Ebola-General News & Updates

Video online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xr22k81EQQ

Basically, between war and political opportunism the area of the Congo that is currently affected by Ebola has become unstable and 80% of known contacts with Ebola victims are currently unaccounted for. So this can easily explode into a much larger problem than it is currently.

Hopefully medical folks are able to deal with this effectively before it spreads too far and becomes an international event. Definitely bears watching in case things get worse and a good reminder for folks to check their pandemic preparedness.

Well, this is NOT good! Time to review Ebola/Pandemic preps?

Hat tip to Flutrackers:

Ebola-hit DRC faces ‘perfect storm’ as uptick in violence halts WHO operation
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/09/1020392

25 September 2018

A "perfect storm" of active conflict and traumatized communities in Ebola-affected areas of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could enable the deadly disease to spread, but there are “no plans” to pull UN workers out of the country despite concerns for their security, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

“We are now extremely concerned, that several factors may be coming together over the next weeks to months to create a potential perfect storm,” said ,Dr Peter Salama WHO Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response. “A perfect storm of active conflict, limiting our ability to access civilians, distress by segments of the community, already traumatized by decades of conflict and of murder.”

The senior WHO official’s comments follow a spate of attacks, including one that killed at least 21 civilians on Saturday in the city of Beni, where WHO’s Ebola-response teams are based.

   Several factors may be coming together over the next weeks to months to create a potential perfect storm - Dr. Peter Salama, WHO

“We’ve seen attacks now on August 24, September 3, 9, 11, 16, 21 and most recently and most dramatically September 22 in the city itself of Beni,” he said. He said that Beni was the base for the agency’s base for the “entire operation.”

Apart from the worrying targeting of civilians, Dr. Salama expressed concern that in the aftermath of the latest attack, outraged communities had declared Beni a “ville morte” so that mourners can grieve, effectively suspending UN operations.

“We’ve heard this morning, that that ‘ville morte’, which was yesterday, has now been extended right through to Friday of this week,” he said, “which basically means for the UN family, including WHO, a lockdown in Beni. Our operations are in effect suspended.”

The development meant that on Monday, WHO staff were able to reach only 20 per cent of the contacts they wanted to, in and around Beni, Dr Salama said.

Butembo could also declare a “ville morte” in coming days in sympathy with the people of Beni, he said, potentially increasing the chances of the situation deteriorating rapidly.

“If we do see unsafe burials that can’t be responded to and symptomatic people that can’t be accessed, we can see this situation deteriorating very quickly,” Dr. Salama said.

In addition to many people’s fear of Ebola, the WHO senior official explained that the situation was being further complicated by local politicians who “exploited and manipulated” them prior to upcoming elections.

Social media reaction to the outbreak was also adding to a “range of conspiracy theories”, Dr Salama said, adding that people have been “actively fleeing” health-workers, including in places where there have been a large number of cases in recent weeks.

In the nearly two months since the outbreak was declared, there have been 150 confirmed and probable cases of the disease, and 100 people have died, as of 23 September. Ebola’s symptoms include high fever and vomiting, which make it difficult to treat, because it resembles many other illnesses in its early stages.

Speaking to journalists at the UN in Geneva, Dr Salama noted that the international response to the major public health threat had been excellent and that donors have responded “very quickly and generously” to this latest outbreak, which is DRC’s tenth since the 1970s.

This progress risks being undone by the uptick in violence in the Kivus region, which is home to more than 100 armed groups, he said, before noting that neighbouring countries now also face an increased risk of the disease spreading.

'There are no plans for WHO or UN staff to pull out'

“We call on the international community to continue to fund the response,” he said, “both in North Kivu, but also, and this is increasingly important, in the neighbouring provinces of the Kivus and Ituri, and in surrounding countries."

One of the armed groups in DRC which pose a threat to civilians and the international response to Ebola, the ADF – Allied Democratic Forces - has sufficient military capacity to ambush blue helmets from the UN'a Stabilization Mission in DRC (MONUSCO) and government forces – the FARDC.

