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Tag: Ebola

  • Nigeria at moderate risk of Ebola outbreak-NCDC

    Nigeria at moderate risk of Ebola outbreak-NCDC

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has put Nigeria at ‘moderate risk’ of Ebola outbreak as Guinea battles the virus

    The NCDC made this known via its website, stating that the decision was based on the proximity of Guinea to Nigeria and other West African countries, as well as other indicators.

    Guinea experienced outbreak of the Ebola on February 14, and cases and deaths were reported in the N’zerekore region of the country,

    The cases were discovered among seven people who had attended the burial of a nurse on February 1, NCDC said.

    Following the declaration of the outbreak, the Guinean government has initiated response activities. The World Health Organization, Africa Centres for Disease Control, and West African Health Organisation have announced that they are supporting the country’s response activities.

    The Government of Guinea has also begun processes to access the global stockpile of vaccines for Ebola virus disease from the Vaccine International Coordinating Group, ICG.

    The NCDC says it has an existing multi-sectoral National Emerging Viral Haemorrhagic Diseases Working Group, which coordinates preparedness efforts for EVD and other emerging viral haemorrhagic diseases.

    “The EVHDWG has carried out a risk assessment on the possibility of transmission of the virus to Nigeria.

    “Given the proximity of Guinea to Nigeria and other West African countries as well as other indicators, Nigeria has been placed at moderate risk of an EVD outbreak.

    The outputs from this risk assessment are being used to initiate preparedness activities in-country,” NCDC said.

    The agency assured that several measures had been put in place to prevent and mitigate the impact of a potential EVD outbreak in Nigeria.

    “A National Emergency Operations Centre operating from NCDC’s Incident Coordination Centre is on alert mode.

    “We have a team of first responders on standby, ready to be deployed within 24 hours in the event of an EVD outbreak in Nigeria.

    “We have also established testing capacity for EVD at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory.

    “The NCDC will continue working with states to strengthen preparedness activities across the country,” NCDC said.

    It added that the Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health has scaled up screening at points of entry, and that the NCDC will also scale up risk communications and other activities.

    The Ebola virus can be transmitted via direct contact with bodily fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from the disease.

    The virus can enter the body stream through broken skin or mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, or mouth.

    This can also be spread through contact with objects contaminated by infected persons as well as direct contact with the blood, body fluids and tissues of infected fruit bats or primates.

    To prevent the spread of Ebola, NCDC advises members of the public to adhere to the following precautions:

    • Wash your hands frequently using soap and water – use hand sanitisers when soap and water is not readily available.

    • Avoid direct handling of dead wild animals.

    • Avoid physical contact with anyone who has possible symptoms of an infection with an unknown diagnosis.

    • Make sure fruits and vegetables are properly washed and peeled before you eat them.

     

    • Health care workers are advised to ensure universal precautions at all times. This includes the use of personal protective equipment always when handling patients.

    In January 2021, the ICG announced the establishment of a vaccine stockpile for Ebola virus disease.

    This stockpile is accessible to countries, in the event of outbreaks. The NCDC will work with the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to develop a clear plan for accessing the EVD vaccine stockpile, as needed.

    “The NCDC will continue to monitor the situation and initiate preparedness activities across the country.

    “We are in close contact with WHO, ACDC and WAHO for cross-border coordination. We urge members of the public to remain aware of the risks and adhere to all safety measures.

    “The NCDC remains fully committed to protecting the health of all Nigerians from infectious disease threats,” the statement, signed by NCDC Director-General, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, stated.

  • Ebola resurfaces in eastern Democratic Republic Congo

    Ebola resurfaces in eastern Democratic Republic Congo

    The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced Sunday a reappearance of the Ebola virus in the eastern part of the Central African country, more than two months after the end of the last outbreak.

    The patient, who has since died, was the wife of an Ebola survivor. Samples have been sent to the National Institute of Biomedical Research in the capital Kinshasa for genome sequencing to determine whether there is a link to the previous outbreak, World Health Organization (WHO) Africa said in a statement.

    “I also want to tell my brothers and sisters of Butembo not to panic,” local news website Actualite quoted Minister of Health Eteni Longondo as saying.

