UK Health Radio Medical News Update - Ebola

UK Health Radio Medical News Update

Ebola

In news about the Ebola outbreak the BBC report that the president of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan has declared the outbreak of the deadly disease "a national emergency" and approved the spending of more than £6.5m to help contain it’s spread.

The move comes after the World Health Organization declared the spread of the virus in West Africa an international health emergency.  There have been a confirmed 961 deaths from the virus so far in West Africa this year, with two of the cases having been in Nigeria. The total number of cases over all time stands at 1,779.

In a statement, President Jonathan called on Nigerians to report any suspected Ebola cases to the nearest medical authorities and asked the public not to spread false information about Ebola to avoid mass hysteria.

Nigeria became the fourth West African country involved in the outbreak when a dual US-Liberian citizen infected with Ebola arrived in Lagos. He died five days later and eight people who had come into contact with him were also later diagnosed with Ebola. One of them, a nurse, died on Tuesday.

US health authorities have reported that they will be sending extra personnel and resources to Nigeria. "We are starting to ramp up our staffing in Lagos," US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesman Tom Skinner told news agencies. “We are really concerned about Lagos and the potential for spread there, given the fact that Lagos - and Nigeria for that matter - has not previously had Ebola."

International companies are also taking protective measures and the world's largest steelmaker has begun evacuating some workers at Liberian iron ore mines.

Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have already declared varying levels of emergency over the spread of the virus while the World Health Organization said on Friday that 68 new cases and 29 deaths had been reported over only two days.

There have been 26 new cases in Sierra Leone and 38 in Liberia, but no new cases in Guinea, where the outbreak began.

"The possible consequences of further international spread are particularly serious in view of the virulence of the virus," The World Health Organization said after a meeting on Friday.

Two US citizens infected with Ebola while working in West Africa are currently being treated at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

Dr Kent Brantly said in a statement on Friday that he was getting better every day. The husband of aid worker Nancy Writebol said she also appears to be improving.

Both have been treated with an experimental drug.

Amanda Thomas

UK Health Radio – Medical News Update

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