Canada to pull scientists fighting Ebola from Sierra Leone

Canada to pull scientists fighting Ebola from Sierra Leone. HT: Croft.

The Canadian government is evacuating three scientists from Sierra Leone, where their role diagnosing blood samples was crucial to the operation of one of West Africa’s biggest Ebola treatment centres. 

The Canadians were working at a busy treatment centre operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Kailahun, the eastern district at the heart of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. The “mobile” laboratory was deployed to West Africa in the spring at the request of the World Health Organization and three teams have now travelled to Sierra Leone from Winnipeg. 

The sudden departure of the Canadian trio is part of a larger evacuation ordered by the World Health Organization, which recently removed its entire team from Kailahun. The decision came after a Senegalese epidemiologist working for the UN health agency tested positive for Ebola over the weekend, marking the first time a WHO-deployed expert has been infected with the deadly virus. 

“This was the responsible thing to do. The field team has been through a traumatic time with this incident,” said Dr. Daniel Kertesz, the WHO’s representative in Sierra Leone, in a written statement Tuesday. “They are exhausted from many weeks of heroic work, helping patients infected with Ebola. When you add a stressor like this, the risk of accidents increases.” 

The Senegalese epidemiologist appears to be doing relatively well, however, and was able to walk into the airplane that has since flown him to Germany for treatment, according to WHO spokesperson Christy Feig. 

The three Canadian scientists and WHO epidemiologist were all living at the same hotel in Kailahun, where staff from MSF is also staying. According to Health Canada spokesperson Sean Upton, three people at the hotel have now been confirmed positive for the virus but Feig, who is now in Guinea, said she has only so far heard of the one. 

In a written statement, Upton said the risk is “very low” that any of the Canadian scientists are infected, however: none had any direct contact with any of the sick individuals and they are not showing any signs or symptoms. All three will remain in voluntary isolation, however, and be closely monitored as they make their way home and after they return to Canada. 

MSF’s busy treatment centre in Kailahun – which expanded from 60 to 80 beds last month –relied heavily on the work of the Canadian scientists, who both diagnosed suspected cases and confirmed when patients had cleared the virus and could finally go home.

Meanwhile, there are five Canadian staff members with Doctors Without Borders who all remain in Sierra Leone, a representative of the organization said, but it was unclear how many are in Kailahun.

Sierra Leone: Thieves with a 'death wish' break into Ebola isolation ward.

Sierra Leone: Thieves with a 'death wish' break into Ebola isolation ward. HT: Crof.

Via Awareness News: Thieves Break into Ebola Isolation Ward in Bo City.

While President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma and his Government are making frantic efforts to end the Ebola epidemic disease in the country, wicked thieves on Monday 12th August 2014 at around 3 am under a heavy down pour of rain broke into the Ebola isolation ward at the Bo Government Hospital and carted away property like tents, tarpaulins, buckets, hospital beds, mobile phones and shoes among other things worth millions of Leones. 

Speaking to the Medical Superintendent of the Bo Government Hospital Dr. Gerald Young at his administrative office, he expressed frustration and dismay over the unpatriotic tendencies of some so-called citizens in respect to the Ebola disease in the country. He noted there were 6 patients in Isolation Ward where thieves carted away the said property. Because of such actions by residents in the Bo municipality, the Ebola epidemic has spread like wild fire.   

At this moment he disclosed the safety of the patients is questionable because if thieves can enter into the Ebola isolation ward and cart away property worth millions of Leones, it clearly indicates that due to the nature of the epidemic it is very clear that their security is not guaranteed. 

The Medical Superintendent further disclosed that since the outbreak of the Ebola disease in the country, denial was prevalent which has led to a good number of patients leaving the Bo Government hospital without being discharged. He described such patients as Ebola carriers in their respective communities. 

Dr. Young further admonished all that "Ebola is real" and that they are making all efforts in order to eradicate the Ebola disease through their expertise.   

Speaking to the Bo West Police Media Officer, Inspector Abu Bakarr S. Kamara said that they have arrested two suspects who are helping the police with investigations on the disappearance of the Ebola Materials.   

