Ebola Virus Disease

News Release Wednesday, November 27, 2019 Study Leaders Publish Results from NIH-DRC-WHO Clinical Trial of Four Experimental Therapies. The investigational therapeutics mAb114 and REGN-EB3 offer patients a greater chance of surviving Ebola virus disease (EVD) compared to the investigational treatment ZMapp, according to published results from a clinical trial conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The new report also shows that early diagnosis and treatment are associated with an increased likelihood of survival from EVD. The results appear online this week in the New England Journal of Medicine . An announcement made on August 12, 2019 , noted that the study leaders halted the trial early, on August 9, 2019, as recommended by an independent data and safety monitoring board based on its review of preliminary data from 499 study patients. The preliminary analysis found that both mAb114 and REGN-EB3 performed better than ZMapp. The fourth drug, remdesivir, performed...

The current Ebola outbreak in  Democratic Republic of Congo  (DRC) is the worst on record in the country and the second-largest epidemic of the disease recorded anywhere. Almost a year after the declaration of  the outbreak , more than 2,195 people have died from the virus. The Ebola crisis in DRC continues to pose a threat to local communities—despite a massive international response,  promising new vaccines  and  treatments , and improvements in the medical management of the disease. On July 17, 2019, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in DRC a public health emergency of international concern. Ebola is not the only public health emergency in DRC. The main causes of mortality in the country’s eastern region remain preventable diseases such as  malaria  and  measles . In many health zones, only limited health care is available, as was the case even before the Ebola epidemic. Many health workers have also now been r...

Mackenzie Bean - Wednesday, November 27th, 2019 Print  |  Email Increased violence from militia groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo spurred the World Health Organization to pull one-third of its workforce from an Ebola outbreak zone this week, reports Nature . The organization temporarily evacuated about 40 people from the city of Beni. The remaining 80 team members stationed in the city have mostly halted efforts to trace and vaccinate known contacts of Ebola patients, thereby hindering outbreak containment efforts. The WHO expects Ebola cases to rise as a result, according to Christian Lindmeier, a spokesperson for the health agency.  As of Nov. 27, the WHO has reported 3,304 confirmed and probable Ebola cases linked to the outbreak, including 2,198 deaths. More articles on clinical leadership & infection control: New Jersey hospital performs kidney transplant on wrong patient Consistent hospitalist care linked to better patient outcomes, study f...

Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year has so far killed more people than has the Ebola virus, the United Nations Children's Fund said Wednesday. UNICEF said in its report more than 5,000 people in the DRC have died of measles since the start of 2019 -- and more than 90 percent were children under the age of 5. "While the Ebola outbreak, which has claimed more than 2,000 lives in the Eastern DRC, has commanded sustained international attention, measles, which has claimed more than twice as many lives, continues to be underreported," said Edouard Beigbeder, a UNICEF representative in the DRC. The World Health Organization has called the measles the world's largest and fastest-moving epidemic. Although global measles deaths have decreased by 84 percent worldwide -- from 550,100 in 2000 to 89,780 in 2016 -- the highly contagious disease is still common in many developing countries, particularly in parts of Africa and...

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday evacuated dozens of their staff working on the Ebola epidemic from the town of Beni in Congo due to the worsening security situation. Rebels believed to belong to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed eight people in an overnight raid on Sunday. Residents angry at the perceived inaction of both the government and a U.N. peacekeeping mission then set fire to the mayor's office and several U.N. buildings on Monday. At least two people were killed in clashes with police. WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a news briefing in Geneva that 49 non-essential staff were flown on Tuesday morning to the eastern city of Goma, where they will continue working, "Seventy-one remain on the spot at this point to ensure as good as possible or at least the minimum support to the Ebola response," Lindmeier said. "The frustration, the anger of the population on the ground is very much u...

NEWS 26 November 2019 The World Health Organization has evacuated some staff members from Beni in the Democratic Republic of the Congo over safety concerns. Amy Maxmen Search for this author in: Ebola responders in Beni, a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, disinfect each other before entering the home of a woman thought to be infected with the virus. Credit: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters A surge in violence and unrest has forced Ebola responders in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo city of Beni to remain indoors for the last week — hampering efforts to contain the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) has temporarily evacuated one-third of its 120 staff members stationed in the city. Those who remain have largely stopped tracing the contacts of people diagnosed with Ebola, who they would normally then vaccinate and monitor for signs of infection. As a result, “we expect Ebola cases to rise”, says Christian Lindmeier, a spokeper...

