Huge Drop in Ebola Bodies Across Monrovia
News24.com
2014-10-28 16:26
Monrovia - The Red Cross said on Tuesday the weekly total of Ebola victims collected by its body disposal teams around the Liberian capital is falling dramatically, indicating a sharp drop in the spread of the epidemic.
The announcement appears at odds with an assessment by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which said last week transmission “remains intense” in the capitals of Liberia and neighbouring Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Fayah Tamba, head of the Liberian Red Cross, said his workers collected 117 bodies last week from Montserrado County, which includes Monrovia, a drop of almost two-thirds from the high of 315 from 15 to 21 September.
“I am sure you don’t need a rocket scientist to tell you that the cases are dropping”, he told private radio station Sky FM.
“What does this mean for us? It is very important, for all of us, that while it is true that these numbers are reducing, we want to use this time to call on every one of us to remain very engaged because Ebola is still in Liberia.
“We should not be complacent too early and start to celebrate because we still have this enemy in our corridors.”
Tamba gave week-by-week figures for collections which rise quickly from 60 on 3 August, but the weeks after the September peak show a consistent decline.
His conclusions jar with the WHO’s update on the crisis on 22 October, which reported that case numbers “continue to be under-reported, especially from the Liberian capital Monrovia”.
Liberia has been worst hit by the outbreak, with 4 665 recorded cases and 2 705 deaths, according to the WHO, relying on figures however which are now 10 days out-of-date.
Liberia confirmed its first two Ebola cases at the end of March, but the outbreak was largely confined to the northern area bordering Guinea during the first few months of the crisis, until an explosion of cases in and around Monrovia.
Montserrado County, which accounts for more than a quarter of Liberia’s population of around four million, now sees the vast majority of new cases and deaths.
obile app helps track Ebola epidemic
Fromnews24.com
2014-10-27 20:03
Nairobi - A new mobile telephone-based mapping service has been created in a bid to track Ebola and better help communities hit by the virus in west Africa, developers said Monday.
The system, a collaboration between IBM, mobile telephone companies and academics, allows people in affected areas to send free text messages about Ebola to track problems and trends, with the program mapping the exact location from where it is sent.
“It has already brought to light specific regions with growing numbers of suspected Ebola cases which require urgent supplies like soap and electricity, as well as faster response times for body collection and burials,” IBM said.
The company claims it can create a range of maps to track needs and problems, to better allow health workers and governments tackle them.
“We saw the need to quickly develop a system to enable communities directly affected by Ebola to provide valuable insight about how to fight it,” IBM Research Africa’s chief scientist Uyi Stewart said in a statement.
“Using mobile technology, we have given them a voice and a channel to communicate their experiences directly,” Stewart said.
More than 10 000 people have contracted the deadly virus in west Africa, according to the latest World Health Organisation figures.
By using technology to engage directly with the people and communities in Sierra Leone who are directly impacted by Ebola, IBM is tapping one of the most powerful resources for fighting it.
Wonder if the locals have availed themselves of the anti-HIV meds that may work.
I hope this phenomenon is indicative of Ebola burning out but how many times have we seen reports like this that turn out to be either blatantly wrong or due to unseen factors like failure to report? I really hope it’s true but I’m skeptical.