CAPE TOWN: The deadly Ebola virus has spread from southern Guinea to the capital Conakry, the United Nations Children's Fund says.
At least 59 people were reported killed by the virus in the West African nation, where health officials say the outbreak has reached epidemic proportions.
Guinea's Ministry of Health registered almost 100 infections since the virus was first reported last month, according to Radio France Internationale. DPA
Showing posts with label Conakry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Conakry. Show all posts
Monday, September 1, 2014
24 March 2014 (Primary Source) Ebola Virus Toll hits 34
CONAKRY: Guinea has identified the Ebola virus as the source of a highly contagious epidemic raging through its southern forests, as the death toll rose to 34.
Experts in the west African nation had been unable to identify the disease, whose symptoms - diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding - were first observed six weeks ago, but scientists in the French city of Lyon confirmed it was Ebola, the Guinean health ministry said. "Up to today we have identified 49 cases with 34 deaths," said Sakoba Keita, the ministry's chief disease prevention officer.
To date, no treatment or vaccine is available for Ebola, which kills between 25 per cent and 90 per cent of those who fall sick, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the World Health Organisation. The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, faeces or sweat, or by sexual contact.
Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a statement it would strengthen its team of 24 doctors, nurses, logisticians and experts in hygiene and sanitation already in Guinea.
The organisation has set up isolation units for suspected cases in the southern region of Nzerekore and is looking for people who may have had contact with the infected.
MSF said it was sending about 33 tonnes of medicines and isolation, sanitation and protective equipment from Belgium and France. Ebola was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1976 and the country has had eight outbreaks.
Experts in the west African nation had been unable to identify the disease, whose symptoms - diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding - were first observed six weeks ago, but scientists in the French city of Lyon confirmed it was Ebola, the Guinean health ministry said. "Up to today we have identified 49 cases with 34 deaths," said Sakoba Keita, the ministry's chief disease prevention officer.
To date, no treatment or vaccine is available for Ebola, which kills between 25 per cent and 90 per cent of those who fall sick, depending on the strain of the virus, according to the World Health Organisation. The disease is transmitted by direct contact with blood, faeces or sweat, or by sexual contact.
Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a statement it would strengthen its team of 24 doctors, nurses, logisticians and experts in hygiene and sanitation already in Guinea.
The organisation has set up isolation units for suspected cases in the southern region of Nzerekore and is looking for people who may have had contact with the infected.
MSF said it was sending about 33 tonnes of medicines and isolation, sanitation and protective equipment from Belgium and France. Ebola was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1976 and the country has had eight outbreaks.
24 March 2014 (Primary Source) Ebola the source of Guinea epidemic
Conakry: Guinea has identified the Ebola virus as the source of a highly contagious epidemic raging through its southern forests, as the death toll rose to 59 amid fears it may have spread across the border ito Sierra Leone. Experts in the west African nation had been unable to identify the disease, the symptoms of which- diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding - were first observed six weeks ago, but the Guinean Health Ministry says scientists in the French city of Lyon have confirmed it is Ebola. No treatment or vaccine is available for the disease.
22 March 2014 (Primary Source) Mystery disease wreaks havoc in Guinea
CONAKRY A MYSTERIOUS illness has killed at least 23 people in southern Guinea in six weeks, but the disease has yet to be positively identified, the health ministry announced Thursday.
"A feverish sickness whose first symptoms were observed on February 9 has claimed at least 23 lives, including that of the director of the Macenta district hospital and three staff, out of a total of 36 cases," said Sakoba Keita, the doctor in charge of the ministry's preventive wing.
"The administrative district of Gueckedou is the worst affected, with 13 deaths for 19 cases," Dr Keita added, noting that "the illness is characterised by fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, and bleeding in the cases of some patients".
Medical experts have been sent to the district to try to identify the highly contagious disease, the symptoms of which are similar to those caused by Lassa fever, yellow fever and Ebola.
About 30 test samples have been sent to France for analysis, with results expected "within 48 hours", the doctor said, adding that further samples are due to be examined at the Pasteur Institute in the Senegalese capital Dakar.
Protective measures have been taken on the spot, including quarantine for each of the patients, as well as individual and collective steps affecting the local population.Three thousand health kits intended for medical personnel and residents of high-risk areas are expected from Burkina Faso, while the Swiss branch of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has already sent 100 tonnes of medical equipment.
"A feverish sickness whose first symptoms were observed on February 9 has claimed at least 23 lives, including that of the director of the Macenta district hospital and three staff, out of a total of 36 cases," said Sakoba Keita, the doctor in charge of the ministry's preventive wing.
"The administrative district of Gueckedou is the worst affected, with 13 deaths for 19 cases," Dr Keita added, noting that "the illness is characterised by fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, and bleeding in the cases of some patients".
Medical experts have been sent to the district to try to identify the highly contagious disease, the symptoms of which are similar to those caused by Lassa fever, yellow fever and Ebola.
About 30 test samples have been sent to France for analysis, with results expected "within 48 hours", the doctor said, adding that further samples are due to be examined at the Pasteur Institute in the Senegalese capital Dakar.
Protective measures have been taken on the spot, including quarantine for each of the patients, as well as individual and collective steps affecting the local population.Three thousand health kits intended for medical personnel and residents of high-risk areas are expected from Burkina Faso, while the Swiss branch of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has already sent 100 tonnes of medical equipment.
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