H5N1

MSF: Urgent humanitarian response needed to unprecedented crises in northeast DR Congo

MSF.org has published Urgent humanitarian response needed to unprecedented crises in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo.

KISANGANI/GENEVA – Multiple humanitarian crises are unfolding in Ituri province, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and hundreds of thousands of people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). 

The recent upsurge in violence across the regions of Djugu, Mahagi and Irumu have forced thousands to flee their homes. Despite MSF’s repeated calls on international aid organisations to scale up humanitarian aid, the majority of the displaced still haven’t received even the most basic assistance.

“Unfortunately, this is not the first time there are important humanitarian needs in the country,” explains Dr Moussa Ousman, MSF Head of Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “This time we are seeing not only mass displacement due to violence but also a rapidly spreading measles outbreak and an Ebola epidemic that shows no signs of slowing down, all at the same time. This is unprecedented.”

Intercommunal violence has been increasing in Ituri since December 2017, and the large majority of people displaced as a result have been in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, some for more than a year. Since October 2018, MSF has conducted three mortality surveys in the locations of Drodro, Nizi and Angumu. All showed that the mortality rates in these communities were far above emergency levels. 

“Our surveys show that people are mainly dying from preventable diseases such as malaria, measles and diarrhoea,” says Dr Ousman. “That is very worrying. Especially as it has not yet been possible to vaccinate against measles because of the ongoing Ebola outbreak, and the fear of Ebola further spreading. Together with the ministry of health, we are looking at what innovative strategies we can implement given the circumstances, but more help is urgently needed here to prevent more deaths.”

MSF is supporting the local ministry of health to provide medical care and respond to the most acute needs of the displaced in Drodro, Nizi and Bunia. Our teams are also providing clean water, distributing relief items and constructing showers and latrines. Nevertheless, the most urgent needs of thousands of families remain unmet. 

MSF urges for an immediate scale up of long-term humanitarian assistance, to prevent the loss of more lives and to ensure decent living conditions for all those who have been forced to flee.

Canada: More on the Richmond hotel norovirus outbreak

Via CBC News: 80 fall ill in norovirus outbreak at Richmond hotel. Excerpt:

A Sheraton Hotel in Richmond, B.C., and two associated restaurants have been shut down after 80 people became sick with norovirus over the weekend.  

According to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), about 40 staff members and 40 guests have been affected by the illness. Cavu Kitchen Bar at the Hilton Vancouver Airport Hotel has also been closed in connection with the outbreak.  

Currently, no one is allowed to stay at the Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel on Westminster Highway until the facility has been thoroughly cleaned. 

"It's quite significant to shut down an entire hotel and especially at that size," said Claudia Kurzac, VCH's manager for environmental health.  

"Given the numbers of people potentially exposed and that were ill, I think that was probably the best course of action to take."  

A large conference of 500 people that began last Friday was being held at the Sheraton Hotel, according to Kurzac. VCH received a call during its off hours the next day about a problem at the hotel.  

An inspector was sent out that afternoon.

Until the facility has been thoroughly cleaned, the hotel is now closed, along with two restaurants inside, a Starbucks and Harold's Bistro,  

All rooms, public areas and food and beverage facilities must be sanitized before the hotel is safe to reopen. 

"Norovirus is a very hardy virus that can survive on surfaces … so you need a higher level of disinfectant," said Kurzac. 

In an email, Steve Veinot, the hotel manager, said that they are not able to trace the source of the outbreak. 

2nd hotel affected 

The Sheraton Hotel was not the only hotel that was affected.  

On Saturday, a chef at the Cavu Kitchen Bar in the Hilton Vancouver Airport Hotel started to notice symptoms of norovirus, according to Kurzac. The hotel immediately closed down its food and beverage facilities, but the hotel remains open to guests. 

The hotels are operated by the same company — Larco Hospitality — and staff members occasionally move between hotels to help out when a hotel is hosting a large function.  

"It's unfortunate that so many people are ill, but I'm very impressed with the response from both hotels," Kurzac said.

WHO: Cholera vaccination campaign begins in Mozambique

WHO has published Cholera vaccination campaign begins in Mozambique. Excerpt:

An oral cholera vaccination campaign to protect survivors of Cyclone Idai begins today in Beira, Mozambique. Funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the campaign will be carried out by the Mozambique Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and other partners, including UNICEF, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Save the Children.  

There has already been one reported cholera death and almost 1500 reported cases following the cyclone, which caused severe flooding in Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Madagascar after making landfall in March. Nine cholera treatment centres, with 500-bed capacity, are already admitting patients.  

“Cyclone Idai’s trail of devastation has left the city of Beira’s water and sanitation infrastructure in ruins, providing the perfect conditions for cholera to spread,” said Gavi CEO, Dr Seth Berkley. “This cyclone has already caused enough devastation and misery across south east Africa; we have to hope these vaccines will help stop a potentially major outbreak and prevent yet more suffering.” 

