Going Viral-Ebola vaccine is having ‘major impact’ but Congo outbreak may still explode; pg12

Bump for 4th of July exercise

Congo-Kinshasa: MSF Ends Ebola Activities in DR Congo

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After a two-month emergency intervention in Equator Province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams have begun handing over Ebola response activities to the Congolese Ministry of Health and other non-governmental organisations in Mbandaka, Bikoro, Itipo and Iboko

“This Ebola outbreak is not yet officially over but we are very pleased with the progress that has been made,” said Henry Gray, Emergency Coordinator for MSF in Equator Province. “Given the low volume of cases and the increasing expertise of local staff the Ministry of Health is well placed to finish the work which we started together.”

[snip]

Finally, given that no new cases of Ebola have been reported since 6 June,

h/t crofsblog

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The Ministry of Health is preparing to declare the end of the Ebola outbreak in Equateur. According to a statement from the Ministry of Health, out of a total of 53 cases of haemorrhagic fever reported in three health zones in that province, 24 people were cured of the Ebola virus disease and 29 deaths were recorded.

Late US scare associated ~~~~~

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Congo-Kinshasa: Another Ebola Outbreak in Congo, This Time in a Conflict Zone

Mangina — Barely one week after the Democratic Republic of Congo declared an end to its ninth outbreak of Ebola, it announced, on 1 August, its 10th. Only this time, the deadly virus has struck a new part of the country, one rife with armed groups and long ravaged by conflict.

Here's our briefing on the latest outbreak and the unique response challenges it poses.

CThe first suspected cases were reported in Mangina, a town about 30 kilometres southwest of the city of Beni (pop: 350,000), in the eastern province of North Kivu. Suspicions were raised after a 65-year-old woman died showing telltale symptoms of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) - which include high fever, external and internal bleeding, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

At the woman's burial, seven mourners who - in keeping with local tradition - touched her body, became infected.

As of 8 August, the Ministry of Health has recorded cases of haemorrhagic fever in five "health zones", or catchment
areas, in North Kivu: Beni, Butembo, Oicha, Mabalako (where Mangina is located) and Musienene. Cases have also been reported in neighbouring Ituri Province's Mandima health zone. Lab tests have confirmed the presence of Ebola only in Beni (four cases) and Mabalako (13 cases) health zones.

Congo's previous outbreak erupted in May in Equateur Province, on the opposite [western] side of the country.

According to the Ministry of Health, both outbreaks feature the Zaire species of the genus ebolavirus (one of four species that causes EVD in humans) but genetic sequencing of samples taken from the new outbreak reveal it to be an entirely different strain to the Equateur one - in other words, it is a new, separate outbreak.

This is the first time any strain of Ebola has struck in North Kivu, and experts consider the emergence of the Zaire species - which has a mortality rate of around 90 percent - in eastern Congo to be a particularly worrying development.

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Congo-Kinshasa: Ebola Vaccination Begins in North Kivu

The Ministry of Public Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo today announced the launch of Ebola vaccinations for high risk populations in North Kivu province.

The vaccinations have begun just one week after the announcement of a second outbreak of Ebola this year in the country. A total of 44 cases have been reported so far, of which 17 have been confirmed.

Work has begun to prepare ring vaccination in the Mangina health area, 30km from the town of Beni.

The provincial health minister and the provincial coordinator of the Expanded Programme on Immunization were the first to be vaccinated. They were followed by first line health workers from the Mangina health centre, who had been in contact with people who were confirmed cases of Ebola.

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Congo-Kinshasa: WHO Calls for Free and Secure Access in Responding to Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

WHO's global and African regional leadership saw first-hand the complexities of implementing the Ebola response in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in visits with the Ministry of Health officials to affected areas over the last two days. While this is the country's 10th Ebola outbreak, it is the first time that the disease has struck a densely populated active conflict zone.

"WHO is calling for free and secure access by all responders to the affected populations," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "All of those participating in the response must be able to move freely and safely in conflict areas to do the work that is needed to bring the outbreak under control. The population must also have access to treatment centers that save lives and stop the spread of disease."

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translation:

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCE OF NORTH KIVU

Monday 13 August 2018

The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated August 12, 2018:

• A total of 57 cases of haemorrhagic fever were reported in the region, of which 30 confirmed and 27 probable.

• 58 suspected cases are under investigation.

• 5 new confirmed cases, including 1 in Mandima (Ituri) and 4 in Mabalako (all health care providers from the Mangina Reference Health Center)

• 2 deaths of confirmed cases, including 1 in Mabalako and the confirmed case in Mandima (Ituri)

h/t crofbog

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Ebola in Beni: 74 Mangina Health Centre personnel provisionally put on leave

Via Radio Okapi: Ebola in Beni: 74 Mangina Health Centre personnel provisionally put on leave. The Google translation:

"The temporary release process for the 74 staff members of the Mangina Reference Health Center (CSR) who are considered contacts is also complete. All those who have been in contact with confirmed cases will be followed up for 21 days and can not return to CSR until one month later. During this period, they were asked to avoid any movement outside the area.

