WHO Director-General's opening remarks at media briefing – 12 October 2022
12 October 2022
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening.
First to Uganda, where WHO is continuing to support the government to respond to an outbreak of Ebola disease in five districts.
So far, there are 54 confirmed and 20 probable cases, with 39 deaths, and 14 people have recovered.
More than 660 contacts are currently under active follow-up.
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Published ECHO Daily Flash of 11 October 2022
Tuesday, 11 October 2022
I. International
Uganda – Ebola outbreak, update(DG ECHO, Ministry of Health)
On 20 September, the health authorities in Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola after a case of the Sudan strain was confirmed in Mubende district in the central part of the country.
As of 9 October, the Ministry of Health reports 48 Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) confirmed cases in 5 districts (Mubende: 40; Kyegegwa: 3; Kasanda: 3; Kagadi: 1; Bunyangabu: 1), with 4 new EVD confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, all from Mubende district. There are 37 deaths (17 EVD confirmed, 20 probable) and 14 recoveries. 10 healthcare workers infections have been reported, with 4 deaths. 1,110 cumulative contacts listed of which 657 are under active follow-up with a follow up rate of 95% in the last 24 hours.
National and local authorities as well as partners are mobilised to scale up the operational response, which faces critical challenges including the low stocks of response supplies; difficulties for contact tracing, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), information management and coordination; delays in laboratory results upload; mobile laboratory in need of furnishing; insufficient community engagement; and gaps in human resources and logistics.
NBS Television: “The Ministry of Health has confirmed that the Ebola outbreak has already invaded the city of Kampala. Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said the patient who brought Ebola to Kampala came from Mubende and died at Kiruddu last week.”
** NOW would be a really good time to institute strict international travel checks for this disease. Or are we just going to let Ebola rip?
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Replies: Posted By: KiwiMum
Date Posted: October 15 2022 at 1:12pm
This article in the UK's Daily Mail today says that there are 54 cases and 19 have died and so two districts have been put under lockdown to stop the spread.
I think we can all agree that Ebola makes Covid look like a grazed knee!!!
The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has announced a curfew in two areas of Uganda to combat the growth and spread of the Sudan Ebola virus.
There will be curfew in Mubende and Kasanda districts starting from 7 pm to 6 am in the morning. The restrictions on Mubende and Kasanda districts will last 21 days.
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Israel has a suspected Ebola case in quarantine – the first test for the virus was negative, but more tests will be carried out.
An Israeli who had fallen ill after returning from Uganda amid the ongoing https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-717596" rel="" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-decoration: none; - Ebola virus outbreak in East Africa was hospitalized in a quarantined section of Sheba Medical Center, KAN News reported on Friday.
Health Ministry officials are reportedly concerned he might have contracted Ebola during his stay in Uganda.
The first Ebola test taken by the patient yielded a negative result, according to the report. He is nevertheless set to remain in quarantine, as symptoms can begin to appear after 21 days.
DJ, it would be strange if ebola showed up in Israel...(I would be less surprised if it showed up in Haïti...)
There has been an Ebola outbreak in Uganda. The outbreak affects several regions of the African country that are frequented by tourists. Dutch health institute https://www.rivm.nl/en/news/higher-alert-level-for-ebola" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(33, 70, 139); text-decoration: underline; - RIVM therefore increased the Ebola alert level, asking doctors and travelers to be alert. “However, the risk of patients with this disease in the Netherlands remains low.”
“RIVM asks medical professionals to be alert to symptoms that could indicate Ebola among people who have traveled to Uganda,” the institute for public health and the environment said on Thursday. “Travelers returning from these areas are also advised to be alert to symptoms.”
proberbly global alarmbells are ringing...
CoViD is mutating into very bad variants...I think CoViD may have opened doors-via weaker immunity- for all kinds of other diseases...(MPX, Polio...)
