Jump to content

Ebola outbreak

bernorange

By bernorange
in Daily Texan

 Share

Recommended Posts

Assman

Assman 1830

Posted
Posted
43 minutes ago, High Plains Drifter said:

Cobalt?

 

1200px-Chevrolet_Cobalt_Coupe.jpg

Haven't you heard?  Those forward thinking Congans are hoarding all of the world's Chevy Cobalts in order to impose a retail monopoly for decades to come. 

Today it's Cobalts.  Tomorrow it'll be Cavaliers, Azteks, and Ions.  Well, not on my watch!  No deadly virus will come between us and our discontinued GM compacts!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bernard

Bernard 879

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, High Plains Drifter said:

Cobalt?

 

Yes. Cobalt. Are you unaware that Cobalt is a critical component in rechargeable batteries? Half of the world’s supply of cobalt is currently mined in the Congo. 

Apple, Samsung and Tesla prefer that you ignore this portion of their supply chain. http://fortune.com/longform/photographing-congos-cobalt-empire/

Bernard

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 4 weeks later...
bernorange

bernorange 8362

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Quote

The second-largest Ebola outbreak in history has spread to a major city in eastern Congo, as health experts worry whether the stock of an experimental vaccine will stand up to the demands of an epidemic with no end in sight.

Butembo, with more than 1 million residents, is now reporting cases of the deadly hemorrhagic fever. That complicates Ebola containment work already challenged by rebel attacks elsewhere that have made tracking the virus almost impossible in some isolated villages.

“We are very concerned by the epidemiological situation in the Butembo area,” said John Johnson, project coordinator with Doctors Without Borders. New cases are increasing quickly in the eastern suburbs and outlying, isolated districts, the medical charity said.
...
This is by far the largest deployment of the promising but still experimental Ebola vaccine, which is owned by Merck. The company keeps a stockpile of 300,000 doses, and preparing them takes months.

“We are extremely concerned about the size of the vaccine stockpile,” Dr. Peter Salama, the World Health Organization’s emergencies director, told the STAT news outlet in an interview last week, saying 300,000 doses is not sufficient as urban Ebola outbreaks become more common.

Health workers, contacts of Ebola victims and their contacts have received the vaccine in a “ring vaccination” approach, but in some cases all residents of hard-to-reach communities have been offered it. The prospect of a mass vaccination in a major city like Butembo has raised concerns. Salama called the approach “extremely impractical.”
...

https://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-ebola-congo-20181209-story.html?outputType=amp

So, that's not great.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...
InkaUtexas

InkaUtexas 25944

Posted
Posted

An update.... 

Protesters angry with the postponement of Sunday's presidential election in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo have attacked a clinic where possible Ebola cases are assessed.

The attack happened in the eastern city of Beni, one of three opposition areas where the vote has been postponed.

The electoral commission has cited the current Ebola outbreak as one of the reasons behind the postponement.

But opposition parties have accused the authorities of seeking to rig the vote.Along with Beni, voting has been postponed until March in Butembo, also in the east and in Yumbi, which is in the west.

With President Joseph Kabila's successor due to be sworn in next month, it appears the votes of more than a million people could be discounted. 

But in an interview with the BBC, Mr Kabila insisted that postponing the vote until after the final result was due to be declared was lawful.

"Don't worry, the law has catered for such issues," Mr Kabila said.

A bit of background.  

DR Congo has not had a peaceful and democratic transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960. 

Mr Kabila, who has been in office since 2001, was meant to have stepped down in 2016. 

However, the election to choose his successor has been continually postponed, amid unrest and logistical difficulties in a nation with poor infrastructure.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-46692506

Link to comment
Share on other sites
UT_OB1

UT_OB1 2223

Posted
Posted
On 11/13/2018 at 1:21 AM, Bernard said:

Yes. Cobalt. Are you unaware that Cobalt is a critical component in rechargeable batteries? Half of the world’s supply of cobalt is currently mined in the Congo. 

Apple, Samsung and Tesla prefer that you ignore this portion of their supply chain. http://fortune.com/longform/photographing-congos-cobalt-empire/

Bernard

Also also a critical component in all the catalyst used to refine our oil

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...
bernorange

bernorange 8362

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Quote

Doctors at the epicenter of Congo's Ebola crisis are threatening to go on strike indefinitely if health workers are attacked again.

The march on Wednesday comes after a Cameroon national working for the World Health Organization was killed last week on assignment in eastern Congo.
...

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/doctors-ebola-epicenter-congo-threaten-strike-62599621

Quote

...
Since the Ebola outbreak began in the North Kivu and Ituri regions of DRC last August, 1,340 cases have been reported - including 874 deaths.

