New Ebola outbreak in Congo raises alarm.

                 New Ebola outbreak in Congo raises alarm.

A new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus has infected 100 people in a western province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a rapid spread that has health officials concerned about the chances of an uncontrolled epidemic.


 The outbreak in Equateur Province began in early June, when a cluster of cases were discovered in the provincial capital Mbandaka.


The number of cases has doubled in just the last five weeks.“The virus is spreading across a wide and rugged terrain which requires costly interventions, and with Covid-19 draining resources and attention, it is hard to scale up operations,” said Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO’s Africa regional director.

RESEARCH: Ebola virus found in bat in West Africa for the first time.

RESEARCH: Ebola virus found in bat in West Africa for the first time.The Ebola virus has been found in a bat in Liberia, the country’s government and scientists with Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health announced this week. The discovery marks the first time the virus has ever been found in a bat in West Africa, though it has previously been found in bats in Central Africa, according to the Tech Times. The university's Mailman School of Public Health said in a statement Thursday that scientists found “genetic material from the virus and ebolavirus antibodies” in a greater long-fingered bat located in the Nimna District of Liberia. Preliminary testing indicates a specific strain of the virus — Zaire ebolavirus — may have been found in the bat. Zaire ebolavirus is “responsible for causing the West African Ebola epidemic which infected nearly 30,000 people between 2013 and 2016,” according to the Mailman School of Public Health's statement.

Experimental vaccine to be used against Ebola outbreak in the DRC.

Experimental vaccine to be used against Ebola outbreak in the DRC.A campaign to vaccinate people at risk of developing Ebola in the latest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could begin by the end of this week, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director ofthe World Health Organization. Tedros said the government of the DRC has formally asked to use an experimental vaccine being developed by Merck. The WHO has a stockpile of 4,300 doses of the vaccine in Geneva; the company also has 300,000 doses of the vaccine stockpiled in the United States. Merck has given its permission for the vaccine to be used in this outbreak.

Why Ebola keeps coming back.

Why Ebola keeps coming back.The Ebola virus has reared its head again, this time in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While it is impossible to predict exactly where and when the next outbreak will occur, we now know much more about how to prevent a crisis. The news of an Ebola outbreak in the town of Bikoro in north-west DR Congo instantly brings to mind the horror of the epidemic that took 11,000 lives and infected 28,000 people in West Africa between 2014 and 2016. It is a nightmare no-one wants to relive - or should have to. Since 4 April in DR Congo, there have been more than 30 possible cases - involving 18 deaths - although only two incidents have so far been confirmed as Ebola. So why does Ebola keep coming back and what work is being done to prevent a repeat of the tragedy in West Africa? Ebola can spread rapidly, through contact with even small amounts of bodily fluid of those infected. Its early flu-like symptoms are not always obvious.

New model could help improve prediction of outbreaks of Ebola and Lassa fever.

New model could help improve prediction of outbreaks of Ebola and Lassa fever.Potential outbreaks of diseases such as Ebola and Lassa fever may be more accurately predicted thanks to a new mathematical model developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge. This could in turn help inform public health messages to prevent outbreaks spreading more widely. Many of the major new outbreaks of disease, particularly in Africa, are so-called zoonotic infections, diseases that are transmitted to humans from animals. The Ebola virus, for example, which recently killed over 11,000 people across Africa, was most likely transmitted to humans from fruit bats. The beauty of the model, say the researchers, is that it is simple to implement, so public health officials and non-mathematicians could easily use it. It also allows for the incorporation of data from different disciplines, factoring in socioeconomic, ecological and environmental factors, for example

SMUGGLED BUSHMEAT IS EBOLA'S BACK DOOR TO AMERICA.

