Health

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says a proposed nation-wide lockdown in Sierra Leone will not help control the spread of the Ebola virus.

“It has been our experience that lockdowns and quarantines do not help control Ebola as they end up driving people underground and jeopardizing the trust between people and health providers,” MSF said on Saturday. Earlier in the say, Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, a presidential adviser on Sierra Leone’s Ebola task force, said that a four-day lockdown will be imposed in a bid to contain the spread of the disease. He said people will be prohibited from leaving their homes on September 18-21 in the country, worst hit by the disease, adding, “The aggressive approach is necessary to deal with the spread of Ebola once and for all.”

Doctors Without Borders said, “This leads to the concealment of potential cases and ends up spreading the disease further.”Sierra Leone’s Deputy Information Minister Theo Nichol said the lockdown would allow medical workers to trace suspected cases easily. The MSF, however, said door-to-door screening needed a high level of expertise and that even if cases were found; there were not enough treatment centres and other facilities to house the patients.

The group once again called on the countries with civilian and military biological-disaster response capacities to send equipment and teams to West Africa. “This remains our best hope of bringing this deadly outbreak under control as quickly as possible,” it added. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 2,100 people have already died of the Ebola disease in West Africa. It also says two potential vaccines against the deadly virus could be available as soon as November. Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. It remains one of the world’s most virulent diseases, which kills between 25 to 90 percent of those who get infected with it.

 

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Ngwa Bertrand

07.Sep.2014

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The United Nations World Health Organization is calling for a coordinated global response to combat the growing Ebola outbreak affecting parts of West Africa. Margaret Chan, director-general of the global health body, Wednesday said the outbreak has so far killed more than 1,900 people and infected at least 3,500 in the region. 'It has become a global threat and we require urgent action and we need a well-coordinated mechanism bringing together the countries affected, as well as development partners from other countries, including USA,' she said. 'Now that I am in U.S., I want to tell you, the U.S. government has been a very strong supporter through many agencies like the CDC, NIH, and of course USAID and others.'

​​The WHO estimates that it will cost upwards of $600 million to tackle the epidemic. Tom Kenyon, director of the Center for Global Health at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says the virus is 'spiraling out of control' and that the window of opportunity to fight it is closing. U.S. health officials say the key to containing the outbreak will be increasing the number of Ebola treatment centers, providing protective equipment for health workers and monitoring the contacts of those infected. Experts have warned that Ebola could spread beyond the five West African countries that have been affected: Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.

The World Health Organization says a separate, smaller outbreak in a remote part of the Democratic Republic of Congo is unrelated to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. 'Democratic Republic of Congo, this outbreak is smaller, and at this point in time we have epidemiological evidence as well as viruses sequencing to demonstrate that this is an independent outbreak,' Chan said. 'It is important to highlight this point. It is not a spread from West Africa to central Africa, so that means we are seeing a much, much bigger outbreak, or people coined the term epidemic, in West Africa while at the same time DRC is reporting a smaller outbreak on its own.'

Meanwhile, a British nurse infected with Ebola has been released from the hospital after recovering from the virus. The Royal Free London Hospital said Wednesday that William Pooley's 10 days of treatment included the experimental drug ZMapp. He was taken to the hospital last month after contracting Ebola while working in Sierra Leone.

 

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Ngwa Bertrand

04.Sep.2014

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The international medical agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says the world is losing the battle against the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa.

On Tuesday, the group said that treatment centers in West Africa had “reduced to places where people go to die alone, where little more than palliative care is offered.” “Six months into the worse Ebola epidemic in history, the world is losing the battle to contain it,” Doctors Without Borders’ President Joanne Liu said. The MSF president said that the group, which has treated over 1,000 patients since March, is completely overwhelmed by the spread of the virus.

Liu called for more assistance from countries that have already helped and those which “have not come on board.” “The announcement [by the World HealthOrganization] on August 8 that the epidemic constituted a ‘public health emergency of international concern’ has not led to decisive action, and states have essentially joined a global coalition of inaction,” Liu said.

She added that infectious bodies were rotting in the streets of Sierra Leone, while Liberia was forced to build a new crematorium instead of a new Ebola care center. Meanwhile, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has warned that restrictions on movement in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, which are badly hit by the epidemic, have caused panic buying, food shortages and severe price hikes. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has left over 1,550 people dead and infected 3,062 others since it was first reported in the forests of southeastern Guinea in March. Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can also be spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

 

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Ngwa Bertrand

03.Sep.2014

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EBOLA in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea shows no signs of abetting, with 40% of new cases being reported in the past 21 days alone—suggesting a huge under-reporting of cases so far. 