But despite a decision not to call the epidemic a global health crisis, there are concerns that the outbreak is gathering pace. April has already seen more cases reported than any other month since August.
...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/04/23/ebola-doctor-killed-violence-hampers-response-outbreak-drc/

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...
Nice Guy Eddie

Nice Guy Eddie 13512

Posted
Posted (edited)

up to 2400 cases, 1600 fatalities.  getting worse since April.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/health/ebola-outbreak-who-emergency-africa-bn/index.html

One big risk is that Goma, DRC has had a case now.  City of 2M plus an international airport and borders Rwanda.

Edited by Nice Guy Eddie
Link to comment
Share on other sites
futureman

futureman 22464

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

up to 2400 cases, 1600 fatalities.  getting worse since April.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/health/ebola-outbreak-who-emergency-africa-bn/index.html

One big risk is that Goma, DRC has had a case now.  City of 2M plus an international airport and borders Rwanda.

how do those numbers compare to the outbreak from a few years ago that made it to the states?  asking honestly. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
safe sex

safe sex 11728

Posted
Posted

I'm friends/colleagues with an Austin nurse who is currently working alongside an incredibly brave and skilled local healthcare team in the DRC. They are heroes in every sense of the word.

 

If you are able and wish to help their essential work, you can donate to her organization here: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/donate-online/

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105142

Posted
Posted
I'm friends/colleagues with an Austin nurse who is currently working alongside an incredibly brave and skilled local healthcare team in the DRC. They are heroes in every sense of the word.
 
If you are able and wish to help their essential work, you can donate to her organization here: https://www.samaritanspurse.org/our-ministry/donate-online/
 
 

There are a lot of international assets helping out. I know a crew of paramedics from Oslo (of all places) that were already working down there a couple of months ago. The world health apparatus is pretty amazing.
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dutch

Dutch 4465

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, futureman said:

how do those numbers compare to the outbreak from a few years ago that made it to the states?  asking honestly. 

That outbreak officially ran from 2014-16. The CDC lists “laboratory confirmed” Ebola cases at 15,261 (28,652 “suspected, probable, confirmed”) and 11,325 deaths during the outbreak. 

 

https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/history/2014-2016-outbreak/index.html

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
bernorange

bernorange 8362

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I started this thread and I've been monitoring the story periodically, but I haven't been posting updates to this thread.  The best news source I've found is directly from the WHO:

https://www.who.int/csr/don/en/

They generally post updates once a week, but sometimes more frequently.

@trauma babe:

Quote

... Cases continue to increase among health workers, with the cumulative number infected rising to 135 (5% of total cases).  ...

Hope your friend avoids infection.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...
bernorange

bernorange 8362

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Quote

... operational and security challenges in certain health zones make it difficult to undertake case detection and response functions. ...

... As of 24 September, a total of 3175 EVD cases were reported, including 3063 confirmed and 112 probable cases, of which 2122 cases died (overall case fatality ratio 67%). ...

More:  https://www.who.int/csr/don/26-september-2019-ebola-drc/en/

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dutch

Dutch 4465

Posted
Posted

The two nurses who contracted it in Dallas were flown to hospitals with special bio-containment units and experience dealing with Ebola cases; one was Emery in Atlanta, and the other in Omaha. The American physician who contracted it while serving in Africa during the 2014 outbreak was treated at Emery as well.  I imagine those containment units can only handle a limited number of patients at a time and the care is probably not cheap.  Treatment centers around repleting the vast amounts of fluids and electrolytes lost (due to vomiting, diarrhea, etc), stabilizing blood pressure and oxygen levels, and staving off opportunistic infections that attack a compromised immune system. Those who are going to recover usually do so in a week or two.  

There are experimental treatments, and they seem to cut the mortality rate from < 75% down to around 35-40%.  But who knows how available those medications are during a massive outbreak.

https://www.wired.com/story/ebola-is-now-curable-heres-how-the-new-treatments-work/

https://www.niaid.nih.gov/diseases-conditions/ebola-treatment

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/inside-the-4-u-s-biocontainment-hospitals-that-are-stopping-ebola-video/

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BabaYaga

BabaYaga 15298

Posted
Posted
On 11/13/2018 at 1:21 AM, Bernard said:

Yes. Cobalt. Are you unaware that Cobalt is a critical component in rechargeable batteries? Half of the world’s supply of cobalt is currently mined in the Congo. 