He said they take extreme caution when interrogating such suspects because if they could go and steal at the Ebola isolation ward it clearly shows that they have already sacrificed their lives for eternity. 

 Inspector Kamara further informed that all the security forces have come on board strongly in combating the Ebola epidemic in the country, and admonished all that if any one poisons the minds of people about the Ebola Epidemic or steals Ebola materials they will face the full penalty of the law.

US: Patient in New Mexico, returning from Sierra Leone being treated for Ebola-like symptoms.

US: Patient in New Mexico being treated for Ebola-like symptoms. HT: Crof.

Oregon News report datelined Santa Fe: UNMH patient being tested for Ebola-like symptoms. Excerpt:

UNM [University of New Mexico] Hospital has put a patient in isolation and the New Mexico Department of Health is calling in the Centers of Disease Control to conduct tests on that patient to make sure she does not have the Ebola virus. 

Health officials are not saying the woman has Ebola, but they haven’t ruled it out yet. 

Officials say the 30-year-old woman is a patient at UNM Hospital and developed a sore throat, headache, muscle aches and fever, all of which are symptoms of Ebola. 

The woman recently left the country Sierra Leone in West Africa which has known cases of Ebola, and that’s what sparked concern with her symptoms, which are common cold and flu-like symptoms as well. 

Officials say the was a teacher in Sierra Leone, and before she left earlier this month, she had no known exposures to Ebola. 

State officials say at this time the patient is not a probable case, but out of caution they are working with the CDC to perform tests on her to rule out Ebola. State health officials are also working closely with UNM Hospital officials on the case.

This is just another "good training" incident for local healthcare surveillance. Not every bogey on the radar is an incoming missile.

Saudi Arabia: Lab tests negative for Saudi man who died of suspected Ebola.

Saudi Arabia: Lab tests negative for Saudi man who died of suspected Ebola. HT: Crof.

Via the KSA MOH: UPDATE: LAB TESTS NEGATIVE FOR EBOLA VIRUS. Excerpt:

Samples submitted to an international reference laboratory were negative for Ebola virus, the Ministry of Health announced Saturday August 9th,2014  in Jeddah. 

Tests conducted at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has a special laboratory for testing the most dangerous microbes, indicate Ebola virus was not the cause of this patient’s illness.     

CDC is conducting additional tests to confirm the negative Ebola finding and to determine if the patient was infected with another virus causing hemorrhagic fevers found in Sierra Leone      

Additional Ebola tests will be conducted on samples that have been sent to another international reference laboratory in Hamburg, Germany.     

The results of these tests will be released to the public once they are complete.     

The man became symptomatic after traveling to one of the countries that has been hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Because of his symptoms and travel history, the man was identified as a suspected Ebola case, transferred to a specialized hospital in Jeddah, and the World Health Organization and general public were notified. He passed away last Wednesday while being treated in isolation.     

As a precaution, MOH continues to monitor individuals who came into contact with the patient while he was exhibiting symptoms of viral hemorrhagic fever.      

This was the only suspected Ebola case identified in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Canada - Man in Brampton, Ont. being treated for Ebola-like symptoms

Canada - Man in Brampton, Ont. being treated for Ebola-like symptoms.(NAPO).

A man from Brampton, Ontario is being treated for Ebola-like symptoms after travelling to West Africa but doctors are warning the public not to jump to conclusions, as the presence of Ebola has not been confirmed.

Public health officials said the man was admitted to the Brampton Civic hospital Friday, where he is being kept in isolation. The patient frequently travels to Nigeria, one of the areas hardest hit by the outbreak.

Dr. Eileen de Villa, a medical officer with the Region of Peel, stressed the patient has not officially be diagnosed with Ebola and the measures being taken are strictly precautionary, adding that the patient's symptoms could be the result of several diseases.

"I am aware that we are currently testing a patient who recently travelled from West Africa. Initial signs and symptoms of Ebola are similar to many more common diseases," Ontario Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins said in a release Friday night.