Protesters targeted UN facilities again in eastern DR Congo on Tuesday with at least two people killed as anger rises over the failure to stop deadly attacks on civilians  by rebels.  Omar Aboud, the United Nations chief of military forces in Beni, said no live ammunition was fired by UN forces at the attacking protesters in the town of Beni in North Kivu province . "We are aware of the demonstrators who are making their way and we are making every effort to continue the dialogue with these demonstrators and their leaders, as well as the national authorities ... to ensure calm and return to peace and security," Aboud told Al Jazeera. "We have our troops and our police officers who are trained in riot control and who provided protection to our compound while it was being attacked for hours at a time." Crowds defied a curfew late on Tuesday and continued to vent their anger at UN forces in a stand-off outside Beni. Running street battles occurred all day as demon...

GENEVA — The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday evacuated dozens of their staff working on the Ebola epidemic from the town of Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to the worsening security situation. Rebels believed to belong to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed eight people in an overnight raid on Sunday. Residents angry at the perceived inaction of both the government and a U.N. peacekeeping mission then set fire to the mayor's office and several U.N. buildings on Monday. At least two people were killed in clashes with police. [L8N2853CZ] WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a news briefing in Geneva that 49 non-essential staff were flown on Tuesday morning to the eastern city of Goma, where they will continue working, "Seventy-one remain on the spot at this point to ensure as good as possible or at least the minimum support to the Ebola response," Lindmeier said. "The frustration, th...

CIDRAP News : More violence continues to stall Ebola response in DRC hot spots “The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) [Monday] said Ebola response operations in two hot spots remain paralyzed for the sixth day in a row, which could prolong the outbreak, amid a report of an attack on a United Nation peacekeeping office in Beni. In other developments, 4 new cases were reported over the weekend and through [Monday], raising the outbreak total past 3,300 to 3,303…” (Schnirring, 11/25). Reuters : WHO, UNICEF evacuate 76 staff from Ebola teams in Congo due to insecurity “The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday evacuated dozens of their staff working on the Ebola epidemic from the town of Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to the worsening security situation. Rebels believed to belong to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed eight people in an overnight raid on Sunday…” (Nebehay/Depetris, 11/26). Additional coverage of ...

GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday evacuated dozens of their staff working on the Ebola epidemic from the town of Beni in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to the worsening security situation. Rebels believed to belong to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) killed eight people in an overnight raid on Sunday. Residents angry at the perceived inaction of both the government and a U.N. peacekeeping mission then set fire to the mayor’s office and several U.N. buildings on Monday. At least two people were killed in clashes with police. [L8N2853CZ] WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a news briefing in Geneva that 49 non-essential staff were flown on Tuesday morning to the eastern city of Goma, where they will continue working, “Seventy-one remain on the spot at this point to ensure as good as possible or at least the minimum support to the Ebola response,” Lindmeier said. “The frustration, the anger of the popula...

BENI, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Ebola responders are on lockdown in the eastern Congo city of Beni after angry residents attacked a United Nations base to protest repeated rebel assaults, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. At least four protesters were killed, a local official said. Every day that health workers don't have full access to Ebola-affected areas is a “tragedy” that prolongs the second-worst Ebola outbreak in history, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter. Almost 50 “non-critical” staffers with the U.N. health agency were evacuated to the city of Goma while 71 remain, spokesman Christian Lindmeier said. He said the violence is not directed at WHO or the Ebola response at large Instead, Beni residents are outraged that rebels continue to carry out deadly attacks despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers and Congolese forces. Some demand that the U.N. mission act or leave. The bodies of four young protesters were found near the...

situation report 1 MIN READ Nov 26, 2019 | 16:29 GMT What Happened: A recent surge of violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's northeastern city of Beni has prompted aid agencies to suspend efforts to contain an outbreak of Ebola, AP reported Nov. 26. Why It Matters: The suspension of efforts to contain the most recent Ebola outbreak increases the risk the disease will spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and perhaps to neighboring countries. Continued violence will also disrupt transportation and logistical networks in the area, while militant groups will attempt to exploit the ensuing chaos to launch additional attacks. Background: The most recent Ebola outbreak began in August 2018 and has killed more than 2,100 people to date, making it the second-deadliest outbreak of the disease ever. Militant activity has been hampering efforts to contain the epidemic and the World Health Organization has documented more than 300 attacks ...

Summary Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared their tenth outbreak of Ebola in 40 years on 1 August 2018. The outbreak is centred in the northeast of the country, in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, with cases also now appearing in South Kivu. With the number of cases having surpassed 3,000, it is now by far the country's largest-ever Ebola outbreak. It is also the second-biggest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, behind the West Africa outbreak of 2014-2016. During the first eight months of the epidemic, until March 2019, more than 1,000 cases of Ebola were reported in the affected region. However, between April and June 2019, this number doubled, with a further 1,000 new cases reported in just those three months. Between early June and the beginning of August, the number of new cases notified per week was high, and averaged between 75 and 100 each week; since August, this rate has been slowly declining, with just 70 cases identified throughout all of October. Latest figures...

