You are here

Global

Ebola Virus Evolved at Normal Rates During Epidemic, Scientists Say

submitted by George Hurlburt        

        

(John Moore/Getty Images)

theverge.com - by James Vincent - May 14, 2015

Chinese scientists report that the Ebola virus responsible for the outbreak in West Africa last year mutated at a normal rate, further alleviating fears that the virus had been able to evolve more rapidly than usual thanks to the prolonged and widespread nature of the epidemic. Ebola, like HIV and influenza, belongs to a class of virus with a high rate of mutation, and scientists had previously warned that it might evolve to become more contagious, and, in an extreme scenario, even airborne.

This latest report published in Nature corroborates an earlier study from March, showing that while the virus did mutate as it spread to new areas, it did so within the bounds of expected behavior.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

CLICK HERE - REPORT - Genetic diversity and evolutionary dynamics of Ebola virus in Sierra Leone

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Nepal Earthquakes: Survivors Face Years of Anxiety, Depression

nbcnews.com - by F. Brinley Bruton - May 14, 2015

Countless Nepalis face long battles with anxiety and depression after the country's devastating recurring earthquakes and hundreds of aftershocks, aid workers and mental health professionals warned.

Delilah Borja, Save the Children's country director in Nepal, said the organization was "extremely concerned about the emotional well-being" of kids who were caught up in the two major quakes.

"The second quake in particular has created a new level of terrifying uncertainty as those affected must now ask themselves if another deadly earthquake is coming," she said in a statement released on Wednesday.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

 

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

The Pain of the New Normal: Guinea After Ebola

      

Children wash their hands before entering a classroom in Gueckedou - Photo: Jennifer Lazuta

irinnews.org - by Jennifer Lazuta

GUECKEDOU, 13 May 2015 (IRIN) - “Life is back to normal, but everything has changed,” said 30-year-old Yawa Keterine Camara as she slowly stirred a boiling cauldron of sauce outside her mud-brick home in southeastern Guinea. “I live again like before, but nothing is quite the same.”

Camara, who lost her husband to Ebola in November, said her life, like many, many other Guineans, is now divided in two: pre-Ebola and post-Ebola, the before and after.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Diarrhoea Patients on Rise in Quake Hit Khokana

ekantipur.com

LALITPUR, APR 28 - With the lack of safe drinking water after the April 25 earthquake , people in Khokana village, the southern outskirt of the Kathmandu Valley, has begun suffering from diarrhoea.

Although the villagers initially got treatment at local health posts, the number of the sufferers increased. So, they were referred to better hospital and the health camps run by the Nepal Army, said a local social worker, Nepal Dangol.

Similarly, Shivaram Baniya from Adarshashaul Higher Secondary School said more than 100 diarrhoea patients have been provided treatment at health camps run by a joint team of Nepal Army and the Bangladesh Army. RSS

http://www.ekantipur.com/2015/04/28/national/diarrhoea-patients-on-rise-in-quake-hit-khokana/404576.html

http://np.ekantipur.com/2015/04/28/top-story/diarrhoea-patients-on-rise-in-quake-hit-khokana/404576.html

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Re: Diarrhoea patients on rise in quake hit Khokana | Health | National

Jim,

I agree. The question is whether we can alter the trajectory of disease with better assessment, surveillance, and rapid response. What we engaged in Haiti worked, but it was never scaled appropriately.

We can do better in Nepal. The monsoon season is only a couple months away. Efforts we need to be scaled immediately.

Mike

Dr. Michael D. McDonald

Coordinator
Global Health Response and Resilience Alliance

Chairman
Global Resilience Systems, Inc.

President
Health Initiatives Foundation, Inc.

Michael.D.McDonald@mac.com
202-468-7899

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Phone and Web Companies Race to Reconnect Quake-Hit Nepal

          

"Beach ball" mobile antenna being inflated in Chautara, Nepal, image provided by the World Food Programme, 12 May 2015.

trust.org - in.reuters.com - by Joseph D'Urso - May 12, 2015

LONDON, May 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Buildings wrecked by Tuesday's earthquake in Nepal, already weakened by last month's huge quake which killed over 8,000, will take years to rebuild. But another type of infrastructure will bounce back much sooner: communication networks.

Enabling aid workers and civilians to access the internet, make a phone call or send a text is now seen as a vital part of any humanitarian response. The World Food Programme (WFP) has deployed some innovative kit to make this possible in Nepal.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

(ALSO SEE SAME ARTICLE HERE)

 

Country / Region Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Koubia-Guinea: Anthrax re-surfaced with several cases

A new outbreak of anthrax has been reported in Middle Guinea in a town in the prefecture of Koubia -- just when Guinea is still struggling to overcome the epidemic of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever.

Several members of the same family, who ate meat from an infected animal, have been contaminated. "They are 11 people, of which 2 developed the disease, with a death in the community. A woman died of the disease, and a 2nd patient is showing signs [of the disease]: a man who is about 25 is currently hospitalized in the prefecture of Koubia, where he is being supported," said Dr.

General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Dire Prospects Seen When the Full Nepal Earthquake Death Toll is Tallied

NEW YORK TIMES OPINON PAGE by Andrew Revkin                                       April 29, 2015

Yesterday, I received word of a chillingly high projection of the eventual death count in the Nepal earthquake, made by a longtime and respected analyst of seismic hazards, Max Wyss, who was on the faculties of the Universities of Colorado and Alaska and is now affiliated with the International Center for Earth Simulationin Geneva, Switzerland.

Country / Region Tags: 
General Topic Tags: 
Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

WHO Director-General Addresses High-Level Meeting on Ebola R&D

                                                           

From crisis to sustainable development: lessons from the Ebola outbreak

who.int - May 10, 2015

. . . three changes will do the most to improve the world’s collective defence against the infectious disease threat.

First, invest in building resilient communities and well-performing health systems that integrate public health and primary health care. Ideally, health systems should aim for universal health coverage, so the poor are not left behind. This requires new thinking and a new approach to health development.

Second, develop the systems, capacities, and financing mechanisms needed to build surge capacity for responding to outbreaks and humanitarian emergencies.

Third, create incentives for R&D for new medical products for diseases that primarily affect the poor. A fair and just world should not let people die for what boils down to market failure and poverty.

These three things also fit well with the coming agenda for sustainable development that seeks to distribute the benefits of economic growth more evenly and respects our planet’s fragile resources.

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Ebola-Free, but Not Resilient

nytimes.com - by Judith Rodin and Bernice Dahn - May 10, 2015

. . . A resilient health system combines active surveillance mechanisms, robust health care delivery system and a vigorous response to disease. When the first signs of contagion appear, a system should be able to act quickly to stop it in its tracks — all without compromising its core functions. . . .

. . . Resilient systems share several characteristics. One is awareness, which in the case of health systems means, first and foremost, strong disease surveillance. A second characteristic is the ability to adapt to changing conditions. . . . 

. . . A third characteristic is diversity: the ability to address a broad range of challenges. . . .

. . . resilient systems are integrated: information is shared across different levels of government. . . .

. . . When a resilient system is in place, cities and countries alike are prepared to yield what we call a “resilience dividend” — benefits that are independent of crises. Building trust with the public, enhancing access to quality care, and investing in public health are all wise investments at any time, helping to increase productivity and growth. . . .

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Problem, Solution, SitRep, or ?: 

Pages

Subscribe to Global
howdy folks
Page loaded in 1.381 seconds.