20 DecemberSierra Leone: The Ministry of Health confirmed 47 new cases in its latest situation update. A World Health Organization report names Western Area of Sierra Leone as an Ebola hotspot.
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19 DecemberMali: All contacts have completed 21 days monitoring and there are no new cases.
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Sierra Leone: The Ministry of Health confirmed 48 new cases in its latest situation update.
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Liberia: The National Port Authority of Liberia (NPA) has announced ‘
ZERO’ cases of Ebola in the Liberian seaports.
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Vaccine trials: African national regulatory authorities and ethics committees
reviewed aspects of phase ll clinical trials of the chimpanzee adenovirus serotype-3 (ChAd3) Ebola vaccine. In the meeting, convened by the World Health Organization, experts discussed and sought additional data from the manufacturer before they approve the authorization of the trials which are likely to begin in February.
In separate incidents, China announced that an Ebola vaccine has been approved for human trials. The vaccine was developed by the Academy of Military Medical Sciences (AMMC). The vaccine is in the form of freeze-dried powder and is based on the 2014 mutant gene type.
In Kenya, the first dose of Ebola vaccine has been administered to a health care worker at a local hospital. The vaccine was developed by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and funded by Welcome trust. The vaccine is given as a single dose and early trial results will be provided in February 2015.
18 DecemberASEOWA: Ethiopia has
sent over 180 medical personnel to work in Ebola affected countries as at 16 December. Nigeria, earlier this month, had deployed 250 health care workers as part of the African Union mission. The African Union Support to Ebola outbreak in West Africa (
ASEOWA) has appreciated the Ethiopian government and urged for more volunteers to join in the fight against Ebola.
WHO: According to the latest World Health Organization situation
report there have been over 18,000 clinical cases and more than 6,900 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The number of new cases is fluctuating in Guinea and decreasing in Liberia. In Sierra Leone, the increase in new case detections appears to have slowed down. Mali has not reported any new cases since 24 November. At a national level, all three countries have reported sufficient bed capacity in Ebola treatment centres and the ability to safely bury people, but there are regional variations with uneven bed distribution and some gaps in burial teams. More than 80% of Ebola case contacts are being traced in all three countries.
Sierra Leone: Health officials have reported new confirmed cases.
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17 DecemberSierra Leone: The Ministry of Health has reported new cases. Surveillance has been stepped up significantly with house-to-house searches for cases in Freetown.
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Guinea: Media sources report the closure of more than 30 clinics and health offices in Kankan. Read more...
16 DecemberConvalescent blood serum trials, Liberia: The UN reports that some patients in the ELWA Hospital in Monrovia are now being treated with serum therapy. It's an experimental treatment made from the blood of people who have survived Ebola. This is the first clinical trial of such treatments, though they have been used ad hoc during this outbreak on a sporadic basis. Ebola survivors develop antibodies to the virus, and it's hoped these will transfer to sick people and help lower their viral load. A separate, larger trial will begin in Conakry, Guinea later this month specifically to see if it boosts survival rates.
Ebola spreads in "social clusters" and won't reach 1.4 million cases: In a study
published in
Clinical Infectious Diseases, scientists said that Ebola mostly spreads within families, at hospitals and at funerals - more so than in general community interactions. Their work also showed that more cases are reported than previously thought. They estimate a maximum 70% of cases go unreported, which is significantly lower than the 250% estimates from public health officials in September this year. The authors were not able to offer new predictions on case counts in the Ebola outbreak, but state the CDC's prior estimation of 1.4 million by January 2015 is unlikely. (The CDC itself said that in November as well, and credited a robust international response with lowering that number.)
Guinea: The newly-constructed treatment centre in Coyah will be handed over to local authorities this week. Guinean health workers will staff it, with support from Cuban doctors.
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Mali: No new cases reported in the latest update by the Ministry of Health.
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Sierra Leone: Medair, a non-governmental organization, has initiated an emergency Ebola response launch plan in the country. In addition to the Ebola Treatment Centre in Hastings, the British Army has constructed and handed over at least four treatment centres in Goderich, Makeni, Moyamba and Port Loko.
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14 DecemberSierra Leone: The UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) is planning to
implement a massive response to the intense Ebola transmission currently underway in Sierra Leone. A "Western Area Surge Team" has been set up. It is working with "experienced Ebola responders" and a number of international health organisation - including the World Health Organization - to curb the spread of Ebola in the country. A month-long "surge" will begin on 17 December to target areas in and around Freetown, trying to break chains of transmission by getting sick people into treatment centres. More than 40 new cases were confirmed on 13 December, mostly in Freetown.
