Africa: " Dream coins for the fountain or to cover your eyes "

Press TV reports

US using Ebola to advance its imperialist agenda in Africa: Azikiwe

The United States is using the epidemic of the Ebola virus to advance its imperialist agenda in West Africa, a civil rights activist and journalist in Detroit says.

Azikiwe is talking shit. I would suggest the so called "civil rights activist " is using the Ebola nightmare occurring in West Africa to advance his personal agenda, quite how denying the Ebola victims and those at risk of becoming victims assistance from America does that is beyond me on a moral level. Clearly Azikiwe has a domestic USA goal and doesn't give a shit how many African lives are lost due to his political gamesmanship.

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, made the remarks in a phone interview with Press TV on Tuesday while commenting on President Barack Obama’s announcement that the US military will be involved in tackling the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, arguing that it represents a serious national security concern.

The US military are probably the best organisation in the world to react to this. No they are not doctors but they understand bio-warfare in a way no other military or civilian organisation does. Sure lets get as many health professionals as we can on the ground but that is an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. We stop Ebola by stopping human interactions. It is brutal and without humanity it is also the only way.

"I believe this is just another means for the United States military intelligence’s deeper penetration of the African continent. Already the United States has military presence in Libya, in Sierra Leone, as well in the west African state of Nigeria, all of which have been... impacted by the epidemic of the Ebola virus,” Azikiwe said.

That statement is worthy of a Darwin Award, next the fool will be arguing that the USA perpetrated the Ebola outbreak. Idiots like this often forget the logistics.

"The only way in which this disease can be tackled is through the proliferation of medical personnel, trained doctors, nurses, the development of the field hospitals and clinics, and it’s through this process that the disease can be arrested," he added.

The best way of tackling it is to reduce to a minimum human interactions. Bodies of the dead need to be disposed of in such a way that the dead can't infect the living. Doctors and nurses are not trained in this way. 

"The reason why this disease is having such a traumatic impact on Africa... is the fact that there are not adequate healthcare facilities in these various countries -- adequate research facilities -- so this disease can be tackled both through research as well as through medical treatment," the civil rights activist noted.

The reason this virus is killing is that it is a virus we have no immunity too. If it escaped into the population in New Zealand it would kill at the same levels it does in Africa. Has this fool never heard of AIDS ? Research by all means, there is no proven medical treatment available therefor you isolate. I hate the TINA ( There Is No Alternative ) theory but it is our best option and AFRICOM is probably the best placed outfit to oirganise this.

"This treatment will be designed to contain a virus and also to eliminate it. But it's not a military solution, it's a medical solution, and the medical solution is definitely related to the lack of the development, the lack of resources inside the region," he stated.

"...and the medical solution is definitely related to the lack of the development, the lack of resources inside the region," I am not arguing with the fact that third world health is a bloody disaster it is. I just don't see that that is a reason to sign up to a suicide pact. This clown reminds me of Jim Jones.

"Jonestown" was the informal name for the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project formed by the Peoples Temple, an American religious organization under the leadership of Jim Jones, in northwestern Guyana. It became internationally notorious when on November 18, 1978, 918 people died in the settlement, at the nearby airstrip in Port Kaituma, and in Georgetown, Guyana's capital city.

"The Ebola cases that have been sent to the Unites States for treatment have gotten very positive results. That is directly related to the level of medical facilities and healthcare professionals [in the US] that can address this issue," Azikiwe said. "But it's not a military issue, it's a medical issue, and the medical issue is definitely related to the question of development in West Africa."

Bullshit. Just watch the footage. The Ebola victim got out of the ambulance and walked into the clinic. He was not suffering from Ebola.

"[T]his is the only way of which there will be a long-term solution for this crisis. The disease at this point is a threat for West Africa; but it's also an international threat because there's no way it can be contained strictly in the West African region," he emphasized.

Oh please save me from fucking stupid people. You contain it by using draconian measures. We are not signing up to a suicide pact.

He added that “there have been some cases in the northern region of Democratic Republic of Congo. Although they are claiming the outbreak is unrelated to the outbreak in West Africa, still we go back to the question of adequate medical facilities and adequate medical personnel.”

Well he clearly doesn't read this blog. Yes there have and isolation is and remains the only cure.

“So this is the real solution and [regarding] AFRICOM - the United States Army Command for the Africa Region - these military intuitions are not established for the purposes of healthcare. They are established for the purpose of carrying out the United States' imperialist foreign policy in Africa and this is just another mechanism for Barack Obama to move in that direction,” Azikiwe concluded.

I might suggest he has a look at AFRICOM a serious look. Then he might understand why I am laughing at him. 

