KASAI-(MaraviPost)-The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing a new Ebola outbreak that has already claimed at least 15 lives including four health workers. This has sparked fear of a potential health crisis in the region.
This is the 16th time the deadly virus has resurfaced in the country, making DRC one of the most Ebola affected nations globally.
The outbreak has been detected in the Kasai region where the Ministry of Health has reported 28 suspected cases. Authorities are now conducting investigations and testing to confirm the spread.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially confirmed the outbreak and raised concerns that the number of cases and deaths could rise rapidly if urgent action is not taken.
Four of the 15 deaths were frontline health workers underlining the dangers faced by medical staff as they battle the highly infectious virus.
WHO says it is working closely with the DRC government to deploy emergency response teams. These teams will focus on treatment, health worker protection and launching public awareness campaigns to educate communities about prevention.
This latest Ebola outbreak comes just three years after the last one which claimed six lives in the DRC.
Between 2018 and 2020, the country faced one of the deadliest Ebola outbreaks in its history which killed more than 2,000 people and strained the nation’s fragile healthcare system.
Ebola was first identified in 1976 near the Ebola River in the DRC. The virus is known for its rapid spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or animals.
Common symptoms of Ebola include high fever, severe headache, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and in advanced cases, internal and external bleeding.
Authorities have urged residents in Kasai and surrounding areas to remain vigilant and to report suspected cases immediately as health officials intensify containment efforts.
The Ministry of Health has initiated a process of requesting the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the Mpox vaccine following the confirmation of two cases of the virus in Malawi.
According to Adrian Chikumbe, Ministry of Health Spokesperson, with the confirmation of the outbreak, Malawi now qualifies to request vaccine aid from the WHO.
The confirmation of the Mpox cases in Malawi has raised concerns among health experts and the general public. Mpox is a viral disease that can be transmitted through close skin-to-skin contact with an infected person.
The WHO has declared Mpox a public health emergency of international concern due to its spread across various countries.
Public health expert Dr. Save Kumwenda has called for more awareness about the outbreak as the country awaits the vaccine. Dr. Kumwenda’s call for awareness is crucial in preventing the spread of the virus.
By educating the public about Mpox transmission, symptoms, and prevention strategies, individuals can take necessary precautions to protect themselves and their loved ones.
The Ministry of Health’s decision to request the Mpox vaccine from the WHO demonstrates the government’s commitment to addressing the outbreak.
The vaccine is expected to play a critical role in preventing the spread of the virus and protecting vulnerable populations.
Mpox is a significant public health concern, and the WHO’s declaration of it as a public health emergency of international concern highlights the need for a coordinated global response.
The organization’s guidelines and recommendations will be crucial in informing Malawi’s response to the outbreak.
The request for the Mpox vaccine is a proactive step by the Ministry of Health, and it is expected that the vaccine will be distributed to priority groups, such as healthcare workers and individuals at high risk of exposure.
The Ministry of Health will need to develop a comprehensive plan for vaccine rollout, including strategies for distribution, administration, and monitoring.
As Malawi awaits the arrival of the Mpox vaccine, it is essential that the public remains informed and vigilant.
By working together, individuals can help prevent the spread of the virus and mitigate the impact of the outbreak.
The government’s efforts to address the Mpox outbreak demonstrate its commitment to protecting the health and well-being of its citizens.
The Ministry of Health’s request for the vaccine is a critical step in this process, and it is expected that the vaccine will play a key role in controlling the outbreak.
The confirmation of Mpox cases in Malawi has raised concerns among health experts and the general public.
The Ministry of Health’s decision to request the Mpox vaccine from the WHO is a proactive step, and it is expected that the vaccine will be distributed to priority groups.
By working together and staying informed, individuals can help prevent the spread of the virus and mitigate the impact of the outbreak.
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The World Health Organisation (WHO) in conjunction with the Ministry of Health (MOH) has trained 70 Malawian emergency responders ahead of eventualities who are ready to serve locally and internationally
The 70 emergency responders dubbed as avochsurge2023 are geared to respond to health emergencies within 24 to 48 hours.
The training is WHO’s priority activity in the two-year Emergency Preparedness and Response Flagship initiative which aims to train 200 emergency responders.
During the closing and awarding of certificates to AVoHC-SURGE emergency responders on Thursday, November 23, 2023, at Mponera, WHO Malawi Country Representative Dr Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo acknowledged their hard work and emphasized collaborated efforts for effective response.
Kimambo said, “Health emergencies transcend borders, regional security aims to prepare teams for local emergencies & foster collaboration with neighboring countries”.
In his remarks, Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DOMA) Director of Disaster Preparedness & Response, Reverend Moses Chimphepo said the intervention answers DODMA’s need for increased capacity for emergency response as recommended by Cyclone Freddy action review.
Chimphepo said Malawi needs an all-in-one emergency response system that cuts across all sectors.
In his closing remarks, MOH’s Malawi Principal Secretary Benson Chisamile says the training is timely for Malawi.
Chisamile said, “The country has experienced a series of public health emergencies including Cyclone Freddy and the recent Cholera outbreak. This milestone strengthens Malawi’s response capacities.”
