Ebola Virus Disease

BENI - Thousands of voters, weary from frequent armed attacks and an ongoing Ebola outbreak, proudly cast ballots in a northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), even though they will count for nothing. Citing security and health fears, the country’s national electoral commission (CENI) blocked the cities of Beni and Butembo from taking part in Sunday’s presidential, legislative and provincial elections. But determined to have a taste of much-delayed democracy in the troubled country, many turned out at makeshift polling stations for a staged vote. “The city of Beni is in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we cannot deprive ourselves of the right to vote,” said one resident who gave his name as Manix. “That’s why you see these people here voting.” Old and young wrote their choices on blank pieces of paper, collected in plastic bags by mock poll booth operators dressed in official uniforms. The voters even had their left thumbs marked with ink to avoid fraud, as in...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Anti-Government Protests in DR Congo's North Kivu Province Hamper Response to Ebola Epidemic    ptvnews.ph DRC Protests Hamper Ebola Epidemic Response    VOA News Congo Votes, Amid Ebola Crisis and Problems at Polls, After Years’ Delay    The New York Times Medair calls for unhindered access to respond to Ebola in DR Congo - Democratic Republic of the Congo    ReliefWeb Ebola-hit Congolese town stages mock vote to protest at ban    Reuters View full coverage on Google News http://bit.ly/2CGdATE

Another Ebola epidemic is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo and it is the second deadliest outbreak in history. The latest outbreak may continue for another three or four months, the east African nation’s health ministry has cautioned.   Deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reached 319, recent official figures reveal, and the spread of the virus shows no sign of slowing down.  It is feared 549 people have been struck with the virus since the outbreak was declared in August. Twenty per cent of new cases have been reported in the last month alone. On average, Ebola, which causes fever, severe headache and in some cases haemorrhaging – kills about half of those infected, but fatality rates in individual outbreaks have varied. The latest outbreak has a case fatality rate of about 58%. The spread into more major cities and across borders into other countries remains the biggest concern, with ongoing armed conflict and increased commuting expe...

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A baby who was admitted to an Ebola treatment center in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo just six days after she was born is now recovered from the lethal virus, according to health officials who called her the "young miracle." The newborn girl, named Benedicte, received treatment in the city of Beni, one of the current epicenters of the outbreak , after her Ebola-stricken mother died in childbirth on Oct. 31. Benedicte was discharged Wednesday. The baby is said to be the youngest survivor thus far in the world's second-largest, second-deadliest Ebola outbreak. "She went home in the arms of her father and aunt," the country's health ministry said in a statement Thursday Pediatricians, intensive care specialists and nannies took turns watching over the infant 24 hours a day for over a month, according to the health ministry. The nannies at the Ebola treatment center in Beni are former patients who have recovered from the disease and are bett...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Youngest survivor of Ebola outbreak brings hope to Congo caregivers    CNN Six more cases reported in DRC Ebola outbreak    CIDRAP Top stories: Ebola outbreak challenges, Viking cats, and a new kind of placebo    Science Magazine 'Young miracle:' Newborn baby becomes youngest survivor of Ebola outbreak    WABC-TV Ebola outbreak reaches city of 1 million residents    Ars Technica View full coverage on Google News https://ift.tt/2QOkxdq

BBC Posted on: 15th Dec 2018 A baby girl who was admitted to an Ebola treatment centre just six days after birth has now recovered from the virus, health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have announced. The baby is now the world’s youngest survivor of what the World Health Organisation (WHO) calls the world’s second-deadliest Ebola outbreak.Her mother who had Ebola died during childbirth. Health authorities say the baby is a “young miracle”.She was discharged from a hospital in the conflict-ridden northern city of Beni on Wednesday, where she had received around-the-clock care for weeks. SEE ALSO : Alarm as more people imbibe lethal drinks “She went home in the arms of her father and her aunt,” the ministry said.Breast milk infectionFew cases of infections in babies have been reported but experts suspect transmission might happen via breast milk or close contact with infected parents, the Associated Press news agency reports.The deadly Ebola is typically spread b...

