Africa Resilience Initiative

submitted by George Hurlburt

Raymond Koundouno using a MinION - Sophie Duraffour

The MinION, a pocket-sized, USB-powered sequencing machine, lets scientists track the spread of deadly diseases in real-time.

theatlantic.com - by Ed Yong - September 16, 2015

. . . Unlike rival sequencers, which are as big as microwaves or fridges, the MinION is the size of a chocolate bar. . . . These devices quite literally bring the power of modern genomics to the palm of your hand. And at a cost of just $1,000, they herald a new era where sequencing moves away from well-equipped institutions and into places where it is most needed, from hospitals to epidemic-afflicted hot zones.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

(CLICK HERE - MinION - Oxford Nanopore Technologies)

(CLICK HERE - YouTube - MinION - Oxford Nanopore Technologies)

cdc.gov

Interim Guidance for U.S. Hospitals on the Care of a Neonate Born to a Mother who is Confirmed to have Ebola, is a Person under Investigation (PUI), or has been Exposed to Ebola

Who this is for: Healthcare professionals working with neonates in labor and delivery, neonatal intensive care units, newborn nurseries, and other settings in U.S. hospitals.

What this is for: Guidance on how to care for neonates born to mothers exposed to Ebola virus, PUIs, or with confirmed Ebola.

How to use this: This guidance is intended to help U.S. hospitals develop plans for treating neonates born to PUIs or to mothers with confirmed Ebola. Note: Ideally, these mothers and neonates will be cared for in Ebola assessment hospitals (if the mother is a PUI) or Ebola treatment centers (if the mother is confirmed to have Ebola.)1

CLICK HERE - Care of a Neonate Born to a Mother who is Confirmed to have Ebola, is a Person under Investigation, or has been Exposed to Ebola

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

submitted by George Hurlburt

Sleeplessness, along with abdominal and joint pain are common even months after recovery from the dreaded virus

scientificamerican.com - by Dina Fine Maron - September 9, 2015

The first snapshot of health complications facing Ebola survivors in Sierra Leone presents a dismal picture of their road to recovery. A new study has found that up to four months after blood tests indicated that they were Ebola-free, more than half of survivors continue to suffer from joint pain, headaches or muscle pain. And more than 40 percent of survivors complain of sleeplessness and visual problems. Perhaps most worryingly, almost all the survivors—96 percent—reported being rejected by their communities after they were released from the hospital. The majority said they were still too scared to return home.

submitted by Gavin Macgregor-Skinner

Ebola Outbreak update dated Sep 8 from the National Ebola Response Centre in Sierra Leone.

The four new Sierra Leone cases are in Sella Kaffta, a village in Kambia district in the northwest part of the country on Guinea's border. All the newly reported patients had contact with a 67-year-old woman whose death from Ebola was announced last week. After she died her body was washed before burial. There are 50 high-risk close contacts being monitored. Experimental ring vaccine campaign by WHO began Sep 4 and the newly diagnosed Ebola patients were not among the 116 people who received post-exposure VSV-EBOV vaccine.

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Update
http://health.gov.sl/?p=617

Ebola Virus Disease – Situation Report
http://health.gov.sl/?p=537

Ministry of Health and Sanitation - The Republic of Sierra Leone
http://health.gov.sl

National Ebola Response Centre (NERC) - Sierra Leone
http://www.nerc.sl

National Ebola Response Centre (NERC) - Sierra Leone - Evening Briefings
http://nerc.sl/?q=document-types/nerc-briefings