May 2017. Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention activates the Emergency Operational Centre to monitor the Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo

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BEMA International

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention activates the Emergency Operational Centre to monitor the Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo Team of experts on standby for deployment to respond to the emergency Addis Ababa, 14 May 2017- The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday activated the Emergency Operational Centre to monitor the Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and developed a concept of operations for the emergency. ‘The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has activated its Emergency Operation Centre to closely monitor the situation. A team of experts is on standby for deployment to respond to the emergency based on the needs on the ground as we work on the modalities with the government authorities in the DRC and coordinate with the WHO and partners’ said Dr. John Nkengasong, the Director of the Africa CDC. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Surveillance and Response Unit is an Africa wide mechanism to monitor disease outbreaks on the continent. Since 22 April 2017 the ministry of health of the DRC reported 11 suspected Ebola cases in the Likati health zone, Bas Uele Province in the north, bordering the Central Africa Republic. The National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa on 11 May 2017 confirmed one positive case among the five samples collected. The first suspected case is of a 39-year-old male who presented onset symptoms on 22 April 2017 and died on arrival at a health facility. The DRC has reactivated the inter-agency national committee against Ebola that is meeting every day to coordinate the response. Strengthening of surveillance and investigation including contact tracing are ongoing. The DRC has experienced Ebola outbreaks since 1976. The previously reported outbreaks in the DRC include in 2014 where 66 cases of Ebola including 49 deaths occurred in the Equateur province; 2012 where 36 cases including 13 deaths were reported in Orientale province; 2008 to 2009 were 32 cases including 15 deaths were reported in Kasai; 2007 where 264 cases including 187 deaths were reported in Kasai; 1995 were 315 cases and 250 deaths occurred in Kikwit and in 1976 where 318 cases including 280 deaths were reported in Yambuku. The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) epidemic poses a public health emergency that can affect the whole world and affect the socio-economic and structural transformation of Africa. The first human outbreaks occurred in 1976 in northern DRC in Central Africa, then in South Sudan and recently in 2014 Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea faced the most acute Ebola epidemic. Worldwide, more than 28,600 people were infected and 11,300 died. The countries at the epicentre of the epidemic then have all been Ebola-free since at least June of last year. The virus is named after the Ebola River, where the virus was first recognized in 1976, according to the United States Center for Diseases Control (CDC). Humans can be infected by other humans if they come in contact with body fluids from an infected person or contaminated objects from infected persons. Humans can also be exposed to the virus, for example, by butchering infected animals. About the Africa CDC The Africa CDC supports all African Countries to improve surveillance, emergency response, and prevention of infectious diseases. This includes addressing outbreaks, man-made and natural disasters, and public health events of regional and international concern. It further seeks to build the capacity to reduce disease burden on the continent. For media inquiries: Tawanda Chisango | Advocacy and Partnerships Expert | Department of Social Affairs | African Union Commission I E-mail: chisangot@african-union.org I Tel: +251934167052 More information: Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia Follow us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AfricanUnion YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUCommission Learn more at: http://www.au.int You are receiving this message because you are a member of the community Africa Centres for Disease Prevention and Control.

Happy Mothers Day. Sunday, May 14, 2017

Globally Happy Mothers Day to all mothers.

Throughout the world you, and our children are the most vulnerable individuals, and the most precious that deserve our endless protection.

Thank you for being the caring, loving, and nurturing portion of our lives.

Black Emergency Managers Association International

Hepatitis Awareness Month and Testing Day — May 2017

May 19th is National Hepatitis Testing Day in the United States to emphasize the importance of testing persons at risk for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, most of whom are unaware of their infection status. Recognizing the effectiveness of testing and other preventive and treatment measures, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine recently set goals for the elimination of HBV and HCV as public health threats in the United States.*

HCV is the most common form of viral hepatitis in the United States and in 2013, accounted for approximately 19,000 deaths per year, a number that was greater than that of 60 other nationally notifiable infectious diseases combined (1). During 2010–2015, HCV incidence increased by 294% with the highest rates among young persons who inject drugs (PWID).†

This issue of MMWR includes two reports describing trends in HCV incidence and the availability of HCV prevention and treatment services that stop transmission. In the first report, only three states had comprehensive laws providing full access to HCV preventive and treatment services for PWID. The second report estimates rates of HCV infection among pregnant women in the United States and Tennessee; in the United States, HCV rates nearly doubled during 2009–2014, and in Tennessee, the rate in 2014 was approximately three times the national rate. Data from both reports emphasize the importance of viral hepatitis surveillance to identify communities at risk for HCV and public health policies that make available interventions that prevent HCV transmission and disease.

* http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/reports/2017/national-strategy-for-the-elimination-of-hepatitis-b-and-c.aspx.

† https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/statistics/index.htm.

Reference
1. Ly KN, Hughes EM, Jiles RB, Holmberg SD. Rising mortality associated with hepatitis C virus in the United States, 2003–2013. Clin Infect Dis 2016;62:1287–8. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciw111

Hepatitis C cases in the US jumped by nearly 300% between 2010 and 2015

May 12, 2017

GHN News & Exclusive iStock Deadly Consequences Hepatitis C cases in the US jumped by nearly 300% between 2010 and 2015—likely fueled by the use of injected drugs like heroin, the CDC reported yesterday. Despite the fact that more than 90% of hepatitis C cases are curable, 19,000 people still died in 2013, and the CDC researchers said that the disease is associated with more deaths in the US than 60 other infectious diseases combined. The researchers held up efforts to boost access to clean needles as one of the best ways to fight the disease’s spread.

May 2017. Urban disasters highlight need for resilience in Africa

Urban disasters highlight need for resilience in Africa





Rescuers work at the scene of the rubbish dump landslide in Addis Ababa (Photo: AP/Mulugeta Ayene)
 
By Evelyne Karanja

NAIROBI, 10 May 2017 – Rising disasters in Africa’s cities and their links with poverty and rapid, unplanned urbanisation are ever more apparent from tragedies such as the recent rubbish dump landslide in Addis Ababa, which killed at least 113 people.
Tackling urban risk will be a key issue when governments and a broad range of other stakeholders, including businesses and tech experts, meet in two weeks’ time in Mexico for the 2017 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Read more: http://www.unisdr.org/archive/53015



UNISDR Communications
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR)
Geneva, Switzerland
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