Sierra Leone declares a public emergency over Ebola and orders troops to quarantine infected areas as doctors say the virus is 'absolutely out of control'
Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma said the measures
resembled a tough anti-Ebola package announced by neighbouring Liberia
which will see police and the military restricting movements to and from
disease epicentres. Of the 672 deaths so far, the highest number was in
Guinea with 319, followed by Sierra Leone (top and bottom right) with
224 and Liberia with 129. Doctors Without Borders earlier said the
threat of the disease spreading beyond western Africa, where medics
(inset) are battling to contain the virus, is frighteningly real and
fear it 'can only get worse'.
Sierra Leone today declared a
public health emergency to tackle the worst-ever outbreak of Ebola and
will call in security forces to quarantine areas of the deadly virus.
President Ernest Bai Koroma said the measures resembled a tough anti-Ebola package announced by neighbouring Liberia last night.
Koroma also announced he was cancelling a visit to Washington for a U.S.-Africa summit next week because of the crisis.
Of the 672 deaths, the highest number was in Guinea with 319, followed by Sierra Leone with 224 and Liberia with 129, it added.
Sierra Leone declares a public emergency over Ebola and orders troops to quarantine infected areas as doctors say the virus is 'absolutely out of control'
- Doctors Without Borders says West Africa not ready to handle Ebola
- Airports and airlines placed on high alert to prevent disease reaching UK
- Anyone who slips through will be held in highly secure hospital units
- Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond declares outbreak 'a very serious threat'
- Some experts predict 30,000 people could become infected in west Africa
President Ernest Bai Koroma said the measures resembled a tough anti-Ebola package announced by neighbouring Liberia last night.
Koroma also announced he was cancelling a visit to Washington for a U.S.-Africa summit next week because of the crisis.
The move
came as world's premier health charity issued a grave warning about the
likely spread of the deadly Ebola virus - an epidemic it fears 'can only
get worse'.
Doctors
Without Borders (aka Médecins Sans Frontières [MSF]) says the threat of
the disease spreading beyond western Africa, where it was first
detected in Guinea in February, is frighteningly real and said it was
'absolutely out of control'.
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Crisis: A Médecins Sans Frontières medic treats a
suspected Ebola patient in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, where a public
health emergency has been declared in an effort to stop the spread of
the disease
On high alert: The president of Sierra Leone
said the police and military would restrict movements to and from
epicentres and provide support to health workers to do their work
unhindered
The latest outbreak of Ebola is the most
severe since the disease was discovered in 1976. So far the disease has
spread from a village in Guinea to Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) said that 1,201 Ebola cases had been reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.Of the 672 deaths, the highest number was in Guinea with 319, followed by Sierra Leone with 224 and Liberia with 129, it added.
In a speech last night, Koroma said the measures would initially last between 60 and 90 days.
He
said: 'I hereby proclaim a State of Public Emergency to enable us take a
more robust approach to deal with the Ebola outbreak.
'All epicentres of the disease will be quarantined.'
Koroma
said that the police and the military would restrict movements to and
from epicenters and would provide support to health officers and NGOs to
do their work unhindered, following a number of attacks on
healthworkers by local communities.
Growing threat: President Ernest Bai Koroma said
the measures in Sierra Leone resembled a tough anti-Ebola package
announced by neighbouring Liberia
Grim task: Health workers carry the body of an
Ebola virus victim in Kenema, Sierra Leone, where 224 people have been
killed by disease
Fearing for their lives: Patients wait in a Red Cross ambulance outside a treatment centre in Sierra Leone
Medical
personnel at the Doctors Without Borders facility in Kailahun, Sierra
Leone, where leading Ebola doctor Sheik Humarr Khan died
He said that house-to-house searches would be implemented to trace Ebola victims and quarantine them.
'This
epidemic is unprecedented, absolutely out of control and the situation
can only get worse, because it is still spreading, above all in Liberia
and Sierra Leone, in some very important hotspots,' he said.