Africa: " Count the hours 'til dawn and bring out your dead "

The World Health Organization ( WHO ) advises

WHO issues roadmap to scale up international response to the Ebola outbreak in west Africa

                                                            Colorised transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of ebola virus 

The aim is to stop ongoing Ebola transmission worldwide within 6–9 months, while rapidly managing the consequences of any further international spread. It also recognizes the need to address, in parallel, the outbreak’s broader socioeconomic impact.

It responds to the urgent need to dramatically scale up the international response. Nearly 40% of the total number of reported cases have occurred within the past three weeks.

Interestingly this report gilds the lily but the roadmap pulls no punches. 

" This Roadmap assumes that in many areas of intense transmission the actual number of cases may 

be 2-4 fold higher than that currently reported. It acknowledges that the aggregate case load of EVD 

could exceed 20,000 over the course of this emergency. "

The roadmap was informed by comments received from a large number of partners, including health officials in the affected countries, the African Union, development banks, other UN agencies, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and countries providing direct financial support.

It will serve as a framework for updating detailed operational plans. Priority is being given to needs for treatment and management centres, social mobilization, and safe burials. These plans will be based on site-specific data that are being set out in regular situation reports, which will begin this week.

It should be a useful tool. But its utility will be compromised I would suggest to the point of being useless if the scale of underreporting continues. The count to date is cases have risen to 3,069, with 1,552 deaths, that may of course be just the tip of the iceberg. 

The situation reports map the hotspots and hot zones, present epidemiological data showing how the outbreak is evolving over time, and communicate what is known about the location of treatment facilities and laboratories, together with data needed to support other elements of the roadmap.

The New York Times points out one logistical problem:

" Mr. Aylward, picking out details of the road map, said it would take at least 750 international and 12,000 local health workers. 

“That is very difficult in the current environment,” he added, alluding to fears arising from the high number of medical workers — 250 as of Monday — who had contracted the disease. Recruiting international staff may be harder than finding local personnel, he added, debunking the notion that locals were running away from the crisis.

Health workers were getting infected because they were exhausted from working extraordinary hours, Mr. Aylward said. "

The roadmap covers the health dimensions of the international response. These dimensions include key potential bottlenecks requiring international coordination, such as the supply of personal protective equipment, disinfectants, and body bags.

The WHO roadmap will be complemented by the development of a separate UN-wide operational platform that brings in the skills and capacities of other agencies, including assets in the areas of logistics and transportation. The UN-wide platform aims to facilitate the delivery of essential services, such as food and other provisions, water supply and sanitation, and primary health care.

This situation was entirely predictable ( and predicted ) yet only now is the International Community starting to get a grip on it. Obviously it will get worse before it starts to improve but now is the critical time. If we screw up now the consequences will be horrendous.

" That is very good news isolation is the key to beating this. If it gets to a major city or population area well it doesn't bear thinking about. But one day it will. "

Resource flows to implement the roadmap will be tracked separately, with support from the World Bank.

As I observed nearly two years ago $2 million was chicken feed, I have no idea what this epidemic will cost but it is irrelevant, the lowest price tag I have seen is in the region of half a billion dollars and I very much doubt it will be that low. 

"If nothing is done now, the disease will reach other places, and even major towns will be threatened," he said, adding that an estimated $US2 million had to be urgently found to pay for measures to tackle the disease.

DR Congo: " Earth rim walker seeks his meals Prepare the funeral pyres "

Jeune Afrique reports. ( Translated from French by Jeune Afrique's web translation service and cleaned up by me. All errors are mine ).

DRC: hemorrhagic fever of unknown origin "under control"

                                                              Ebola DR Congo  File photo

The Congolese Minister of Health, Dr. Felix Kabange Numbi, announced Friday that the hemorrhagic fever of unknown origin that has thirteen deaths since August 11 in the north-west of the Democratic Republic of Congo was "under control."

That is a huge statement but I am inclined to believe it given that the DR Congo has some experience at dealing with this.

The situation "is under control at Boende, especially in the area down to Lokolia. Until now the disease has been contained in areas Lokolia and Watsikengo" he told reporters on returning back from these regions in the province of Ecuador. He recalled that 13 people - including a pregnant woman, five health workers and a baby a month old - had died since August 11 after suffering a hemorrhagic fever "of unknown origin" which, after three or four days, causes in patients vomiting and diarrhea with "black blood."

It can take up to 20 days to present after infection according to some reports I have seen. That  is a large margin for error.

" Symptoms start two days to three weeks after contracting the virus, with a fever, sore throat, muscle pain and headaches. Typically, vomiting, diarrhea and rash follow, along with decreased functioning of the liver and kidneys. Around this time, affected people may begin to bleed both within the body and externally."