“The ADF in particular has enormous capabilities,” Dr Salama said. “They’ve been able to overrun entire FARDC-bases in and around Beni, they’ve been able to ambush (UN) forces."

Asked whether the increasing violence may force WHO to leave the area, Dr Salama said that there were “no plans” to do so and that only a “very significant presence” of the UN and its partners could stop the disease.

“There are no plans for WHO or UN staff to pull out,” he added. “You know the UN philosophy is to stay and deliver under all circumstances unless we become direct targets of violence.”

“I don’t believe…we can stop Ebola without a very significant presence of UN and partners, despite the fact that the Ministry of Health has exerted great leadership and is doing an extremely good job in this response,” he added.

Looks like things aren't improving:

https://www.rescue.org/press-release/ebola-cases-spike-drc-daily-case-rate-more-doubles-september

The number of new Ebola cases each day has more than doubled since the start of October, likely influenced by the recent forced suspension in programming
As of October 9, there have been 194 cases and 120 deaths from this Ebola outbreak
The Ebola response is at a critical moment. IRC teams are highly concerned that the number of new cases could continue to escalate
Recent transmission within a school opens up new front in the fight against the disease

More at link above.

I know it's serious, but when I saw the group's name I couldn't help having a flashback to my youth and a cartoon: Thunderbirds! http://thunderbirds.wikia.com/wiki/International_Rescue

Emergency Meeting Called to Determine Global Risk of Latest Ebola Outbreak
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/emergency-meeting-called-to-determine-global-risk-of-latest-ebola-outbreak/

The World Health Organization has scheduled an Emergency Committee meeting for Wednesday to decide whether the ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has devolved into a global public health emergency.

As of Sunday, 135 people have died in the outbreak that began Aug. 1. Thirty-nine of those cases were confirmed between Oct. 1 and Oct. 11.

The current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention travel alert for the DRC is one, the lowest level that advises travel precautions. "Travelers to this area could be infected with Ebola if they come into contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids," the CDC cautions. "Travelers should seek medical care immediately if they develop fever, headache, body aches, sore throat, diarrhea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain, rash, or red eyes during or after travel."

The CDC explained the alert reflected ...   ---CONTINUED---

Key word in this is 'NOT':

WHO: DRC Ebola outbreak not international emergency
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2018/10/who-drc-ebola-outbreak-not-international-emergency?fbclid=IwAR3g6pzwxk6dhL2Fvg33XIiVRbYOiOO6TRK8akhEhC9gTaQGd9UfacVIieQ

In a meeting today in Geneva, members of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) emergency committee said they did not consider the current Ebola outbreak along the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) at this time.

"This does not mean that WHO is not taking the outbreak seriously," Robert Steffen, MD, chair of the committee, said during a press conference on the decision. Steffen explained that PHEICs must meet three criteria: they must be extraordinary, pose a risk of international border spread, and require an international response.   ---CONTINUED---

WHO warns of "intense" transmission of Ebola in parts of Congo city
https://www.axios.com/world-health-organization-ebola-congo-50e7fa17-2a44-4a00-b149-3949a61ea934.html

(SEE LINK for graph)  The World Health Organization warned Thursday that security incidents continue to "severely impede" public health activities working to contain the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where transmission is "intense" in some communities in the city of Beni.

Why it matters: Recent violence has halted education and vaccination campaigns several times, jeopardizing strides made in containing the outbreak, such as tracking contacts of infected people, educating wary community members and administering vaccinations.

Yes, but: There's some good news too. WHO says they don't plan on reducing their roughly 250-person response team there, the DRC's Ministry of Health says they've been able to resume vaccinations, and WHO's Peter Salama says there has been "significant progress" in certain areas, like community engagement.