SMUGGLED BUSHMEAT IS EBOLA'S BACK DOOR TO AMERICA.Less than three miles from Yankee Stadium, the colorful storefronts of African markets lining the Grand Concourse are some of the first signs of a bustling Bronx community that includes immigrants from those West African nations hit hardest by the recent and unprecedented outbreak of the Ebola virus. We are here today looking for bushmeat, the butchered harvest of African wildlife, and an ethnic delicacy in West African expatriate communities all over the world. A turbaned woman smiles vividly when we enter one small market with canned goods displayed in its window, but the light in her eyes immediately dims when we ask about bushmeat. Shrugging, looking away, she says she knows nothing about it and then, after a moment’s calculation, asks us to repeat the word, as if she didn’t understand what we had said. #bushmeat Paa George Appiah is from Ghana, but has been living in New York for 10 years. A former GNC employee, he sidesteps questions about his current work status, but is cheery and candid when it comes to bushmeat. “Akarnte is the best, my favorite,” he tells us. Akarnte, he explains, is a type of “grass-cutter.” His brief curbside mimicry of buckteeth suggests a large rabbit, but the grass-cutter is in fact a large rodent, more commonly called a “cane rat” in the U.S. Cane rats are similar in appearance to a guinea pig, prized as a source of protein throughout Ghana and other parts of West Africa, and officially unavailable anywhere in the United States. #bushmeat Bushmeat, which can range from bat to monkey to lion, including a number of endangered species, is beloved by many African-born Americans, despite the fact that it is illegal in the U.S. In the Bronx, the high price (up to $100 for six or seven pounds, Appiah tells us) attached to bushmeat (or viande de brousse, as it is known in the French-speaking world) indicates a luxury indulgence in the same way illegally imported caviar might for Russian émigrés in Brooklyn.

WHAT IS MARBURG? THIS VIRUS CAUSES VICTIMS TO BLEED FROM EVERY ORIFICE AND DIE

WHAT IS MARBURG? THIS VIRUS CAUSES VICTIMS TO BLEED FROM EVERY ORIFICE AND DIE. The virus is usually spread to humans from animals, most often bats and monkeys. Once in the human population, it can continue to spread by contact with bodily fluids from infected individuals. In Uganda, there’s currently an outbreak of Marburg virus, an extremely infectious virus that causes victims to bleed from every orifice before finally succumbing to severe dehydration and blood loss. With a current fatality rate of 100 percent, the African nation has also reported a national outbreak of the horrific virus, also known as Ebola’s cousin. Here’s what you need to know. First recognized in 1967, Marburg virus, formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever, is a rare but extremely fatal hemorrhagic disease. The World Health Organization report that the fatality rate is about 50/50 for this virus, but in past outbreaks fatality rates have been as high as 88 percent. In the current outbreak all three of the three victims have died from the disease and Uganda did not wait for further deaths before declaring a national outbreak on October 19, CNN reported. The CDC report initial symptoms of the virus include fever chills, headache and generally not feeling very well. Later on, however, the symptoms can become more serious, such as nausea, vomiting, chest pain, sore throat, abdominal pain, and severe diarrhea. The symptoms of the Marburg virus include high fevers, head and body aches, and gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea

Ibuprofen can help 'disable' Ebola and prevent infection.

In what is being hailed as a significant breakthrough in the battle against the deadly Ebola virus, researchers have found an unlikely treatment source - an everyday ibuprofen painkiller. Using Diamond Light Source, a light 10 billion times brighter than the Sun, the team was able to analyse the structure of the Ebola virus at a far higher resolution than had previously been possible. The researchers found ibuprofen, as well as cancer drug Toremifene, were able to bind to a protein on the surface of Ebola, preventing infection. The team described this as being able to "disable" the virus. Further work will be needed to analyse the structures of both the virus and the drugs, as well as how they interact, but the team is hopeful the research could be built upon to develop anti-Ebola treatments. "These complex structures reveal the mechanism of inhibition and may guide the development of more powerful anti-EBOV drugs," the team wrote in Nature. No drug has yet been developed that can stop Ebola. Nearly 11,000 people died of the disease in West Africa alone, with 30,000 infected. Many victims have since been infected with post-Ebola syndrome, which has lead to loss of sight and sickness. Contributed by wired.co.uk

Fighting pandemics should be funded 'like the military'.

