Global Health

INTELLECTUAL PROPRERTY WATCH  by Hillary Muheebwa                                                    March 16, 2015

KAMPALA, UGANDA – In light of the persistence of the Ebola outbreak and the demands it has placed on global infection containment resources and processes, the United States government disaster response community recognised an opportunity to use open innovation to make significant strides in advancing the ability to combat Ebola. The results include a local success story.

“The United States Agency for International Development [USAID], in partnership with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Defense, created a Grand Challenge for Development to target Ebola because we faced the largest epidemic of this disease in history,” said Caroline Pepek, spokeswoman, USAID US Global Development Laboratory....

One of the chosen ideas is the next generation ergonomic tent design submitted by ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) and Makerere University, in Kampala, Uganda.

ALL AFRICA DAILY NEWS by Bopa                                                               March 16, 2015

GABORONE,  Botswana — The Minister of Labour of Home Affairs, Mr Edwin Batshu, says following the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the Ministry of Health reactivated its national multi-sectoral epidemic preparedness response committee and developed a comprehensive Ebola epidemic preparedness and response plan.

Answering a question in Parliament, on behalf of the Minister of Health, he said four technical working groups were established to facilitate implementation of the plan at the national and district level....

Furthermore, he said taking into consideration the rapid spread of the disease and the absence of personnel trained in Ebola, priority was given to training frontline staff that would be directly involved with potential cases.

He said these include nurses, doctors, counsellors, general duty assistants, immigration and police officer and district health management team drivers.

Read complete story.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201503161292.html

BBC                                                       March 14, 2015

Sierra Leone's Vice-President Samuel Sam-Sumana has gone into hiding while he seeks political asylum at the US embassy in the capital, Freetown.

               Relations between President Ernest Bai Koroma (left) and Mr Sam-Sumana (right) have long been frosty

Mr Sam-Sumana told the BBC he and his wife fled their home after "a tip-off" that soldiers were surrounding it.

The move comes a week after his expulsion from the ruling party.

Two weeks ago, Mr Sam-Sumana said he was putting himself in quarantine for 21 days after one of his bodyguards died of the Ebola virus.

Police and army sources confirmed to the BBC's Umaru Fofana in Freetown that troops were sent to the vice-president's residence on Saturday morning.However, Information Minister Alpha Kanu told the BBC that the soldiers merely went to Mr Sam-Sumana's house to "strengthen the quarantine".

Read complete story.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31885713

MASHABLE  by  Lance Ulanoff                                                                   March 14, 2015

AUSTIN — The international fight against Ebola is far from over. Just this week, new patients arrived in U.S. hospitals for treatment. But back in Africa where healthcare workers have battled hundreds of cases at a time, officials are struggling to find smart solutions that can help ensure the safety of caregivers, offer more comprehensive and speedy care and add 21st century solutions to their disease-fighting arsenal.

Wearable technology is very close to joining the fight....

Wendy Taylor, Direct of the USAID Center for Accelerating Innovation holds a MultiSense Memory patch prototype

On Saturday at SXSW, The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) unveiled both a new biomedical suit and the MultiSense Memory wearable sensor:

Even with a new biomedical suit in the wings, doctors in the field still face significant challenges. “Tools are hard to use in an Ebola setting — you can’t use a stethoscope,” said Taylor.