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Jolie Rouge
04-08-2005, 01:20 PM
Marburg virus And Ebola
By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) Friday called for stepping up measures in Angola to halt the further spread of the deadly Marburg virus, which has killed 174 people mainly in the north of the country.

The United Nations agency said a first case of the incurable disease had been found in Kuanza Sul, the sixth province in the northwest to be hit, while a suspect death was also under investigation in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo.

There was an unusually high death rate among the 200 cases identified since October, mainly in the northern town of Uige, with an overwhelming number of initial cases striking children under 5 years old, the WHO said in a statement.

"The situation right now in Angola is not under control yet...This is still a health crisis at the national level and requires a profound commitment both from national authorities and the international community in order to contain this disease," Mike Ryan, director of WHO's alert and response operations, told a news briefing.


Some 50 international experts have been deployed in Angola, where 27 years of civil war have left weakened health systems and staff untrained for coping with a major epidemic, he said.


By isolating victims and tracing their contacts, officials were "breaking the chain of transmission" in Uige, he said.


Two deaths have been confirmed from Marburg in Luanda, a teeming capital of 4 million people, where six more cases are being investigated, Ryan said.


There was no evidence of transmission within Luanda, where the two deaths have been a 15-year-old boy and a nurse, he said.


But Ryan noted the densely populated city saw "movement and exchange of people between all areas of Angola," adding: "Therefore it is crucially important that the surveillance systems and isolation units have to be fully established in Luanda, both to maintain confidence in travel to Angola and also to protect that population. That is ongoing."


Separately, the United Nations issued an emergency appeal to donors for $3.5 million to combat the virus, one of the most virulent pathogens known, over the next three months.


The rare haemorrhagic fever, related to the deadly Ebola virus, is characterized by headaches, nausea, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. It is spread through close contact with bodily fluids including blood, saliva and semen.


The outbreak has surpassed the previous record of 123 deaths in a 1998-2000 epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo.


The hospital itself in Uige, a town of 500,000, may have contributed to spreading the virus, according to Pierre Formenty, a WHO expert on haemorrhagic fevers. "There is a possibility ... that the hospital served to infect children who came to be treated there. It is not confirmed, but it is a hypothesis," Formenty told reporters.


Twelve health care workers were among the total 200 cases.


Medical anthropologists were enlisting tribal leaders to inform the often illiterate population about the dangers of contracting the disease while caring for the sick or preparing bodies for burial, Formenty said. "Our simple message is very clear: don't touch sick patients and don't touch bodies," he said.



04/08/05 09:52

http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0002/20050408/0953160640.htm

Jolie Rouge
07-31-2014, 08:56 PM
‘It’s here': Ebola scare in NYC, fears rising over deadly virus

Posted at 9:50 pm on July 31, 2014


Steven Bognar @Bogs4NY

News 4 @ 5pm: Ebola scare at NYC hospital...
person who flew into JFK from Africa...
isolated & tested at Bellevue Hospital #NBC4NY

3:58 PM - 31 Jul 2014

People are naturally on edge as news comes in about the spread of the ebola virus in western Africa. Maybe that’s a good thing. Healthy fear leads to vigilance.



penelope210 @penelopesire

@Bogs4NY US should ban flights from affected countries until they get handle on this!





Steven Bognar @Bogs4NY

NYC HHC spox says all hospitals (11 total) are on alert to look for signs of Ebola - particularly patients who traveled to Africa #NBC4NY

5:02 PM - 31 Jul 2014


Thankfully it sounds like the patient is not infected with ebola, but Americans infected with the virus is being transported to Atlanta, Georgia to be treated at Emory University Hospital. Some question the wisdom of that decision.


Jennifer Haberkorn @jenhab

Emory University Hospital in Atlanta to get an ebola patient
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/emory-healthcare-to-treat-ebola-patient/ngrtm/ …


4:19 PM - 31 Jul 2014



Sterling ✔ @vplus

CNN JUST IN: Medevac flight departs U.S. to pick up U.S. #Ebola patients in Liberia

4:19 PM - 31 Jul 2014


This is how an Pandemic will start ! Before they would Quarantine them ,live or die.

http://twitchy.com/2014/07/31/its-here-ebola-scare-in-nyc-fears-rising-over-deadly-virus-pics/

See also http://www.bigbigforums.com/news-information/610600-ebola-may-have-passed-pig-human.html

http://www.bigbigforums.com/news-information/606355-anyone-remember-book-called-hot-zone-movie-w-dustin-hoffman.html

Jolie Rouge
07-31-2014, 09:04 PM
CDC declares 'Alert Level 3' in response to Ebola outbreak
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/?s_cid=cdc_homepage_topmenu_003

2014 Ebola Outbreak: US CDC Issues Travel Advisory; Virus 'Dreadful and Merciless'
By Esther Tanquintic-Misa | August 1, 2014 11:37 AM EST

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued an advisory warning against non-essential travel to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in light of the deepening Ebola virus outbreak in the three countries.