JOHANNESBURG – Ebola responders are on lockdown in the eastern Congo city of Beni after angry residents attacked a United Nations base to protest repeated rebel assaults, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. At least four protesters were killed, a local official said. Every day that health workers don’t have full access to Ebola-affected areas is a “tragedy” that prolongs the second-worst Ebola outbreak in history, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter. Beni residents are outraged that rebels continue to carry out deadly attacks despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers and Congolese forces. Some demand that the U.N. mission act or leave. The bodies of four young protesters were found near the U.N. base after Monday’s attack, Kumbu Ngoma with Beni’s military court told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Investigations continued into the cause of their deaths. Six Congolese soldiers were wounded by gunfire near the base, Ngoma added. Congo’s Presid...

On Healthy Living this week, we take a look at what health officials are doing to contain the Ebola virus in the DRC. We discuss the best approach to cure the virus with our studio guest Doctor Malonga Miatudila, one of the first to discover the Ebola virus in the DRC. What are the best methods for weight loss, what are the effects of screen time on children, and is there a connection between cavities and strokes? All your questions will be answered on this episode of Healthy Living. S1, E2 https://ift.tt/2OlQurA

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) today said Ebola response operations in two hot spots remain paralyzed for the sixth day in a row, which could prolong the outbreak, amid a report of an attack on a United Nation peacekeeping office in Beni. In other developments, 4 new cases were reported over the weekend and through today, raising the outbreak total past 3,300 to 3,303. Violence strikes Beni UN peacekeeping facility Last week, the WHO said violence between the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC's) military and local members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which is considered a rebel terrorist organization, is on the rise. Civilian deaths have occurred following the clashes over the past few weekends, including in Beni. The developments, which also include local protests against the ADF and military violence, brought Ebola outbreak response to a standstill in Beni and Butembo. Military action has also hindered the Ebola response in two other hot ...

American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene : Lessons Learned in 40 Years of Fighting Ebola Outbreaks In this post, which is part of a blog that covered the proceedings of the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene’s (ASTMH) annual meeting earlier in November, Matthew Davis, science writer from Burness, reports on a panel discussion on Ebola and the history of responses to outbreaks. The panel featured Ebola experts, including ASTMH President-Elect Joel Breman, formerly of the National Institutes of Health Fogarty International Center; Socé Fall, WHO’s assistant director general for emergency response; Natalie Roberts, emergency coordinator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF); Armand Sprecher, a public health specialist at MSF; Lina Moses, an epidemiologist and disease ecologist at Tulane University; and Daniel Bausch, program chair at ASTMH and with U.K.’s Public Health Rapid Support Team (11/21). Other posts covering the conference can be found here . https:...

A sudden surge in violence in DR Congo has led to the suspension of aid agency efforts in the fight against the Ebola and measles epidemics in hotspots where they are proving tough to control. Angry protests in Beni in eastern DRC have forced the military to protect the UN mission and led to the evacuation, hibernation or scaling back of international aid agency presence and prevented vital disease prevention work, including that by World Vision. Aid workers report seeing protestors in the streets, hearing gunfire and seeing smoke. The town hall has been burned down. The protestors, many of them youth, are angry that due to ongoing insecurity citizens have been killed. They want the UN to do more to protect them although the UN says it can only do so at the behest of the government. Helen Barclay-Hollands, World Vision DRC eastern zone director, said operations in Beni had been completely halted and the fight to control Ebola and measles was at serious risk of being undermined. Ch...

The new mobile lab was born out of scientists’ “frustration” about the lack of infrastructure during the West-African Ebola outbreak  M. Enserink/ Science By Martin Enserink Nov. 24, 2019 , 5:15 PM NATIONAL HARBOR, MARYLAND—During the next Ebola outbreak, this brand new vehicle might come to the rescue. It’s a lab onwheels that some scientists say could greatly improve the response to disease outbreaks and epidemics. It can be flown in to trouble spots by plane and driven to even the most remote locations and has everything on board needed to rapidly diagnose patients or carry out research studies.  A prototype was parked outside a conference center here the past week during the annual conference of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. The company that developed it, U.S.-based Integrum Scientific, says the first vehicle may soon be tested in Uganda, which occasionally has outbreaks of Ebola and a related virus, Marburg. The idea was born out...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] Three Britons brought back from Sierra Leone over Ebola-like virus    The Guardian https://ift.tt/2OECrw3