Another sad report on the Ebola situation in DRC:

https://www.reuters.com/article/health-ebola-congo/children-dying-of-ebola-at-unprecedented-rate-in-congo-health-ministry-idUSL8N1X80M8

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Children in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are dying from Ebola at an unprecedented rate due largely to poor sanitary practices at clinics run by traditional healers, the health ministry said on Sunday.

The impact on children has been felt acutely in the city of Beni, which has emerged as the outbreak’s new epicentre. Of 120 confirmed Ebola cases in Beni, at least 30 are under 10-years-old, and 27 of them have died, according to health ministry data.

SNIP, more at link above.

The outbreak has been difficult to control because of ongoing violence.
https://www.10news.com/newsy/cdc-warns-ebola-outbreak-in-congo-could-become-uncontrollable

A top official at the CDC says the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could become uncontrollable.

CDC Director Robert Redfield spoke at a briefing on Capitol Hill Monday hosted by Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. ---CONTINUED, with VIDEO---

https://apnews.com/86fd89fa73594ed0aa098c6c5a063300

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The second-largest Ebola outbreak in history has spread to a major city in eastern Congo, as health experts worry whether the stock of an experimental vaccine will stand up to the demands of an epidemic with no end in sight.

Butembo, with more than 1 million residents, is now reporting cases of the deadly hemorrhagic fever. That complicates Ebola containment work already challenged by rebel attacks elsewhere that have made tracking the virus almost impossible in some isolated villages.

more at link above

Now it's starting to get scary

to Carol over at Fluwiki:Ω

Ebola outbreak: DRC health minister holds press conference
http://outbreaknewstoday.com/ebola-outbreak-drc-health-minister-holds-press-conference-36527/?fbclid=IwAR0L8qgJPipl9B1WM4BYB2qIoFUBo4NUFcoIAV2U828FPL1JCFEvNwLiDOk

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Minister of Health, Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga, held a press conference in Kinshasa today to inform the national and international opinion on the evolution of the Ebola epidemic. His presentation focused mainly on the main points of attention for coordinating the response:

Situation Concern in Butembo and Katwa : In the past three weeks, a significant increase in Ebola cases has been observed in Butembo and Katwa. ....

Prevention and control of infections  :   (Snip) ... A parallel consequence of these nosocomial infections is the contamination of a large number of healthcare providers.  (snip) ....

Vaccination  : With more than 40,000 vaccinated people, vaccination teams have prevented tens of thousands of cases and deaths.  ....

Conclusion  : epidemic will last for several months and that the risk of spread will remain high until the epidemic is completely extinguished.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulative number of cases is 471, of which 423 are confirmed and 48 are probable. In total, there were 273 deaths (225 confirmed and 48 probable).   ---- FULL report at LINK---

I was particularly concerned that in the press conference it was mentioned that 9% of the cases were health care workers! If they don't have proper PPE then they're going to need a lot more vaccine doses and a lot more body bags.
Gotta clear out some junk I'm not using and shoehorn in more medical supplies, just in case....

Update:
http://www.promedmail.org/post/6193146?fbclid=IwAR3uxSSeKmrfpXaqJeoraLtaGTXtj9JKeq1eXLqRSDZ2P6lvj0HKv7StSyA

Published Date: 2018-12-08 16:02:48
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Ebola update (146): Congo DR (NK, IT) cases, summary, commun., situation, women
Archive Number: 20181208.6193146

EBOLA UPDATE (146): DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (NORTH KIVU, ITURI) CASES, SUMMARY, COMMUNICATION, SITUATION, WOMEN
********************************************************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

In this update:
[1] Case updates
- Epidemiological situation report, 7 Dec 2018, DRC Ministry of Health
- Epidemiological situation report, 6 Dec 2018, DRC Ministry of Health

[2] Summary
- CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy)

[3] Communication

[4] Grave situation continues
- Congo's deadly Ebola outbreak spreads as vaccine shortages loom
- "Like a horror film": the efforts to contain Ebola in a war zone
- Ebola detectives race to identify hidden sources of infection as outbreak spreads