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: October 17 2022 at 12:20am
My nightmare scenario since 2014—during Ebola outbreak in West Africa when travel was not restricted—is someone throwing up in the subway system of a major metropolitan area CDC informed us to prepare for Ebola in the US. Honestly not sure what that means
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I WON’T vote 4 Harris/Buttigieg/AOC in 2024
@flowermusickids
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Saw unmasked employees cleaning up what may have been bloody vomit at a local retailer today. @CDCgov, you might want to issue a public health alert . How will employees know how to SAFELY clean up what could be a prank vs SARS2 or Ebola viral laden vomitus in retail outlets?
Already two quarantined under suspicion of Ebola in Chicago alone. Presumably these were symptomatic upon arrival in the US. The ones who left the airport without symptoms may develop them later.
Many of those who are medically trained (even in public health) seem to think their responsibility starts when someone walks into a doctor's office or into an emergency department.
Also, while people in the US might be concerned about travel to the US from Uganda, travel to other countries in the world is also going on. There are many places for outbreaks to ignite, causing more travelers to be infected. Stopping it at the place of origin is key.
DJ...STOP THE SPREAD...or is that stopping profits ? By now it is not "if" but "when" ebola will show up outside Uganda...
Ebola: Uganda president restricts movement into and out of two districts hit with new Ebola wave
8 hrs ago Brittany Chain
Two districts in Uganda have entered an immediate 21-day lockdown which will include a nightly curfew, travel bans and the closure of places of worship in a bid to stem the spread of a new wave of Ebola.
President Yoweri Museveni said on Saturday he would impose an overnight curfew effective immediately in the Mubende and Kassanda districts in central Uganda.
Bars, markets and all places of worship will also be closed for 21 days as part of the measures.
Authorities say the outbreak is concentrated in the districts and has not reached Kampala, the capital of 1.5 million, despite a husband and wife testing positive there. ...
Cargo trucks will still be allowed to enter and leave the two areas, but all other transport - personal or otherwise - is to be suspended.
Mr Museveni had already ordered traditional healers to stop treating sick people in a bid to halt the spread of Ebola, and ordered police to arrest anyone suspected of having contracted the virus who refused to go into isolation.
These are temporary measures to control the spread of Ebola. We should all cooperate with authorities so we bring this outbreak to an end in the shortest possible time,' Mr Museveni said. ...
The UKHSA insisted the risk to the public is 'very low', however. The foreign office estimates around 15,000 people travel to Uganda every year.
No cases of the killer virus have been detected in the UK yet. ...
The length of time between exposure to the virus and the development of symptoms ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incubation_period" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Incubation period - incubation period ) is between 2 and 21 days, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-WHO2014-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-CDC2014S-23" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [23] and usually between 4 and 10 days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-Goeijenbier2014-24" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [24] However, recent estimates based on mathematical models predict that around 5% of cases may take longer than 21 days to develop. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-25" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [25]
Symptoms usually begin with a sudden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Influenza - influenza -like stage characterised by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatigue_(medical)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Fatigue (medical) - fatigue , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fever" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Fever - fever , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asthenia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Asthenia - weakness , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anorexia_(symptom)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Anorexia (symptom) - decreased appetite , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myalgia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Myalgia - muscular pain , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthralgia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Arthralgia - joint pain , headache, and sore throat. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-WHO2014-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-Goeijenbier2014-24" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [24] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-Gatherer_2014-26" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [26] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-Hun2012-27" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [27] The fever is usually higher than 38.3 °C (101 °F). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-Hoenen2006-28" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [28] This is often followed by nausea, vomiting, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diarrhoea" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Diarrhoea - diarrhoea , abdominal pain, and sometimes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiccups" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Hiccups - hiccups . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-Hun2012-27" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [27] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-Brown2017-29" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [29] The combination of severe vomiting and diarrhoea often leads to severe https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dehydration" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Dehydration - dehydration . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-Sharma2015-30" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [30] Next, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shortness_of_breath" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Shortness of breath - shortness of breath and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chest_pain" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Chest pain - chest pain may occur, along with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedema" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Oedema - swelling , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headaches" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Headaches - headaches , and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decreased_level_of_consciousness" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Decreased level of consciousness - confusion . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-Hun2012-27" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [27] In about half of the cases, the skin may develop a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maculopapular_rash" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Maculopapular rash - maculopapular rash , a flat red area covered with small bumps, five to seven days after symptoms begin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-Goeijenbier2014-24" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [24] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola#cite_note-Hoenen2006-28" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [28]
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: KiwiMum
Date Posted: October 17 2022 at 11:45am
Ebola has never really been a threat to the rest of the world because it was traditionally found in the river basin of the Ebola river in central Africa and was so quick to disable and kill the people it infected that there was little risk of it reaching the cities and airports and spreading to other areas.