Governments around the world need to invest in defending against pandemics such as Ebola and Zika in the same way they invest in the military, says the head of biomedical research charity the Wellcome Trust. Jeremy Farrar, an expert on infectious diseases explains We spend gazillions to defend ourselves from military attacks, but from the beginning of the twentieth century far more people have died from infection. We are hugely vulnerable from a public health perspective. Farrar, who is speaking at WIRED Health on 29 April, described sudden outbreaks of diseases with no known vaccines or treatments as the new normal. Farrar stated that We've had Ebola for the last two to three years, now Zika. He has been involved Since 1998 in about eight major epidemics including SARS and bird flu. This is the new world and these are not rare events. Diseases are more likely to spread these days because of a number of factors. Firstly, the world is more connected, which means people travel more frequently. Secondly, increasingly dense populations mean more interactions between humans and animals, where most diseases originate. Climate change also plays a role, with rising temperatures and humidity providing the perfect breeding ground for disease carriers. When there are no drugs, no vaccines and no diagnostic tests, an outbreak goes from being a relatively small affair to 30,000 people, referring to Ebola in West Africa, which quickly claimed more than 11,300 lives. While Zika is less deadly than Ebola, its long-term effects on unborn babies are not clear. Around 20 per cent of people infected with the virus become ill, with symptoms including fever, rash, headaches and joint pain. The virus has also been linked to a spike in babies born with microcephaly, a congenital condition that causes incomplete brain development. The risk of this neurological disorder has forced governments in Jamaica and Latin America to advise women against getting pregnant. There is currently no vaccine or medication to treat Zika infections. Symptoms are treated with fluids, rest and pain relief. "It's spread across a whole continent and it's likely to invade the United States. Then it's highly likely to spread around the world and we have no method to control it," Farrar says. "There won't be 11,000 deaths, but if you had a whole generation of babies born with developmental delays that would be a disaster." The Ebola can be sexually transmitted and cause long term mental and eye problems, Farrar predicts that more complications will be discovered with Zika. "We've learned lessons from Ebola and we hoped to have a couple of years to put in place some changes, but Ebola hasn't finished yet. There are still outbreaks happening today. And while that's going on we've got to deal with Zika. It's not impossible to imagine there might be a third thing happening in Asia," he explains. Farrar cites Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) as another example of a virus we are "completely unprepared" for. The illness was first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and has since spread to several other countries, with many patients dying. Tackling these diseases requires being smarter about diagnosis, gathering data, sharing information and developing vaccines more quickly and in a more collaborative way. Public health organisations must also prepare to deal with entirely new threats, citing HIV as an example of a "completely unknown virus that we'd never seen before". The sharing of information is getting better and there's a movement towards developing vaccines quicker and making sure all of the potential interventions we could need are going to be available. read more at wired.co.uk

Neurological, psychiatric symptoms persist in Ebola survivors .