He
also said that new protocols had been established for passengers
arriving and departing Lungi International Airport outside Freetown, but
he did not provide further details.
Meanwhile, British airports and airlines were placed on high alert to prevent the virus reaching this country.
Passengers
thought to have the virus will be barred from boarding flights heading
to the UK – and will be held at immigration if they appear ill on
arrival.
They will then be quarantined in highly secure isolation units, such as those at the Royal Free Hospital in North London.
But because it takes up to three weeks for symptoms to appear, there are fears some victims will slip through the net.
Doctors
have been told to look out for symptoms of the disease and travellers
returning from West Africa are urged to seek immediate medical help if
they develop flu-like symptoms.
Experts predict 30,000 people could become
infected by the incurable illness, which starts with flu-like symptoms
before evolving to cause catastrophic internal bleeding, in Sierra Leone
and Liberia.
It was the death of a U.S. citizen in
the Nigerian capital of Lagos on Friday, that has prompted fears the
disease could be on the brink of spreading to the West.
MSF director Bart Janssens told the newspaper Libre Belgique that the world has 'never known such an epidemic'.
'We
are extremely worried by the turn of events, particularly in these two
countries where there is a lack of visibility on the epidemic.
'If the situation does not improve fairly quickly, there is a real risk of new countries being affected.
'That is certainly not ruled out, but it is difficult to predict, because we have never known such an epidemic.'
The
death toll for this, the worst outbreak recorded since the Ebola virus
was discovered in 1976, stands at 672, while more than 1,200 people have
been infected.
A
woman quarantined at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Hong Kong has
tested negative for the disease, despite returning from a trip to Kenya
with Ebola-like symptoms.
Meanwhile two suspected patients in the UK have also tested negative.
Nigerian
health officials are in the process of trying to trace 30,000 people,
believed to be at risk of contracting the highly-infectious virus,
following the death of Patrick Sawyer in Lagos
Outbreak: Samaritan's Purse medical staff spray disinfectant on a person who died from Ebola in Foya, Liberia
Ebola (above) has already killed 672
people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria and infected more
than 1,200 since it was first diagnosed in February. Symptoms include
sudden fever, vomiting and headaches
Foreign
Secretary Philip Hammond, who chaired a meeting of the Government’s
Cobra emergency committee on the outbreak yesterday, said Ebola was a
‘very serious threat’.
But
he sought to calm fears, saying it ‘most unlikely’ that Ebola could
spread within the UK because of ‘frankly different’ standards of
infection control here.
He said
the logical approach was to tackle the outbreak at its source in West
Africa, adding: ‘We do not, at the moment, think this is an issue that
affects the UK directly.’
Health
Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the NHS was looking at its capability and
taking ‘precautionary measures’ but he was ‘very confident’ it will be
able to cope if the disease arrived in the UK. In other developments:
- The Foreign Office said it had not advised against travel to affected areas, but it was monitoring the situation closely.
- Experts said the survival of anyone who catches the disease was ‘in the lap of the gods’.
- Public Health England said the outbreak was ‘clearly not yet under control’ and was the most ‘acute health emergency’ facing Britain.
- A charity warned that the outbreak was ‘speeding up rather than slowing down’ and the EU pledged £1.6million to stopping it spreading.
- There was speculation the RAF will be called to repatriate any infected Britons from West Africa.
Stopping virus in its tracks: British airports
like Gatwick (above) and airlines have been placed on high alert to
prevent the virus reaching this country
'IT SCARES THE JESUS OUTTA ME': OUTRAGE AS NIGERIAN 'NOLLYWOOD' STAR POSTS PICTURE WEARING EBOLA MASK AS HE FLEES LIBERIA
A Nigerian actor has sparked outrage after posting an image of himself wearing an Ebola mask while sitting in a first class airport lounge as he flees Liberia.