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13 DecemberSierra Leone: Over 40 new cases reported. The new Ebola treatment centre at Hastings Airfield, near Freetown, is expected to open 14 December.
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12 DecemberLiberia: An update from the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) confirms a "downward EVD trend, with an average of 10-12 laboratory confirmed cases reported per day." However, there is a significant shortfall in contact tracing. Less than 50% of regular health services are functioning.
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Sierra Leone: About 100 new cases of Ebola have been reported in the past two days.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), working with the Ministry of Health, distributed more than a million anti-malarial medications in Freetown and the surrounding Western Area. Symptoms of malaria are similar to the early symptoms of Ebola. News sources report that public Christmas and New Year celebrations have been banned.
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WHO: A two-day meeting was held on 10 and 11 December at World Health Organization headquarters between officials from the WHO and the three Ebola-affected countries. Discussions focused on strengthening health systems in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to fight the Ebola outbreak and other future health threats. Experts aimed to develop an overall framework that will help countries develop their own specific roadmaps to fight large outbreaks. Newly updated totals for the three most affected countries now stand at more than 18,100 cases and over 6,500 dead.
Mali: No new cases have been identified. Twenty-six people who had contact with Ebola cases remain under monitoring. The last confirmed Ebola patient has recovered.
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11 December
WHO: According to the
latest World Health Organization
situation report , there have been over 17,000 clinical cases and more than 6,300 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The number of new cases is increasing or stable in Sierra Leone, slightly increasing in Guinea and decreasing in Liberia. About 70% of all people infected in West Africa die, though this number drops to 60% amongst patients who are hospitalised. The United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) reported that they continue to progress towards their goal of isolating and treating 100% of cases and safely burying 100% of people who die from Ebola by 1st January 2015.
Liberia: The outbreak in Lofa county is contained, with no new cases there since 30 October. Medecins Sans Frontiers has handed over the ongoing surveillance there to other organisations.
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Mali: The last confirmed case of Ebola is said to have recovered and been discharged from the treatment centre.
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Senegal: The Senegalese government has geared up preparations for any health situation, including Ebola cases, ahead of the annual Magal festival in Touba.
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Sierra Leone: The Ministry of Health confirmed 37 new cases in its latest situation update.
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Spain: The Spanish aid worker repatriated from Mali on 21 November has completed their 21-day hospital quarantine without showing any symptoms and has been discharged. According to a
press release, the person was exposed to the virus while caring for patient in Mali.
United States: A nurse who may have been exposed to Ebola while volunteering in Sierra Leone has been flown back to the US. This person is hospitalised at a
National Institutes of Health facility in Maryland and will be monitored. Test results so far show no infection.
Vaccine trial delayed: Clinical trials of the experimental Ebola vaccine VSV-ZEBOV have been delayed in Switzerland due to unexpected side effects (joint pain) among the volunteers. The Geneva University Hospital (HUG) said several patients had pain in hands and feet about two weeks after they were vaccinated. They plan to analyse the situation and resume trials in early January. The vaccine is also being tested in the United States, Canada, Germany and Gabon. None of those patients reported similar pain so far.
10 DecemberSierra Leone: Case incidence is still increasing, with almost 400 new confirmed cases in the first week of December. Authorities are concerned that the outbreak in Kono may be far greater than officially reported. Unverified information indicates that dozens of people have died at a local hospital, with outbreaks evident in many villages. A team from Kenema will travel to Kono district to support the Ebola response there. A "lock-down" restricting movement into and out of that district has been implemented and is expected to be in place until 23 December. There are significant gaps in infection control by healthcare workers, including during transport of infected patients. In Kenema, cases of Lassa fever have been identified.
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Liberia: Case incidence appears to be declining. A10-bed Ebola Treatment Unit has been built by
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) near Redemption Hospital in New Kru town, in Monrovia.
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Guinea: New cases continue to trend slightly upwards and the disease is expanding geographically, with Telimele recording its first case in more than 12 weeks. The pattern in individual districts ranges from stable but persistent, to intense. Some communities remain strongly resistant to contact tracing. There is concern that some infected people are travelling into Mali for treatment, whcih places that country at elevated risk for an outbreak.
