Ebola

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Last Ebola patient in Liberia discharged, says she's one of the happiest human beings on earth.

We can relate to that. Less than 50% of those who contracted the deadly Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia survived. The last patient of the disease in Liberia, Beatrice Yardolo is full of thanks for scaling through the fatal illness.
“I am one of the happiest human beings today on earth because it was not easy going through this situation and coming out alive,” The 58 year-old said.
Liberia has not reported new cases of the EVD for the first time since May last year. The outbreak started in December 2013, infected 23,969 lives and claimed 9,807 of them.
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New cases of Ebola identified in Liberia

This news is coming a week after Liberian President Sirleaf Ellen-Johnson declared that the treatment centre in the country had been closed. Sadly, new cases of the Ebola Virus Disease has been  identified‎ in the three communities in the western suburbs of the capital, Monrovia.
The announcement was made on  Monday by‎ Assistant Health Minister and head of Liberia’s incident management system, Tolbert Nyensuwah. Prior to this, only 2 cases were left.

The report is coming as parents and students prepare for the re-opening of schools. Nyensuwah
believes the new cases were spread by‎ some infected people refusing to seek treatment.

 He also wants government would to create a law that would  prosecute and punish anyone caught spreading the virus through negligence.


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Ebola: Treatment centre closed in Liberia.

The worst is indeed over in Liberia! Lofa, the Ebola treatment centre in the West African country has been closed. The announcement was made by the country’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, yesterday at the national parliament.
“Lofa, the epicentre of the virus, has had no new cases for over 70 days. The Ebola Treatment Unit in Foya is closed. Today we take pride that 13 of 15… counties have not reported new cases for 21 days.”
She also thanked health workers and all those who stood by the country during their difficult times.
“Our diligent doctors and health workers supported by international partners have brought joy to us. Ebola has made 3,000 orphans who need attention. I thank all the countries who came to our rescue when we thought all was lost.”
She continued, “We know we must continue relentlessly on the practices and protocols that have brought us this far. We must make a successful transition from treatment to prevention by building our health system. But from now let’s take pride and rejoice in our collective success.”
The country now has 5 registered cases of the virus disease as against more than 300 a week recorded in August and September 2014.
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Ebola: Only 5 cases left in Liberia.

The United Nations in a statement released yesterday revealed that only 4 cases of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease are left in Liberia.
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Lisa White, a spokeswoman for the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response disclosed. ‎”According to the WHO, the five cases are laboratory confirmed cases. WHO is supporting the government of Liberia in getting down to zero cases. Now is the time to stay vigilant and make sure the good trend continues.”
Assistant health minister Tolbert 
“It means that we are going down to zero if everything goes well, if other people don’t get sick in other places.”Assistant health minister, Tolbert Nyensuwah added.
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#ISurvivedEbola: Ebola survivors in West Africa share stories, life-saving tips via new App.


What a wonderful initiative. It’s highly commendable too. So, a group of Ebola survivors in West Africa teamed up to a create a new, interactive mobile app that allows them to connect with each other, share public health advice, and update the world on the challenges they still face during their post-recovery lives.