[5] Women and children
- Women and children disproportionately sick
- Pregnancy Research Ethics for Vaccines, Epidemics, and New Technologies (PREVENT)

******
[1] Case updates
- Fri 7 Dec 2018. Epidemiological situation report, DRC Ministry of Health [in French, machine trans., abridged, edited]
https://us13.campaign-archive.com/?u=89e5755d2cca4840b1af93176&id=b7046ae344

The epidemiological situation of the Ebola virus disease in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri dated 6 Dec 2018:
- Since the beginning of the epidemic, the cumulative number of cases is 477, of which 429 are confirmed and 48 are probable. In total, there were 275 deaths (227 confirmed and 48 probable) and 151* people cured.
- 94 suspected cases are under investigation.
- 6 new confirmed cases, including 4 in Katwa and 2 in Beni.
- 2 new confirmed case deaths: 1 in Beni and 1 in Butembo.
- 4 new recovered cases, including 3 discharged from the Ebola treatment center (ETC) of Beni and 1 from the ETC of Mabalako.

*Updated from the database of people cured and eliminated duplicates.

Vaccination
----------
- Continued wide-belt vaccination (or ring plus) in the localities of Otomaber (located in the health zone of Komanda) and Aloya (in the health zone of Mabalako).
- Since vaccination began on 8 Aug 2018, 41,817 people have been vaccinated.

to Carol, over at Fluwiki,Facebook!

Ebola Cases Soared To 560, Outbreak Will 'Certainly' Continue For 3 To 4 Months More
http://infosurhoy.com/cocoon/saii/xhtml/en_GB/health/ebola-instances-soared-to-560-outbreak-will-definitely-proceed-for-three-to-four-months-extra/

  The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, dubbed the second-deadliest, continues to wreak havoc, with the number of cases ballooning to 560.

The outbreak that started on Aug. 1 has so far claimed the lives of 336 people, the ministry of health said. There are also 87 people more who are under observation and whom doctors suspect may have contracted the disease.   ---CONTINUED---

Americans don't realize that most of the peoples of the world don't have any problem with allowing a disease to spread among those they consider their enemy.

(No matter how much they pretend otherwise.)

TRex2 wrote:Americans don't realize that most of the peoples of the world don't have any problem with allowing a disease to spread among those they consider their enemy.

(No matter how much they pretend otherwise.)

That's incredibly short sighted and more than a bit foolish.

Diseases have this nasty habit of spreading past national borders, roadblocks, etc. And if a large enough group of folks gets infected then the diseases tend to mutate and things can go from bad to worse very quickly.

And Ebola is really one of those diseases that we don't want to give a chance to mutate too much...it's bad enough when transmission requires direct liquid contact. If it gets airborne without dropping the rate of infection or the risk of death then it could make the Spanish Flu look like the common cold.

You are right, it is short sighted and foolish.
But that is what the rest of the world is .

A US doctor was exposed to Ebola and flown back to the US for observation.

Article from 12/29/18
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/29/ebola-doctor-united-states-1076875

A U.S. physician who was exposed to Ebola while treating patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo arrived in the United States today and was taken to a secure area at the Nebraska Medical Center.

The 39-year-old physician, who isn't exhibiting symptoms of the deadly virus, was privately transported to the medical center in Omaha, Neb., on Saturday afternoon, officials there confirmed.

more at link

At least it's a secure observation facility and Nebraska Medical Center has dealt with Ebola before, but still this is concerning...

I thought I had posted about that, over here? Guess I forgot! This is not the first time Nebraska has cared for a possible Ebola patient. Back in the beginning of this outbreak, a few of years ago (has it really been that long????) they cared for a doctor who was exposed and he died. Remember this?:

Doctor Being Treated for Ebola in Omaha Dies (2014)
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/us/martin-salia-omaha-ebola-dead.html

Swedish hospital investigating a suspected Ebola case, authorities say

https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/04/health/ebola-sweden-intl/index.html

At least they are taking it seriously since they closed down the emergency room where the patient was first treated and are monitoring the staff who had contact. Test results are expected back "tonight" - not sure if that means local night since it's just after 4PM in Stockholm as I post this...