Lokolia and Watsikengo, thirty miles apart, are the epicenters of the disease. The minister said the fever transmission risk remain low because of the natural barriers to reaching these very remote areas, transport is by plane, road, boat and motorcycle. About 80 people who had contact with the deceased patients were tracked from their homes in Boende Moke, Lokolia, Watsikengo and Lokula. Of the 80 contacts, "there are eleven who presented with fever and diarrhea and they were already isolated," said the minister.

The infrastructure in the DR Congo is poor and that is the reason that previous outbreaks have been contained relativity easily but it certainly isn't grounds for complacency something that all to often seems to be the standard governmental response of Kinshasa.

Some people who live between Goma in DRC and Gisenyi in Rwanda confirm these control measures but judge them as fairly rudimentary.

The authorities have established commissions of patient monitoring, hygiene, sanitation and safe burials. Laser thermometers, protective gear (masks, hats, gloves ...) and sanitation equipment were distributed. Free health care has been authorised to limit contamination, residents are aware to greet with the elbow.

Better I would think to avoid any physical contact including elbows.

Too early to talk of "hemorrhagic fever"

On Friday morning, an official of the World Health Organization (WHO) which has sent experts to the affected area during the minister's visit and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has personnel on-site, felt that it was still too early to speak of "hemorrhagic fever". We just have the 8 samples taken in the province of Ecuador that were deposited at the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB), announced the Minister of Health. "We hope that in seven to eight days to come, we will have the diagnosis," said he added.

It isn't too early at all Radio NZ News confirmed two cases in the DR Congo less than an hour ago. I can't ( unusual ) open their web page at the moment. The fucking insane American Republican Christian right  AKA The Stupid People are criticising the Obama administration over repatriation of 22 US citizens with Ebola. I doubt the figure and as far as I am aware it is only two people at this stage. I actually agree with the halfwits that it is a bad move but I suspect legally by virtue of American citizenship they have an absolute right to return. My reasoning is significantly different, the resources expended on returning said Americans would have been far better utilised in containing the outbreak.  I guess we still place a higher value on the lives of white Americans than we do on black Africans.

The then unknown disease that was discovered in the DRC in 1976 epidemic has caused since the beginning of the year in West Africa at least 1,350 deaths, including 576 in Liberia, 396 Guinea and 374 in Sierra Leone, according to a latest report of WHO, dated 18 August. In late July, the DRC increased its alert threshold including tougher screening of passengers coming from affected countries and prepositioned personnel for protection and diagnostics.

The news reports are assuring the world that it difficult to catch Ebola despite the figures above. They are all reporting that it is not an airborne disease, Ebola is a virus and like all viruses it can and will mutate. It may combine with other viruses. It may have become capable of airborne transmission, we don't know and " don't know " mean just that.

"If we are told that [the unconfirmed hemorrhagic fever in Ecuador] is Ebola, we will not be late because we will have already set up facilities that will allow us to contain the disease," said the minister. Ebola was first discovered in 1976 in the Congolese province of Ecuador. Since then, the DRC has experienced several deadly epidemics. I the last outbreak 36 was officially death count between August and November 2012 in the Northeast.


Watch this space.

DR Congo: " Lurker at the threshold, he cares not for the brave, he cares not for the brave "

Charly Kasereka blogs. ( Translated  via a translation service and cleaned up by me. All mistakes are mine alone, I have refained from any comments ). 

Far from the virus, Goma implements safeguards to block Ebola.

      Charley Kasereka at Hygiene Service fever control, Congolese and Rwandan barrier  (Pacheko Kavundama Photo)
The local media have launched a campaign to educate residents about the ebola risk. The provincial Ministry of Health, WHO ( World Health Organisation ) and MSF ( Doctors Without Borders ) have  already announced measures to prevent the Ebola virus reaching Goma.  "The virus has not yet arrived in Goma " insisted Mutete Mundenge the provincial health minister in North Kivu on Wednesday at a press conference.

After a suspected case was discovered and quarantined in Kigali, Rwanda . Goma has the right to be afraid. Since this virus has swept across West Africa in Goma and around the world everyone talks about "Ebola". In Goma, I talked with those who say to me:

" For myself, no longer the collective helmet for the bike! "

Others say to me: "As if Goma ever misses such occasions!." This time the authorities are preparing for any eventuality.

All doors are locked against the arrival of the virus in Goma. The virus nor even a suspect cases have been reported in the city. "Prevention is better than cure" they say. At the Rwanda-Congo border and Goma airport, hygiene teams have already set up. An infrared temperature sensor, new technology has come to Goma.

Already at the Goma border gangs of workers have begun hygiene controls to prevent against Ebola's arrival. Some people who live between Goma in DRC and Gisenyi in Rwanda confirm these control measures but judge them as fairly rudimentary.

