training staff on exit screening protocols and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) use; and,
  • Preparing in-country staff to provide future trainings.
  • All outbound passengers are screened for Ebola symptoms in the affected countries. Such primary exit screening involves travelers responding to a travel health questionnaire, being visually assessed for potential illness, and having their body temperature measured.
  • If a person has a fever above 101.5 or is suspected to be ill, the passenger will be taken aside for a more detailed health assessment – a secondary screening - to determine if he or she should be isolated.
  • Airport employees must wear latex gloves, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, and monitor their own body temperature daily, among other measures.
  • Once passengers arrive in the United States they are subject to additional measures.

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the CDC have closely coordinated to develop policies, procedures, and protocols to identify travelers who may have a communicable disease, responding in a manner that minimizes risk to the public. These procedures have been utilized collaboratively by both agencies on a number of occasions with positive results. Among these measures:

  • CBP personnel review all travelers entering the United States for general overt signs of illnesses (visual observation, questioning, and notification of CDC as appropriate) at all U.S. ports of entry, including all federal inspection services areas at U.S. airports that service international flights.
  • When a traveler is identified with a possible communicable disease or identified from information that is received from the CDC, CBP personnel will take the appropriate safety measures by referring the traveler to a secondary, isolating the traveler from other travelers, and referring to CDC or public officials for a medical assessment. CBP personnel may don personal protective equipment (PPE), to include gloves and surgical masks, which are readily available for use in the course of their duties.
  • CBP personnel receive training in illness recognition, but if they identify an individual believed to be infected, CBP will contact CDC along with local public health authorities to help with further medical evaluation.
  • CBP is handing out fact sheets to travelers arriving in the U.S. from Ebola- affected countries, which detail information on Ebola, health signs to look for, and information for their doctor should they need to seek medical attention in the future.
  • Secretary Johnson has also directed Transportation Security Administration to issue an Information Circular to air carriers reinforcing the CDC’s message on Ebola and providing guidance on identifying potential passengers with Ebola. DHS is closely monitoring the situation and Secretary Johnson will consider additional actions as appropriate.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press...-sheet-us-response-ebola-epidemic-west-africa
 
HMSHood Started an ebola thread March 2014. First post:

Guinea battles to contain Ebola as Senegal closes its border
http://news.yahoo.com/guinea-races-c...013845200.html


Conakry (AFP) - Guinea is racing to contain a deadly Ebola epidemic spreading from its southern forests to the capital Conakry, as neighbouring Senegal closes its border.


The European Union pledged 500,000 euros ($690,000) to fight the contagion, while the Senegalese interior ministry said border crossings to Guinea would be closed "until further notice".


First time Ebola has been seen in West Africa as it occurs in Central Africa. The virus was first identified in Northern Congo (than Zaire). Ebola is a very gruesome and deadly disease.
 
WHO Ebola Fact Sheet


  • Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans.
  • The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
  • The average EVD case fatality rate is around 50%. Case fatality rates have varied from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks.
  • The first EVD outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rainforests, but the most recent outbreak in west Africa has involved major urban as well as rural areas.
  • Community engagement is key to successfully controlling outbreaks. Good outbreak control relies on applying a package of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe burials and social mobilisation.
  • Early supportive care with rehydration, symptomatic treatment improves survival. There is as yet no licensed treatment proven to neutralise the virus but a range of blood, immunological and drug therapies are under development.
  • There are currently no licensed Ebola vaccines but 2 potential candidates are undergoing evaluation.
​
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/
 
WHO Ebola Transmission

The Ebola virus is transmitted among humans through close and direct physical contact with infected bodily fluids, the most infectious being blood, faeces and vomit.


The Ebola virus has also been detected in breast milk, urine and semen. In a convalescent male, the virus can persist in semen for at least 70 days; one study suggests persistence for more than 90 days.


Saliva and tears may also carry some risk. However, the studies implicating these additional bodily fluids were extremely limited in sample size and the science is inconclusive. In studies of saliva, the virus was found most frequently in patients at a severe stage of illness. The whole live virus has never been isolated from sweat.