'Nollywood'
star Jim Iyke posted a message on his Instagram page saying he had cut
short a business trip to Monrovia in Liberia - where at least 600
people have already died from the disease.
The
image of Iyke sitting on green leather-clad seats in the airport's
luxury first class lounge while wearing an expensive designer watch and
sunglasses was accompanied with the caption: 'Not ashamed to admit this
scares the Jesus outta me #Ebola.'
Nigerian actor Jim Iyke posted this picture on
his Instagram account, revealing he had cut short a business trip to
Liberia over fears the Ebola virus is spreading in the West African
country
The
contrast between Iyke's image of first class luxury is in stark contrast
to the thousands of terrified Liberians who are living in fear of
contracting the deadly disease.
However,
much of the anger about his image stemmed from fear among Nigerian
citizens that Iyke appeared to be travelling back to the country without
having been tested to see if he was infected.
Twitter user @Avariberry posted a message reading: 'Jim Iyke or Not... he gotta be screened. #TestJimIyke.'
Meanwhile @IcallDibbz_ said: 'Please ooo, James Ikechukwu, aka Jim Iyke, should be quarantined.'
Others picked up on the fact Iyke had an expensive face mask to protect himself, but was wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt.
Health campaigners have petitioned U.S.
authorities, calling for the Food and Drug Administration to fast-track
their approval of a new Ebola drug, which could be the first cure for
the disease
Professor Peter Piot, the director of the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the virus, although
deadly, is 'in theory easy to contain'
British Airways flies daily to Lagos and also has regular flights to Freetown in Sierra Leone and Monrovia in Liberia.
Staff
at all airlines have the discretion to deny boarding. A BA spokesman
said: ‘The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our
top priority.
‘We will fully comply with the guidance provided by local health authorities and continue to monitor the situation closely.’
Virgin
Atlantic said its staff had been trained to spot symptoms, which range
from flu-like fever and malaise initially, to vomiting, diarrhoea and,
eventually, bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose and mouth.
It was
unclear last night to what extent the UK would follow the practice of
some countries and track down and quarantine all passengers on a plane
used by a suspected sufferer.
'Precautionary measures': Health Secretary
Jeremy Hunt is 'very confident' the NHS will be able to cope if Ebola
arrived in the UK
But
the tone of the latest official guidance suggested only those known to
be in close physical proximity – five rows of seats surrounding the
suspect – will be contacted for checks.
Dr
Brian McCloskey, director of global health at Public Health England,
insisted that airline passengers had little to fear, as direct contact
with bodily fluids is needed for the disease to spread.
But he admitted that ‘it is not impossible’ that someone who is infected could arrive in the UK before developing any symptoms.
Heathrow
Airport said it had a medical team on constant duty with the power to
detain, isolate or send to hospital people with suspicious symptoms.
Dr
Derek Gatherer, a Lancaster University expert on disease spread, said:
‘There is no treatment – nothing you can do yourself. It’s in the lap of
the gods if you’re lucky to be one of the few who survive.’
Dr Ben Neuman, a Reading University
virologist, said Ebola will come here eventually – but predicted it will
be caught and shut down by border staff.
The Foreign Office sought to play down
the likelihood of an outbreak in the UK, saying the Government ‘is
confident the UK has experienced people who are ready to deal with
anything if it were to arrive here’.
It
comes after Dr Derek Gatherer of the University of Lancaster declared
the panic sparked by Mr Sawyer's death is 'justified' says, claiming the
virus is as infectious as flu.
He warned each person infected with the disease could spread the virus to at least two other people.
'Anyone on the same plane could have become infected because
Ebola is easy to catch,' he said.
'It can be passed on through vomiting, diarrhoea
or even from simply saliva or sweat - as well as being sexually
transmitted.
'That is why
there is such alarm over Mr Sawyer because he became ill on the flight
so anyone else sharing the plane could have been infected by his vomit
or other bodily fluids.'
