Sixteen are confirmed dead and thirty are in isolation in Kagadi hospital from the well-known and terrifying virus, Ebola.

Ebola is a viral infection related to HIV that is characterized by fever, body aches, rash, abdominal pain, and in most case violent hemorrhaging (bleeding from body openings). Similar to HIV, Ebola is spread only through contact with bodily fluids. Death rates from previous outbreaks range from 50-90% and there is no known cure or treatment except to treat the symptoms. Knowledge of the virus was made popular by the book The Hot Zone which was later the basis of the film ‘Outbreak.’

Ebola was originally discovered in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is named after the Ebola River. Five strains, all named for regions, are known to exist: Zaire, Sudan, Cote d’Ivoire, Bundibugyo, Reston. This latest outbreak is the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus.

This outbreak has been centered in the Western region of Uganda and began in the city of Kibaale, about 100 miles from the capital, Kampala. The origin of the virus is unknown although the Kibaale Forest has a high concentration of monkeys and birds that are known transmitters of the disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO), United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Doctors Without Borders, and the Ugandan government are all working tirelessly to contain this outbreak. So far only two cases have been found far away from the original outbreak zone, one infected person was 200 miles outside of Kampala and had traveled from the area.

The other suspected case was in Eldoret, a large town in the Rift Valley in Kenya. Health officials are working on tracking down all 232 people who have had contact with the thirty individuals in isolation at the hospital and the sixteen who died originally.

Olimpia de la Rosa, the emergency coordinator for Doctors without Borders stated, “Right now there is no treatment for Ebola, so the most effective measure we can take is to contain the spread of the disease. That is why we need to start working immediately. Other cases need to be rapidly identified because containment is what can stop it.”

The thirty in isolation are currently only suspected to have the Ebola virus, although according to Dr. Dan Kyamanywa, at least three have been officially confirmed as having the virus.

Five of the thirty are prisoners from Kibaale prison and are showing the signs of vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. The rest of the cases will be verified when the blood samples return from the CDC labs in the US or the lab in Kampala (the only lab in Uganda capable of performing the analysis). Those with the virus – or just suspected to have it – are put in isolation and the medical personnel must wear many layers of protective gear.

Dr. Kyamanywa stated, “We do expect the number of suspected cases to increase. It’s important to break transmission and reduce the number of contacts that suspected cases have.”

According to the Ugandan Health Minister, Dr. Christine Ondoa, the outbreak initially went undetected because the patients only exhibited signs of fever and vomiting but no hemorrhaging, the most obvious symptom of the disease. The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, has asked Ugandans to refrain from handshaking, kissing, using public transport, having casual sex, and do-it-yourself burials.

The Ugandan government has also suffered from a lack of supplies. According to health official Stephen Mfashingabo, “There was no money from the Health Ministry to fund activities since this outbreak was confirmed and there was also no food.”

Many Ugandans are terrified about the outbreak. In 2000 another Ebola outbreak occurred, infecting 425 and killing more than half. Market day on Wednesday, August 1 was cancelled and many residents in Uganda are scared to go shopping, visit churches and mosques, or travel. Tumusiime Jamilo, a reporter for a local Ugandan station reported, “Fears of catching Ebola have twisted people’s lives. They can’t go to the markets to buy things, [others can’t] sell their products and that’s hitting their pockets.”

The thirty in the hospital twelve were admitted very recently. It is still unknown how effective the prevention methods have been.

Image Courtesy of  uusc4all

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Geneva, Switzerland — One year after South Sudan declared independence, many humanitarian needs remain unmet. Communities lack access to basic health-care services. The situation is particularly difficult in northern regions close to the border with Sudan. Recent fighting in this area has had a direct impact on the availability and price of food, contributing to an increase in child deaths from malnutrition.

“In Malakal Teaching Hospital, there has been a dramatic rise in child malnutrition admissions over the past three months, since fighting escalated,” said Melker Mabeck, the head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in South Sudan. “Children are also arriving in a much worse condition.”

People in South Sudan have very poor access to health care. There is a shortage of facilities and skilled health workers and a limited supply of drugs and equipment. According to the Ministry of Health, South Sudan has about 120 medical doctors and just over 100 registered nurses for an estimated population of nearly nine million people.

This falls far below the doctor-patient ratio in neighbouring Kenya, for instance, where there are 14 doctors per 100,000 people, 10 times the ratio of South Sudan, according to World Health Organization statistics from 2006. Vulnerable groups like women, children, and the wounded are particularly at risk. South Sudan has the highest maternal mortality rate in the world.

In addition, the country is prone to diseases, with meningitis, measles, yellow fever, and whooping cough endemic in many areas. Preventable diseases such as malaria and acute respiratory infections are the leading causes of ill health. River blindness, sleeping sickness, and cholera are also common.

Another issue is the estimated 50,000 people in the country with physical disabilities, which are often due to injuries sustained in connection with the armed conflict. Landmines, already common in the pre-independence armed conflict between the north and the south, are still used today.

Together with the South Sudanese government, the ICRC manages a physical rehabilitation centre in Juba, the only one of its kind in the country. “A significant proportion of amputees are victims of landmines or unexploded ordnance left behind after clashes,” said Gerd Van de Velde, an ICRC project manager at the centre. “The rehabilitation work we do here gives these people a chance to rebuild a productive life.”

The ICRC also provides support for health-care facilities, such as Malakal Teaching Hospital. As the only referral hospital for Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile states, the hospital has a vast catchment area of approximately three million inhabitants. Landmines are an issue in the area, much of which is almost entirely cut off during the rainy season that has just started. An ICRC medical team based in the hospital provides paediatric and physiotherapy along with trauma and emergency surgical care. It also delivers on-the-job training for hospital staff.

The ICRC’s operations in southern Sudan began in 1986. The organization set up a delegation in South Sudan’s biggest city, Juba, when the country became independent on 9 July 2011. The ICRC also has two sub-delegations in the new country, in Malakal and Wau. In South Sudan, the ICRC works to prevent violations of international humanitarian law and helps conflict-affected communities to survive and become self-sufficient.

A three-part series showing the struggle for health care in South Sudan released on Eurovision News Feeds and on www.icrcvideonewsroom.org:

South Sudan: facts and figures

Between July 2011 and June 2012:

● the ICRC surgical team in Malakal Teaching Hospital performed emergency surgery on more than 750 patients. Over half of the patients suffered from weapon-related injuries;

● 450 people wounded during clashes were treated using medical supplies and drugs donated by the ICRC to 10 hospitals and several first-aid posts;

● over 2,000 physically disabled people received treatment through ICRC-supported physical rehabilitation services. More than 400 artificial limbs were fitted for amputees, while hundreds of orthotic devices, wheelchairs, and crutches and sticks were also delivered. Just over 1,000 patients also benefited from physical therapy services. Approximately 30 per cent of the amputees to whom the ICRC has delivered artificial limbs since 2008 were victims of landmine accidents.

Image Courtesy of   United Nations Photo

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