Mangina area population 230,000+

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Michigan


Shiawassee County Fair
August 10 at 3:09 PM ·

As of 3:45 p.m. on Friday, our swine barn will be closed to all Shiawassee County Fair exhibitors and visitors.

In compliance with recommendations from the State Veterinarian and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), we are quarantining our swine department in response to ONE animal that has tested positive for influenza.

Last Edited by NawtyBits on 08/14/2018 10:03 AM

Thread: Ebola Virus Lurked In Survivor One Year Before Resurfacing To Reinfect

i would consider that lady to be a carrier and sexually transmitting EBOLA.

NY state steuben county now has west niles in mosquitos. 1st case this week. just in time for the flood cleanup news???

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Congo-Kinshasa: Conflict Hampers Ebola Response in DR Congo

The number of suspected Ebola cases in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 73. The fact that it broke out in the middle of a conflict area has made responding to it more difficult.

The entrance to the local hospital in Goma, a provincial capital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is locked. Even ambulances are only admitted after being checked, as is anyone who wants to enter. Health Ministry officials are looking out for fever, and making sure hands are washed and shoes are disinfected.

Eastern DRC, especially in Goma - where one-million people live close to the border with Rwanda - is on high alert for Ebola and trying to contain the latest outbreak. A single case in Goma would dramatically increase the risk of it spreading across the region and borders.

The epicenter is about 240 kilometers to the north of Goma, near Beni, a city of about 230,000 people. There have been 73 suspected cases of Ebola, according to the DRC's Health Ministry.

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EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCE OF NORTH KIVU

Friday 17 August 2018

The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated August 16, 2018:

• A total of 87 cases of haemorrhagic fever have been reported in the region, 60 confirmed and 27 probable.

• 21 suspected cases are under investigation.

• 9 new confirmed cases in Mabalako, including 2 care providers from the Mangina Reference Health Center. All of these new confirmed cases are probable and known case contacts.

• 4 deaths from confirmed cases in Mabalako.

Good job Nawty, I've frequented many of the threads on these topics as an AD before. I will scour the net tomorrow to see what I can find. An outbreak, spreading in a war zone, where people are trying to escape is not a good situation. They may really not be able to contain this.

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EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCE OF NORTH KIVU

Saturday 18 August 2018

The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated August 17, 2018:

• A total of 90 cases of haemorrhagic fever were reported in the region, 63 confirmed and 27 probable.

• 25 suspected cases are under investigation.

• 3 new confirmed cases in Mabalako, including 1 care provider from the Mangina Reference Health Center. All of these new confirmed cases are probable and known case contacts.

• 2 deaths of confirmed cases in Mabalako.

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Congo-Kinshasa: MSF Opens Ebola Treatment Center in Response to Outbreak in North Kivu

New York — The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) opened an Ebola treatment center on Tuesday, August 14 in Mangina, a small town considered to be the epicenter of the outbreak in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. A total of 37 patients are currently hospitalized in this facility, with 31 of those cases confirmed and six suspected cases.

“Among our patients, we have several colleagues from the Congolese health system,” said Gwenola Seroux, MSF emergency programs coordinator. “They were the first to respond, and some were exposed to the virus.”

h/t crofsblog

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The KSA MOH Command and Control Center has updated its latest MERS case, first reported on August 17:

MERS in Buljorshy: An 80-year-old male living in Buljorshy city, Albaha
Region.
Contact with camels: No
Case classification: Primary/Community-acquired
Current Status: Deceased

[link to www.promedmail.org]


On Fri 17 Aug 2018, the Minister of Health, Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga, visited the teams deployed in Mangina (Mabalako Health Zone). In particular, he spoke with the additional surveillance teams sent in reinforcements who arrived since yesterday [Thu 16 Aug 2018] on site. With 2157 contacts already registered, they have a huge amount of work to do to follow up on these contacts, to continue the investigations and the active search for cases, as well as to prepare the ground for the vaccination teams.

[link to wwwnc.cdc.gov (secure)]

CDC Public Use Travel Notice

August 18

Ebola in Democratic Republic of the Congo

- There is an outbreak of Ebola in North Kivu (Kivu Nord) Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
- The outbreak is in a part of the country identified by the US State Department as a "reconsider travel" zone due to armed group activity and major outbreaks of violence targeting civilians.
-Travelers to this area could be infected if they come into contact with an infected person's blood or body fluids.
- Travelers should seek medical care immediately if they develop symptoms of fever, headache, body aches, sore throat, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, rash, or red eyes during or after travel.

Keep it up. I'm a fellow "ebolatard" and glad to see the ball is still being followed.