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An editorial published in the International Journal of Epidemiology highlights the importance of Ebola survivors in controlling the epidemic. Thousands of Ebola survivors can contribute in a number of ways. Survivors, who are immune to Ebola, might become care givers for the sick. They may also be able to gain the trust of their local communities more easily than outside agencies because they are familiar with the local language and culture. Finally, convalescent serum (a blood component) from survivors has been found useful in treating Ebola patients. Proper training and employment of the survivors may help fight poverty and stigma against Ebola.
United Kingdom: The Department of Health issued two new information sheets, one targeted for humanitarian aid workers (
pdf) and another for their friends and family members (
pdf). The first provides some context for healthcare workers (HCWs) from the UK and outline expected behaviour, and duty of care, of organisations deploying staff to Ebola-affected nations. The second document provides some practical advice for family and friends supporting HCWs returning to the UK.
Europe: The European Commission held a teleconference with Members of the Health Security Committee on Ebola. The UN Special Envoy, Dr Nabarro, commented that there are some positive results in curbing the disease's spread
but "hundreds of small outbreaks" continue. Committee members called for mobilisation of additional international teams of medical staff and epidemiologists, and trainers to teach the local staff principles of contact tracing, awareness programs and safe burial.
WHO: The Director General of the World Health Organization again
highlighted the need for resilience in healthcare systems. Ebola's spread in Guinea between December 2013 and March 2014 was hastened by the poorly-functioning healthcare system and its lack of doctors (1-2 doctors for every 100,000 people). Dr Chan emphasised the need to build primary health care, close to homes, which engage with local communities as a way to promote safe behaviour. Community engagement should also include the traditional healers with a call to include them formally in the healthcare system. Beyond primary care, there is an urgent need for referrals to hospitals that are appropriately upgraded and able to safely deliver care. Disease detection was also lacking in the Ebola-affected nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and these capabilities should be integrated into the healthcare systems which emerge from this crisis.
9 December
WHO guidance on hand hygiene: A
review of available information confirmed: "Alcohol-based handrubs are the standard of care for hand hygiene of health workers caring for Ebola patients." Bleach solutions can be used to clean hands "in the interim period in emergency situations until alcohol-based handrubs or soap and water become available" though "WHO recommends implementing a strategy to change to alcohol-based handrub or soap and water." There is "limited evidence" to recommend the use of bleach for hand hygiene, though "0.05% chlorine solution applied for a minimum time of 40 to 60 seconds until hands are dried is appropriate and likely to be efficacious". Outside of hand hygeine, "chlorine solutions are suitable for environmental cleaning, decontamination of personal protective equipment and soiled linen."
USA vaccine: Legal claims cannot be filed on the development, manufacture, testing, distribution and administration of three experimental Ebola vaccines in the US. The Department of Health and Human Services
announced that the immunity from lawsuits should "strengthen the incentive to conduct research and spur development, manufacturing, and the potential use of the vaccines in large scale vaccination campaigns in West Africa".
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Review of airport entry and exit screening: The US Centers for Disease Control
analyzed exit screening data from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Between August to October 2014, none of the travellers denied boarding developed Ebola. However, two travellers who passed exit screening in Africa subsequently developed Ebola after arrival in the US. The US enacted enhanced entry screening in October and has screened nearly 2,000 people, 86 of whom were referred to public health officers. Seven of them had further medical evaluation. One healthcare worker flagged on entry screening had no symptoms when entering the US, but developed Ebola six days after arrival. The review concludes these processes are "of critical importance to facilitate rapid detection of illness and implementation of appropriate public health control measures."
Sierra Leone: Media reports say members of the nation's Junior Doctors Association are on "partial strike". They are protesting a perceived lack of care for locally-based medical staff who are infected with Ebola. Most of the local doctors who are working to control the outbreak in the country are from this Association.
Mali: A mobile laboratory capable of diagnosing Ebola has arrived in the country. No new cases have been identified. One person remains in the treatment unit in Bamako while 26 contacts continue to be monitored.
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8 DecemberSierra Leone: The Ministry of Health reported 25 newly-confirmed cases for the 7 December and 58 cases for the 8 December. World Health Organization data shows Sierra Leone has now overtaken Liberia as the nation with the most Ebola cases.
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Liberia: At least 22 members of the UN Mission to Liberia (UNMIL) have been isolated after contacts of the infected peacekeeper were traced.
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end quote from:
https://www.internationalsos.com/ebola/index.cfm?content_id=407&language_id=ENG
Also, if you click on charts it mentions that the number of cases now is 19,061 as of today december 20th.
However, if 70% are going unreported the actual number of cases would be likely around 60,000 to 70,000 instead of 19,000 or 20,000.
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