Graduation of AVoHC-SURGE emergency responders also included the signing of a Memorandum Of Understanding (MoU)between WHO Malawi and the Ministry Of Health.
In the MoU, Malawi which gives guidance on how the parties will collaborate to push the Emergency Preparedness & Response agenda in the 2-year Flagship initiative roadmap and beyond.
LILONGWE (MaraviPost)-Malawi has been awarded for elimination of Lymphatic Flariasis dubbed as Elephantiasis through Mectinaz donation program which was validated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in February 2020.
Presenting the award on Tuesday, October 12, 2022 in the capital Lilongwe, Mectizan Donation Program’s Director Dr. Yao Sodallon said Malawi is the second country to eliminate the disease.
Sodallon said Global Fund awarded Malawi for the elimination of elephantiasis.
Receiving Elephantiasis Elimination Award, Deputy minister of Health, Enock Phale said the disease was a major public health problem in Malawi.
“With seropositivity rate ranging from 1% to as high as 74%. It took six successive years of Mass Drug Administration using a combination of ivermectin and albendazole to reduce the prevalence to less than 1%,” said Phale.
He said indebted to international partners who provided medicine to the country by free of charge.
Phale added that there was full technical and financial support throughout the time of implementation.
“After interrupting transmission, the focus of the program is on morbidity management and disability prevention through hydrocele surgeries and training of lymphoedema patients on self-care,” adds Phale.
He said the focus of the program is on morbidity management and disability prevention through hydrocele surgeries and training of lymphoedema patients on self-care towards post elimination.
Coronavirus – Malawi: COVID-19 update and unnecessary deaths
SHOBHA SHUKLA, BOBBY RAMAKANT – CNS
Global health thought leader Dr Tim France rightly tweeted, “Here is the WHO stating explicitly what most people I know are saying to one another privately: Is not it really risky to lift all COVID-19 related measures now, with the virus still circulating in high levels? Clearly, in these global experts’ minds, the answer is an emphatic yes.”
He was referring to the World Health Organisation (WHO) which has warned “Some countries are lifting all public health and social measures despite high numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths.” WHO experts have instead called for a slow approach.
While several countries are relaxing COVID-19 prevention and control measures, the weekly number of deaths have been increasing week after week in 2022. As per the latest epidemiological update of WHO, there were more than 75,000 deaths worldwide due to COVID-19 in the second week of February 2022- almost double of the weekly deaths at the start of 2022.
According to the WHO, 41000 people had died due to COVID-19 in the first week of January 2022, 43000 in the second week, 45000 in the third week, 50000 in the fourth week, and 59000 by the last week. Over 68000 people died due to COVID-19 in first week of February 2022, and 75000 in the second week.
The number of new weekly deaths in the second week of February 2022 had increased in four out of six WHO geographic regions: 38% increase in Eastern Mediterranean, 27% rise in Western Pacific, 14% rise in Africa, and 5% rise in the Americas. Europe reported similar number of deaths as the first week of February whereas southeast Asia reported a decline of 9%.
Let us also have a look at those countries that recorded most deaths (over 1000) in the last seven days (in descending order): US, Brazil, Russia, India, Italy, France, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Germany, Colombia, Japan, UK, Iran, and South Africa.
Is it true? #EveryLifeMatters
Even one untimely death is a death too many. We have no excuse today after more than a year of vaccination against COVID-19 that is proven to reduce the risk of serious outcomes of the disease, deaths, as well as the risk of suffering from long-COVID.
More disturbing is that our worst fears about the official count of COVID-19 deaths and new cases being gross underestimates may be coming true. For example, India’s official death toll is over half a million deaths due to COVID-19 but a study published in the Science journal estimated that this could be six times more at 3.2 million – which is more than half of all the total deaths worldwide due to COVID-19 as of now (5.8 million).
The number of new COVID-19 infections too have not declined to let go off the guard so quick: Just two-three weeks ago, the world recorded the highest-ever weekly number of new infections – 22 million. Last week in February 2022, we had over 16 million new cases worldwide. This is by no means a small number, rather it warrants continued thrust on preventing infection transmission as well as equitable vaccination and other rights-based social and public health measures. Moreover, let us remember that COVID-19 testing has dipped in several countries. So the actual number of new infections could be much higher.
Agrees WHO’s Dr Maria Van Kerkhove: “I think we need to be careful about interpreting too much of this downward trend. Certainly, that is in the right direction, but it is likely that there is a large number of cases that we are missing. The bigger concern right now, I think, is the still increasing number of deaths. It is the sixth week in a row that we are seeing reports of increasing deaths from COVID-19.”
She added: “Increasing deaths for six weeks in a row is not the situation we should be in right now… many countries have really dropped testing. So, we are concerned that there still is too much (virus) circulation that is happening at quite an intense level and if you have huge numbers of cases, like we are seeing, the opportunities for even more variants are higher. This is quite concerning to us.”
Alerting those who are trying to do away with infection prevention a bit too soon, Dr Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Global Health Emergencies Programme, said “The virus would not disappear – that opportunity is not there. We are trying to end the public health emergency associated with that virus and getting to a point where enough people are protected by full vaccination, strong clinical management, and other social and public health measures”.