Researchers have discovered a human protein that helps fight the Ebola virus and could one day lead to an effective therapy against the deadly disease, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. The newly discovered ability of the human protein RBBP6 to interfere with Ebola virus replication suggests new ways to fight the infection. As viruses develop and evolve proteins to bypass the body's immune defenses, human cells in turn develop defense mechanisms against those viruses -- an evolutionary arms race that has been ongoing for millions of years. This particular defense mechanism has therapeutic potential, said co-lead author Judd Hultquist, assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious disease at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "One of the scariest parts about the 2014 Ebola outbreak was that we had no treatments on hand; tens of thousands of people became sick and thousands of people died because we lacked a suitable treatment,...

1. Highlights A suspected Ebola case was reported in Renk (Abayok PHCC) on 03/12/2018 and investigated by the RRT. The sample was negative for EVD. Similarly, a specimen collected from Yambio hospital on 04/12/2018 tested negative for EVD. Ultra-Cold Freezer for Ebola vaccine storage was received. The SoPs for the technical working groups have been finalized except logistics TWG. Eighteen screening points are operational. The Ministry of Health (MoH) conducts the screening with support from WHO, IOM, SCI, WVISS and CAUMM. About 699,548 people entering South Sudan have been screened. https://ift.tt/2BlYkK5

Several new connections have been discovered between the proteins of the Ebola virus and human host cells, a finding that provides insight on ways to prevent the deadly Ebola virus from reproducing and could lead to novel ways to fight these lethal viral infections, according to a study led by Georgia State University, the University of California, San Francisco, and the Gladstone Institutes. One of these new interactions occurs when the Ebola virus protein VP30 binds to a host protein called RBBP6. This prevents two Ebola virus proteins, VP30 and nucleoprotein (NP), from interacting. The connection between VP30 and NP is critical for virus reproduction. This study shows that RBBP6's ability to bind to the same point on VP30 can disrupt the VP30-NP interaction and block growth of the virus. The researchers propose that pharmaceutical products that mimic the interaction between RBBP6 and Ebola virus have therapeutic potential, and they also identified additional interactions betw...

Researchers collaborating from various institutes have identified possible drug targets for Dengue, Zika and Ebola viruses… No drugs are currently available to treat Ebola, Dengue, or Zika viruses, which infect millions of people every year and result in severe illness, birth defects, and even death. Research from the Gladstone Institutes and UC San Francisco may finally change that. Scientists identified key ways the three viruses hijack the body’s cells, and they found at least one potential drug that can disrupt this process in human cells. What’s more, they discovered how the Zika virus might cause microcephaly in infants, the first step in developing a way to stop the disease. The researchers employed a technique called protein-protein interaction mapping to probe the three viruses. The method uses human cells in laboratory dishes to create a map of each point of contact between viral and human proteins. The scientists, whose work was conducted under the umbrella of the Ho...

Summary There's growing concern about an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that surfaced in August and, despite a coordinated response that has included vaccinating more than 40,000 people, persists. Although it's not being formally evaluated, the vaccine appears to be having an impact, says Peter Salama, who coordinates the response for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. But the outbreak in the northeastern region of the country is taking place in an area that has long suffered from armed conflict, which repeatedly has brought Ebola response teams to a halt. The outbreak has had some 500 cases, about half of which have resulted in death, making it the second largest Ebola outbreak on record. The largest, which took place in West Africa from 2014 to 2016, was considerably larger—28,000 cases, 11,000 deaths—but there is fear that if the international community does not do more to help the DRC by sending experienced personnel and mo...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) health ministry today in its daily Ebola update reported 5 new cases and 9 new deaths and added that 100 suspected cases are under investigation. Outbreak totals now stand at 505 cases, including 298 deaths. The new cases include two in Katwa and one each in Komanda, Musienene, and Mabalako. At least one of the newly recorded deaths occurred in the community, in Katwa, an event that heightens the risk of virus spread, the DRC said. Sick patient, traveling contacts trigger alerts Officials also issued two health alerts about possible disease spread in Goma, the capital and largest city in North Kivu province. For weeks, officials have warned that Ebola could spread in the city. The first alert came after a bleeding patient died at the Rutshuru General Referral Hospital in Goma, but subsequent tests showed the patient did not have Ebola. The second alert came after six family members (three adults, three children) of a case con...