The Ebola virus can also be transmitted indirectly, by contact with previously contaminated surfaces and objects. The risk of transmission from these surfaces is low and can be reduced even further by appropriate cleaning and disinfection procedures.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/ebola/06-october-2014/en/
 
WHO Oct 8 Ebola Situation Update

(Data gathered until Oct 5th)

8033 Cases
3879 Deaths

401 Health Care Workers are known to have been infected with EVD up to the end of 5 October.
232 HCWs have died.



Countries affected are Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and the United States of America. A confirmed case of EVD has been reported in Spain1 but because the case was confirmed during the week ending 12 October (epidemiological week 41).

The past week has seen a continuation of recent trends: the situation in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone continues to deteriorate, with widespread and persistent transmission of EVD.

Problems with data gathering in Liberia continue. It should be emphasized that the reported fall in the number of new cases in Liberia over the past three weeks is unlikely to be genuine. Rather, it reflects a deterioration in the ability of overwhelmed responders to record accurate data....

http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/136020/1/roadmapsitrep_8Oct2014_eng.pdf?ua=1
 
Managing Patients with Ebola
Virus in the United States:
Lessons Learned

Jay B. Varkey, M.D.
On behalf of the
Serious Communicable Diseases Unit
Emory University Hospital

(53 pg. PDF)

BBM
 
Liberia bans journalists from Ebola centres

By AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE | October 10, 2014
snipped
Journalists had earlier been denied access to the Island Clinic in Monrovia to cover a nationwide “go slow” day of action by healthcare workers demanding risk bonuses for treating Ebola.

The minister told the Monrovia based station he would insist that journalists report his statements from now on rather than what they saw for themselves.

“We, the nurses, cannot work because the hygienists have stopped working. The patients are dying. Something needs to be done. The go slow action is killing our people,” he said.

The media rights campaign group warned that panicked governments fighting the epidemic were “quarantining” reporters to prevent them covering the crisis.

“Combatting the epidemic needs good media reporting but panicked governments are muzzling journalists,” it said in a statement.

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/news/2014/10/liberia-bans-journalists-from-ebola-centres/
 
Nigeria: Ebola Scare - 1,332 Nigerian Soldiers Quarantined in Liberia
10 October 2014
snipped

The Nigerian Army has revealed that about 1332 of its peace keeping troops in Liberia have been placed under surveillance following their contact with a Sudanese who later died of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

The director of the Nigerian Army Medical Corps, Major-General Obashina Ogunbiyi stated this in Abuja yesterday.

According to the Army medical officer, the incident followed the death of a Sudanese Muslim man who had come to the camp of the soldiers to lead them in prayer during the Eid-el Fitri celebration, but developed Ebola symptoms the following day and later died.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201410100266.html
 
Oct 10 Update:

8,376 cases
4,024 deaths


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-29577175
 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29507673

This is a short diary from the BBC global health reporter Tulip Mazumdar who has just spent some time in Sierra Leone.

There is also a short film clip showing the problems families face when trying to find care for their relatives.
 
This Illustration Of Ebola Coverage Shows How Problematic Media Reports Can Be

http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2147608/thumbs/o-ANDR-CARRILHO-EBOLA-900.jpg

The first Ebola patient to be diagnosed in the U.S. died Wednesday. Three days earlier, government health officials in Sierra Leone reported 121 Ebola deaths in a single day. But Western media made little mention of the latter.

Andre Carrilho, the artist responsible for the illustration had the following to say:

"I think unfortunately, in the Western media, there are first-world diseases and third-world diseases, and the attention devoted to the latter depends on the threat they pose to us, not on a universal measure of human suffering," he said. "A death in Africa, or Asia for that matter, should be as tragic as a death in Europe or the USA, and it doesn’t seem to be."


Carrilho says this difference in treatment and media coverage shifts the paradigm.

"If an epidemic breaks out in the USA or Europe, suddenly the reporting is more engaged. This gives rise to a few side effects," he said. "The 'us versus them' relationship shifts from detachment to fear of incoming immigrants from affected countries, and in both race and nationalism have an active part."

If Carrilho could see one change in the way the outbreak and public health are discussed, he says, it would be to tack on more global perspective. "I would like to hear from the people who are affected everywhere," he toldHuffPost. "I would like to feel that everyone’s voices are more equally heard, even if they speak a language that is not mine."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/08/ebola-illustration-andre-carrilho_n_5955192.html

Cuba leads fight against Ebola in Africa as west frets about border security

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/12/cuba-leads-fights-against-ebola-africa

The island nation has sent hundreds of health workers to help control the deadly infection while richer countries worry about their security – instead of heeding UN warnings that vastly increased resources are urgently needed
 

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