"One such disease relevant to African travel is malaria. There are currently no confirmed cases of Ebola in Ontario."

Hoskins said he is in close contact with the chief medical officer of health and they are closely managing the situation.

Alison McGeer, a microbiologist and infectious disease consultant at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, said that "although it feels odd," seeing the precautions currently being taken at Brampton Civic should reassure Canadians.

"It’s unlikely that we’re going to see cases of Ebola virus that come to Canada," McGreer told CBC News. "But it’s important that we are precautionary about it, that we have systems in place to detect people.

"And the people those systems are going to detect are people who’ve travelled, probably not even to high risk areas in those countries, but to those countries and who now have malaria or influenza or one of the many other diseases that can give you a fever."

Ebola: Official MSF response to WHO declaring epidemic an "extraordinary event"..... Talk is cheap.

Ebola: Official MSF response to WHO declaring epidemic an "extraordinary event"..... Talk is cheap.HT: Crof.

Via MSF: Ebola: Official MSF response to WHO declaring epidemic an "extraordinary event". Excerpt:

In a statement released today, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that West Africa's Ebola epidemic is an "extraordinary event" and now constitutes an international health risk. 

"A coordinated international response is deemed essential to stop and reverse the international spread of Ebola," the WHO said in a statement after a two-day meeting of its emergency committee on Ebola. 

MSF reaction to WHO Ebola statement 

In response, Dr Bart Janssens, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Director of Operations said: 

“Declaring Ebola an international public health emergency shows how seriously WHO is taking the current outbreak but statements won’t save lives 

“Now we need this statement to translate into immediate action on the ground. For weeks, MSF has been repeating that a massive medical, epidemiological and public health response is desperately needed to saves lives and reverse the course of the epidemic. 

“Lives are being lost because the response is too slow. 

“Countries possessing necessary capacities must immediately dispatch available infectious disease experts and disaster relief assets to the region. 

“It is clear the epidemic will not be contained without a massive deployment on the ground from these states. 

“In concrete terms, all of the following need to be radically scaled up: medical care, training of health staff, infection control, contact tracing, epidemiological surveillance, alert and referral systems, community mobilisation and education. 

“MSF currently has 66 international and 610 national staff responding to the crisis in the three affected countries. All our Ebola experts are mobilised, we simply cannot do more.”

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THEN WORDS! 

First Ebola patient in Europe , it's NOT AIRBORNE WE JUST LOVE WEARING BREATHING APPARATUS!

First Ebola patient in Europe , it's NOT AIRBORNE WE JUST LOVE WEARING BREATHING APPARATUS! (Bild). [Google Translate].

A Spanish Airbus military machine with the 75-year-old Catholic priest on board landed at the Air Force Base Torrejón de Ardoz, such as the Ministry of Defence in Madrid announced.

On board the Airbus A310 equipped with medical facilities and a nun from Guinea with spanish passport. She had, like the missionary at St. Joseph's Hospital worked in Liberia's capital Monrovia.

In her far no Ebola infection was diagnosed. Nevertheless, it is also in the Madrid Hospital Carlos III. be examined and treated if necessary. The hospital specializes in tropical diseases.

At least every second Ebola patient dies. There is no cure for the virus - at least none that is already available on the market. The number of deaths rise: Nearly 1,000 people died of the disease in 1700 have become infected.

Experts said so far, there is no reason to panic - now these messages: The US-disease CDC releases the highest alert level from.Full story here.

Ebola transmission by aerosols confirmed: virus survives for days outside infected hosts http://t.co/NDg6oT5TNW
— Martin Hume (@martinhume) August 6, 2014

As clearly explained by the Public Health Agency of Canada: (3)

"INFECTIOUS DOSE: 1 - 10 aerosolized organisms are sufficient to cause infection in humans."

Ebola, you see, can "ride" on aerosolized particles of blood, mucous and other body fluids. Someone sneezing, for example, can cause Ebola viruses to be aerosolized where they land on other people's hands or faces. It only takes one virus entering the corner of your eye (or the corner of your mouth) to set off a full-blown infection.