The outbreak is now expected to get worse before it gets better - at least according to worst case scenarios - with the World Health Organisation saying the virus could infect up to 20,000 people. 

With such a grim outlook, it’s small wonder some countries are sealing off borders, cancelling flights and refusing to let ships dock in port, in isolation measures reminiscent of 14th century Europe when the Black Death killed an estimated 75 million.

A cordon has been set up in a triangular area where the borders of the three countries meet, with soldiers checking credentials and taking the temperatures of those trying to go in or out. The New York Times reports it’s a tactic that hasn’t been seen in nearly a hundred years, when a similar cordon was set up between Poland and Russia in 1918 to prevent typhus fever from spreading west. It’s been called “heartless but effective”: Cordons can be brutal, at their most extreme everyone within the area could be left to die or survive, until the outbreak burns itself out.Officials say human rights will be respected, and food, water and supplies will be allowed through. But food and fuel shortages are already beginning to bite. Riots broke out in a slum in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, last week as residents desperate for food rations battled police. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) said that about one million people are facing food shortages because of quarantines around the region.African countries too, are stepping up the isolation by rolling out a raft of border closures to contain the spread of the virus, despite WHO saying travel bans and border closures are counter-productive and “do not work”. Senegal has closed its border with Guinea, and one case has been reported in Senegal so far. Cote d’Ivoire closed its borders with Guinea and Liberia last week.

The only countries in the region neighbouring a hard-hit country that are yet to close their borders are Mali and Guinea Bissau, both of which border Guinea.Some of the measures are admittedly rather excessive and quite unnecessary: Chad has closed its border with Nigeria, but the 15 Ebola cases reported in Nigeria have been in Lagos, over 1,500 kilometres away from the Chadian border in north-eastern Nigeria.Only the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is doing something more proactive than just shutting borders—the country has sent an Ebola expert to Liberia to help deal with the outbreak. Until now, the DRC and Uganda are where many of the past Ebola outbreaks have been centred. The isolation is not just on land. Major international shipping companies are reportedly getting jittery about docking in the region. As of last week, many of the multinational shipping lines calling at seaports in West Africa had suspended shore leave as well as crew change in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria.

A Liberian container vessel was even briefly stranded off the coast of Richards Bay, South Africa, after its arrival “sparked fears” that its crew could be carrying the deadly virus.

And Air France became the latest airline to suspend flights to the three hardest-hit countries. Now, the only major international airline landing in the region is Royal Air Morocco with once a day to Conakry and every other day to Monrovia and Freetown. 

Even so, very few want to go there—from Casablanca, just 10% of seats to the three cities are occupied, Royal Air Morocco says. Although 15 cases of Ebola have been reported in Nigeria, flights to and from the country have not been affected.

Air Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria’s Arik Air, Togo’s ASKY Airlines, British Airways, Emirates Airlines and Kenya Airways have together cancelled a combined 76 scheduled flights to Guinea, 70 to Liberia and 70 to Sierra Leone.

 

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Ngwa Bertrand

01.Sep.2014

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Senegal has recorded its first case of Ebola in an outbreak that is ravaging its West African neighbors, the Ministry of Health said Friday.

The infected person is a young man from Guinea, Health Minister Awa Marie Coll Seck told reporters.

The outbreak that has killed more than 1,500 people began last year in Guinea, which shares a border with Senegal. Since then, the disease has spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. At least 3,000 people have contracted the virus.

The arrival of the dreaded disease in Senegal, whose capital Dakar is a major transportation hub for the region, is likely to increase fears about the disease’s uncontrolled spread even further.

The World Health Organization has warned that the outbreak is worsening and offered new evidence of its acceleration Friday, saying the past week has seen the highest increase of cases since the outbreak began.

The U.N. health agency has warned that the disease could eventually infect 20,000 people, and unveiled a plan Thursday to stop transmission in the next six to nine months.