As an Ebola outbreak in a conflict-plagued region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to spread after 4 months, there’s a glimmer of hope: An experimental Ebola vaccine appears to be helping the communities it reaches. More than 40,000 people have received the vaccine, by far the largest use of it since a trial in 2015 showed it worked well. The vaccine’s effectiveness in this outbreak has not been formally assessed. But Peter Salama, who heads the Ebola response for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, says, “I think it’s having a major impact.” WHO, which works in concert with the DRC’s Ministry of Public Health, can’t distribute the vaccine as widely as it would like, however, because of limited supplies, Salama notes. And the obvious targets for vaccination—people who have had contact with cases—have been difficult to identify and reach because of the ongoing conflict; a small number of front-line health care workers have even been caugh...

The ongoing Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now reached Butembo, a city of over one million residents near the Ugandan border, according to the Associated Press . The 2018 Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo is the second worst in world history. So far, there are over 470 confirmed cases and more than 270 deaths due to the viral hemorrhagic fever, which has an extremely high fatality rate. Another 100-plus cases are under investigation, and Congo’s health ministry confirmed an additional 13 cases on Thursday, the highest one-day total since this latest outbreak was declared in August. Part of the difficulty in containing the epidemic and vaccinating individuals against contracting the virus is the ongoing political unrest in the African nation. Rebel militias targeting Congolese civilians and soldiers, as well as United Nations peacekeepers, have stymied efforts to contain the epidemic. Indeed, on Friday, Reuters reported that militia members are suspected...

As an Ebola outbreak in a conflict-plagued region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to spread after 4 months, there’s a glimmer of hope: An experimental Ebola vaccine appears to be helping the communities it reaches. More than 40,000 people have received the vaccine, by far the largest use of it since a trial in 2015 showed it worked well. The vaccine’s effectiveness in this outbreak has not been formally assessed. But Peter Salama, who heads the Ebola response for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, says, “I think it’s having a major impact.” WHO, which works in concert with the DRC’s Ministry of Public Health, can’t distribute the vaccine as widely as it would like, however, because of limited supplies, Salama notes. And the obvious targets for vaccination—people who have had contact with cases—have been difficult to identify and reach because of the ongoing conflict; a small number of front-line health care workers have even been caugh...

David Sebba and colleagues have created a point-of-care diagnostic test that, in fewer than 30 minutes, distinguishes Ebola infections from other endemic diseases that share similar initial symptoms, such as Lassa fever and malaria. Their technology offers a simple diagnostic tool that could streamline the detection and management of Ebola epidemics in low-resource settings. The 2014 West African Ebola outbreak - the most widespread Ebola epidemic in history - was responsible for over 11,000 deaths, and the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo is the second-largest in history and continues to grow, highlighting the persistent danger this disease poses to public health. Although researchers have developed an effective vaccine, Ebola remains difficult to detect because it initially mimics the symptoms of other fever-causing diseases like Lassa fever and malaria. What's more, Ebola epidemics tend to occur in regions that lack laboratory infrastructure and trained lab personnel. Here, Seb...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) health ministry today in its daily Ebola update reported 5 new cases and 9 new deaths and added that 100 suspected cases are under investigation. Outbreak totals now stand at 505 cases, including 298 deaths. The new cases include two in Katwa and one each in Komanda, Musienene, and Mabalako. At least one of the newly recorded deaths occurred in the community, in Katwa, an event that heightens the risk of virus spread, the DRC said. Sick patient, traveling contacts trigger alerts Officials also issued two health alerts about possible disease spread in Goma, the capital and largest city in North Kivu province. For weeks, officials have warned that Ebola could spread in the city. The first alert came after a bleeding patient died at the Rutshuru General Referral Hospital in Goma, but subsequent tests showed the patient did not have Ebola. The second alert came after six family members (three adults, three children) of a case con...