Moreover, Dr. Tom Frieden, CDC Director, announced in a press conference on Thursday the agency is deploying additional 50 disease control specialists over the next 30 days into the three countries. They will help establish emergency operation centers in collaboration with the World Health Organization.

"This is a tragic, painful, dreadful, merciless virus. It's the largest, most complex outbreak that we know of in history," Frieden said.

Three Americans have been infected to date by the deadly virus, of which two are health care workers in an Ebola clinic.

The 'Warning Level 3, Avoid Nonessential Travel' guidance was issued to control the outbreak and help the government of Sierra Leone to prevent its spread.


"The bottom line is Ebola is worsening in West Africa," Frieden said.

Districts affected by the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone include Bo, Bombali, Bonthe, Kailahun, Kambia, Kenema, Kono, Moyamba, Port Loko, Tonkolili, and Western Area, including the capital of Freetown. There have been instances of civil unrest and violence against aid workers reported in West Africa because of the outbreak. The public health infrastructure in Sierra Leone is being severely strained as the outbreak grows.

This year's Ebola outbreak had been ongoing in Sierra Leone since May before it crossed over and affected Liberia and Guinea. To date over 1320 cases have occurred in the three countries. More than 725 people have died, making this the largest outbreak of Ebola in history.

"Travelers could be infected if they come into contact with blood or body fluids from someone who is sick or has died from Ebola, sick wildlife, or meat from an infected animal. Health care providers caring for Ebola patients and family and friends in close contact with an ill person are at highest risk because they may come into contact with blood or body fluids," the CDC said.

Since there is no available cure or treatment for the disease yet, Frieden warned this particular outbreak will take three to six months to suppress. "CDC, along with others, are surging to begin to turn the tide. It is not going to be quick. It is not going to be easy. But we know what to do. The current outbreak is bad. It's the biggest, the most complex, and the first time it's been present in this region."

To gauge if a person has been inflicted with the deadly Ebola virus, the CDC provided the following description of how the infection operates:

The incubation period, from exposure to when signs or symptoms appear, for Ebola ranges from 2 to 21 days. Early symptoms include sudden fever, chills, and muscle aches. Around the fifth day, a skin rash can occur. Nausea, vomiting, chest pain, sore throat, abdominal pain, and diarrhea may follow. Symptoms become increasingly severe and may include jaundice (yellow skin), severe weight loss, mental confusion, shock, and multi-organ failure.

http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/561386/20140801/ebola-outbreak-cdc-travel-advisory-virus-guinea.htm#.U9sQ80t0w3E

Jolie Rouge
07-31-2014, 09:08 PM
Ebola fears hit close to home
By Jacque Wilson, CNN
updated 10:38 AM EDT, Wed July 30, 2014

(CNN) -- Patrick Sawyer had one stop to make before heading home to Minnesota to celebrate his daughters' birthdays: a conference in Lagos, Nigeria.

But when he landed in Lagos, Sawyer, 40, collapsed getting off the plane. He had been infected with Ebola in Liberia, where he worked as a top government official in the Liberian Ministry of Finance. Sawyer was isolated at a local Nigerian hospital on July 20. He died five days later.

Sawyer's wife Decontee Sawyer, lives in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, with the couple's three young daughters, 5-year-old Eva, 4-year-old Mia, and Bella, who is 1. The Sawyers are naturalized citizens; their daughters were born in the United States. "He was so proud when he became a U.S. citizen," Decontee told CNN. "He voted for first time in the last U.S. presidential election. He lived in the U.S. for many years, and wanted that for Liberia -- a better democracy."

Sawyer had been caring for his Ebola-stricken sister in Liberia, Decontee said, though at the time he didn't know she had Ebola.

Sawyer is the first American to die in what health officials are calling the "deadliest Ebola outbreak in history." His death has sparked concerns that the virus could potentially spread to the United States. "People weren't really taking it [Ebola] seriously until it hit Patrick," Decontee said. "People are ready to take action."

Let's take a step back and look at what we know about the Ebola outbreak:

Where is it happening?

Up until this past week, the Ebola outbreak had been contained to three West African countries: Guinea, where it began, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Sawyer is the first known case outside of these three countries.