Meanwhile,
a Nigerian actor Jim Iyke has sparked outrage, posting a picture of
himself wearing an Ebola mask while sitting in a first class airport
lounge as he fled Liberia.
The
'Nollywood' star posted a message on his Instagram page saying he had
cut short a business trip to Monrovia in Liberia - where at least 600
people have already died from the disease.
It comes as health campaigners today called for
U.S. authorities to speed up their approval of a new drug hoped to be
the first cure for the deadly Ebola virus.
They are calling on the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States to fast-track their
authorisation of the TKM-Ebola drug.
The petition, created on change.org, states: 'One of the most promising is TKM-Ebola manufactured by Tekmira Pharmaceuticals.
'This
drug has been shown to be highly effective in killing the virus in
primates and Phase 1 clinical trials to assess its safety in humans were
started earlier this year.'
In
July the FDA put clinical trials on hold, despite the face 14 research
participants had already safely tolerated the drug, campaigners said.
Those
responsible for the petition added: 'Given that at least one patient
has transferred the disease from Liberia to Nigeria by air travel, the
possibility of a global pandemic becomes increasingly likely.
'In
view of this it’s imperative that the development of these drugs be
fast-tracked by the FDA and the first step should be releasing the hold
on TKM-Ebola.
'There
is a precedent for fast tracking anti-Ebola drugs in emergency cases as
happened last year when a researcher was exposed to the virus and
received an experimental vaccine.'
Mr
Sawyer was put in isolation at the First Consultants Hospital in
Obalende, one of the most crowded parts of the city, home to around 21
million people.
A number of patients have been discharged
from Ebola treatment centres in Guinea after successfully beating the
Ebola virus, says Médecins Sans Frontières
U.S. citizen Patrick Sawyer, pictured with
his daughter Ava, died on Friday in the Nigerian capital of Lagos
having become infected with the Ebola virus. His death prompted fears of
a global pandemic after he flew from Liberia to Nigeria
Decontee Sawyer, the wife of Liberian
government official Patrick Sawyer, said she shudders to think how
easily her husband could have returned to the U.S. carrying the disease
He took two flights to reach Lagos, from Monrovia to Lome and then onto the Nigerian capital.
So
far 59 people who came into contact with Mr Sawyer have been identified
by Nigerian health officials, and are under surveillance.
But health officials have said they are looking at contacting 30,000 people who could be at risk of contracting the disease.
Professor
Sunday Omilabu, from Lagos University Teaching Hospital, said health
officials are in the process of tracing all those people who are thought
to have been in contact with Mr Sawyer.
He said: 'We've been making contacts. We now have information about the (flight) manifest.
'We have information about who and who were around.
'So,
as I'm talking, our teams are in the facility, where they've trained
the staff, and then they (are) now asking questions about those that
were closely in contact with the patient.'
Public health adviser, Yewande Adeshina, added: 'We're actually looking at contacting over 30,000 people in this very scenario.
'Because any and everybody that has contacted this person is going to be treated as a suspect.'
Tragic: US citizen Patrick Sawyer (pictured with his wife Decontee) died after contracting Ebola in West Africa
The
meeting came as the European Union today allocated an extra two million
euros to help fight the Ebola outbreak, bringing total funding to 3.9
million euros.
EU
Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva, said: 'The level
of contamination on the ground is extremely worrying and we need to
scale up our action before many more lives are lost.'
The
European Union has deployed experts on the ground to help victims and
try to prevent contagion but Georgieva called for a 'sustained effort
from the international community to help West Africa deal with this
menace'.
British
airlines are on alert for cases of the deadly virus, after tests
revealed a man died in Nigeria from the disease, having been allowed to
board an international flight from Liberia.
Fears: Medical staff at Charing Cross
Hospital in London became concerned a man in his twenties had caught the
virus this week. However, his symptoms were later put down to another
bug and Ebola was ruled out
The
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has met global health
officials on implementing measures to halt the spread of the disease, as
the pan-African ASKY airlines suspended all flights to and from the
capitals of Liberia and Sierra Leone.