Provincial Medical Inspector of Orientale Province, Jean-Marc Mambidi Kolodoro who has led the fight against Ebola since 1997, calls on the government to impose preventive measures. 

Handwashing, chlorinated water, people should avoid crowds and avoid hugs when they greet each other: " We must avoid crowds, physical greetings, use chlorinated water to wash our hands There are the concrete steps it takes. Use them. They will be the reason if we are lucky that we will avoid this disease that has a death rate of 90%.  That's our problem. " he stated on Radio 1 Kivu Goma on Thursday.

The DRC is the country where the virus was first detected in 1976 in the eastern province near the "Ebola" river. Ebola was named for the river passing near the town of Yambuku, in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo , then called Zaire . It was at the hospital in this town that the first case of Ebola hemorrhagic fever was identified in September 1976, the first epidemic was then and it infected 318 people killing 280.

In Goma, the provincial capital, the Ministry of Health and its partners are preparing a contingency plan with provision for any suspect cases that could be discovered.

DR Congo. Ebola update

TVNZ reports

An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo risks spreading to major towns if not brought under control soon after the death toll doubled within a week, the World Health Organisation has warned.

The number of people killed by the contagious virus for which there is no known treatment has now risen to 31, including five health workers. Ebola causes massive bleeding and kills up to 90% of its victims.

This has been percolating for some time now. Ebola is perhaps the scariest virus we face well the people of Central Africa face.

"The epidemic is not under control. On the contrary the situation is very, very serious," Eugene Kabambi, a WHO spokesman in Congo's capital Kinshasa, told Reuters by phone on Thursday.

"If nothing is done now, the disease will reach other places, and even major towns will be threatened," he said, adding that an estimated $US2 million had to be urgently found to pay for measures to tackle the disease.

Not a lot of money, excuse me have we dropped the ball again ? I get frustrated with Africa but far more frustrated when we in the west drop the ball like this US $ 2 million. If an ebola epidemic happened the cost would be astronomic. 

The outbreak, which is believed to have been caused by tainted bushmeat hunted by local villagers, has so far struck in the towns of Isiro and Viadana in the northeastern province of Orientale.

The real issue will be is this strain airborn if it is the risks multiply exponentially due to the ability of the strain to transmit. 

Some 16 people in neighbouring Uganda died of the disease last month, though the WHO said the two epidemics were not connected.

The latest WHO figures show there are now 65 probable or suspected cases of Ebola in Congo, with 108 people under surveillance.

Kabambi said one suspected case in Kinshasa had come back negative. Congo's ramshackle capital is home to at least nine million people and its health sector is crumbling.

That is very good news isolation is the key to beating this. If it gets to a major city or population area well it doesn't bear thinking about. But one day it will.

Congo's infrastructure has been devastated by decades of corruption, conflict and misrule. The country last year came bottom of a United Nations development index.

Well yes and no. Nothing is as simple as that statement would make it seem. Incidentally the WHO website is a shambles. Ironically the lack of infrastructure is what probably has saved the west from an epidemic. It has also prevented research and killed hundreds of people.

Ebola in the DR Congo

The BBC reports on a further ebola outbreak. 

"Outbreak of Ebola virus strikes DR Congo town of Isiro

At least one person has died after an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials say.

The death is one of two cases of the virus discovered in the town of Isiro.

Medical charity workers say they are attempting to find and isolate anyone who has been in contact with those infected by the virus.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says the strain is not the same as the kind found recently in neighbouring Uganda.

At least 16 people died during an outbreak there last month."

Ebola is named after the Ebola river due to the first case happening in the region. 

" The DR Congo outbreak occurred in Oriental province, which shares a border with Uganda.

"There is no link between both epidemics at this moment," Anja de Weggheleire, of MSF, told the BBC.

She added that there may be more cases that have yet to be detected."

It is almost guaranteed that more cases will emerge and unlike the Uganda outbreak it is unlikely the government will be able to take effective action to contain the outbreak. 

"Not every person who develops the disease will develop clear symptoms that are recognised as Ebola. For the moment it seems that there are not that many cases but the exact number of cases is unknown."

Experts fear that the town's position as a transit point could make an outbreak more challenging to control.

The virus, which is transmitted to humans from both monkeys and birds, causes massive internal bleeding and has a very high mortality rate."

The BBC reported last week that the pentagon has suspended funding for a ebola vaccine.

" It is one of the most virulent diseases in the world and is spread by close personal contact.

There is no vaccine for the virus and symptoms of infection include a sudden onset of fever, weakness, headache, vomiting and kidney problems."

More tragedy in the DR Congo.

Update from CNN