David Sebba and colleagues have created a point-of-care diagnostic test that, in fewer than 30 minutes, distinguishes Ebola infections from other endemic diseases that share similar initial symptoms, such as Lassa fever and malaria. Their technology offers a simple diagnostic tool that could streamline the detection and management of Ebola epidemics in low-resource settings. The 2014 West African Ebola outbreak - the most widespread Ebola epidemic in history - was responsible for over 11,000 deaths, and the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo is the second-largest in history and continues to grow, highlighting the persistent danger this disease poses to public health. Although researchers have developed an effective vaccine, Ebola remains difficult to detect because it initially mimics the symptoms of other fever-causing diseases like Lassa fever and malaria. What's more, Ebola epidemics tend to occur in regions that lack laboratory infrastructure and trained lab personnel. Here, Seb...

Daniel Sidikie Turay was successfully treated for Ebola in Sierra Leone in 2014. At the time, the virus was spreading across West Africa. It claimed more than 11,000 lives, including nearly all of Daniel's close family. Five years on, the young man is in medical school. He speaks to the BBC about his dreams and hopes for the future. Video: Alpha Kamara and Daniel South. Listen to Newsday on the BBC iPlayer . https://ift.tt/2Er0YlG

At the close of the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola crisis, the Paul G. Allen Foundation identified diagnostic gaps as one of the major deficiencies that had contributed to the outbreak’s spread. “The standard diagnostic tests that exist are very good, but they’re hard to do out in the field in the middle of an outbreak like we saw in West Africa,” said John Connor, a virologist at the Boston University National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory (NEIDL). Instead, samples need to be sent to a facility capable of running the tests, which means it could be several days between taking a sample and getting a diagnosis. Connor, in collaboration with researchers from Columbia University, the National Institutes of Health Integrated Research Facility, clinical collaborators from Senegal and the Hemorrhagic Fever Lab in Guinea, as well as Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD), came together and proposed an idea for a new kind of diagnostic that would bridge critical gaps in the field. “We se...

The world's second-largest Ebola outbreak hit another milestone today, as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) recorded 2 new cases, raising outbreak totals to 500, including 289 deaths. Of the four new deaths recorded today, two are community deaths in Beni and Mabalako, which took place outside a hospital or Ebola treatment center, raising the risk of transmission, the DRC said. There are also 80 people currently under investigation for suspected infections, the DRC's health ministry said in its daily update. Unknown transmission chains According to the latest weekly update from the World Health Organization's (WHO's) African regional office, among the 500 cases are 3 healthcare workers who have been infected since Dec 1. Since August, when the outbreak began, 49 healthcare workers have been infected, and 15 of those have died. While vaccination and case contact tracing are under way, there are still unknown transmission chains in North Kivu and Ituri prov...

A health worker waits to handle a new unconfirmed Ebola patient at a newly built treatment center supported by Doctors Without Borders in Bunia, north of Beni in Congo. (John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images) December 7 The medical anthropologist was in the shower when she heard the first pops of gunfire. Initially, she thought it might be the action movie she’d left playing on high volume. Then the wall shook. The violence in eastern Congo, which has stymied the international response to a growing Ebola outbreak in the region, had arrived at the guesthouse used by many of those working to prevent the disease’s spread. Terrified, Julienne Anoko dropped to the floor and crawled into the corridor outside her room. She and five others from U.N. agencies, Congo’s Health Ministry and the World Health Organization, which she works for, hid in another bathroom for three hours until a U.N. peacekeeping force arrived and gave the all-clear. “It was like a horror film,” Anoko said of the Nov. 16 a...

Like neighbouring Uganda, where similar measures have been taken for health personnel, South Sudan has declared a state of alert because of the risk that Ebola may be carried into its territory. No cases have been reported, the WHO says. The experimental vaccine first went on trial during the terrible epidemic of Ebola that ravaged parts of West Africa from 2013 to 2016, at a cost of more than 11,300 lives. The disease spreads through contact with bodily fluids from other people or infected animals. The vaccine was created by Canadian public health specialists at the National Microbiology Laboratory and is considered highly effective by the WHO, but it works only against the Ebola virus-Zaire strain, confirmed in the outbreak in the DRC. South Sudan has been torn by civil war for five years in a conflict that has left nearly 400,000 dead. More than 4-million people, about a third of the population, have fled. The main belligerents signed a peace accord in September, but the work of...