Researchers at the University of Liverpool discovered that a broad set of neurological and psychiatric symptoms persisted in Ebola virus survivors more than 1 year after the patients were discharged from the hospital. Janet T. Scott, PhD, MRCP, clinical lecturer in pharmacology and infectious disease at the University of Liverpool and a researcher. The results of two related studies assessing the effects of post-Ebola syndrome (PES) shows that the Post-Ebola syndrome is not going away, as more people are seen now 2 years later, still suffering from the after effects of this terrible disease according to Janet T. Scott, PhD, MRCP, clinical lecturer in pharmacology and infectious disease at the University of Liverpool and a researcher on both studies. The worst Ebola outbreak in history began in December 2013 and killed more than 11,000 people before it was declared over in January. Most of the deaths occurred in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, which all have seen recent disease flare-ups. According to Scott, there are more than 17,000 Ebola survivors in West Africa, including about 5,000 in Sierra Leone, where the research was conducted. Among patient notes of 354 Ebola survivors, Scott and colleagues found 87 individuals who fit predetermined criteria: The patients were aged 16 years or older and had significant symptoms such as weakness, tremor, blindness, deafness, confusion, depression, psychosis and double vision. Forty-five of these patients were contacted, and 38 visited the clinic. The patients were mostly female (63%), and their median age was 34 years. They were hospitalized with Ebola for a median duration of 21 days, and the median length of time between their release and the screening clinic was 431 days. Forty-five percent of the patients reported loss of consciousness, and 18% experienced seizures during their acute phase of the disease. Scott and colleagues learned that 28 patients reported headaches — the most frequent neurological feature — and five of them had focal upper motor neuron weakness. Common psychiatric symptoms included insomnia, depression and anxiety. “Our experience suggests that there is a need for tertiary-level neurological and psychiatric referral clinics and larger, case-controlled studies,” Scott and colleagues wrote. “Our data are limited by the challenges of contacting many patients from our selected group.” A more diverse range of eye complications are experienced by patients suffering from PES, according to the ophthalmology aspect of the study. The researchers used a number of eye tests to evaluate 150 Ebola survivors who had vision complications, including panuveitis and also cataracts in younger Ebola survivors. “The data in both sets of research support the need for larger, case-controlled studies,” Scott said in the release. "Those with PES deserve better treatment, so we will continue to research and provide hands-on support to ensure this happens.” read more here ; European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.com

Fourth person dies of Ebola in latest flare up in Guinea

A fourth person has died of Ebola in Guinea in the latest flare up of an epidemic that has killed more than 11,300 people in that country, Sierra Leone and Liberia since 2013 but now claims few victims. The young girl who was hospitalized at the Ebola treatment center in Nzerekore is dead,” said Fode Tass Sylla, spokesman for the center that coordinates Guinea’s fight against the virus. Three others have died of the virus since Feb. 29. Health workers on Saturday also stepped up efforts to trace anyone who could have come into contact with the family. The world’s worst recorded Ebola epidemic is believed to have started in Guinea and killed about 2,500 people there by December last year, at which point the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) said it was no longer actively transmitted. WHO warned, however, that Ebola could resurface at any time, since it can linger in the eyes, central nervous system and bodily fluids of some survivors. It was not immediately clear how the villagers from Korokpara, around 100 km (60 miles) from Nzerekore, had contracted the disease but the area had previously resisted efforts to fight the illness in the initial epidemic. Read more at http://newsdaily.com/2016/03/fourth-person-dies-of-ebola-in-latest-flare-up-in-guinea/#RrDHZ6sxzoOgsmo4.99

Ebola, Zika now WIV1-CoV,

Researchers from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill have found that the newly identified virus, known as WIV1-CoV, a SARS-like virus found in Chinese horseshoe bats may be poised to infect humans could bind to the same receptors as SARS-CoV that infected thousands in 2002.They also showed that the virus readily and efficiently replicated in cultured human airway tissues, suggesting an ability to jump directly to humans. Researcher Vineet Menachery said that the capacity of this group of viruses to jump into humans is greater than originally thought, adding that while other adaptations may be required to produce an epidemic, several viral strains circulating in bat populations have already overcome the barrier of replication in human cells and suggest reemergence as a distinct possibility. He further said that this virus may never jump to humans, but if it does, WIV1-CoV has the potential to seed a new outbreak with significant consequences for both public health and the global economy.The research team also found that antibodies developed to treat SARS were effective in both human and animal tissue samples against WIV1-CoV, providing a potent treatment option if there were an outbreak. Prevention using existing vaccines against SARS would not provide protection for this new virus due to slight differences in the viral sequence and there is a limitation to treat with antibodies.This is the same as with ZMapp, the antibody approach used for Ebola, because of production at a large enough scale to treat many people. culled from journal of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Pigs susceptible to virulent ebolavirus can transmit the virus to other animals.

Canadian investigators have shown that a species of ebolavirus from Zaire that is highly virulent in humans can replicate in pigs, cause disease, and be transmitted to animals previously unexposed to the virus. The findings are published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases A species of ebolavirus from Zaire that is highly virulent in humans can replicate in pigs, cause disease, and be transmitted to animals previously unexposed to the virus. To prevent human outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, it is important to identify animal species that replicate and transmit the virus to other animals and, potentially, people. Zaire ebola virus, one of several species of the virus, has a fatality rate as high as 90 percent in humans. Antibodies to another species not associated with human disease, known as Reston ebolavirus, have been found in pig farmers in the Philippines, suggesting pigs may be able to transmit virulent ebolavirus to humans as well. Following mucosal exposure to Zaire ebolavirus, the pigs replicated the virus in high amounts, mainly in the respiratory tract. Shedding of the virus from nasal mucosa was detected for up to 14 days post-infection, and severe lung disease was observed. The study also showed that the virus was transmitted to all previously unexposed pigs co-habiting with the infected animals. The study authors suggest that domesticated pigs are susceptible to Zaire ebolavirus through mucosal infection and that the pigs' accompanying severe respiratory disease is associated with shedding of high viral loads into the environment, exposing uninfected pigs to the infection. In contrast to the systemic syndrome affecting multiple organs that often leads to shock and death in primates, they noted, the respiratory syndrome that develops in pigs could be mistaken for other porcine respiratory diseases. Source ;sciencedaily.

BAT'S IMMUNITY; A NEW MODEL FOR PREVENTING DISEASES IN MAN.

Bats are a natural host for more than 100 viruses, some of which are lethal to people, including Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Ebola and Hendra virus, however, interestingly bats do not get sick or show signs of disease from these viruses. A new study has revealed the distinct ability in bats,that enables them carry disease-agents and still remain unaffected by such organisms.For the first time researchers have uncovered a unique ability in bats which allows them to carry but remain unaffected by lethal diseases. Unlike humans, bats keep their immune systems switched on 24/7 and scientists believe this could hold the key to protecting people from deadly diseases like Ebola. The research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), this new research examines the genes and immune system of the Australian black flying fox. Whenever our body encounters a foreign organism, like bacteria or a virus, a complicated set of immune responses are set in motion, one of which is the defense mechanism known as innate immunity,leading bat immunologist at CSIRO's Australian Animal Health Laboratory Dr Michelle Baker said. The team focused on the innate immunity of bats with particular reference to the role of interferons -which are essential for innate immune responses in mammals and to understand what's special about how bats respond to invading viruses. It was discovered that bats only have three interferons which is only a fraction -- about a quarter -- of the number of interferons found in people.This is surprising given bats have this unique ability to control viral infections that are lethal in people and yet they can do this with a lower number of interferons. The team also compared two type 1 interferons -- alpha and beta.The research showed that bats express a heightened innate immune response even when they were not infected with any detectable virus. Man and mice activate their immune systems only in response to infection, the bats interferon-alpha is constantly 'switched on' acting as a 24/7 front line defense against diseases In other mammalian species, having the immune response constantly switched on is dangerous because it's toxic to tissue and cells- whereas the bat immune system operates in harmony. The important role bats play in the eco-system as pollinators and insect controllers is recognized, bats are also increasingly demonstrating their worth in potentially helping to protect people from infectious diseases.

New Ebola treatment effective three days after infection.

A post-exposure treatment that is effective against a specific strain of the Ebola virus that killed thousands of people in West Africa has been developed by researchers. The treatment uses a sequence specific short strand of RNA, known as siRNA, designed to target and interfere with the Ebola virus, rendering it harmless. One of the advantages of this approach is the ability to quickly modify it to different viral strains. Although all infected animals showed evidence of advanced disease, those receiving treatment had milder symptoms and recovered fully. The untreated controls succumbed to the disease on days eight and nine, which is similar to that reported in the field after patients begin showing symptoms of Ebola. This treatment also protected against liver and kidney dysfunction and blood disorders that occur during an Ebola infection. These results indicate that the treatment may confer protective benefits that go beyond improving survival rates and effective control of virus levels in the body. This study demonstrates that we can rapidly and accurately adapt our siRNA-LNP technology to target genetic sequences emerging from new Ebola virus outbreaks," said Dr. Mark Murray, president and CEO of Tekmira Pharmaceuticals. The Tekmira siRNA-based therapeutic was used in Ebola-infected patients in Sierra Leone during the outbreak. Excerpts from papers of University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

EBOLA VACCINE.