Apple, Samsung and Tesla prefer that you ignore this portion of their supply chain. http://fortune.com/longform/photographing-congos-cobalt-empire/

Bernard

Yep.  Last I heard it takes the removal and processing of 500,000 pounds of raw materials to make ONE 1,000 car battery (Tesla, etc)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Trey3216

Trey3216 15346

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Yep.  Last I heard it takes the removal and processing of 500,000 pounds of raw materials to make ONE 1,000 car battery (Tesla, etc)

Yep, the amount of fuel used to produce the battery and oil used in the car's plastics is about 85% of what an I.C.E. would use in its lifetime.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 1 month later...
bernorange

bernorange 8362

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I saw this on my morning internet travels:

Quote

According to the Louisiana Office of Public Health, the emergency room at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport-Monroe Medical Center was closed for several hours Sunday out of an abundance of caution. A patient, who had recently traveled outside of the United States, exhibited influenza-like symptoms.
...
Below is the full statement sent to NBC 10 from the hospital:

Quote :
Earlier today, Monroe Medical Center received a patient who exhibited influenza-like symptoms and recently reported a history of traveling to Africa. However, an appropriate travel history was obtained and although the patient had traveled outside the United States, they had not been to any areas of Africa where Ebola occurs.

We immediately notified the proper authorities, including the Louisiana Office of Public Health, and it was quickly determined that our protocols were effective and the risk for Ebola was ruled out immediately.

We commend our team for swiftly initiating our Ebola protocol, which includes screening and isolation of any patient suspected of having the disease.

At this time, Monroe Medical Center does not have any suspected or confirmed cases of Ebola.

...

https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/er-shutdown-at-ochsner-lsu-health-shreveport-monroe-medical-center-due-to-infectious-disease-scare/

Latest update from WHO:

Quote

...
As of 12 November, a total of 3291 EVD cases were reported, including 3173 confirmed and 118 probable cases, of which 2193 cases died (overall case fatality ratio 67%). Of the total confirmed and probable cases, 56% (n=1856) were female, 28% (n=930) were children aged less than 18 years, and 5% (n=163) were health workers.
...

https://www.who.int/csr/don/14-november-2019-ebola-drc/en/

Looks like roughly 30 health workers were infected over the last 3 months (since post #80 from July up above).  Hope your friend is doing well @trauma babe

On the bright side, the latest report indicates that the outbreak is waning in some areas (though still spreading in areas where the war is still happening).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105142

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, trauma babe said:

She helped me with an arterial line insertion a week or two ago, so she made it back safely. So far. I think she's heading back in another month or two? An incredibly dedicated and caring woman.

The folks who travel to treat outbreaks like this are amazing.  We have a friend in Oslo who sent a crew of 4 to the Congo several months ago.  It's genuinely inspirational.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 6 months later...
MC Fresh Breath

MC Fresh Breath 4074

Posted
Posted

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-ebola-congo/congo-declares-new-ebola-epidemic-1000-km-from-eastern-outbreak-idUSKBN2382F5

 

 

Quote

 

Congo hit by a second, simultaneous Ebola outbreak

 
 

2 MIN READ

  •  
  •  
 

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Authorities in Congo announced a new Ebola outbreak in the western city of Mbandaka on Monday, adding to another epidemic of the virus that has raged in the east since 2018.

 
 
FILE PHOTO: Moise Vaghemi, 33, (L) an Ebola survivor who works as a nurse cares for a patient who is suspected to be suffering from Ebola, inside the Biosecure Emergency Care Unit (CUBE) at the Ebola treatment centre in Katwa, near Butembo, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, October 3, 2019. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo

Six cases have been detected, four of which have died in the city, a trading hub of 1.5 million people on the Congo River with regular transport links to the capital Kinshasa.

Mbandaka is 1,000 km (620 miles) from an ongoing outbreak that has killed over 2,200 people in North Kivu province by the Uganda border, where containment efforts have been hampered by armed conflict.

The new outbreak is Congo’s eleventh since the virus was discovered near the Ebola River in 1976.

 

“We have a new Ebola epidemic in Mbandaka,” health minister Eteni Longondo told reporters. “We are going to very quickly send them the vaccine and medicine.”

The Ebola virus causes hemorrhagic fever and is spread through direct contact with body fluids from an infected person, who suffers severe vomiting and diarrhoea.

The discovery is a major blow for Democratic Republic of Congo, which has suffered three Ebola outbreaks since 2017. It is also combating a measles epidemic that has killed over 6,000 and COVID-19, which has infected over 3,000 and killed 71.

“This outbreak is a reminder that #COVID19 is not the only health threat people face,” World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted.

 

The health ministry was two days away from declaring the end of the eastern North Kivu outbreak in April when a new chain of infection was confirmed. No new cases have been detected there in over 30 days.

Ebola was detected in Mbandaka in 2018, leading to fears it could spread fast there, or reach Kinshasa, which is home to 10 million people.

However, the use of a vaccine and swift containment efforts including mobile handwashing stations and a door-to-door education campaign kept it at bay.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 years later...
Hate

Hate 20108

Posted
Posted

I’m sure one of the affected thought the next best course of action was to jump in an international flight.

I’m sure one of the affected thought the next best course of action was to jump in an international flight.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business and Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Subscribe!... Donate!... Advertise... COOKIE MONSTER!

×
×
  • Create New...