As of July 23, the World Health Organization had confirmed more than 800 Ebola cases in the region, but suspects there have been many unreported infections and there may be more like 1,200 cases. Sierra Leone has been hardest hit with approximately 525 cases.


Ebola outbreak kills an American

The World Health Organization says as of July 23, there have been 456 confirmed Ebola deaths, and another 216 suspected deaths, bringing the number possibly to more than 670.

The country of Guinea has the most suspected deaths. The epidemic has been in that country longer. It is believed the epidemic began in the nation's capital of Conakry.

While international leaders have mobilized to fight the epidemic, it can be a difficult one to stop. It is so highly infectious that it typically kills 90% of those who catch it. The death rate in this particular outbreak had dropped to roughly 60% since it has been treated early in many instances. There is, however, no Ebola vaccination.

Have other Americans been infected?

Last week, two American aid workers in Liberia's capital city, Monrovia, were confirmed to have the disease. Doctors and medical staff are particularly vulnerable to the virus because it spreads through exposure to bodily fluids from the infected. It can also spread through contact with an object contaminated by an infected person's bodily fluids.

Dr. Kent Brantly, a 33-year-old Fort Worth, Texas, resident, had been treating Ebola patients in Monrovia when he started to feel sick.

Brantly works with Samaritan's Purse, a Christian international relief agency. He has been the medical director for the Ebola Consolidated Case Management Center in Monrovia and has been working to help Ebola patients since October. After testing positive for Ebola, Brantly went into treatment at ELWA Hospital.

Samaritan's Purse has been working to evacuate him for better care, said Ken Isaacs, vice president of the agency. Unfortunately, emergency medical evacuation flights in the area are not equipped to handle the "intense isolation" required for an Ebola patient.

Brantly's family had been with him in Liberia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but left for the United States before he became symptomatic; as such it is highly unlikely that they caught the virus from him. Out of an abundance of caution they are on a 21-day fever watch, the CDC said. "We have a strong family unit within a stronger faith community that has given us incredible support," the Brantly family said in a statement. "Kent remains very physically weak, but his spirit has been determined throughout this ordeal."

Nancy Writebol from Charlotte, North Carolina, has also been infected. She is employed by Serving in Mission, or SIM, and had teamed up with the staff from Samaritan's Purse to help fight the Ebola outbreak in Monrovia when she got sick. She, too, is undergoing treatment.

It is believed one of the local staff was infected with Ebola and came to work with the virus on Monday and Tuesday, Isaacs told CNN. "We think it was in the scrub-down area where the disease was passed to both Nancy and Kent," he said. That staff member died on Thursday.

Both Brantly and Writebol are stable, according to a statement released Tuesday by SIM, though both patients are still exhibiting symptoms of the virus. "Due to the upsurge in cases of Ebola in the region, SIM and Samaritan's Purse have taken the precautionary step of mandating the evacuation of all nonessential personnel from Liberia," the statement said. "Timing, means, and place of evacuation are being decided now."

Could Ebola spread to the U.S.?

The CDC held a media briefing Monday to emphasize that there is "no significant risk" of an Ebola outbreak in the United States. There has never been a confirmed case of Ebola spreading to a developed country, said Kamiliny Kalahne, an epidemiologist with Doctors Without Borders.

How easily can Ebola spread to the U.S.?

"This is because people generally transmit the infection when they are very sick, have a high fever and a lot of symptoms -- and in these situations, they don't travel. "And even if they do get sick once they travel to a developed country, they will be in a good hospital with good infection control, so they are very unlikely to infect others," she said.

The U.S. health care system is also better suited to handle an Ebola case than many in West Africa, said Dr. Marty Cetron, director of CDC's Division of Global Migration and Quarantine. Health officials would likely recognize such a case and be able to trace all points of contact with the patient to prevent further transmission, he said. "Epidemics of disease are often followed by epidemics of fear and epidemics of stigma," Cetron said. "All of these things occur in a social context that can make containment very challenging."

That said, Sawyer did end up on an airplane at an international airport: What's to say others might not do the same, and actually make it to the United States?

Count CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta among those who believe "it's going to happen at some point."

One big reason is that it takes 2 to 21 days between the time a person is infected and when he or she shows symptoms -- including vomiting, diarrhea, impaired kidney and liver function, and sometimes internal and external bleeding. Ebola is not contagious until symptoms appear, though that doesn't mean a person cannot travel in the incubation period. "Just observing the whole process, it's almost impossible to prevent from happening," Gupta said. "But I think ... it can be then stemmed, so it doesn't turn into all these mini-secondary outbreaks."