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Congo-Kinshasa: Security Issues Constrain DR Congo Ebola Operation

[snip]

Health workers have fanned out in North Kivu, tracking down contacts of Ebola victims and giving them an experimental vaccine. But WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic says more cases of Ebola are expected to be seen in the coming days and weeks.

“It will get worse before it gets better," he said. "We do not know if we are having all transmission chains identified. We expect to see more cases as a result of earlier infections and these infections are developing into illness.”

He tells V*A that health workers are able to move around freely in the towns of M*ngina and Beni, which are the epicenters of the disease.

[snip]

“There are areas just next to M*ngina that are level four on the UNDSS Security scale, which means that it is an area not to go to ... We still do not have a full epidemiological picture, so ... the worst-case scenario is that we have these security blind spots where the epidemic could take hold and then we do not know about it," he said.

The WHO reports it is using the same Ebola vaccine that helped contain the outbreak in Equateur province.

So far, it says nearly 500 people in North Kivu have been vaccinated,

[snip]

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EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCE OF NORTH KIVU

Sunday 19 August 2018

The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated August 18, 2018:

• A total of 91 cases of haemorrhagic fever were reported in the region, 64 confirmed and 27 probable.

•12 suspected cases are under investigation.

• 1 new confirmed case in Mabalako, which is a known and followed probable case contact.

• 1 confirmed case death in Mabalako.

h/t crofsblog

[link to www.info.gov.hk]

CHP notified of human case of avian influenza A(H5N6) in Guangxi

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (August 20) received notification of an additional human case of avian influenza A(H5N6) in Guangxi from the National Health Commission, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

The case involved a 42-year-old man from Laibin in Guangxi. He developed symptoms on August 10 and was hospitalised on August 15. He is now in a serious condition. The patient had contact with live poultry before the onset of symptoms.

From 2014 to date, 20 human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6) have been reported by the Mainland health authorities.

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EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCE OF NORTH KIVU

Monday 20 August 2018

The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated 19 August 2018:

• A total of 96 cases of haemorrhagic fever were reported in the region, 69 confirmed and 27 probable.

• 5 suspected cases are under investigation.

• 5 new confirmed cases in Mabalako.

• 5 confirmed case deaths in Mabalako.

[snip]

News of the response


* The Ministry of Health has decreed free healthcare in the three health zones most affected by the epidemic, namely Mabalako, Oicha and Béni. Since Monday, August 20, 2018, free care is effective in the 7 public health centers of Mabalako and will be effective in other affected areas in the coming days.

* Since vaccination began on August 8, 2018, 1,273 people have been vaccinated, including 697 in Mabalako, 367 in Beni and 209 in Mandima.

From promed-mail.com

Important questions raised by Crofsblog ( [link to crofsblogs.typepad.com] "Out of today's 5 new deaths, how many were in the community and how many in the local ETC? How many of the cases in this outbreak are family clusters? Are "red zone" nurses still able to phone in to report on their local cases? And if MSF's 50-bed hospital is filling up, how big will the new ETC be, and how quickly can it be up and running?" - Rapp.MM

[link to www.africanews.com]

DRC: experimental ebola treatment 'successful- authorities'

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) has said a drug used for the first time on Ebola patients, the mAb114, is working well in North Kivu. It said it expects some patients to leave hospital on Tuesday August 21.

Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe, the INRB’s director-general said 10 Ebola patients had received mAb114 in Beni and that they are waiting for its US manufacturers to deliver more doses this week.

“Until now 10 people have already received this treatment (mAb114) via infusion, it’s an hour of treatment, one injection and until now all 10 are getting better and I think Monday or Tuesday the first case will leave the hospital,” said Muyembe.

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Tanzania Medics Warned As 9 Staff Catch Ebola in DRC

Dar es Salaam — Medics in Tanzania were yesterday told to remain vigilant in the wake of the rising cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), health workers are 21 to 32 times more likely to be infected with the Ebola virus compared to other people in the general population.

So far, nine healthcare staff have contracted the virus in DRC since the outbreak was recently reported. One was reported dead, according to WHO's latest reports. In general, there are 91 patients who have been confirmed to have contracted the virus with 50 recorded cases of death.



Comment: This is a poorly worded headline. At first I thought it meant that ebola had spread to Tanzanian HCWs, but that's not the case. It's merely a caution to Tanzanian HCWs to be careful and on the lookout. Tanzania borders DRC.

h/t crofsblog

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Ban on the transfer of mortal remains to Bungulu

[snip]

"Today, we come to instruct all the base leaders to continue following the movement of the dead. In the commune of Bungulu, one no longer accepts a dead body from another environment. Families who will not obey will be prosecuted.

[snip]

This decision comes after a panic was observed in the Mambango neighbourhood in this town, when receiving a death in a family, from the province of Ituri.