Ebola spreads to a major city

[Peter1469]

Ebola death toll surges in DR Congo

The rising death toll -- up by more than 40 in the past ten days -- emphasises the challenge of controlling the epidemic in the strife-torn east and is just one of a host of complex issues facing Tshisekedi.

[Peter1469]

AP Explains: Why Congo’s Ebola outbreak still going strong

Because it has spread to major population centers. In the past Ebola burned itself out before that happened.

The Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, the second deadliest in history, marks six months on Friday and is moving toward the major border city of Goma, a development that would greatly complicate any hope of stopping the virus’ spread in the unstable region.

This may be the most challenging Ebola outbreak ever. Health workers face the threat of attack from rebel groups and resistance from frightened communities. A highly mobile population produced two scares in the past week alone: The discovery of an infected, wide-ranging young trader led to vaccinations in a new, third province near the South Sudan border. And two contacts of Ebola victims slipped away and were found in the capital of neighboring Uganda — free of the virus.


And yet this outbreak has seen a number of advances, including the widespread use of an experimental Ebola vaccine and a clinical trial of experimental treatments. Health workers say conditions have improved from the devastating West Africa outbreak a few years ago, when some patients were housed by the dozens in sweltering tents and used buckets for toilets.

[CaveDog]

I saw a video where a nurse was talking about how a lot of times people catch Ebola in Africa by eating "Bush meat", which is basically bats, monkeys and such. The trouble is that you get people just picking up dead animals from the bush and selling the meat in marketplaces. If the animal died of Ebola, it gets passed to people. The chilling thing she said was that there's a black market among African immigrants in America and Europe for bush meat that gets illegally imported because they're used to eating this but can't get it in western stores. If all of that is true then Ebola outbreaks in western countries are probably inevitable.

[Peter1469]

The facts about Congo’s frightening Ebola epidemic.

The World Health Organization’s Ebola virus disease website is a clearinghouse for information on the epidemic, from details about its toll to publications about the virus and how the world is working to fight it.

It offers an up-to-date view of the progress of a disease that is shrouded in fear. And for good reason: Highly contagious, Ebola can spread rapidly and be difficult for health officials to contain. In 2014 and 2015, more than 28,000 cases were reported throughout West Africa, and 11,310 people died. The Ebola outbreak in Congo is so serious that the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in November warned that it is possible the deadly virus cannot be brought under control there. Instead, he said, Ebola will have to be viewed as an entrenched disease. An experimental Ebola vaccine is being used in Congo.


On the WHO’s website, you can find more information about the strategic response underway in Congo, including situation reports on deaths and infections and information about the vaccine. It also has background information about how the virus is transmitted, contained and treated, along with valuable information on preparedness and lessons learned from the deadly 2014-2015 outbreak.


Want to dive deeper into this major public health concern? Consider taking the WHO’s free online course about Ebola. Designed for decision-makers, the three-hour course is also a valuable resource for anyone who wants a more in-depth look at the deadly virus and how to protect themselves and others from its spread.

[southwest88]

I saw a video where a nurse was talking about how a lot of times people catch Ebola in Africa by eating "Bush meat", which is basically bats, monkeys and such. The trouble is that you get people just picking up dead animals from the bush and selling the meat in marketplaces. If the animal died of Ebola, it gets passed to people. The chilling thing she said was that there's a black market among African immigrants in America and Europe for bush meat that gets illegally imported because they're used to eating this but can't get it in western stores. If all of that is true then Ebola outbreaks in western countries are probably inevitable.

Not inevitable in the US - but it means that HHS, CDC, Homeland Security, Coast Guard & any related agencies will have to monitor markets in the US where African bushmeat is a staple. Apparently that mostly means concentrations of West African populations.

Latin America has its own variations on bushmeat, but I haven't looked to see if those animals are vectors for any nasty diseases we need to worry about. I'm sure that someone or some agency checks in on that question from time to time.

[ripmeister]

IMO one of the biggest dangers to mankind will be some sort of as yet undiscovered bug that will result in a significant deadly pandemic. Its just a matter of time.

[Peter1469]

Not inevitable in the US - but it means that HHS, CDC, Homeland Security, Coast Guard & any related agencies will have to monitor markets in the US where African bushmeat is a staple. Apparently that mostly means concentrations of West African populations.

Latin America has its own variations on bushmeat, but I haven't looked to see if those animals are vectors for any nasty diseases we need to worry about. I'm sure that someone or some agency checks in on that question from time to time.

I have been on a tour of Dulles, and the CBP part they showed us bushmeat that Africans tried to smuggle in. Nasty stuff.

[Peter1469]

IMO one of the biggest dangers to mankind will be some sort of as yet undiscovered bug that will result in a significant deadly pandemic. Its just a matter of time.

Or a current disease that mutates into something more dangerous. Like an airborne Ebola.

[Peter1469]

Update- there is a war going on in the Ebola zone. Someone is attacking Ebola clinics. Not too bright. And not good for the Ebola patients.

Health workers trying to contain a large Ebola outbreak in Congo are facing more than the threat of a deadly, fast-moving virus.

In the past week, armed assailants in Congo have attacked two Ebola clinics run by Doctors Without Borders, threatening an urgent response to the medical crisis and prompting the humanitarian group to suspend its operations in the epicenter of the outbreak. There have been at least 879 confirmed cases of Ebola in Congo in the past seven months, and 553 people have died of the virus.


On Sunday evening, a group of people began to throw rocks at an Ebola treatment clinic in the district of Katwa in Congo’s North Kivu province, then set the facility on fire. No patients or staff were harmed, but one patient’s caretaker died. Then, on Thursday, a group attacked another nearby Ebola facility in Butembo, setting the building and some of its vehicles on fire. Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym, MSF, said there were 57 patients in its center that was attacked Thursday, and 15 of them had confirmed cases of Ebola.


MSF evacuated its staff from the area, and all patients had to be moved from the facility and placed in a transit center. The Ministry of Health announced that four patients, who were highly contagious, are now missing.


“For the family of the patients who were in the centers when they were attacked, for our staff who were there, it was very traumatizing,” said Trish Newport, who served as emergency coordinator for MSF in Congo from October to February.


“Ebola is already scary,” she said. “It’s scary for the population, it’s scary for the patients, and to have this on top of that is terrifying.”

Part of what makes it even scarier is that health workers don’t always know who is targeting them. “We don’t know their motivation,” Newport said of the groups that attacked their clinics in the past week, noting that vaccination teams and other health workers have had rocks thrown at them before.

I would think the local belligerents would know how dangerous these targets are. Or maybe not.

[Peter1469]

Update: Now there are over 1000 cases with deaths running at 60% of those infected.

THE EBOLA epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has surpassed 1,000 cases, the Health Ministry has confirmed, adding the outbreak had already killed more than 600 people.