Ebola response tightensi n eastern Congo

http://news.trust.org/item/20181010113144-jbwk4
KINSHASA, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Congolese authorities announced a ban on Wednesday on harbouring suspected Ebola patients and promised police protection for health workers at burials, in a bid to fight back against local resistance to efforts to combat the disease.

Residents of eastern Congo have attacked health workers and refused to cooperate with government efforts to combat Ebola there, the country's second major outbreak of the disease this year, which is believed to have killed 118 people since July.

"The Democratic Republic Congo will deploy security forces to protect teams transporting the bodies of Ebola victims for burial, after several attacks on health workers during the latest Ebola outbreak in the country's troubled east, the government said...
...Last month, 21 people died in an attack by the Allied Democratic Forces rebels in the city of Beni, forcing the World Health Organization to briefly halt their anti-Ebola operations there."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/dr-congo-deploy-army-protect-ebola-funeral-workers-181010145124845.html

On Wednesday, October 10, 2018, members of the community stole the body of a woman
who died at the Beni Ebola Treatment Center on her way to the cemetery.
When the woman died, the family asked the response team to make some concessions regarding the burial
ceremony of the deceased. In particular, they requested that the hearse be driven by one of their acquaintances
and that 5 family members wear personal protective equipment in order to carry the casket.
This request was accepted by the response team provided that the procession was followed by a police vehicle.
However, as the procession made its way to the cemetery, the driver of the hearse suddenly changed course
to get back to the family plot in the Butsili district of Beni.
Arrived in the plot, several young people from a neighboring neighborhood then violently chased the police
and kept the body with them. Panicking and realizing their mistake, they finally went to the cemetery before
the end of the day and let the 5 family members wearing the personal protective equipment proceed to the
burial of the house. deceased.

https://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=89e5755d2cca4840b1af93176&id=720e66ac20

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCES OF NORTH KIVU AND ITURI

Wednesday, October 24, 2018
The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated October 23, 2018 :

A total of 247 cases of haemorrhagic fever were reported in the region, 212 confirmed and 35 probable.
Of the 212 confirmed, 124 died and 65 are cured .
The others are hospitalized in the different Ebola Treatment Centers (ETCs) installed.
   48 suspected cases under investigation.
   3 new confirmed cases, including 2 in Beni and 1 in Butembo.
   2 new deaths of confirmed cases in Beni.
   2 new cures in Butembo.
   5,486 contacts to follow.

News of the response

Epidemiological surveillance

All contacts in the Komanda Health Zone came out of the 21-day follow-up period without developing the disease.
On Wednesday, October 24, 2018, the Response Coordinator, Dr Ndjoloko Tambwe Bathe, traveled to Mangina for a working visit. He assessed the effectiveness of the transfer of skills to local providers. Local providers are now able to deal with alert management, investigation and case reporting. Capacity building and skills transfer to local health care providers are an integral part of the response plan.
https://us13.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=89e5755d2cca4840b1af93176&id=aedd23c530

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION IN THE PROVINCES OF NORTH KIVU AND ITURI

Saturday, October 27, 2018
Epidemiological Status of Ebola Virus Disease, 26 October 2018 :

A total of 266 cases of haemorrhagic fever were reported in the region,
of which 231 confirmed and 35 probable.

  Of the 231 confirmed,
133 died
70 are cured .
The others are hospitalized in the different Ebola Treatment Centers (ETCs) installed.
   42 suspected cases under investigation.
   9 new confirmed cases, including 7 in Beni and 2 in Butembo.
   4 new deaths of confirmed cases, including 3 in Beni and 1 in Butembo (community death).
   3 new cures in Beni.
   6126 contacts to follow.
---------------------------------
https://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=89e5755d2cca4840b1af93176&id=9391cd7277

Thanks for this updates. Not very well covered I think. Hard to see some news about this new outbreak.

There's so much going on in the world that ebola is a minor mention in the news. And so it goes..

Saturday, November 3, 2018
The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated November 2, 2018

A total of 293 cases of haemorrhagic fever were reported in the region, of which
258 confirmed
and 35 probable.

Of the 258 confirmed, 147 died and 81 are cured .
The others are hospitalized in the different Ebola Treatment Centers (ETCs) installed.
50 suspected cases under investigation.
6 new confirmed cases, including 3 in Beni and 3 in Butembo.
1 new case death confirmed in Butembo.

https://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=89e5755d2cca4840b1af93176&id=baaa79a3de

Vaccination against Ebola is completely voluntary. Dr Guillaume Ngoie, Director of National Vaccination Programme, explains
all the steps of the vaccination process when a person at risk accepts to get vaccinated.
Ministère de la Santé RDC
Published on Nov 17, 2018

he epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated November 17, 2018

Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulative number of cases is 366
319 are confirmed
47 are probable.
214 deaths (167 confirmed and 47 probable).
66 suspected cases under investigation.
8 new confirmed cases, including 5 in Beni and 3 in Katwa.
1 new case death confirmed in Katwa.

https://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=89e5755d2cca4840b1af93176&id=5794bf500d

Ronald Klain‏@RonaldKlain · 1 hod.
This is historic: the first ever administration of the #Ebola vaccine in a country BEFORE the disease arrives there.

#EbolaVaccination update: Vaccination going on well. As of 25th November, 1175 health workers in the 3 districts of Kasese, Ntoroko & Bundibugyo have been vaccinated. On Tuesday 27th November, the vaccination team will move to the 4th district (Kabarole). #Uganda pic.twitter.com/I0ULeAUumw

— WHO Uganda (@WHOUganda) 25. listopadu 2018

Since the beginning of the epidemic,
the cumulative number is 426
379 are confirmed
47 are probable
245 deaths (198 confirmed and 47 probable)
126 people healed.
87 suspected cases under investigation.
4 new confirmed cases, 3 in Katwa and 1 in Vuhovi.
3 new deaths, including 1 in Katwa, 1 in Butembo and 1 in Beni.
1 new person healed out of Butembo CTE.
Community involvement
Field teams often face difficult situations. The many incidents, including physical and verbal abuse, are often caused by groups of youth who are hostile to the response activities. To remedy this, several leaders of these youth groups have been trained and hired by psycho-social care teams to support safe and dignified vaccination and burial activities in Katwa. These young people include those who broke into a morgue last week stealing the body of a person who died of Ebola and bringing it back to the family.
https://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=89e5755d2cca4840b1af93176&id=bc5bddcafc

EBOLA outbreaks in the Congo have triggered a four-day door-to-door malaria blitz from health workers desperate to slash the horror epidemic in half.

Towns such as Beni, North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are battling the worst ebola outbreak in the nation’s history while also fending off an eight-fold increase in malaria cases since last year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said children who went to health centres for malaria are believed to have contracted ebola there too, and about half of the people screened in ebola centres only had malaria.

WHO added if malaria is reduced, health workers will be able to focus on real ebola patients and keep others away from the wards. Stefan Hoyer from WHO said: “It will make things a lot easier if malaria is taken out of the equation.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1051797/ebola-outbreak-congo-malaria-world-health-organisation-who-symptoms-cure

Friday, December 7, 2018
The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated December 6, 2018 :

Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulative number of cases is 477
429 are confirmed
48 are probable
275 deaths (227 confirmed and 48 probable)
151 * people cured.
   94 suspected cases under investigation.
   6 new confirmed cases, including 4 in Katwa and 2 in Beni.
   2 new confirmed cases 1 in Beni and 1 in Butembo.
   4 new healed people, including 3 exits from the CTE of Beni and 1 from the CTE of Mabalako.

https://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=89e5755d2cca4840b1af93176&id=b7046ae344

Sunday, December 9, 2018
The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated 8 December 2018 :

Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulative number of cases is 494
446 are confirmed
48 are probable
283 deaths (235 confirmed and 48 probable) and 165 people healed.
   69 suspected cases under investigation.
   5 new confirmed cases, including 1 in Beni, 1 in Mambasa, 1 in Kyondo, 1 in   Butembo and 1 in Mabalako.
   3 new confirmed cases, including 1 in Mabalako, 1 in Butembo and 1 in Mambasa.
   3 new healed persons, including 2 exits from the CTE of Beni and 1 from the CTE of Butembo.

http://www.soufangroup.com/intelbrief-response-to-ebola-outbreak-in-congo-disrupted-by-security-risks/
...the response to the Ebola outbreak is complicated because of a recent increase in terrorist and rebel activity.
The ADF, formed in 1996 by several groups opposed to the Ugandan government of President Yoweri Museveni and initially based in Uganda, has started to conduct operations in the DRC. The ADF is based between North Kivu and Uganda in the Ruwenzori mountains. The group is often described as adhering to a radical Islamist ideology, with the objective of establishing Sharia law in Uganda, a country that has struggled in the past to combat terrorist groups like the Lord’s Resistance Army, or LRA.

There is a concern that the ADF could establish links with groups like al-Qaeda or the so-called Islamic State, helping them gain a toehold in Central Africa.

Some attacks attributed to the ADF in DRC are likely conducted by other groups. For instance, Mai Mai, , which are effectively self-defense militias, have also conducted attacks. Over the past several months, the number of ADF-attributed attacks in northeastern DRC has risen significantly, and disrupted efforts to respond to the Ebola crisis. In one of the larger attacks in September, the ADF killed 21 civilians and soldiers, which resulted in a general strike lasting for several days and a halt to the Ebola response.

Two months ago, the U.S. State Department advised that all employees leave the region and relocate to the capital, Kinshasa. In mid-November, in response to the attacks, the Congolese armed forces and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (UN MONUSCO) peacekeeping mission conducted a joint offensive against armed groups in Beni, North Kivu. The WHO temporarily withdrew sixteen staff from Beni after a shell hit the building where they were staying. Meanwhile, roving medical or burial teams have been beaten or stoned by villagers. Without adequate security, those organizations most capable of helping combat the spread of the disease are prevented from doing so. One of the main concerns is that Ebola will spread in the “red-zones”—locations made inaccessible due to the overwhelming presence of armed groups.

There is also concern that the violence and rebel attacks in northeastern DRC will continue to spike in the coming weeks, ahead of elections scheduled to take place on December 23. The elections are being held to determine President Kabila’s successor and are highly controversial. Recent polling suggests that the elections are likely to be closely contested, and unrest, violence and disruption are expected. Such is the impact of the violence, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month, that it might no longer be possible to contain the outbreak of Ebola,

Slightly off topic but...

Sweden EBOLA WARNING: Europe on alert as hospital ward CLOSED as patient has deadly virus

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1067165/sweden-ebola-uppsala-university-hospital-emergency-closed-patient-ebola-symptoms

It's not off topic at all. Maybe should rename the topic to simply, ebola, or aka eek bola or bleeding out of your eyeballola lol

I think that person got a negative test result, and there is another in Nebraska hospital (usa) waiting for results.

Also, because it's closer to home fpr me..
There is a nurse from my Province in the hotzone
and the volunteer group called Good Samaritans are from Alberta

Since the beginning of the epidemic
680 cumulative number of cases
414 deaths
243 people cured.
209 suspected cases under investigation.
12 new confirmed cases
https://mailchi.mp/sante.gouv.cd/ebola_kivu_18jan19

Friday, January 25, 2019
The epidemiological situation of the Ebola Virus Disease dated January 24, 2019 :

   Since the beginning of the epidemic,
the cumulative number of cases is 721,

of which 672 are confirmed
and 49 are probable.
In total, there were 446 deaths and 253 people cured.

   204 suspected cases under investigation.
   6 new cases confirmed in Katwa.
   3 new deaths of confirmed cases, including
       2 community deaths in Katwa
       1 death at Katwa CTE
   5 new healed people, including 4 exits from the CTE of Beni and 1 from the CTE of Butembo.

Siberian scientists wrap up Ebola vaccine trials http://tass.com/science/1042792

https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/cincinnati-childrens-conducts-trial-of-two-experimental-ebola-vaccines
Cincinnati Children’s conducts trial of two experimental Ebola vaccines
Healthy volunteers are needed
Cincinnati Children’s researchers are looking for up to 60 healthy volunteers, ages 18 to 45, to enroll in the trial. The volunteers will be split into three groups and assigned one of three combinations of the vaccines, which may include a placebo. Volunteers are needed for about seven months and will be monitored for adverse effects for six months after their first vaccination.

Not exactly Ebola but I think it can be mentioned here:

A Measles Outbreak in Madagascar Has Killed More Than 900, World Health Organization Says

"According to WHO figures, there have been more than 68,000 cases of the disease in which 553 deaths were confirmed and another 373 suspected from measles since the outbreak began in September."

http://time.com/5534594/measles-outbreak-madagascar-death/

Thanks for posting that. Incredible numbers. Crazy!
Schools here will be asking for vaccination records with registration papers for the 2019 September school start. We've had a small outbreak on the coast, but nothing like that of Madagascar.

There are similar outbreaks in New York or Washington. Or in Japan. But in much smaller numbers. However, in Japan it's still described as the worst outbreaqk in a decade:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/25/japan-battles-worst-measles-outbreak-in-a-decade

Congo Ebola center attacked and set aflame

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/02/28/world/congo-ebola-center-flames-another-armed-attack/#.XHkvhst8BHg


Second Ebola treatment centre in North Kivu attacked

https://www.msf.org/second-ebola-treatment-centre-north-kivu-attacked-democratic-republic-congo


Ebola Patients Escape After Clinic Attack

Read More at: https://leadership.ng/2019/02/28/ebola-patients-escape-after-clinic-attack/

Joe English
@JoeEEnglish
6 hod.
Shock rise in global measles outbreaks 'disastrous' for children - 98 countries around the globe reported a rise in measles cases in 2018 compared with 2017 #VaccinesWork

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/mar/01/shock-rise-in-global-measles-outbreaks-disastrous-for-children-un-warns-unicef-study-ukraine-brazil-philippines

It looks more serious than expected...

teleSUR English‏ @telesurenglish · 13 min.
#UnitedStates | Since October there have been 153 registered cases of #measles in the county located about 18 km from #NewYorkCity.
#RocklandCounty

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Kids-Without-Measels-Vaccine-Banned-From-Public-Places-in-NY-20190327-0001.html

Wow, we didn't watch this for a while and now this:

'Terrifying' Ebola epidemic out of control in DRC, say experts

"More than 1,600 people infected in North Kivu province since outbreak began in August"

An Ebola epidemic in a conflict-riven region of Democratic Republic of Congo is out of control and could become as serious as the outbreak that devastated three countries in west Africa between 2013 and 2016, experts and aid chiefs have warned.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/15/terrifying-ebola-epidemic-out-of-control-in-drc-say-experts?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Tweet