This definitely bears watching since the first hospital was only 50 miles from Stockholm (1.5 million in the urban area, and 2.3 million people in the greater metropolitan area.)

More details of Swedish potential Ebola case:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/ebola-suspected-sweden-burundi-1.4966049

Seems the patient spent 3 weeks in Burundi, which while there are no reported cases of Ebola in Burundi, it shares a border with Congo which is in the middle of an outbreak....

Looks like it's not Ebola:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2019/01/05/ebola-suspected-in-sweden-after-man-vomits-blood-but-test-is-negative/#5555d1d25063

Hopefully it wasn't a false negative, but it looks like the patient has something other than Ebola. Still not good for him, but not as risky for everyone else...

New milestone in DRC Ebola outbreak:

World's 2nd-deadliest Ebola outbreak reaches 600 confirmed cases

https://abcnews.go.com/beta-story-container/International/worlds-2nd-deadliest-ebola-outbreak-reaches-600-confirmed/story?id=60383138

Main takeaway:
396 dead so far, for a fatality rate of 61%

Only good news seems to be that containment is working so far. But if the armed conflict in the area doesn't settle down then even with all the vaccine trials in the area won't keep it contained for long.

MSF has suspended operations in the area after a firebombing attack at two treatment centers in the Congo.  

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/after-attacks-msf-suspends-ebola-treatment-epicenter-congo-outbreak-n978151

And the bad news continues:

https://apnews.com/6aca437736cf45dc96b685b89508daf9

Congo’s Ebola outbreak might be declared global emergency

GENEVA (AP) — A top Red Cross official said Friday he’s “more concerned than I have ever been” about the possible regional spread of the Ebola virus after a new spike in cases, as the World Health Organization met on whether to declare the outbreak in Congo an international health emergency.

Emanuele Capobianco, head of health and care at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, cited Congolese health ministry statistics showing 40 new cases over two days this week. He called that rate unprecedented in this outbreak.

The Ebola outbreak in Congo announced on Aug. 1 has become the second-deadliest in history, behind the West African one from 2014-16 that killed more than 11,300 people. Congo’s health ministry on Thursday reported 1,206 confirmed and probable cases, including 764 deaths.

more at link above

Things are continuing to spiral out of control, now a doctor has been killed...

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/04/23/716121928/the-doctor-killed-in-fridays-ebola-attack-was-dedicated-but-also-afraid

-snip-

But at least one colleague says that behind the scenes, Mouzoko was starting to grow uneasy. Since February there had been a series of direct attacks on Ebola responders. Gunmen stormed two Ebola treatment centers in three separate assaults. And increasingly when health workers and burial teams would enter some of the hardest hit communities they were threatened with stone-throwing or worse.

-snip-

On Friday, Mouzoko's worst fears were realized. Two armed men burst into a staff meeting he was leading. Yao says witnesses told him the attackers first grabbed staffers' cell phones and other equipment, then began shooting. Two people were injured. Mouzoko was killed.

Hours later, around 3 a.m. Saturday morning, a handful of people tried to set fire to another Ebola command center – this one at a hospital in a suburb called Katwa. Police fought them off, killing one attacker and capturing three others.

-snip-

I have to wonder if there are some apocalyptic cults trying to bring about the end times or if they are just stupid....

dmwalsh568 wrote:Things are continuing to spiral out of control, now a doctor has been killed...