The innovative digital tool debuted in Guinea on January 5. It is being piloted by the first Guinean survivor to share her story with the #ISurvivedEbola campaign. The updates from the app appear on the newly launched #ISurvivedEbola website (http://www.isurvivedebola.org), which also houses the stories of a growing community of Ebola survivors from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
In the first-ever message sent via the mobile app, Camara “Fanta” Fantaoulen of Guinea stated in French, “Yes, I survived Ebola, thanks to the help of the brave healthcare workers who treated me. And I’ve learned that together, we can defeat this virus and protect our families and communities.”
After losing her father and five other family members to suspected or confirmed Ebola, Fanta believed her death was imminent when she tested positive for the virus. Thanks to a combination of early treatment, strict adherence to her treatment plan, and sheer determination, Fanta recovered from the virus and is now providing psychosocial support to Ebola patients.
The mobile app is the latest component of the #ISurvivedEbola campaign, which leverages survivor stories from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea to deliver vital public health information about Ebola to affected populations, and to reduce the stigma faced by Ebola survivors.
A key way in which the campaign does this is by documenting survivor stories in video, audio, and print formats; then disseminating these stories broadly via local, national, and international media, online platforms, and other distribution channels. Educational radio dramas that tell fictional yet reality-based stories of survival, and radio call-in shows that feature Ebola survivors as guests, are among the equally important campaign activities.
Funded by Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions in response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, #ISurvivedEbola is part of the #TackleEbola initiative (http://www.tackleebola.com) and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation’s commitment of at least $100 million for Ebola relief. The campaign is implemented by PCI Media Impact in collaboration with UNICEF.
Carole Tomko, General Manager and Creative Director of Vulcan Productions, states, “The mobile app really changes the face of this campaign by empowering the people of West Africa to share stories about Ebola and survivorship with each other and the world.  The app gives a human face to survivorship and has the potential to create a sense of community in which the survivors, rather than being stigmatized, become leaders and heroes in this fight. The new digital components of the campaign extend our reach beyond West Africa, allowing these very moving, personal stories to be seen and heard globally.”
Currently, campaign staff in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea are providing each survivor who has shared his or her story through the campaign with a smartphone installed with the app, thereby enabling these individuals to use the technology to share information about their lives after recovery. The smartphones and the app were provided and developed with support from the charity fundraising website GlobalGiving. Campaign staff expect survivors in all three countries to begin utilizing the app within two weeks. The mobile app updates will be shared globally on the newly launched #ISurvivedEbola website.
With the release of the app and launch of the website, the #ISurvivedEbola campaign has completed Phase I of its roll-out in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. With active distribution of campaign products across radio, print, digital, and video platforms in West Africa and beyond, the #ISurvivedEbola campaign is also continuing to add stories of hope and resilience to the world’s focus on the Ebola outbreak. These stories include two additional survivor story videos from survivors in Liberia and Sierra Leone, respectively.
The latest Liberia video introduces the world to Decontee Davis, a 23-year-old who overcame Ebola but lost her fiancé to the virus. Decontee now works in an Interim Care Center for children who have come in contact with Ebola patients and are under 21 days of observation. Many of these children have lost one or both parents to the disease. In the new Sierra Leone video, audiences meet Aminata Kargbo, a university student who, after surviving Ebola, has arisen as a leader in efforts to educate her fellow countrymen and women on the benefits of early treatment.
View the two new videos here: Mother of Many: Ebola Survivor Decontee’s Mission to Help Children Touched by the Outbreak (https://vimeo.com/115734700), and The Power of Early Treatment:  Aminata’s Story of Ebola Survival and How She is Using it to Help Others (https://vimeo.com/115734353)
“The campaign is really accelerating, especially in the three countries hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak,” said Sean Southey, CEO of PCI Media Impact. “We began in early December with the launch of the campaign and release of the first survivor video (https://vimeo.com/113323185) out of Liberia.
Then, the campaign launched educational Ebola-focused radio programs in Liberia and released the premier survivor story out of Sierra Leone (https://vimeo.com/115082561). Now, we have activated the mobile app, released the first survivor story out of Guinea, and launched a website that will allow concerned citizens throughout the world to join the movement.”
Photocredit: cdc.gov

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Ebola: British nurse in critical condition

Few days after she was transferred from Scotland to north London on an RAF Hercules plane, Pauline Cafferkey, the British nurse who became the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the UK is now in a critical condition.
A brief statement on the hospital’s website reads: “The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is sorry to announce that the condition of Pauline Cafferkey has gradually deteriorated over the past two days and is now critical.”
The 39-year-old was part of a team of medical volunteers deployed to Africa by the UK Government last month is being treated using the blood of a recovered patient and an experimental anti-viral drug.
Unfortunately the ZMapp drug used to treat a fellow British volunteer nurse William Pooley who recovered from the disease is according to reports, no longer available in the world.
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Photo of first British Ebola victim surfaces