Now, with improved transport in the area, the risk is significantly heightened. It is totally plausible that someone could become infected, and be on a plane a day later, and anywhere else in the world within 36 hours. A potential nightmare scenario.
------------- Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: October 23 2022 at 1:13am
Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero @JaneRuth_Aceng · 9h Yesterday 21st Oct. 2022, three individuals from among the 60 in our Mulago isolation facility tested positive for #Ebola. These were contacts to the case from Kassanda who passed on in Mulago Hospital. They have since been under institutional quarantine in Mulago isolation unit.
Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero @JaneRuth_Aceng · 9h They will be transferred to the Entebbe Isolation for treatment Unit since the Mulago Unit still has 58 contacts under quarantine. Let's remain vigilant and report anybody with symptoms similar to #Ebola. Together we can end this epidemic. #EbolaOutbreakUG
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By Reuters
Oct. 22, 2022, at 3:32 a.m.
(Reuters) -Three people in an isolation unit of Uganda's main hospital have tested positive for Ebola, the country's health minister said on Saturday. ... Mulago is in Uganda's capital Kampala. Friday's confirmed cases would be the first known transmission of the virus in the city...
A government statement on Friday evening said the outbreak had infected 65 people and killed 27. It was not clear if the numbers included the three new Kampala cases.
Two more contacts to the Kassanda case, who are quarantined in Mulago Isolation facility, tested positive for #Ebola yesterday 22nd October. They have been transfered to the Entebbe ETU. This brings the total number of #Ebola cases in Kampala to 5. Be alert and remain vigilant.
Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero is Uganda minister of health...
Yesterday 23rd Oct 2022, nine (9) individuals were confirmed positive for #Ebola in Greater Kampala region bringing the total number of cases to 14 in the last 48 hours. The 9 cases are contacts of the fatal case who came from Kassanda district and passed on in Mulago Hospital.
7 family members are from Masanafu and 1 health worker who managed him in a private clinic together with his wife from Seguku. Fellow Ugandans, let's be vigilant. Report yourself if you have had contact or know of a person who has had contact. Lets cooperate to end Ebola.
The Ministry of Health in Uganda in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) organized a guided tour for development partners to the Entebbe and Mulago Ebola Treatment Units (ETU) to assess the state and operation of the centers.
The guided tour involved officials from the Ministry of Health, WHO, and Ambassadors from the different diplomatic corps, including the embassies of the United States, the Norwegian government, Ireland and the British High Commission in Uganda.
Starting from the Entebbe ETU, the Minister of Health, Honorable Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng welcomed the partners to the 67 – bed center that has been designated for the management of health workers including all humanitarian workers involved in the response. The center, which also has nine (9) High Dependency Care beds recently discharged five health workers who had managed successfully and recovered.
“I want to appreciate our front liners - the health workers who have dedicated their lives to serve and save the people of Uganda. Your commitment and determination do not go unnoticed and without you, there is no life,” said Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng.
With support from WHO and the generous contribution of partners including the Norwegian government, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), the center has trained 30 health workers in the Ebola response. Through WHO support, a WHO case management expert and a senior MoH specialist doctor from Mulago hospital have been deployed to support case management and training at the site.
The WHO health organization has also provided discharge kits for the five health workers who were cured, assorted infection prevention and control (IPC) and case management supplies, three (3) monitors, three (3) ventilators, and three (3) defibrillators from funding for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) preparedness in 2018/2019.
