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Rose Komono poses for a picture at a health clinic after overcoming the Ebola virus, in Gueckedou, Guinea, April 3, 2014.
VOA News
April 17, 2014
The
World Health Organization says the death toll from the Ebola outbreak
in West Africa has risen to at least 135.In a Thursday statement the WHO
says Guinea's health ministry had reported a total of 122 deaths, while
13 deaths had been reported by Liberian health officials.The WHO
says officials are investigating more than 200 suspected or confirmed
cases of the virus in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Health
workers wearing protective suits walk in an isolation center for people
infected with Ebola at Donka Hospital in Conakry, Guinea. Photo / AFP
The Gambia has banned flights from Ebola-hit west African countries from landing in its territory, airport officials said.
Staff
at Banjul International Airport said on condition of anonymity that
President Yahya Jammeh had ordered airlines to cancel all flights from
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in a bid to prevent the spread of the
deadly virus.
"This decision by the Gambian authorities has left
prospective passengers travelling to Banjul ... stranded in these west
African countries," said an airport official, speaking on condition of
anonymity.
"Brussels Airlines, which transits in Freetown from Europe, is only allowed to drop passengers there, but not pick anyone up."
The
outbreak in Guinea is one of the deadliest in history, with 168 cases
"clinically compatible" with Ebola virus disease reported, including 108
deaths, since the start of the year, according to the World Health
Organisation.
The
outbreak began in the impoverished country's southern forests, but has
spread to Conakry, a sprawling port city on the Atlantic coast and home
to two million people
Neighbouring Liberia has reported 20 probable or suspected cases, six lab-confirmed cases and 13 deaths.
Mali
also had suspected cases but was given the all-clear on Tuesday after
samples taken from patients tested negative for Ebola in laboratories,
the health ministry told reporters in Bamako.
There was no
official confirmation of the ban from the Gambia but AFP has seen a
letter dated April 10 from the transport ministry notifying airlines of
the measures while Sierra Leone's government said it was in talks with
Banjul over the issue.
It was not immediately clear if sanctions were being threatened against airlines or airport authorities for ignoring the ban.
"I
went to the Gambia Bird (airlines) office in the Greater Banjul area to
purchase an air ticket for my elder brother currently in Monrovia but
was informed by the travel agent that they are not selling tickets to
passengers travelling from Monrovia and Freetown," Banjul resident Nyima
Sanneh told AFP.
An outbreak of the Ebola virus has claimed at least 63 lives in the African nation of Guinea.
To
combat the spread of this deadly disease, Guinean officials have taken
the unusual step of banning the consumption of bat soup, grilled bat and
other local delicacies.
"We discovered the vector [infectious] agent of the Ebola virus is the bat," Remy Lamah, the country’s health minister, told Bloomberg News.
"We sent messages everywhere to announce the ban. People must even
avoid consumption of rats and monkeys. They are very dangerous animals."
[5 Things You Should Know About Ebola]
What Is Ebola?
Ebola
is a hemorrhagic virus that spreads through bodily fluids and can cause
high fever, diarrhea, vomiting and internal and external bleeding.
There is no vaccine or cure, and Ebola is fatal up to 90 percent of the
time, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Medical
experts believe that animals are the natural hosts for the Ebola virus,
which has in the past been transmitted to humans via chimpanzees,
gorillas and monkeys. Though bats and other mammals can harbor the
virus, they may not show any symptoms of the disease.
Beware of bats: Guinea issues bushmeat warning after Ebola outbreak
BY SALIOU SAMB AND ALPHONSO TOWEH
CONAKRY/MONROVIA (Reuters)
– Bushmeat – from bats to antelopes, squirrels, porcupines and monkeys –
has long held pride of place on family menus in West and Central
Africa, whether stewed, smoked or roasted.
A visit to a
traditional market in the region assails the senses with a huge variety
of forest game – mammal, bird and reptile carcasses smoked and
partitioned and the smell of singed animal hair filling the air.
But
an outbreak of the deadly Ebola fever in Guinea has rekindled concerns
about the health risks of age-old African hunting and eating traditions
that bring humans into close contact with wild forest animals.
The
World Health Organization says about 86 suspected cases of Ebola have
been reported, with 62 deaths so far. Guinean authorities put the death
toll at 63.
Experts who have studied the Ebola virus from its
discovery in 1976 in Democratic Republic of Congo, then Zaire, say its
suspected origin – what they call the reservoir host – is forest bats.
Links have also been made to the carcasses of freshly slaughtered
animals consumed as bushmeat.
Bats – often served in a spicy stew
called “kedjenou” – have long been a favourite in Guinea’s southeastern
Forest Zone, the epicenter of the current outbreak. But sales of these
and other bushmeat delicacies have now been banned by Guinean
authorities fighting the Ebola outbreak.
“We visited the markets
in the region and there was no more bat meat on sale,” Colonel Remy
Lamah, Minister of Health, said from the area hit by the outbreak, which
borders Ivory Coast, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Liberia and Sierra
Leone, which have reported suspected Ebola deaths, announced similar
bans on the sale of bushmeat, spreading alarm and dismay among consumers
and the many who make a living from the trade.
“PEOPLE WON’T BUY OUR MEAT”
“Our
people here eat monkey and bat … we have warned them about eating
bushmeat,” said Tolbert G. Nyenswah, a health official in Liberia. “We
have warned them about coming into contact with fresh meat. We have also
warned them about eating dead animals when they don’t know what killed
them.”
In Ivory Coast’s commercial hub Abidjan, signs at the
Yopougon bushmeat market still offer rats, porcupine, agouti, squirrels,
pangolin and bats “stewed or braised”.
“We’ve heard the announcement and we’re worried because people won’t buy our meat now,” said vendor Sophie Ouattara.
Saskatchewan
health officials say a man who recently travelled to western Africa is
seriously ill in hospital and one of the possible diagnoses they are
considering is Ebola hemorrhagic fever. Dr. Denise Werker, deputy chief
medical health officer, said there is fear an outbreak of the Ebola
virus has spread to Liberia, where the man was travelling. "All we know
at this point is that we have a person who is critically ill who
travelled from a country where these diseases occur," she said. She says
hemorrhagic fevers are spread through contact with a sick person’s
bodily fluids - one of the final symptoms is bleeding from the mouth and
eyes. "Ebola hemorrhagic fever is not a highly infectious disease.
People need to be in close contact with blood and bodily fluids and so
that would be close household contacts of people who are taking care of
these individuals," she said. "There is no risk to the general public at
all about this." African health officials announced Monday that an
outbreak of Ebola is believed to have killed at least 59 people in
Guinea and may already have spread to neighbouring Liberia. Health
workers in Guinea are trying to contain the spread of the disease. In
Liberia, health officials said they are investigating five deaths after
several people crossed the border from Guinea in search of medical
treatment. Werker says the man showed no signs of illness on his return
journey.
Biohazard name:
Ebola (Viral Fever) - Susp.
Biohazard level:
4/4 Hazardous
Biohazard desc.:
Viruses
and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for
which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian
and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic
fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever,
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified
diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a
Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The
entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a
vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system,
and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the
biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured
to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water
service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will
undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility
of an accidental release.
Saskatchewan
health officials say a man who recently travelled to Liberia in Western
Africa is "seriously ill" in a Saskatoon hospital with a high fever and
other symptoms. Officials have not yet identified the nature of the
illness, but Deputy Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Denise Werker, said
at a news conference on Monday that the man is being examined for a
suspected case of viral hemorrhagic fever. "Viral hemorrhagic fever is a
generic name for a number of rather exotic diseases that are found in
Africa," said Werker. These diseases include Ebola hemorrhagic fever,
Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and yellow fever. Liberia
is currently dealing with an outbreak of Ebola after the virus killed
more than 59 people in neighbouring Guinea. "All we know at this point
is that we have a person who is critically ill who travelled from a
country where these diseases occur," Werkersaid. Tests have already been
sent to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology
Laboratory in Winnipeg, said Werker. Results are expected Tuesday.
"Measures have been taken to isolate the patient to ensure the illness
is not transmitted," Saskatchewan health officials said in a statement.
"Public health officials believe the risk to the public is low, and are
investigating." The Canadian patient showed no signs of the illness on
his return to Saskatchewan, said Werker. There is no vaccine for the
Ebola virus, which leads to severe hemorrhagic fever. Werker said the
virus is not as contagious as some might believe, and that it is
transferrable through saliva and other bodily fluids. One of the final
symptoms is bleeding from the eyes and mouth. "People need to be in
close contact with blood and bodily fluids so that would be close
household contacts of people who are taking care of these individuals,"
said Werker. "There is no risk to the general public at all about this."
--------------
A man is in hospital in Canada with symptoms of a haemorrhagic fever
resembling the Ebola virus, a health official has said. The man had
recently returned from Liberia in the west African region, currently
suffering a deadly outbreak of an unidentified haemorrhagic fever. He is
in isolation in critical condition in Saskatoon, the largest city in
Saskatchewan province. A provincial medical official said there was no
risk to the public. Dr Denise Werker, the province's deputy chief
medical officer, declined to say how long the man had been in Africa but
said he only fell ill after returning to Canada. She said that was in
line with the profile of common deadly haemorrhagic fever viruses Lassa
fever and Ebola, which have an incubation period of up to 21 days. She
said the people most at risk were healthcare workers who do not protect
themselves from contact with the patient's bodily secretions. "There is
no risk to the general public," she said. "We recognise that there is
going to be a fair amount of concern and that is why we wanted to go
public with this as soon as possible." A virus resembling Ebola has
struck in Guinea, with cases also reported in Liberia. As many as 61
people have died of the disease in the remote forests of southern
Guinea. But health officials in the Guinean capital, Conakry, have said
the virus is not Ebola. In Saskatchewan, Dr Werker said the man's
diagnosis had not yet been confirmed and that a laboratory in Winnipeg
was testing a biological specimen from the man.