The British health worker who became the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the UK has been identified.
She’s been transferred from Glasgow to the isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London.
A passenger who sat next to her on the plane told Daily Mail that the Ebola testing regime at Heathrow Airport was shambolic as staff ran out of medical kits.
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Ebola: 3 cases confirmed in the UK


‎I hope this is contained as soon as possible. Two cases of the Ebola Virus Disease has been confirmed in the UK.
The first case is from a 58 year old British health worker who had been working in Sierra Leone with Save the Children. She was diagnosed of the disease while on a flight from Casablanca to Glasgow on Sunday night. She was admitted to Glasgow’s Gartnavel Hospital hospital on Monday morning and transferred to a specialist unit in London this morning.
Two more patients have also being tested for Ebola in Scotland and Cornwall. One is being examined at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, Cornwall, and the other – a female heath worker – at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland told BBC radio. “Although this is another returning healthcare worker from West Africa, the patient here has had no, as far as we’re aware, direct contact with people infected with Ebola. This patient over the course of today will be transferred for tests.”
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We've Got Your Back: Idris Elba, Yaya Toure, Patrick Vieira others launch anti-ebola campaign.

Top British actor Idris Elba and some international football stars have launched a public awareness campaign aimed at preventing the spread of Ebola in West Africa. 
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The campaign which is tagged, “Africa United” is supported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation and driven creatively by actor Idris Elba. It is designed to recognize the vital role of frontline healthcare workers, as well as to provide critical education and resources for the people of West Africa. Educational messages will be delivered on local and national radio and TV, billboards and by SMS to audiences in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and neighboring countries.
In a new TV spot titled “We’ve Got Your Back,” (Africa United: We’ve Got Your Back ft. Idris Elba, Yaya Touré, Patrick Vieira & More) Elba and a group of football players committed to the fight against Ebola in West Africa, including Yaya Touré, Carlton Cole, Kei Kamara, Patrick Vieira, Fabrice Muamba and Andros Townsend, are voicing their solidarity with the healthcare workers who are risking their lives every day to fight Ebola.
In the video, the players acknowledge that, although fans regard them as heroes, healthcare workers tackling Ebola are the true heroes. Each player wears the name of a healthcare worker on his back as a symbol of respect for “the world’s most important team.”
“For me the battle against Ebola is a personal one. To see those amazing countries in West Africa where my father grew up and my parents married being ravaged by this disease is painful and horrific,” said Idris Elba. 
He continued, “Imagine having to sit down and tell your family that you were going to fight this disease. That conversation is happening across West Africa and around the world every day. I am in awe of the bravery of these health workers, who put their lives at risk day in and out to stop the spread of this terrible disease. My hope is that, in some small way, through the development of these PSAs and the creation of the Africa United campaign, we can ensure that these workers get the support they need and that health messages are delivered to people on the ground to help them in their fight. #wevegotyourback. We will support you.”
In another campaign video titled “West Africa vs. Ebola,” (Africa United: West Africa vs. Ebola ft. Idris Elba) Elba stars as a soccer coach giving a rousing and educational team talk to West Africa in preparation for its “life or death” game against Ebola. Elba explains the symptoms of Ebola and tactics for how to beat the virus, which includes spreading the word and working as a team.
“ I wanted to support this campaign for so many reasons. I could not sit back without doing something to help fight Ebola. It is important we don’t treat this as something we just discuss with work colleagues or simply follow on the news for updates – instead our focus should be to do something,” said Yaya Touré, Ivorian professional football (soccer) player. 
“I also wanted to get involved with this campaign as it pays tribute to the many, many African heroes who are in the villages, towns and cities using their skills, resourcefulness and intelligence to battle Ebola. Those people on the front line are often forgotten. African mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters are doing everything they can to fight Ebola – we have to support them. #WeveGotYourBack.” He added.‎
The video spots and other multimedia educational materials—including video and radio messages, billboards and posters—will be available on the campaign website, www.WeAreAfricaUnited.org, in English, French, Krio and additional local languages. The educational materials are designed to be adapted and distributed by Africa United partners such as ministries of health, health clinics, government and non-governmental organizations, media and sports organizations. 
These include the CDC Foundation and current partners Africa 24, SuperSport, ONE, UNICEF and Voice of America. CDC staff working in the affected countries contributed to the development and distribution of the health messages, and Africa United will continue to develop and provide messages to CDC and partners in real time based on changing needs in country.
The 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history, infecting nearly 16,000 people with more than 5,600 deaths to date. While the spread of Ebola is a threat to people, health systems and economies around the globe, West African communities in particular are being crippled by the disease as a result of already-strained healthcare systems, mistrust of healthcare workers and fear and stigmatization of those infected.
 ‎Twitter: @WeAre_AU
Facebook: We Are Africa United
YouTube: We Are Africa United
Hashtags: #WeAreAfricaUnited  &#WeveGotYourBack‎
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11 Against Ebola: CR7, Neymar, Mikel Obi, Drogba others star in new campaign (Photos &Videos)