    “Another national team will follow early next week. We are here. We will do everything to make this disease go away as soon as possible,” Longondo added.

    He said a provincial response team had been formed and would be in the northeastern city of Beni on Sunday.

    The expertise and capacity of local health teams have been critical in detecting this new Ebola case and paving the way for a timely response, said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa.

    “WHO is providing support to local and national health authorities to quickly trace, identify and treat the contacts to curtail the further spread of the virus.”

    On Nov. 18, 2020, DRC authorities declared the end of the 11th Ebola outbreak in the country’s northwestern Equateur province.

    At least 130 people were infected and 55 died in the last outbreak, which took place in communities scattered across dense rainforests, as well as crowded urban areas, creating logistical challenges.

    Starting in North Kivu province in August 2018, the 10th Ebola epidemic was the second-largest outbreak in the world and particularly challenging as it took place in an active conflict zone.

    There were 3,470 cases, 2,287 deaths and 1,171 survivors, according to the WHO.

    Ebola, a tropical fever that first appeared in 1976 in Sudan and the DRC, is transmitted to humans from wild animals.

    The disease caused global alarm in 2014, when the world’s worst outbreak began in West Africa, killing more than 11,300 people and infecting an estimated 28,600 as it swept through Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

  • WHO confirms three fresh Ebola cases in Congo

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recorded three new cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

    After 52 days of not recording a case in the country, WHO confirmed a new case last Friday and 3 fresh cases on Thursday, April 16.

    Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, disclosed this in a statement issued from the agency’s headquarters in Geneva and posted on its website.

    “Three new cases have been confirmed – two people who died in the community and one person who was in contact with one of them.

    “The source of their infection is still under investigation.

    “Additional cases will likely be identified. Flare-ups are expected at the tail-end of Ebola outbreaks.

    “Our teams in Beni are experienced in responding to new cases and acted quickly to engage with affected communities, investigate alerts, identify and vaccinate contacts, decontaminate affected homes and health facilities, and send samples for sequencing,’’ he said.

    Ghebreyesus said the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had met and advised him.

    He said their view on the Ebola outbreak in the DRC was that “it continued to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and I have accepted that advice.

    “Tremendous progress has been made containing this outbreak in very difficult circumstances.

    “Up until Friday, 54 days had passed without a confirmed case being reported, and 40 days had passed since the last person known to have Ebola tested negative and was discharged from treatment.

    “The Committee noted that armed groups are active in the area where these cases were identified, a lack of funding is constraining the response and the COVID-19 pandemic is adding more challenges to an already complex operation.

    “We have to anticipate and be prepared for additional small outbreaks.

    “We need the full force of all partners to bring these outbreaks under control and to meet the needs of the people affected,’’ Ghebreyesus said.

  • JUST IN: Fresh case of Ebola hits DRC amid COVID-19 pandemic

    JUST IN: Fresh case of Ebola hits DRC amid COVID-19 pandemic

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, has confirmed a case of Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after 52 days without a case.

    The UN’s health agency disclosed this on its official twitter account @WHOAFRO on Friday.

    “One new case of Ebola was confirmed today by surveillance and response teams in North Eastern of DRC after 52 days without a case.

    “WHO remains as committed as ever to bringing this outbreak to an end,’’ it said.

    The agency on Monday, said the government of DRC would declare the outbreak over as early as Sunday if there were no more cases.

    The WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, in a Twitter post, said: “Today I convened a meeting of the Emergency Committee on Ebola in DRC.

    “After 52 days without a case, surveillance and response teams on the ground have confirmed a new case; we have been preparing for and expecting more cases.

    “Unfortunately, this means the government of DRC will not be able to declare an end to the Ebola outbreak on Monday, as hoped.

    “But WHO remains on the ground and committed as ever to working with the government, affected communities and our partners to end the outbreak,” he said.

  • COVID-19: FG to deploy machines for testing HIV, Ebola for Coronavirus

    COVID-19: FG to deploy machines for testing HIV, Ebola for Coronavirus

    Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health has said the federal government will deploy 300 GeneXperts Machines to test for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Dr Ehanire disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja, at the Presidential Taskforce Briefing on COVID-19, stressing that Nigerians should be aware that the elderly among them are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.