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/04/23/716121928/the-doctor-killed-in-fridays-ebola-attack-was-dedicated-but-also-afraid

-snip-

But at least one colleague says that behind the scenes, Mouzoko was starting to grow uneasy. Since February there had been a series of direct attacks on Ebola responders. Gunmen stormed two Ebola treatment centers in three separate assaults. And increasingly when health workers and burial teams would enter some of the hardest hit communities they were threatened with stone-throwing or worse.

-snip-

On Friday, Mouzoko's worst fears were realized. Two armed men burst into a staff meeting he was leading. Yao says witnesses told him the attackers first grabbed staffers' cell phones and other equipment, then began shooting. Two people were injured. Mouzoko was killed.

Hours later, around 3 a.m. Saturday morning, a handful of people tried to set fire to another Ebola command center – this one at a hospital in a suburb called Katwa. Police fought them off, killing one attacker and capturing three others.

-snip-

I have to wonder if there are some apocalyptic cults trying to bring about the end times or if they are just stupid....

Wow.

I think it's s case of extreme fear and ignorance leading to the locals attacking the people trying to save them.

If the med professionals pull out and leave them to fend for themselves this outbreak will definitely grow worse and increase the likelihood of spreading.

There is a war going on over there. It isn't going to make sense, and trying to make sense of it is a waste of time and energy.

Fortunately, Ebola is relatively easy to defeat in a First World society, as long as activist judges don't decide we can't control it, because that would be violating someone's rights. (We are having that problem, right now, with measles, but that is a different thread.)

Quarantine is the most fundamental measure, and is pretty effective because the virus isn't communicable until about 24 hours after a person begins to run a fever.

So far no improvement, and health care workers continue to get infected:

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2019/05/ebola-cases-top-1700-drc-4-health-workers-infected

CIDRAP - Stephanie Soucheray wrote:Ebola cases top 1,700 in DRC as 4 health workers infected

Once again, violent clashes in the Ebola outbreak region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have resulted in a spike of cases. Over the weekend and through today, the DRC's ministry of health recorded 56 new Ebola cases, including 4 in healthcare workers, and 19 new deaths.

The new cases bring the outbreak total to 1,705, including 1,124 deaths. A total of 251 suspected cases are still under investigation. The total number of health workers infected during the outbreak is now 101.

All newly infected health workers, from Mabalako, Kalunguta, Butembo, and Manugurujipa, were unvaccinated. The DRC health ministry reported 13 new cases on May 11, 18 yesterday, and 25 today.

SNIP

More at http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2019/05/ebola-cases-top-1700-drc-4-health-workers-infected above.

The scariest take away for me is that the death rate is almost 66% so I really hope they get a handle on this before it goes international....

This current outbreak isn't getting as much attention as previous ones, but it's confusing to get worse.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7032565/Terrifying-Ebola-epidemic-conflict-riven-DRC-control-warn-experts.html

Here's an article from the Washington Post, doctors are basically going undercover to treat ebola, 1100 dead and climbing:


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/with-more-than-1100-dead-congos-ebola-outbreak-is-only-getting-worse-now-doctors-are-forced-to-go-undercover/2019/05/16/b7e15d80-7712-11e9-a7bf-c8a43b84ee31_story.html?utm_term=.c3ddc5f15603

rick1 wrote:Here's an article from the Washington Post, doctors are basically going undercover to treat ebola, 1100 dead and climbing:


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/with-more-than-1100-dead-congos-ebola-outbreak-is-only-getting-worse-now-doctors-are-forced-to-go-undercover/2019/05/16/b7e15d80-7712-11e9-a7bf-c8a43b84ee31_story.html?utm_term=.c3ddc5f15603

With thus current situation in the ground and the ongoing conflict and medical difficulties, I cannot see a realistic way this is contained and doesn't continue spreading.

Ugh! I'm going over to FluTrackers to see what they are saying ...

Hat Tip to Sharon Sanders over at FluTrackers



May 16, 2019

Ebola setting in 'unpredictable calm' as cases rise by 21
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2019/05/ebola-setting-unpredictable-calm-cases-rise-21

"In its weekly update today, the WHO said it's especially concerned about community deaths, which make up about 40% of new cases each week. Of 1,147 total deaths reported in the outbreak so far, 68% occurred outside of Ebola treatment centers, meaning patients died at a time when they are most infectious in homes or in health facilities not adequately equipped to isolate and treat patients sickened by the virus."

And the attacks on health facilities in DRC continue:

https://www.france24.com/en/20190527-villagers-kill-ebola-health-worker-eastern-dr-congo

--SNIP--

"Part of the population of Vusahiro village, in the health sector of Mabalako (North Kivu province), rose up and attacked the local team fighting back against Ebola," said the daily health ministry bulletin dated Sunday. It said the incident happened on Saturday.

"A hygiene agent in the team for the prevention and control of infections died of his injuries during his transfer to the hospital," health authorities said in the bulletin.

--SNIP--

more at the article link above.

I came across this article.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2019/06/04/large-groups-of-african-migrants-illegally-crossed-texas-border-say-feds/

If you connect the dots it's definitely not good. Most likely rather nefarious.

How is it large groups from an Ebola quarantine zone are all of a sudd popping up in del Rio TX??!!??

look at the pictures too. They are not starving. They have relatively good new servicable clothing. They do not appear in bad shape.

That leads me to conclude they must be being sponsored and supported by a group for some unknown reason to just all of a sudden sneak into Texas mixed into the illegal immigration crisis.

Even with the Ebola vaccines the outbreak is still spreading. If you read the latest reports some victims (I believe 50%) do not exhibit fever symptoms in the incubation period anymore and appear healthy. Very concerning

How did they even get to Mexico? Who funded that travel??


What is going on?!?

DTKA wrote: If you read the latest reports some victims (I believe 50%) do not exhibit fever symptoms in the incubation period anymore and appear healthy. Very concerning

Don't know where you are getting your "latest reports" (you didn't cite your sources) but Ebola never shows symptoms in the incubation period. It doesn't become contagious until a day after the fever appears, however.

TRex2 wrote:

DTKA wrote: If you read the latest reports some victims (I believe 50%) do not exhibit fever symptoms in the incubation period anymore and appear healthy. Very concerning

Don't know where you are getting your "latest reports" (you didn't cite your sources) but Ebola never shows symptoms in the incubation period. I doesn't become contagious until a day after the fever appears, however.

I got it here

http://raconteurreport.blogspot.com/2019/06/june-ebola-update.html?m=1

It's entirely possible I misunderstood what I read.

But my original story of random large groups of central African (Congo etc..) illegals sneaking into TX is still extremely concerning to me.

Looks like we might catch a break on this one:

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2019/06/drc-daily-ebola-totals-show-possible-signs-slowing

CIDRAP wrote:DRC daily Ebola totals show possible signs of slowing

Over the weekend and through today the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported 23 new Ebola cases, 2 of them in healthcare workers and one involving a reintroduction of the virus into an earlier affected area.

In a related development, a snapshot from the World Health Organization (WHO) African regional office notes a continued decline in weekly cases, which it says is encouraging.

Hopefully they aren't missing cases due to ongoing tensions in the area, but it's hard to tell since they tuck this gem in at the bottom of the article:

WHO officials attributed some of the drop in cases to improved security and better access to communities, though vandalism in Komanda shuttered the Ebola testing lab and demonstrations by motorcycle taxi drivers left the lab in Beni partly functional.

Emphasis mine. Too many hotspots around the world to have this get out of control at the same time....

That didn't take long, it has now spread to Uganda....

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/06/massive-ebola-outbreak-spreads-across-drc-border-infected-5-year-old-in-uganda/

Beth Mole - ArsTechnica wrote:Health officials in Uganda have confirmed the country’s first case of Ebola stemming from a massive outbreak that has been raging across the border in the Democratic Republic of the Congo since August of 2018.

The World Health Organization reported Tuesday, June 11, that the case is in a 5-year-old boy from the DRC who traveled with his family into Uganda on June 9. The boy’s case was confirmed by the Uganda Virus Institute (UVRI), and he’s receiving care in the Ebola Treatment Unit in the western Ugandan town of Bwera, which sits at the border with DRC.

And the news continues to get worse:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-48603273

BBC wrote:A five-year-old boy in Uganda has died from Ebola, health officials have said.
The death is the first in Uganda, amid a deadly outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. Officials said his grandmother and younger brother also had the disease.
The Ugandan government is now reporting seven suspected cases of Ebola.

@WHOUganda wrote:"The young patient - 5- year-old index case of #Ebola died last night. Two more samples were sent to UVRI and have tested positive. We, therefore, have three confirmed cases of #Ebola in #Uganda"- @JaneRuth_Aceng

Even in good times, it would be hard to shut down this Ebola outbreak, since the region has a fairly mobile population and fairly substandard medical infrastructure.

Add to that, Boko Haram, which does not mind using the epidemic as a tool of warfare, and a populace that is largely distrustful of western medicine, and the epidemic is all but unstoppable.

In that region, that is.

In the parts of the world where modern medical infrastructure is in place, the only variable is the willingness of the society to isolate anyone who has come into contact with an infected person. We did that, to a large degree, in the last outbreak, but there was a lot of noise about "civil rights" violations.

I think in the time since that outbreak, there has been zero progress in knowing how to deal with the balance of quarantine vs "civil rights."

How we handle this, remains to be seen.

What really gives me nightmares is the (admittedly remote) chance that Ebola mutates to becomes more easily transmissible. And the longer these outbreaks last, the more chances it has to make the wrong mutation.

As for quarantine here in the US, there is a reason that health departments have the power to isolate and/or quarantine folks exposed. CDC has a link with details at:
https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/aboutlawsregulationsquarantineisolation.html

Of course, there haven't been large scale isolation measures put in place for a century in the USA - the Spanish Flu of 1918. These days the problem would be when there are too many suspected cases or contact with cases to isolate everyone and make it stick. Too many people think rules don't apply to themselves. Well that, and too few folks are ready to stay home for a week without resupply let alone 3 months or more....

Read this article and make your own decisions on whether you agree or not.

The article, to me, is very bias, but I do believe 90% of it:


https://www.newsmax.com/clarencevmckee/democrats-ebola-border-immigration/2019/06/07/id/919454/

Yeah, that article is heavily slanted, but a more balanced argument was made at https://www.conservativereview.com/news/550-african-migrants-just-caught-texas-dhs-head-says-arent-screened-ebola/

Pretty scary that there is zero health screening before releasing folks into the US. I would like to think that they are at least warning the cities and towns that migrants are coming, but from the anecdotal evidence I've read that's not the case.

The only hope is that it takes the migrants long enough to get to the border that they are past the incubation period for the really nasty diseases, but that's little comfort. I worry more about folks traveling by plane since you can get anywhere in the world in 24 hours and too many nasty bugs out there don't present symptoms that quickly.

Portland Maine is being overrun by asylum seekers many of which are from Africa (the Congo area)



https://www.pressherald.com/2019/06/11/portland-receives-67-asylum-seekers-in-2-days-from-southern-border/

rick1 wrote:Portland Maine is being overrun by asylum seekers many of which are from Africa (the Congo area)



https://www.pressherald.com/2019/06/11/portland-receives-67-asylum-seekers-in-2-days-from-southern-border/

What the hell is going on.

Drinkthekoolaid wrote:

rick1 wrote:Portland Maine is being overrun by asylum seekers many of which are from Africa (the Congo area)



https://www.pressherald.com/2019/06/11/portland-receives-67-asylum-seekers-in-2-days-from-southern-border/

What the hell is going on.

Many are asking the same question. The U.S. is destroying itself from within, it's only a matter of time.