British Airways said it was maintaining its flights to west Africa but would monitor the situation closely.
A British man has also been tested for the Ebola virus, putting doctors on red alert that it could be on its way to the UK.
A
spokesman for Hong Kong's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, said the Centre for
Health Protection (CHP) will be notified if it is confirmed the patient
is suffering from the Ebola virus.
In
Nigeria health officials said today, they are in the process of tracing
30,000 people at risk of contracting the disease after coming into
contact with a Liberian man who died on Friday.
Meanwhile, the British man was taken to hospital in Birmingham after complaining of feeling
‘feverish’ on a flight back to the Midlands from West Africa.
He had been travelling from Benin, Nigeria via Paris, France when he became unwell on Monday.
However,
after undergoing a number of tests he was given the all-clear for the
virus which has already killed 672 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra
Leone and infected more than 1,200 since it was first diagnosed in
February.
In
another scare, medical staff at Charing Cross Hospital in London became
concerned a man in his twenties had caught the virus this week.
But his symptoms were quickly confirmed as not being linked to the bug and doctors ruled out the need for an Ebola test.
Fears over
the ability to contain the spread of Ebola were augmented last night as
it emerged the body of a young stowaway was found hidden in on a U.S.
military plane.
The
Pentagon said the young boy, believed to be of African origin, was
found near the wheel of a cargo plane which landed in Germany.
The
plane was on a routine mission in Africa, and had made stops in
Senegal, Mali, Chad, Tunisia and the Naval Air Station Sigonella in
Sicily before arriving at Ramstein.
It
is thought the boy climbed aboard in Mali, which borders Guinea - where
the current Ebola outbreak originated at the end of last year.
It
comes as hospitals and medical centres across the UK remain on red
alert for the virus, with doctors being told to look out for symptoms of
the disease which can go unnoticed for three weeks and kills 90 per
cent of victims.
The Department of Health confirmed protections have been put in place to deal with the deadly bug, should it spread to Britain.
A
spokesman said: ‘We are well prepared to identity and deal with any
potential cases of Ebola, although there has never been a case in this
country.’
The
Government’s chief scientific advisor also issued a frank warning about
the disease, which he said could have a ‘major impact’ on the UK.
Sir
Mark Walport said: ‘The UK is fortunate in its geographical position.
We’re an island. But we are living in a completely interconnected world
where disruptions in countries far away will have major impacts.
‘The
most dangerous infections of humans have always been those which have
emerged from other species,’ he told the Daily Telegraph, referring to
the virus originating in fruit bats and monkeys.
He
said the Government was ‘keeping a close eye’ on the outbreak and was
prepared for the disease spreading to Britain, but insisted any risk was
‘very low’.
He added: ‘We have to think about risk and managing risk appropriately.’
Public Health England has added to fears about the spread of the virus by saying it was ‘clearly not under control’.
Virus: Symptoms of Ebola include high fever, bleeding, damage to the nervous system and vomiting
Outbreak: There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola, which is spread by contact with infected blood or bodily fluids
The
Government agency’s global health director, Dr Brian McCloskey, said:
‘It is the largest outbreak of this disease to date, and it’s clear it
is not under control.
‘We
have alerted UK medical practitioners about the situation in West
Africa and requested they remain vigilant for unexplained illness in
those who have visited the affected area.’
The
current outbreak started in Guinea in February and spread to
neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone in weeks. Symptoms include high
fever, bleeding and damage to the nervous system.
There is no vaccine or cure. It is spread by contact with infected blood or other bodily fluids.
All
outbreaks since 1976 – when Ebola was first identified – have been in
Africa, with the previous highest death toll being 280.
However,
authorities around the world have been put on high alert in recent
weeks after an American doctor working in Liberia became infected and
passed through an airport.