11international football stars have joined FIFA, CAF and health experts to raise global awareness and promote  preventative measures to fight the deadly Ebola Virus Disease.
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The campaign which was launched today November 17, 2014 under the slogan “Together, we can beat Ebola” and the hashtag #wecanbeatebola features;

Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona’s Neymar Jr, Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, Bayern Munich’s Philipp Lahm, Gareth Bale (Real Madrid), Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid), Neymar Jr. (Barcelona), Gerard Piqué (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Jérôme Boateng (Bayern Munich), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea).

“It is so important that we get the right information to those affected by the Ebola outbreak. We all hope this positive campaign will improve people’s understanding of the Ebola virus and help us to reduce the chances of it spreading. ‎Let’s all get behind this campaign to help our brothers and sisters in the worst-hit regions. Together, we can beat Ebola.”

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Brazil/Barcelona star, Neymar Jnr was quoted on FIFA website.

Players are expected to share health message like “Report unusual illnesses” and “Cook meat properly” using animated films, radio content, banners, posters and pictures.

FIFA Chief Medical Officer Prof. Jiří Dvořák, MD said: “We doctors have experienced the power of football when it comes to prevention and health, while successfully implementing the ‘FIFA 11 for Health’ programme in 15 African countries as part of the medical legacy of 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Now we are using the same system to tackle Ebola, by presenting simple educational messages to prevent the spread of the disease through the voices of football stars – ‘When football talks, everybody listens’.”
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FIFA President Sepp Blatter added: “The popularity of football gives us a unique platform to reach all communities. We hope that football can play its part and that this campaign against Ebola can make a real difference on the ground as the world comes together to fight the virus and to help those living in affected communities.”
According to the World Health Organization, as of 9 November, a total of 14,098 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of Ebola virus disease have been reported in six countries. There have been 5,160 deaths. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have seen the highest number of cases.
‎Click below to watch the campaigns’ videos:
http://bit.ly/wecanbeatebola‎
The 11 against Ebola messages
1. Report unusual illnesses: please report any unusual illnesses or deaths in your community.
2. Know the symptoms: do you have a fever with a loss of appetite, headache, fatigue, pain, vomiting, bleeding or diarrhoea? Know the symptoms of Ebola.
3. Seek immediate medical help: please seek urgent medical help if you have a fever with additional symptoms.
4. Avoid body contact: avoid direct, skin and body contact with anyone suffering from Ebola.
5. Wash your hands and disinfect: wash your hands regularly and disinfect anything touched by suspected or confirmed Ebola sufferers.
6. Wear proper protection: wear gloves and proper protective clothing if you are caring for an Ebola sufferer, and get the right instruction for the use of protective clothing.
7. Cook meat properly: cook all meat and animal products thoroughly before consumption.
8. Always practise safe sex: use protection if you are having sex with anyone recovering from Ebola.
9: Avoid contact with wild animals and bats: wild animals and bats can carry the Ebola virus. Avoid them.
10. Do not touch the dead: avoid direct contact with dead Ebola victims or anyone who has died from a strange disease.
11. Seek help for safe burials: please seek help from local authorities to bury any victims of Ebola or strange diseases.
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