Failing to prevent infection transmission or to vaccinate equitably will continue to cause unnecessary human suffering and avoidable deaths. This can never be acceptable in any sane society, so do we believe, said CNS (Citizen News Service) patron Dr Sandeep Pandey.
Know your risk, lower your risk
“We have always said: know your risk, lower your risk. So, avoiding infection as best we can and, at the same time, getting vaccinated” reemphasized Dr Michael Ryan.
Masks work (to reduce infection spread) if three-layered masks are worn properly. Hand hygiene, maintaining physical distancing and other public and social measures as required are important too. We all need to lower our risk of getting infected. Just like we cycle cautiously on the road for our and everyone else’s safety, we need to be more proactive in knowing our risks of getting infected, and do our two bits to lower it.
“Masks are a tool, vaccines are a tool, distancing, hand hygiene, all of that is a tool but information is one of the most critical pieces of power that you can have to keep you safe” rightly said Dr Ryan.
Is it economy versus public health?
We all saw how the pandemic brought the global economy to a screeching halt. If we continue to pitch economy against health or climate, then we will do ‘more of the same’ blunders that forced us into humanitarian crises and emergencies like the pandemic. It is high time governments at every level walk the talk on tall promises of integrated development ‘where no one is left behind.’ Because my health security depends on the health security of everyone else on the planet and so do my economic security, social security, and human rights for a life with dignity.
Shobha Shukla, Bobby Ramakant – CNS (Citizen News Service)
(Shobha Shukla and Bobby Ramakant lead the editorial team at CNS (Citizen News Service). Follow them on Twitter @Shobha1Shukla and @BobbyRamakant)
LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The World Health Organisation (WHO) this week declared Malawi free from Cholera, the disease that has been ransacking the nation severely for the past months.
However, the government officials still warning against relaxing on personal and food hygiene.
This comes as no any case of cholera has been reported for the past weeks across the nation.
Health ministry spokesman Joshua Malango told The Maravi Post that the last district to record cholera cases is Lilongwe.
Malango however said that Malawians should continue observing high degree of personal and food hygiene including good sanitation and drinking safe water to avert a recurrence of the fast killer disease.
“This is because Malawi has met the global guidelines of not recording cholera cases for a period of 14 days. Malawi has not recorded any cholera case for three weeks now,” he said.
Cholera has killed 3 people and affected 900 more since the onset of the rains last year.
The ministry has been administering cholera vaccine in some parts of the country to eradicate the further spread of the disease.
CHESHIRE-(MaraviPost)-More than 120 cases of measles have now been confirmed in outbreaks affecting five areas of England.
The cases are linked to “ongoing large outbreaks” in Europe, Public Health England (PHE) said.
The most recent updates show that, as of January 9, West Yorkshire had 34 confirmed cases, Cheshire and Liverpool had 29, there were 32 in the West Midlands, 20 in Surrey and seven in Greater Manchester.
The health body previously warned that those who recently traveled or were going to travel to Romania, Italy and Germany without receiving two doses of the MMR vaccine are particularly at risk.
Measles is a highly infectious viral disease which typically lasts up to 10 days and begins with cold-like symptoms and a measles rash. It can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia.
Thirty four cases of the measles virus has been found in West Yorkshire, Cheshire and Liverpool had 29, there were 32 in the West Midlands, 20 in Surrey and seven in Greater Manchester.
PHE said the overall risk of measles is low, as the UK achieved World Health Organisation (WHO) elimination status in 2016, alongside Denmark and Spain.
This means the number of cases in the UK across a period of at least three years was low enough to prevent the disease spreading among the general population.
The MMR vaccine is a combined inoculation which protects against measles, mumps and rubella and is available to all adults and children who have not completed the course.
The full course requires two doses and anyone who is unsure of their vaccination status is encouraged to check with their GP.
Measles is a highly infectious viral disease which typically lasts up to 10 days and begins with cold-like symptoms and a measles rash. It can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia (stock image used).
Dr Mary Ramsay, head of immunisation at PHE, said: “This serves as an important reminder for parents to take up the offer of MMR vaccination for their children at one year of age and as a pre-school booster at three years and four months of age.
“Children and young adults who missed out on their MMR vaccine in the past or are unsure if they had two doses should contact their GP practice to catch up.
“We’d also encourage people to ensure they are up to date with their MMR vaccine before traveling to countries with ongoing measles outbreaks.”
The MMR vaccine is a combined inoculation which protects against measles, mumps and rubella and is available to all adults and children who have not completed the course.
She added: “The UK recently achieved WHO measles elimination status and so the overall risk of measles to the UK population is low, however due to ongoing measles outbreaks in Europe, we will continue to see cases in unimmunised individuals and limited onward spread can occur in communities with low MMR coverage and in age groups with very close mixing.”
PHE said local health protection teams were working with councils and the NHS to raise awareness among communities and health professionals.
The NHS advises anyone who suspects they, or their child, might have measles to contact their GP.
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