Nigeria -
It was a case of mixed fortunes for the nation, yesterday, in the management of
the Ebola Virus Disease as three fresh cases were discovered, while four of
those earlier admitted at the isolation centre in Lagos were discharged.
Meanwhile US government has commended the Nigerian government and its health authorities for their handling of the Ebola virus since it broke in Lagos last month.
The US’ commendation came on the back of more good news yesterday that four more patients who had contracted the disease had been discharged and declared free of the infectious disease.
With their discharge, this brings the total number of people who have been given the all clear to five.
A total of 12 people were struck with the virus in Nigeria, including the index case Patrick Sawyer, of which four have died, five have been discharged while three remain in the isolation ward at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.
Liberia - Seventeen suspected Ebola patients who went missing in Liberia after a health centre in the capital was attacked have been found, a minister has said.
“They were traced and finally they turned themselves in” at a treatment centre, Lewis Brown told the BBC.
The government had previously denied they were missing.
AmeriCares has sent three shipments already, including an emergency air shipment which has arrived to restock hospitals and clinics in Liberia where President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has made an urgent appeal for safety equipment for health workers.The air shipment contains 20,000 pairs of gloves, 20,000 surgical masks and 60,000 surgical caps, among other medical supplies. Shipments of intravenous fluids to rehydrate Ebola patients are also headed to Liberia and Sierra Leone.
GUINEA - The Guinea Football Federation says its African Cup qualifier against Togo on Sept. 5 will be played in Morocco after authorities ruled the game be moved out of Guinea because of the Ebola outbreak.
The Confederation of African Football ordered Guinea to move the fixture because of the deadly virus.
In a related development, Guinea Conakry on Saturday closed its borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia due to the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak, media reports said.
“We have provisionally closed the frontier between Guinea and Sierra Leone because of all the news that we have received from there recently,” Sky News quoted Health Minister Remy Lamah as saying at a press conference. She added that the border with Liberia has also been closed.
New UN figures show that 1,229 people have now died since the beginning of this year in the outbreak that has also hit Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria.
1.Guinea-543 Cases-394 Deaths
2.Liberia-834 Cases-466 deaths
Nigeria-15 Cases-4 deathsSierra Leone-848 Cases-365 deaths
Total-2240 Cases-1,229 deaths
Deadly Ebola Virus
•Since the first outbreak in 1976, the Ebola virus has one of the highest fatality rates—up to 90%. The current outbreak has a 60% death rate. There is no vaccine and no licensed cure.
•Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with blood, body fluids and tissues of infected persons. Bodies can remain contagious for up to 60 days.
•Ebola has an incubation period of 2-12 days. Symptoms include fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.
•There are five strains of Ebola virus, three of which have been associated with large outbreaks of the virus in Africa. Source: WHO