    GeneXpert machines, widely deployed about a decade ago to rapidly detect tuberculosis, including milt-drugs resistant strains, had since been adapted to enable rapid testing of many other pathogens, including not only HIV and hepatitis C, but also influenza, Ebola and sexually transmitted infections.

    Ehaire said the recent inclusion of University College Hospital, Ibadan into the network laboratories for COVID-19, and ongoing assessment to include seven other laboratories in the next three weeks would enable increased testing capacity and improved turn-around time.

    The Minister said the laboratories would assist other response activities, thereby reducing the number of deaths, stressing that it would be critical to reduce turnaround time between identifying a suspected case and confirmation.

    Ehanire said the closure of the airports and also the land borders would reduce the number of importation “of new cases”. He, however, said that Nigerians should be aware that the elderly among them were particularly vulnerable groups.

    Giving an update on the confirmed cases; the minister said that as at 11.15 am March 31, there were 135 cases of COVID19 reported in Nigeria with two deaths, while five had been discharged.

    He added that currently, Lagos had 81; Abuja- 25, Ogun – Four, Ekiti – one, Oyo – Eight, Osun, Five , Enugu – Two, Edo – Two, Bauchi -Two, Kaduna three, while Benue ,Rivers had one case respectively.

    “Lagos state still has the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country with 81 cases. The cases reported were from travellers who have just returned to the country. Other cases were from people who have come in contact with infected people,” he said

    In his remarks, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General of Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said that the strategy that NCDC were still applying was one of containment.

    “ It means that still at a point, where we think we have a window of opportunity to identify all the cases, confirm them, bring them into care.

    “We confirm all their contacts, follow up each of them, make sure they don’t have the disease and if they do have the disease, bring them into care,” he disclosed.

    Ihekweazu said that this was a tedious process, because NCDC is following about 5000 cases all over the country.

    “Do we have to really meet? We will be destroying the efforts we’re making collectively.

    “It’s only by doing this and bearing this pain for a few weeks that we have a small chance of containing this outbreak,” he said.

    Ihekweazu disclosed that an updated case definition was taken into account for the epidemiology of the virus and the transmission pattern seen in the country.

    He said the agency would continue to review guidelines such as the case definition, as more precise information emerged on the COVID-19 outbreak including characteristics of transmission and geographical spread.

    “The major update to the current case definition, is that any patient with acute respiratory illness within the last 10 days (fever and either cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath) and in absence of an alternative diagnosis that explains the clinical presentation and residing or working in the last 14 days in an area identified by NCDC as a moderate or high prevalence region will be treated as a suspect case.

    “This is in addition to the already existing case definition where the focus is on symptomatic patients (fever and either cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath) who are recent international travelers within 14 days of arrival or contacts of confirmed cases, “ he explained.

    Chairman of the Presidential Task Force for the control of COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, said they had just begun the first day of restrictions in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja.

    Mustapha said that PTF was observing developments around the country as they received reports.

    He disclosed that the PTF had however met with Security Chiefs to smoothen the rough edges of implementation and within the first day of implementation and an appropriate restriction protocol and exemption guidelines would be issued.

    “Initial feedback is that there are violations of restrictions by the citizens that we desire to protect. Let me emphasise that the decision to lockdown is to prevent community spread which may be dangerous to manage.

    “It can only be done by Nigerians and for Nigerians,” he stressed.

  • Ex-minister to spend five years in jail for embezzling Ebola funds

    DR Congo’s former health minister, Oly Ilunga who led the fight against a deadly Ebola outbreak, was sentenced to jail along with a colleague on Monday for stealing funds destined to fight the disease.

    Oly Ilunga was sentenced to five years in jail by the Court of Cassation, while the former finance minister for Kinshasa province, Guy Matondo, got eight years.

    Ilunga, who was health minister between December 2016 until his resignation in July last year, and a colleague are accused of embezzling $400,000 (372,000 euros) from the Ebola war chest.

    The latest Ebola epidemic, the country’s 10th since 1976, has killed over 2,200 people. It was first identified in August 2018.