A
suspected case of the deadly Ebola virus in Saskatchewan has tested
negative. Tests also came back negative for Lassa, Marburg and Crimean
Congo. The World Health Organization (WHO) tweeted the results Tuesday
from its verified Twitter account. Canada's deputy chief public health
officer said in a release that tests at the Public Health Agency of
Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory confirmed the ill man does not
have Ebola or any other hemorrhagic viruses. Dr. Gregory Taylor's
statement said ruling out those four hemorrhagic viruses "significantly
reduces the risk to the people who have been in close contact with the
patient while the patient has exhibited symptoms." Taylor added there
has never been a confirmed case of a hemorrhagic virus in Canada, and
that testing continues to determine the man's illness. "If a case were
ever confirmed in Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada would alert
Canadians immediately and put measures in place to protect the public,"
the PHAC said in a statement. Hartl suggested the case "is apparently a
severe case of malaria." A top Saskatchewan public health official
announced Monday that the man in question, who was recently in the West
African country of Liberia, was critically ill and isolated in a
Saskatoon hospital with what was believed to be viral hemorrhagic fever
(VHF). Included in the general class of VHFs are Ebola fever, Lassa
fever, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, yellow fever, dengue fever, and
Marburg hemorrhagic fever. Health care workers sent the patient’s
specimens to the national microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg for a
diagnosis, said deputy chief medical health officer Dr. Denise Werker.
Rampant spread of hemorrhagic fevers in Africa, including a current
outbreak in Guinea of Ebola, can be linked back to poor infection
control in hospitals, Werker said.
Doctors
say the man isolated in a Saskatoon hospital after returning home from
Africa has an undiagnosed fever of unknown origin. Rod Ogilvie remains
in critical condition and is intubated with failing organs according to
Denise Werker, Deputy Chief Medical Health Officer. Late Monday night,
lab tests resulted negative for the four most serious pathogens of viral
hemorrhagic fever: Ebola virus, Marburg virus, Crimean-Congo virus and
Lassa virus. Werker said there are other hemorrhagic fevers, like
Dangue, but those are not transmissible from person to person. As a
precaution, doctors also isolated some of Ogilvie's family members while
they investigated the possibility for viral hemorrhagic fevers like
Ebola but those people have been released now that it has been ruled
out. Doctors still don't know exactly what kind of illness Ogilvie is
suffering from so more lab tests are being done into other diseases like
Malaria.
"Malaria is not contagious from person to person. If
this person has a bacterial infection that has caused an encephalitis or
meningitis kind of disease, potentially that could be infectious to
close contacts," she said but explained doctors do not think there is
any risk to the public. However the first test for Malaria resulted
negative but they are doing another review of the test slide just to
make sure. "A pathologist looks underneath a microscope and actually has
to identify those organisms on the slide, so it could be like looking
for a needle in a haystack," said Werker. Ministry of Health gets
information about diseases and outbreaks from the World Health
Organization (WHO) that is then circulated to Saskatchewan's medical
health officers. She said they provide info to physicians in the
community to alert their diagnostic suspicion of those diseases. "The
fact that viral hemorrhagic fever was considered in this circumstance is
a great indication that our systems are working to keep our residents
safe," said Werker. Ogilvie returned to Saskatchewan on March 8 but did
not start to show symptoms until March 20. Werker stressed there was no
risk to public health between that time for people on the aircraft or on
public transit because most people only become contagious once they are
symptomatic. There would also have to be direct contact between bodily
fluids like blood or using his toothbrush.
(CNN) —A
man in Canada who was suspected of having Ebola has tested negative for
viral hemorrhagic fevers, according to the World Health Organization
and Canadian health officials.
Viral hemorrhagic fevers is a
generic term that refers to a number of diseases found in Africa,
including Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo
hemorrhagic fever and yellow fever, according to Denise Werker, deputy
chief medical health officer at the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.
Testing on the man continues, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl said in a tweet. "May be malaria. Will know today."
"The
patient in Saskatchewan does not have Ebola, Lassa, Marburg or Crimean
Congo virus," said a statement from the Deputy Chief Public Health
Office in Saskatchewan.
"The risk to Canadians remains very low.
In addition, the ruling out of those four hemorrhagic viruses
significantly reduces the risk to people who have been in close contact
with the patient while the patient has exhibited symptoms."
Health
officials in Canada said Monday they were looking into the case of a
man exhibiting symptoms consistent with viral hemorrhagic fevers. He had
recently traveled from Liberia.
"There is no risk to the general
public at all about this incident. We recognize that there's going to be
a fair amount of concern, and that's why we wanted to go public with
this as soon as possible and dispel some of those myths that are out
there," Werker told reporters Monday.