What should I do?

Avoiding these West African countries is the easiest way to prevent the outbreak from spreading, Cetron said. If you have traveled recently to the region and develop a fever, or other symptoms consistent with Ebola, notify your doctor right away.

If you're a humanitarian worker in the region, you need to be familiar with proper infection control precautions and avoid contact with blood or any other bodily fluids, he said. You should also report any needle sticks or possible exposures early to receive testing and, if necessary, start treatment as soon as possible.

The Sawyer family is working with their church community to start "Concerned Liberians against Ebola," Decontee said. Their goal is to raise $500,000 to help two international organizations: Samaritan's Purse and Global Health Ministry.

How can those with the disease be helped?

While experimental vaccines exist, there are no licensed ones that get widespread use, according to the World Health Organization.

The disease can be devastating and, ultimately, deadly in a few ways. One is because it "disarms your immune system, (so it) cannot fight the virus," Gupta notes. Another is that it causes people to lose fluids, because of vomiting and diarrhea in addition to bleeding, as Ebola inhibits one's ability to clot, adds Gupta.

The most important thing a person needs to do to survive is to get treated as early and effectively as possible. But that's not always easy in some parts of Africa, says Monia Sayah, a nurse with the humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders. "We go into communities where we are not necessarily welcome, because they understand now that the survival rate is not very high," Sayah told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

Sayah acknowledges that, in addition to immediate family members, health care workers are among those at highest risk of being infected. One need look no farther than Dr. Sheik Humarr Khan, a doctor who was on the front lines fighting the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone before dying this week from complications of the disease.

Health care workers don gowns, gloves and masks, among other measures, to guard against the disease. "Every inch of the body has to be covered," Sayah said. "It's essential."

http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/29/health/ebola-outbreak-american-dies/index.html

Jolie Rouge
07-31-2014, 09:11 PM
Peace Corps pulls volunteers over Ebola outbreak

The Peace Corps announced Wednesday that it was temporarily withdrawing its 340 volunteers in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone after two workers were exposed to the Ebola virus.

A spokeswoman told CNN and CBS News that the pair were being isolated after coming in contact with an infected patient who later died. The two have not exhibited symptoms, however, and will be sent back the United States after doctors clear them.

The Peace Corps did not indicate when the volunteers might return to West Africa, where the growing outbreak is centered.

EBOLA VIRUS: What you need to know

"The agency has been and will continue to closely monitor the outbreak of the virus in collaboration with leading experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of State," according to a statement.

Health officials in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, fearing that the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa could go global, have tested at least two airline passengers who have shown symptoms of the disease.

The outbreak — the largest in history — has spread across Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone and killed at least 672 people, according to the World Health Organization. The disease has no vaccine and no specific treatment. It has a fatality rate of at least 60%.

In the U.K., the Department of Health confirmed Wednesday that a man who flew into Birmingham airport recently from Nigeria via Paris was clear of the virus despite saying he felt feverish.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who chaired an emergency meeting Wednesday on Ebola with health experts, scientists and other ministers, said "the issue is about the possibility of somebody who has contracted the disease in Africa getting sick here."

"It is not about the disease spreading in the UK because frankly we have different standards of infection control procedure that would make that most unlikely," he told reporters, according to the BBC.

In Hong Kong, a woman with suspected Ebola symptoms had been isolated for treatment in the city, reported China's CCTV news. The woman who had been on vacation in Kenya subsequently tested negative for the disease.

In Charlotte, N.C, the main corridor of the emergency department at Carolinas Medical Center was cordoned off as a precaution early Wednesday after a patient who had traveled to Africa arrived late Tuesday. The patient, who had returned from an unidentified country "known for high risk of infectious diseases," was found to not have Ebola and was discharged, the hospital said.

Two American medical missionaries working with Ebola patients in Liberia have been diagnosed with the virus.

Kent Brantly, 33, is medical director of the Ebola care center run by Samaritan's Purse on the outskirts of the Liberian capital of Monrovia, and Nancy Writebol had been disinfecting doctors and nurses working with Ebola patients.

A statement by the North Carolina-based group said both showed "slight improvement" in the past 24 hours but remain in serious condition.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/07/30/ebola-fears-global-outbreak/13350607/

Jolie Rouge
08-05-2014, 12:45 PM
Health Authorities Concealing Number of Suspected Ebola Victims From Public
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta: At least 6 tested for Ebola in NYC
by Paul Joseph Watson | August 5, 2014


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiQgN3MyTeE&feature=player_embedded

In an apparent attempt to avoid hysteria, U.S. health authorities are withholding details about a number of suspected Ebola victims from the public.