A study represents a crucial step in the translation of herpes virus-based Ebola virus vaccines into humans and other great apes. It shows the effectiveness of a herpes virus CMV-based vaccine against Ebola. Researchers have shown the ability of a vaccine vector based on a common herpes virus called cytomegalovirus (CMV) expressing Ebola virus glycoprotein (GP), to provide protection against Ebola virus in the experimental rhesus macaque, non-human primate (NHP) model. Demonstration of protection in the NHP model is regarded as a critical step before translation of Ebola virus vaccines into humans and other great apes. Establishing the potential for CMV-based vaccines against Ebola virus, these results are exciting from the potential insight they give into the mechanism of protection. Herpesvirus-based vaccines can theoretically be made to produce their targeted protein (in this case, Ebola virus GP) at different times following vaccination. The current CMV vaccine was designed to make the Ebola virus GP at later times. This resulted in the surprising production of high levels of antibodies against Ebola virus with no detectable Ebola-specific T cells. This immunological shift towards antibodies has never been seen before for such primate herpesvirus-based vaccines, where responses are always associated with large T cell responses and poor to no antibodies. The current study is a step forward, not only for conventional Ebola virus vaccines for use in humans, but also in the development of such 'self-disseminating vaccines' to target Ebola in great apes, and other emerging infectious diseases in their wild animal host before they fully establish themselves in humans. Papers from University of Plymouth.

Public Private Partnerships to limit disease spread due to global travelling.

A new study from a team at the University of Arizona in the US has found that international travel – along with trade – can be listed as being among the most efficient methods of spreading infectious diseases.

   This is due to the fact that people sick with communicable infections may unknowingly board planes and spread their illnesses to both fellow passengers and the residents of their destination country. Led by Charles Perrings, a professor of environmental economics at the university, the team behind the research cited the recent Ebola outbreak as an example – while a global pandemic did not occur, and the majority of the 8,000 people who died from the disease were from the outbreak’s source countries in West Africa, a man from Liberia did become patient zero in the US and later died from Ebola. 

 Two of his attending nurses also contracted the disease, although they later recovered. While this was a thankfully small-scale example, it can be considered a microcosm of what a larger epidemic or pandemic might look like. 

 The research paper also pointed towards international trade, mentioning the hoof and mouth outbreak that cost the government of the UK billions, and other diseases such as swine and avian flu.

 In terms of solutions, Perrings suggested addressing these issues ‘at the source’, and confronting those behind the import and export of potentially dangerous materials with the risks. 

 “The recent Ebola outbreak made us realize that we are all just a plane ride away from exposure to emerging infectious diseases,” said Perrings. 

“The more trade grows as a proportion of global production, the more likely it is that diseases will be spread through trade, and the higher the economic cost of resulting trade bans. What is at risk is the food we eat, the fibres we wear and build with, and the fuels we burn. In addition, many infectious diseases that affect animals also affect people. 

Zoonoses like SARS, MERS, HIV, AIDS [and] highly pathogenic avian influenza all originated in wild animals and were then spread person-to-person through trade and travel.” He went on to say: “There are two problems to address. One is that disease spread is an unintended (external) effect of trade. 

To solve this problem exporters and importers need to be confronted with the risks they impose on consumers. The other is that the control of infectious disease is a public good – the benefits it offers are freely available to all, and so will be under supplied if left to the market. 

To solve this problem, we need to undertake co-operative, collective control of infectious diseases at the source.” He suggested financial incentives for risk reduction in developing countries and establishing a global fund to combat and control infectious diseases. 