    In a statement, Ilunga denied wrongdoing, denouncing “several procedural flaws” in the trial.

    A ruling by the Cassation Court cannot be appealed in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    Matondo’s lawyer, Michel Omba, said his client’s eight-year sentence was a “judicial scandal.”

    Both men were sentenced to hard labour, but such sentences are not executed in the DRC and they will serve their terms in prison.

    President Felix Tshisekedi has made the fight against corruption one of his government’s priorities.

    Ilunga was close to Tshisekedi’s father, a veteran opposition leader. He was a doctor in Brussels before he joined the government.

  • BREAKING: Congo discharges last Ebola patient amid jubilation

    Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has discharged it’s last Ebola patient from a treatment centre in a town of Beni, amid jubilation.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports a 42-day countdown began on 2 March to declaring the end of the world’s second-deadliest epidemic, after no further cases have been confirmed.

    Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, had commended tireless efforts that have been made to respond to Ebola outbreak.

    “I applaud the tireless efforts that have been made to respond to this outbreak and I’m truly encouraged by the news that the last Ebola patient has left the treatment centre healthy,” Dr Moeti said.

    Although the patient has been allowed to leave, 46 people who had come in contact with her are still being monitored, according to report.

    “It is not yet the end of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We must stay vigilant in the coming weeks and beyond,” Moeti noted.

    Meanwhile, all the aspects of the Ebola response remain in place to ensure that any new cases are detected quickly and treated.

    The end of the outbreak can only be ascertained when no infections arise 42 days after the last reported case has tested negative.

    The current outbreak, which was declared on 1 August 2018, is the DRC’s tenth and the second-worst globally after the 2014–2016 epidemic in West Africa.

    As of 1 March, there were 3,444 confirmed and probable cases and 2,264 deaths.

    Surveillance, pathogen detection and clinical management are ongoing, including validating alerts, monitoring the remaining contacts, supporting rapid diagnostics of suspected cases and working with community members to strengthen surveillance on deaths in the communities.

    Countdown to the end of Ebola is coming at a time another epidemic, novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is hitting hard globally.

  • WHO raises alarm as Ebola death toll in DRC hits 1,540

    WHO raises alarm as Ebola death toll in DRC hits 1,540

    The death toll in the latest outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has risen to 1,540, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

    In an update on Friday, the world health body said 2,284 people had been infected since the outbreak in the country’s Ituri and North Kivu provinces nearly 11 months ago.

    However, vital work of tracing people infected with the deadly virus is progressing, in spite of evidence of “several” massacres in the affected area earlier this month, the organization said.

    In spite of the insecurity, WHO insisted that frontline workers were doing all they could to tackle Ebola in North-east DRC.

    “We had 637 people who survived the disease, and I think this is important,” Dr. Ibrahima Fall, WHO Assistant Director-General for Emergency Response, told newsmen in Geneva, according to a statement.

    He noted that around 90 people were currently receiving treatment for Ebola virus disease infection, while new cases had dropped from 106 two weeks ago, to 79 last week.

    At the same time, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, announced that a “robust” probe found that 117 people had been killed in “several massacres” involving multiple villages in gold-rich Ituri, between June 10 and June 13.

    “The investigative team confirmed that at least 94 people had been killed in Djugu territory and 23 in Mahagi territory, including a yet to be an undetermined number of women and children.

    “Some of the victims were beheaded. Homes and warehouses were burned down after being looted.

    “The ferocity and scorched-earth nature of the attacks suggest the assailants intended to prevent survivors from being able to return to their villages,” OHCHR spokesperson, Marta Hurtado, said.

    Hurtado was quoted as saying that most of the victims belonged to the Hema community, while the remaining ones were Alur people.

    She added that the attackers were reportedly from the Lendu community, echoing an earlier alert from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR.

    UNHCR had earlier reported that thousands of people displaced by violence had arrived in Uganda this month, with an average of 311 people crossing the border daily, double the number for May.

    Fall explained that major urban centres of Butembo and Katwa were now seeing only “sporadic” cases of infection, thanks to full access.