Nigerian
health officials yesterday admitted they did not have a list of all the
people who came into contact Patrick Sawyer, prompting fears the
outbreak could spread.
But the manifesto appears to have been disclosed as Professor
Sunday Omilabu, from Lagos University Teaching Hospital, said health
officials are in the process of tracing all those people who are thought
to have been in contact with Mr Sawyer.
He said: 'We've been making contacts. We now have information about the (flight) manifest.
'We have information about who and who were around.
'So,
as I'm talking, our teams are in the facility, where they've trained
the staff, and then they (are) now asking questions about those that
were closely in contact with the patient.'
Public health adviser, Yewande Adeshina, added: 'We're actually looking at contacting over 30,000 people in this very scenario.
'Because any and everybody that has contacted this person is going to be treated as a suspect.'
Spreading: The outbreak has hit
Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and has now killed a man in far more
densely populated Nigeria. The outbreak is the deadliest ever of the
terrifying disease as the death toll crept past 670
Mr
Sawyer, a consultant for Liberia’s Finance Ministry, had been in
Liberia for the funeral of his sister, who also died from the disease,
and was on his way back to his home in the US.
The
40-year-old arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on July 20 and had suffered from
vomiting and diarrhoea on two flights. He was put in isolation in
hospital and died on Friday.
So
far 59 people who came into contact with him have been identified and
are under surveillance. But the airlines have yet to release flight
information naming passengers and crew members.
Dr
David Heymann, head of the Centre on Global Health Security, said every
person who had been on the plane to Lagos with Mr Sawyer would need to
be traced.
Sierra
Leone’s top doctor fighting Ebola died yesterday after he contracted
the virus just days ago. Sheik Umar Khan was credited with treating more
than 100 patients.
Liberia closed most of its border crossings on Sunday and Nigeria’s airports and borders have been on full alert since Friday.
ARE YOU AT RISK OF CATCHING THE INCURABLE, DEADLY EBOLA DISEASE?
What is Ebola virus disease?
Ebola
is a severe, often fatal illness, with a death rate of up to 90 per
cent.The illness affects humans as well as primates, including monkeys,
gorillas and chimpanzees.
How do people become infected with the virus?
How do people become infected with the virus?
Ebola is transmitted through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals.
In
Africa infection in humans has happened as a result of contact with
chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and
porcupines found ill or dead in the rainforest.
Once
a person becomes infected, the virus can spread through contact with a
sufferer's blood, urine, saliva, stools and semen. A person can also
become infected if broken skin comes into contact with a victim's soiled
clothing, bed linen or used needles.
Men
who have recovered from the disease, can still spread the virus to
their partner through their semen for seven weeks after recovery.
Who is most at risk?
Those at risk during an outbreak include:
- health workers
- family members or others in close contact with infected people
- mourners with direct contact with the bodies of deceased victims
- hunters in contact with dead animals
What are the typical signs and symptoms?
Sudden
onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore
throat. That is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney
and liver function and internal and external bleeding.
The incubation period is between two and 21 days. A person will become contagious once they start to show symptoms.
When should you seek medical care?
If
a person is in an area affected by the outbreak, or has been in contact
with a person known or suspected to have Ebola, they should seek
medical help immediately.
What is the treatment?
What is the treatment?
Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. They need intravenous fluids to rehydrate them.
But there is currently no specific treatment for the disease. Some patients will recover with the appropriate care.
Can Ebola be prevented?
Can Ebola be prevented?
Currently there is no licensed vaccine for Ebola. Several are being tested but are not available for clinical use.
Is it safe to travel to affected areas?
The
World Health Organisation reviews the public health situation
regularly, and recommends travel or trade restrictions if necessary. The
risk of infection for travellers is very low since person-to-person
transmission results from direct contact with bodily fluids of victims.
Source: World Health Organisation
Source: World Health Organisation
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