During a segment concerning the admission of a potential Ebola victim at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta revealed that there have been at least six cases at the hospital which prompted doctors to test for Ebola but that the details were not divulged publicly.

“There have been about a half a dozen patients who have had their blood tested because of concern, those particular patients their stories were not made public,” said Gupta, adding, “I’m not sure if that’s because of heightened concern by the hospital or what that means exactly.”

Gupta also appeared to suggest that patients being tested for the Ebola virus were not being kept in isolation when he stated, “This isn’t the kind of thing that they worry about spreading to other patients in the hospital, spreading to people who are walking around the hospital. This is not an airborne virus.”

However, at least in the case of the patient who was made public yesterday, hospital officials said the individual was immediately put into isolation as a precaution.

As we reported yesterday, despite health authorities downplaying the likelihood of Ebola going airborne, studies by Canadian scientists suggest that this is in fact likely, at least to a limited degree.

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s official website also states that “airborne spread among humans is strongly suspected, although it has not yet been conclusively demonstrated.”

The CDC has urged airline staff to take steps to prevent the airborne spread of the virus, including giving suspected Ebola victims surgical masks as well as directing staff to “not use compressed air, which might spread infectious material through the air.”

http://www.infowars.com/u-s-health-authorities-concealing-number-of-suspected-ebola-victims-from-public/

Jolie Rouge
08-05-2014, 12:50 PM
ALERT -- Obama Could Exercise Draconian Emergency Powers If Ebola Hits U.S.
(by Paul Joseph Watson, Infowars)

Federal health authorities could exercise authoritarian powers to control an Ebola outbreak if the deadly disease hits the United States under the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act, legislation passed in the wake of 9/11 which attracted controversy at the time for its draconian scope.

With the Ebola outbreak in West Africa having been declared the worst in history by the World Health Organization, concerns are mounting that the disease could spread via international air travel. Asked whether the virus could arrive in the United States, CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said, “It’s going to happen at some point.”

The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act, drafted during the 2001 anthrax attacks, has since been adopted in whole or in part by 33 states. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons warned that the legislation “could turn governors into dictators,” while constitutional lawyer Phyllis Schlafly labeled it “an unprecedented assault on the constitutional rights of the American people.”

Describing the legislation as a “threat to fundamental rights,” the Heritage Foundation summarized a list of ways the law would be applied in the event of a public health emergency being declared.

Under the legislation, public health authorities and governors would rely on expanded police powers to; http://www.infowars.com/if-ebola-hits-u-s-even-healthy-americans-will-be-quarantined/


- Force individuals suspected of harboring an “infectious disease” to undergo medical examinations.

- Track and share an individual’s personal health information, including genetic information.

- Force persons to be vaccinated, treated, or quarantined for infectious diseases.

- Mandate that all health care providers report all cases of persons who harbor any illness or health condition that may be caused by an epidemic or an infectious agent and might pose a “substantial risk” to a “significant number of people or cause a long-term disability.” (Note: Neither “substantial risk” nor “significant number” are defined in the draft.)

- Force pharmacists to report any unusual or any increased prescription rates that may be caused by epidemic diseases.

- Preempt existing state laws, rules and regulations, including those relating to privacy, medical licensure, and–this is key–property rights.

- Control public and private property during a public health emergency, including pharmaceutical manufacturing plants, nursing homes, other health care facilities, and communications devices.

- Mobilize all or any part of the “organized militia into service to the state to help enforce the state’s orders.”

- Ration firearms, explosives, food, fuel and alcoholic beverages, among other commodities.

- Impose fines and penalties to enforce their orders.

As we highlighted yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has measures in place for dealing with an outbreak of a communicable disease which allow for the quarantine of “well persons” who “do not show symptoms” of the disease.

http://www.redflagnews.com/headlines/alert-obama-would-exercise-draconian-emergency-powers-if-ebola-hits-us

Jolie Rouge
08-05-2014, 06:00 PM
A leaked report shows we are not being told the truth about who is illegally crossing our border.
You won't believe where the folks are coming from.
Does the word "Ebola" ring a bell?

http://allenbwest.com/2014/08/open-u-s-border-exploited-75-countries-including-ebola/

Jolie Rouge
08-07-2014, 04:47 AM
Airborne? CDC Now Confirms Concerns of Airborne Transmission of Ebola

http://www.dcclothesline.com/2014/08/05/airborne-cdc-now-confirms-concerns-airborne-transmission-ebola/