Ebola Outbreak - It's back 2019

Ebola Outbreak May Get Worse

The protracted outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, may get worse and reverse progress against the virus if fighting continues around the disease hotspots of Beni and Butembo, the World Health Organisation, WHO, has warned.

Giving the warning in an update, weekend, Director General of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said protests at government buildings spilling over to an Ebola transit centre, frightened people waiting for Ebola test results and the staff who were caring for them. “We have reached a critical point in the Ebola response. After an intensification of field activities, we were seeing hopeful signs in many areas, including a recent decrease in cases in Beni.

Working side by side with the Ministry of Health and our partners, our priority is to end the outbreak. We hope to return to full operations
as soon as possible while remaining committed to ensuring the safety of all staff deployed. We cannot afford to take a step back at this critical point in the response. Unconfirmed reports say at least 400 deaths have occurred although WHO confirmed 356 deaths from almost 600 confirmed cases.

One-fifth of the cases have occurred within the past three weeks. The latest outbreak of the Ebola virus in the DRC is the 10th witnessed by the country since the first outbreak in 1976 and it has already been rated the worst in the country’s history and 2nd worst outbreak ever, after the 2014 West Africa outbreak that recorded more than 28,000 confirmed cases. Ebola spreads through contact with bodily fluids and causes haemorrhagic fever with severe vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding.

Medclinician

Technophobe wrote: Thanks for picking this one up, Med. I have been reporting on it for the majority of last year - and I confess I am tired of chasing it. You are right it is hotting-up.

http://avianflutalk.com

Thank you so much Techno - I know you are vigilant and have been on this - well I think 10 years - long time we have been here at least. It is flaming up in the Congo and truth be told - the vaccine for it must be kept super cold and how do you expect to do that in the tropics in the middle of the jungle?

As you know, I nearly died last July and now am my 7th life - so I am doing as much as I can.

So - here is the news - and there quite possibly is a case in the U.S. now and will be more.

Med

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2018/12/us-health-worker-monitored-drc-ebola-nears-600-cases

A US healthcare worker has been flown to the United States for observation after potential Ebola exposure in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the Ebola outbreak has now grown to 598 cases amid violent protests.