    He, however, cautioned that in Beni, a large town in North Kivu, Ebola had claimed nine lives since Monday.

    Contact tracing there and other preventative work was slowed earlier this week amid attacks by taxi drivers who were upset about the death of a colleague who sought help too late, according to him.

    Turning to remote areas, Fall confirmed that the “very volatile” security situation had complicated the WHO’s work to tackle “a new hotspot” in Mabalako and Mandima.

    “The outbreak started there last year and spread to other regions, so it’s important to break the vicious cycle, to contain very quickly the situation in Mabalako and Mandima, where we have more than 55 per cent of the cases coming from.”

    He said for the first time in the current outbreak, Ebola had also reached small forest-based villages such as Alima, where access is “more challenging”.

    Fall blamed the situation on the presence of armed groups from DRC and neighbouring Uganda.

    “You cannot just say, ‘I have access, I can go.’ You have to negotiate; you have to assess conscious that the risk is still important.

    “This is because as you know, with Ebola, you only need one case to start spreading or one high-risk contact not followed transfers the disease,’’ he said.

    Asked about the infection threat in Uganda, where three people with Ebola died earlier this month after arriving from DRC, the WHO official insisted “there has been no transmission” of the virus.

  • Ebola: FG directs ports officials to heighten surveillance

    Federal Government has directed port health service officials and other relevant agencies at the points of entry to Nigeria to heighten surveillance toward ensuring that all passengers coming into the country are screened.

    Mrs Boade Akinola, the Director, Media and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Health, made this known in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja.

    She said that the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr Abdulaziz Mashi, gave the directive in Lagos while inspecting health facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

    The permanent secretary with some directors from the ministry, and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) inspected the health facilities.

    She added that the inspection was to ascertain the level of preparedness in case of any emergency following the rumored Ebola threats in Lagos.

    Mashi noted that the “Thermal Cameras” used to screen incoming passengers into the country are functioning perfectly.

    He, therefore, reiterated Federal Government’s commitment to increase the number of cameras and deploy more manpower as a result of heavy traffic at the airport.

    He said “more doctors, nurses and other health officials will be deployed to the port health services at International Airports for day to day activities.”

    The permanent secretary appreciated the efforts of Lagos State Government on preparedness and surveillance system against the Ebola virus.

    He said the ministry and Lagos State Ministry of Health had been working together to forestall importation of any disease into the country and called for continuous collaboration.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Federal Government described as false, the message circulating on social media, purporting positive case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country.

    Federal Ministry of Health, therefore, urged the public to disregard the rumour and discourage the circulation of any unverified information.

    The ministry said that since the reports of outbreak of EVD in the Democratic Republic of Congo, heightened surveillance had been ongoing at various points of entry to prevent importation into Nigeria.

  • No Ebola case in Nigeria – FG

    There is no Ebola virus in Nigeria, the Federal Government has said.

    The government also described as false the message circulating in social media purporting a positive case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the country.

    Debunking the rumour, the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr. Abdullaziz Mashi Abdullahi, urged the public to disregard the rumour and discourage the circulation of any unverified information.

    He said this could cause harm to innocent people and unnecessary panic among the citizens.

    Abdullahi assured Nigerians that since the reports of the outbreak of EVD in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), heightened surveillance had been ongoing at the various points of entry by officials of the Port Health Services division of the ministry to prevent its entry into Nigeria.

    Read Also: FG debunks Ebola rumour in Nigeria
    The government official said every sick passenger had been properly screened and “I can say categorically that none of the patients screened has tested positive for Ebola or any other deadly disease”.

    The permanent secretary noted that in line with WHO’s guidelines, a recent preliminary risk assessment conducted by the Nigeria Ebola Preparedness team, coordinated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), indicated that the overall risk of carrying EVD to Nigeria from DRC and Uganda was low.

    “But we are not resting on our oars in view of trading activities of Nigerians,” Abdullahi said.

    He assured Nigerians that the Federal Government remained fully committed, while working closely with the WHO, state ministries of Health, partners and other stakeholders, to protect the health of all citizens.

    “However, necessary protocols are being followed in line with international Health Regulations,” he said.