Currently, countries have the right to act defensively in their own interests once a disease is introduced, controlling the outbreak and working to reduce the possibility of reinfection by banning trade with countries that pose a risk. This, however, will not stop new diseases emerging, said Perrings: 

“The One Health Initiative suggests that what is needed is co-operative collective action to reduce risk at the source. This requires a partnership between the rich countries that have the resources to fund global prevention, and the poor countries where disease is most likely to emerge. 

The management of infectious diseases of animals and plants, like the management of infectious diseases of people, is now a global problem that requires global solutions. 

This in turn requires a more strongly co-ordinated and co-operative approach than is currently allowed under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.” culled from international travel and health insurance journal.

Suspected Ebola case reported in Vietnam.

A 27-year-old man was quarantined at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City after coming back from Africa with Ebola symptoms, local media reported on Sunday. The man from central Binh Thuan province arrived at Tan Son Nhat international airport in the city on February 11 with Ebola symptoms, including high fever and dry cough, online newspaper VnExpress reported.He was transferred to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases for quarantine and observation.The man worked as a photographer in Sierra Leone.He was being treated as a tuberculosis patient. Earlier, doctors in Sierra Leone had diagnosed him with pneumonia.A death from Ebola was confirmed in Sierra Leone on Jan. 15, hours after the World Health Organisation declared an end to the deadly virus in West Africa. Ebola has killed more than 11,000 people, mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia since December 2013. Story culled from;South China morning post.

EBOLA COMPLICATIONS!!!

. Ebola survivors have been noted to have complications ,usually relating to vision.The major complications are loss of vision, redness of eyes, , swollen eyes, pain and severe sensitivity to light. This is a pointer that the virus has a residual bank in some organs exhibiting various signs and probably a point of new infection. The virus is known to be present in semen of survivors, indicating some grey areas in the Ebola saga .Read the story of 2 survivors here;http://www.livescience.com/52902-ebola-survivor-eye-problems-sacra.html

EBOLA AND THE SEX FACTOR.

The deadly Ebola virus has reared its ugly head again in Liberia just when the country was to be pronounced EBOLA FREE. The latest victim a 44-year old woman died on 27/3/2015, her boyfriend was an Ebola survivor indicating that sexual transmission is a route of infection of the Ebola virus. Research has shown traces of Ebola virus in semen of survivors for at least 82 days after onset of symptoms ,to this end the W.H.O has advised Ebola survivors to abstain from sex during a 90- day period following recovery. The deputy health minister and head of the Ebola response team; Tolbert Nyenswah reiterated the stand of W.H.O and suggested that survivors go a step further until the the pathway of transmission is better understood. He suggested that Ebola survivors consider use of condoms for all sexual acts beyond 3 months. The Ebola virus has been linked to non-human primates such as monkeys and apes, the fruit bats has also been linked as a reservoir host. It has been documented that hunting in deep forest for wild animals(bush meat) and bats ,subsequent preparation and consumption is a major route of infection with the Ebola virus.The management of the sick in terms of cleaning vomitus, diarrhoea and other body fluids is responsible for spread.The burial rites and community -based burial ceremonies has further propagated the spread of the virus across the borders. The contamination of bedding, clothing and surfaces also contribute to spread of virus. The symptoms include fever,vomiting,diarrhoea and hemorrhaging .The bleeding is from all orifices, the diarrhoea and vomitus are also blood tinged. The envelope on the RNA virus is easily disrupted by washing with soap and water,hence hand washing is advocated. The use of alcohol based hand sanitizers has also been proven to inactivate the virus. The use of bleach to decontaminate surfaces,floors and drains is very effective for killing the virus. COMPLACENCY has been identified as the major cause of new cases of Ebola, it will be of paramount importance to be alert and be proactive. KEEP WASHING HANDS,WASH FLOORS/SURFACES WITH BLEACH.VISIT AN HOSPITAL IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THE EBOLA SYMPTOMS AND REPORT TO HEALTH AUTHORITIES IF YOUVE HAD CONTACT WITH PERSON WITH EBOLA,OR HAVE VISITED COUNTRIES WITH EBOLA CASES.