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Ngwa Bertrand

29.Aug.2014

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By Joachim Arrey in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

Ebola, the violent virus named after a village in Congo, has continued to terrorize communities across West and Central Africa. The number of fatalities is on the rise despite efforts by the international community to contain its spread. The “no-nonsense virus” has pushed the international community into taking desperate and rigorous measures. In West Africa, Ebola towns are cropping up, with residents even quarantined at gun point. In Liberia, the virus’ continuous push and huge appetite for more victims have resulted in soldiers building a “ring of fire” around cities such as Dolo to enforce a strict quarantine of the city’s residents. Desperate situations call for desperate measures and nothing short of such measures will kiss Ebola goodbye. Ebola wants to take up residence in West Africa, but the international community is working very hard to ensure that its dream never comes true. It is hard cohabiting with this virus. It is no respecter of persons and its ability to kill anybody in its path has put HIV to shame. This is a virus that is intent on ruining the continent’s economy by giving it a bad name. Ebola has caused investors to hold off on many major investments on the continent. A continent that was projected to post some attractive and significant growth numbers is today being considered a bad apple and not many investors are willing to sink their teeth into it. The trail of death and destruction that this virus is leaving across the sub-region is incredible and its impact on businesses will linger for a very long time.

Though Ebola is no good news to anybody, it is indeed a wake-up call and a call to action for many African communities that have thrown caution to the wind. Sub-Saharan Africa is Ebola’s prime target and for cause. Like other dangerous viruses, it sees Africa as a conducive environment due to poor hygiene and outdated traditions. The African is impervious to change. Western education has had very little impact on him. Time has always stood still for the ordinary African. This is a continent wherein old habits die hard and that is why, this continent, though endowed with the richest sub-soil, will always be the poorest. Innovation and research are still foreign concepts in this part of the world. While other peoples in other parts of the world have walked away from the bad habit of hunting animals for food, it normal for Africans to feast on wild animals, many of which have been driven to extinction. These animals seem to have signed a pact with dangerous viruses as a defense mechanism. Since humans eat them as food, they have decided serve as hosts for these viruses and once consumed, the viruses will attack humans in return. Africans must therefore understand that eating these animals can only bring “peace of the stomach” and not peace of mind that will enable them have a good night’s sleep. Since the outbreak of the virus, the entire continent has been on edge. Bush meat, which has always been on menus in most restaurants in the region, has disappeared overnight. Everybody is scared of being the next victim. Ebola has no regard for social status or academic titles. It has put many people out of business and work, and if not contained, it will displace many people in the region. Other regions of the world will soon be witnessing a wave of displaced people known as Ebola refugees. But will they be coming without the virus?

However, it is the virus’ spread that is a cause for concern. In recent weeks, the virus has rushed many people out of this planet. Africa, where it is traditional to shake hands, is gradually changing. Many Africans are scared of the enemy they cannot see and they are now greeting each other like Japanese or Americans. Ebola has imposed change on Africans; change that is non-negotiable. Africans are naturally frozen in time, but Ebola is helping to disentangle then from their ugly past. Old ways have only led to more tears and pain on this continent. Ebola has created the right conditions for the African to take a look at his past to understand that it should not dictate the future. The “viruses of the future” like Ebola and HIV are helping Africans to think twice before engaging in any irresponsible behaviour in the name of culture or tradition.

Ebola has indeed poisoned life on the continent, especially in West Africa. Socialization and promiscuity that are fertile grounds for these viruses are gradually diminishing. Many people now understand that sharing body fluids spells death. Many people are putting off casual sex as Ebola wanders the streets looking for the next victim. Sex workers are feeling the pinch. Ebola, the new “sex police”, is on the watch. Sex workers in many parts of the continent have simply fled the streets. Foreign sex tourists no longer consider Africa as an attractive destination. These are critical times for the commercial sex sector. These sex workers might have to seek employment somewhere else. The fear that Ebola could also be sexually communicable will linger for many years.

Ebola is a dangerous virus, but it is also a call to action. Africans have to walk away from their outdated traditional lifestyles if they really want to divorce some of these viruses that are undermining their development efforts and happiness. Culture and tradition are not God-given. They are human inventions which must be refined over time to bring the best possible happiness to those living within any socio-cultural context at a given time. Ebola may be something everybody will like to forget very fast, but it is also a reminder that those who are stuck in the past have no place in the future. If Africans continue to hunt animals for food and generate slums, dangerous viruses will continue to stalk them like stubborn shadows.  

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Ngwa Bertrand

27.Aug.2014

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