In fact, a 2012 BBC article entitled "Growing concerns over 'in the air' transmission of Ebola" states: (3)

Canadian scientists have shown that the deadliest form of the ebola virus could be transmitted by air between species. In experiments, they demonstrated that the virus was transmitted from pigs to monkeys without any direct contact between them. In their experiments, the pigs carrying the virus were housed in pens with the monkeys in close proximity but separated by a wire barrier. After eight days, some of the macaques were showing clinical signs typical of ebola and were euthanised.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/046276_Ebola_aerosol_transmission_infectious_disease.html#ixzz39hojyyf5

Saudi Arabia: Saudi man suspected of contracting Ebola virus dies.

Saudi Arabia: Saudi man suspected of contracting Ebola virus dies. HT: Crof.

Via Arab News:  Saudi man suspected of contracting Ebola dies. Unlike most MERS cases, the victim is named. Excerpt:

The Saudi man who was suspected of being infected with the Ebola virus died on Wednesday in Jeddah, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said. 

Ibrahim Al-lZahrani, a businessman in his 40s, passed away at the King Fahd Hospital, where he was admitted Monday night after showing symptoms of viral hemorrhagic fever. 

Preliminary testing at a specialized laboratory was negative for Dengue virus. Additional tests were carried out to determine if the source of the infection is yellow fever, Alkhumra or another virus. 

The MOH has submitted samples of the patient to an international reference laboratory in the United States as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Additional samples are being sent to an accredited laboratory in Germany. 

Preparations for burial will be performed at the hospital in keeping with Islamic religious practices and international guidelines for patients suspected of having an infectious disease like Ebola. 

MOH officials have been in direct and continuous contact with the family of the patient. Public health experts began retracing the patient’s travels upon notification of his symptoms and travel history. They are currently monitoring the people he came into contact with for any symptoms associated with viral hemorrhagic fever. 

Saudi Arabia announced in April that it was not issuing visas for the 2014 Haj and Umrah to pilgrims from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea due to these countries suffering from an Ebola outbreak. Medical workers are monitoring travelers at airports and seaports across the Kingdom. 

Pilgrims from Ebola-endemic countries will be identified at disembarkation points in the Kingdom. The ministry has fielded special teams at air, land and sea entry points to identify pilgrims who are suffering from the disease. 

The ministry has been carefully following online instructions issued by the WHO on the issue. The ministry also sporadically issues quarantine requirements to Saudi missions abroad.

Saudi man in Jeddah being tested for possible Ebola case.

Saudi man in Jeddah being tested for possible Ebola case. HT: Crof.

Via Arab News: Saudi man being tested for possible Ebola case: MoH. Excerpt:

A Saudi man who had been on a business trip recently to Sierra Leone is being tested in Jeddah for possible Ebola virus infection, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday. 

In a statement posted on its website, the ministry said the patient was admitted to a hospital in Jeddah on Monday night after showing symptoms of viral hemorrhagic fever. 

It said the 40-year-old patient is in “critical condition” and “had been moved to a tertiary care center with advanced isolation and infection-control capabilities.” 

“The source of his infection could be one of several viruses, including Ebola virus because of his recent travel to a country in which there is an active outbreak of the disease,” the MoH statement said. 

Preliminary testing at a specialized laboratory was negative for Dengue virus. 

“Additional tests are underway to determine if the source of the infection is yellow fever, Alkhumra or another virus,” it said, adding that samples for Ebola virus will be submitted for testing at an international reference lab at the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO). 

Other viral hemorrhagic fevers are found in Kingdom, no case of Ebola virus had been found so far. 

The MoH said this recent case was detected by the Ministry’s surveillance system, which was established within the Command & Control Center and includes real-time monitoring and self-reporting by medical facilities across the Kingdom. 

Saudi Arabia had earlier announced that it is not issuing visas for 2014 Haj and Umrah pilgrims this year from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

Mike Coston at Avian Flu Diary has the story also.