“We are committed to continuing working with the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Health to ensure that the Ebola outbreak is contained. WHO is supporting all response pillars including case management to make sure that all cases are managed properly,” said Dr. Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, the WHO Representative to Uganda.
At the Mulago Hospital, the team toured the recently opened isolation unit capable of managing 120 patient at a time. The center is currently used for the isolation of high-risk suspects and other contacts pending confirmation of their test results. The team also visited the site at Mulago that was been earmarked for expansion for additional ETU beds. The construction of the new Site will be done by MSF who have also supported ETU construction in Mubende.
WHO has supported the treatment center at Mulago with one standard Viral hemorrhagic Fever kit (VHF PPE) that has supplies and equipment adequate for staff protection, assorted case management, and infection prevention and control supplies for use in the treatment. A 200 kva diesel generator was also supplied to provide power backup at the treatment center.
“I appreciate the support received so far from development partners towards the Ebola response. Strong partnerships and collaboration are the cornerstones of any response. I urge you to mobilize more resources to enable us to contain this outbreak,” said Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng.
Since the Ebola outbreak was declared by the Ministry of Health on 20 September 2022, the country has so far recorded 64 cumulative confirmed cases and 25 deaths, with a case fatality rate of 39% as of 19 October 2022. Response efforts are ongoing in the country to strengthen case management, contact tracing and community engagement.
DJ...concentrating care for ebola patients in one place-near the international airport-international aid-may be wise. Capacity (67 beds in ETU, 120 in a nearby hotel) may be limited...
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: October 27 2022 at 10:20am
Six schoolchildren from one family attending 3 different schools infected by Ebola. Contact tracing becomes overwhelmed. Community based door-to-door monitoring can solve the problem. Ebola infects 6 schoolkids in Uganda as contagion fear grows
As Ebola cases spread in Uganda it is worth noting that a person who becomes infectious while traveling, either at an airport or on connecting flights, may infect many people who have never been to Uganda. Imperative to stop it at point of origin.
https://reliefweb.int/attachments/5ce4e7ae-3243-40d9-8904-56d9875ade07/Ug_EVD_SitRep%2335_221026_205314.pdf" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(35, 121, 181); text-decoration: none;"> https://reliefweb.int/attachments/5ce4e7ae-3243-40d9-8904-56d9875ade07/Ug_EVD_SitRep%2335_221026_205314.pdf" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(35, 121, 181); text-decoration: none; - Today marks 36 days of responding to the EVD outbreak, first case was confirmed on 19-Sep-2022. - Fourteen newly confirmed EVD cases in the past 24 hours – ten (10) confirmed from Kassanda, one (01) from Wakiso and three (03) from Kampala. All are linked to known cases. - One new confirmed death reported within the past 24 hours from Mubende. - Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) among confirmed cases is 31/109 (28%). - A total of 1,555 contacts actively being followed-up in nine districts, follow-up rate in the past 24 hours was 87%.
https://www.kfm.co.ug/news/ebola-kampala-lockdown-unavoidable-minister-kyofatogabye.html" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(35, 121, 181); text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); - October 26, 2022 The Minister of State for Kampala Capital City and Metropolitan Affairs, Kyofatogabye Kabuye has warned that a lockdown in Kampala is unavoidable with the increasing cases of the Ebola Virus Disease being reported.
According to the health ministry’s Director of General Health Services, Dr. Henry Mwebesa, Kampala has so far registered about 15 cases of Ebola with two from Sseguku, one case from Nansana, and another from Makindye.... He however says they await policy guidance from the ministry of health. https://www.kfm.co.ug/news/ebola-kampala-lockdown-unavoidable-minister-kyofatogabye.html%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(35, 121, 181); text-decoration: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); - https://www.kfm.co.ug/news/ebola-kam...��
However, the #Polio Vaccination Campaign will not take place in Mubende, Kassanda, Wakiso, Mukono and Kampala City due to the ongoing #EbolaOutbreakUG. The Ministry will communicate dates of the campaign in these districts accordingly.
Polio vaccination stopped by ebola-outbreak...
DJ-situation is out of control ....
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein