Link: Ebola Digest Thurs 6 Nov
We'll be running these regularly for the time being - the link to the most recent edition of the excellent daily Ebola Digest. Today's article image is a table of cases and deaths per country correct as of yesterday. There's a huge amount of info in this excellent daily resource and we suggest you check out the source. In the meantime we've reproduced the country-specific section of their news digest below, in the hope it may be of particular interest and use to our readers. That link again: https://eboladigest.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/ebola-digest-thurs-11614.html Regional surveillance Liberia More than 35,000 local volunteers are helping Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) members to provide support and information to Ebola-affected communities in West Africa to stop the spread of the disease. Trusted community-based health volunteers supported by aid agencies Oxfam, the British Red Cross, Christian Aid and CARE are going door-to-door in parts of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea to educate families about how the Ebola virus is spread and the importance of early treatment. Agencies are also supporting a range of other approaches to provide information to communities including working with religious and community leaders, using radio broadcasts and in one case even employing clowns to engage communities and spread Ebola awareness messages. An interview with the Salvation Army's General Secretary in Liberia MAJOR Samuel Amponsah, a Salvation Army officer (minister) from Ghana has been General Secretary (second-in-charge) of the Army?s Liberia Command since September 2013. He spoke to Linda Leigh, a staff writer from the Canada and Bermuda Territory, about The Salvation Army's ongoing response to the Ebola epidemic in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Liberia Ebola Daily Sitrep no. 173 for 4th November 2014 Source: Government of Liberia Country: Liberia WFP Continues Scaling Up Ebola Response With Partners:Together We Must Do More At the end of a three-day visit to Sierra Leone, during which she met with government officials and key actors in the fight against Ebola, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) Executive Director Ertharin Cousin today called upon partners all over the world to work together to address the critical needs of those affected by the health crisis. In support of a unified response under the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), WFP has to date provided food assistance to 1.3 million people and is ramping up services to the whole humanitarian effort in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. ?What I have learned in Sierra Leone is that the international community has made a lot of progress in meeting the needs of the victims of this crisis,? Cousin said. UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) External Situation Report, 5 November 2014 World Bank President Jim Yong Kim has urged Asian countries to send trained health workers to the West African countries hit by Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). UNMEER SRSG Banbury concluded his visit to the three affected countries in Liberia, where he had a meeting with the President and Vice President, among others. Australia is contracting a private company to staff and operate an EVD Treatment Unit (ETU) in Sierra Leone, which is currently being built by the UK. Key Political and Economic Developments World Bank President Jim Yong Kim on Tuesday urged Asian countries to send trained health workers to the West African countries hit by Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), warning the focus on stricter border control was not the solution. Liberia: GAIN helps Ebola-affected Liberia by supporting food fortification program Liberia GAIN is working with Project Healthy Children (PHC) to help improve nutrition in Liberia by supporting a program to accelerate food fortification in a country which is battling Ebola. Despite the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, Liberia?s fortification program has made impressive strides in the past few months thanks to our hard-working partners on the ground, according to PHC, an organization which works closely with governments, private industries, and partner agencies to support the design and implementation of food fortification programs around the world. It said despite the burden to the healthcare system, while the country battles the worst outbreak of Ebola in history, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the National Standards Laboratory, and the National Fortification Alliance have pushed forward with the food fortification program. Liberia: Ebola Outbreak Response in West Africa Issue 01 | 20 ?03 November 2014 UNFPA Priority areas Contact tracing to control the spread of Ebola and identify cases Reproductive health (RH) services and midwives for safe birth and family planning Personal protection supplies for staff and health workers Social mobilization and community engagement to prevent infection and increase the use of health services Monitoring and preparedness for neighbouring countries Overview UNFPA estimates that in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, more than 800,000 women will give birth in the next 12 months. Without life-saving emergency obstetric care, more than 120,000 could face a complication that might be life-threatening. US Clinic in Liberia Will Treat Doctors and Nurses Who Contract Ebola time--U.S. Air Force personnel put up tents to house a 25-bed U.S.-built hospital for sick Liberian health workers as part in Operation United Assistance on Oct. 9, 2014 in Monrovia, Liberia. John Moore Obama's Call with Monrovia Medical Unit US Dept. of State--President Obama spoke November 5 with the U.S. Public Health Service Commission Corps who are staffing the Monrovia Medical Unit, a 25-bed hospital that will treat national and international healthcare workers who fall ill with Ebola. World Health Organization Country: Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Spain, United States of America Home Protection Kits An Imperfect But Neccessary Step MSF--Home Protection Kits An Imperfect But Neccessary Step November 05, 2014 MSF is distributing family protection and home disinfection kits in Monrovia, Liberia, in an attempt to slow the transmission of Ebola. Liberia: WFP West Africa Ebola Response Situation Report #11, 05 November 2014 3 pillars of WFP support: Delivering food alongside the health response; Ensuring the movement of partner staff and materials; and Providing common services and infrastructure support for health partners In numbers To date, in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone: ? 17,470 mt of food delivered to 1.3 million people since April 2014*; ? 1,741 responders transported by UNHAS, with two planes and one helicopter in operation; and ? 38,180 m3 of cargo transported. Highlight - Opening of WFP-constructed Ebola Treatment Unit in Monrovia On 31 October, a new Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) constructed by WFP was officially opened at the former Ministry of Defence site in Monrovia. Liberia campaigns against citizens Ebola stigmatization star africa--Liberia's Foreign minister Augustine Ngafuan has said the government is embarking on a campaign abroad on behalf of its citizens suffering stigmatization in their host countries due to the Ebola pandemic. Speaking during a daily Ebola press briefing in Monrovia Wednesday, Ngafuan said: Disturbing reports emanating from abroad speak of Liberians being stigmatized and discriminated [...] Ebola treatment unit for medical workers to open The Monrovia Medical Unit, an Ebola treatment unit constructed specifically for the treatment of medical workers who were infected while caring for Ebola patients, is scheduled to open Nov. 8, located about 30 miles outside Monrovia, Liberia. US 100-Bed Ebola Unit Near Completion in Grand Bassa U.S. Troops in Grand Bassa County have disclosed that a 100-bed Ebola Treatment Unit will be ready by November 18 and start treating patients in the county that are infected with the Ebola virus disease. Speaking to a group of reporters in ;. President's adviser talks Ebola outbreak, misconceptions Dr. Robert Murphy, special adviser to the president's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in Nigeria, speaks Tuesday about the Ebola epidemic to an audience of about 25. Murphy discussed common misunderstandings surrounding the virus. As of October 29, 2014, a total of 6,454 Ebola virus disease (Ebola) cases had been reported in Liberia by the Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, with 2,609 deaths (1). Although the national strategy for combating the ongoing Ebola epidemic calls for construction of Ebola treatment units (ETUs) in all 15 counties of Liberia, only a limited number are operational, and most of these are within Montserrado County. The structure shown here was built by the Bomi County Community Health Department as an isolation ward for Ebola patients in March 2014 after receiving news of the first Ebola cases in Liberia. A second ward was opened adjacent to this one in September 2014, and together these wards function as a community care center. Sierra Leone Ebola and Women: Chernor Bah on the Impact on Girls in Sierra Leone Ebola Deeply--Chernor Bah, a global youth advocate and education activist from Sierra Leone, recently returned from a visit to his home country. He discussed his findings with Judith Bruce. Judith Bruce is a policy analyst at the Population Council, whose work helps build the health, social and cognitive assets of girls in the poorest communities in the developing world. Bah was one of the founders of the Sierra Leone Adolescent Girls Network, designed to reach vulnerable girls throughout the country. Sierra Leone: China plans 1,000 more staff to fight Ebola in Africa China plans to send over 1,000 medical workers and experts to West Africa in the coming months in its latest bid to aid African countries' fight against the Ebola virus. A team of 12 public health trainers will leave for Sierra Leone on Sunday, according to a document issued at a conference on the aid programs held by the National Health and Family Planning Commission on Wednesday. A team of virus testing experts from China's national disease control center and another team of high commissioners from the Chinese government to coordinate the country's assisting forces will also set off later this month, the document said. S/Leone: WFP accused of supplying expired food to quarantine communities Sierra Leone's All Political Parties Association (APPA) has accused the World Food Program of supplying expired and substandard food to communities under quarantine for the Ebola epidemic.The accusations were leveled against the UN food agency at a press conference in Freetown on Wednesday. They came at the end of what the group called a preliminary [...] Sierra Leone: Army Helps Ebola Fight all africa--As the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) continues to play a pivotal role in the ongoing fight to eradicate Ebola, President Ernest Bai Koroma on Thursday 6th November received additional contribution from the military to aid the fight against Ebola. Ebola: Sierra Leone hit by lack of treatment units (AP) -- The 7-year-old boy's family and friends are praying over his body when the men in yellow protective suits, face shields and masks arrive. The boy had died at his home in Freetown. This same day, the collection team goes into a house for the body of another Ebola victim. Sierra Leone: WHO welcomes strong commitment from Australia to beating Ebola The World Health Organization welcomes the Government of Australia?s commitment to providing health professionals and more funding to boost the fight against Ebola virus disease. Australia joins a growing band of countries now providing health care workers as well as other desperately needed resources-funding, medical equipment and supplies-to boost efforts to control the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Australia will contract with a private health service provider to manage and run an Ebola treatment centre, as part of a British-led plan to open a series of large treatment centres in Sierra Leone. A contingent of international staff will be sent by Australia to support local health care workers working in the treatment centre. Sierra Leone's Ebola response head denies lock down rumours The Chief Executive Officer of Sierra Leone's National Ebola Response Center (NERC) has denied persistent reports of another imminent nationwide lockdown as "rumours". Major Paulo Conte (rtd) said the government had not considered any such move even though they were aware of growing calls for it. Given the continued spread of the Ebola virus, some [...] Ebola outbreak: cases surge in Sierra Leone amid lack of treatment centres, UN ... The number of Ebola cases is surging in Sierra Leone as the country suffers from a lack of treatment centres, while lack of food and basic goods is forcing some people to leave quarantine areas, the United Nations said. The UN Mission for Ebola Emergency ;... Sierra Leone: Ebola outbreak: victims are more than just a statistic Francesca Ginnett has just returned from Sierra Leone where she was tasked with making sure essential supplies reached health workers and volunteers fighting Ebola. This is her take on the last month. So, how was it? This is the question I keep getting asked. A simple ?interesting? or ?tough? won?t suffice, but I don?t know how to summarise the last month in a few words. Donate to the Ebola Outbreak Appeal I was in the capital Freetown, on the roads, in the warehouse, at the airport, at the Red Cross treatment centre. I have seen a lot over the last five weeks. Thousands have died from Ebola. They suffer, their families suffer, the country suffers. But they are more than just a statistic, more than just a virus. They are someone?s friend, relative or neighbour. In Sierra Leone: 2 Nigerians Test Positive For Ebola pulse--The victims, who are resident in Freetown, include a 27-year-old indigene of Abia State and a 22-year-old indigene of Edo State.