“Hundreds of thousands of people are living in terrible conditions in temporary settlements without safe drinking water and sanitation, putting them at serious risk of cholera and other diseases,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “The key thing is to make sure that people can access rapid treatment and clean water and sanitation. The oral cholera vaccine is a vital emergency measure that will help save lives and stop the spread of this horrible disease.” 

WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health to coordinate the oral cholera vaccination campaign, including working with partners to ensure an appropriate cold chain storage and providing logistical support.    

Cholera is endemic to Mozambique, which has had regular outbreaks over the past five years. About 2 000 people were infected in the last outbreak, which ended in February 2018.

Cyclone Idai crisis deepens as first cases of cholera confirmed in Mozambique

Via The Guardian: Cyclone Idai crisis deepens as first cases of cholera confirmed in Mozambique. Excerpt:

The first cases of cholera have been reported in the cyclone-ravaged Mozambican city of Beira, complicating an already massive and complex emergency in the southern African country.  

The announcement of five cases of the waterborne disease follows days of mounting fears that cholera and other diseases could break out in the squalid conditions in which tens of thousands have been living since Cyclone Idai struck on 14 March, killing at least 700 people across the region.  

The first cases of the disease were confirmed in Munhava, one of the poorest areas of the hard-hit port city of Beira, the national director of medical assistance, Ussene Isse, told reporters. The city of roughly 500,000 people is still struggling to provide clean water and sanitation.  

“We did the lab tests and can confirm that these five people tested positive for cholera,” said Isse. “It will spread. When you have one case, you have to expect more cases in the community.” 

The World Health Organization is dispatching 900,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine to affected areas from a global stockpile. The shipment is expected to be sent later this week.  

Cyclone Idai smashed into Mozambique at about midnight on 14 March before tearing through neighbouring Zimbabwe and Malawi, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and flooding an area of 3,000 sq km.

WHO EMRO: Resurgence of cholera, AWD in Yemen

Via WHO EMRO, a report from Geert Cappelaere, UNICEF Regional Director in the Middle East and North Africa and Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean: Two years since world-largest outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea and cholera, Yemen witnessing another sharp increase in reported cases with number of deaths continuing to increase.

MUSCAT/ AMMAN/CAIRO, 26 March 2019 – “In Yemen, since the beginning of the year until 17 March, nearly 109 000 cases of severe acute watery diarrhoea and suspected cholera were reported with 190 total associated deaths since January. Nearly one third of the reported cases are children under the age of 5. This comes 2 years since Yemen witnessed the world-largest outbreak when more than 1 million cases were reported. 

“We fear that the number of suspected cholera cases will continue to increase with the early arrival of the rainy season and as basic services, including lifesaving water systems and networks have collapsed. The situation is exacerbated by the poor status of sewage disposal systems, the use of contaminated water for agriculture, unreliable electricity to store food and families’ displacement as they flee escalating violence especially in Hudaydah and Tai’z.  

“Our teams in Yemen are working day and night with a wide network of local partners to respond and stop the further spread and transmission of the diseases. Focusing on 147 priority districts, additional health, water, hygiene and sanitation supplies are being mobilized. Rapid response teams have been deployed. A total of 413 diarrhoea treatment centres and oral rehydration centres are operational in all 147 priority districts. 

"Partners are repairing water and sanitation systems. In the past weeks, we scaled up chlorination activities to disinfect water in 95 priority districts and provided fuel and spare parts to keep going water supply and sanitation networks. A round of oral cholera vaccine campaign reached over 400 000 people in several districts. 

"Meanwhile, community-based awareness raising reached 600 000 people in house-to-house campaigns since early 2019 to provide families with hygiene practices and improve reporting symptoms and seeking treatment.  

“UNICEF and WHO are committed to continue scaling up the response to assist immediately the people affected and to prevent the disease from spreading further. We are doing everything possible to avoid the 2017 scenario including the timely use of proven effective measures, including oral cholera vaccination. However, we face several challenges, including the intensification of fighting, access restrictions and bureaucratic hurdles to bring lifesaving supplies and personnel to Yemen.  

“UNICEF and WHO are calling to lift all restrictions on our humanitarian operations to respond to the spread of the disease and other areas. Our humanitarian teams must have full access to reach every child, every woman, every man in need of medical and other humanitarian assistance. 

“Above all, we jointly reiterate the calls for the fighting to end. It is time for the 4-year long war to come to an end. If not, Yemen will continue to be trapped in a web of diseases, malice and sink deeper in endless humanitarian disasters, with the most vulnerable paying the highest price.

Syria: WHO concerned over critical health situation in Al-Hol camp, Al-Hasakeh

WHO EMRO has published WHO concerned over critical health situation in Al-Hol camp, Al-Hasakeh. Excerpt:

31 January 2019, Damascus, Syria – The World Health Organization is extremely concerned about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Al-Hol camp in Al-Hasakeh governorate, and calls on all parties to the conflict to provide unhindered humanitarian access to people in need of life-saving aid.  

Over the last 2 months, approximately 23 000 people, mainly women and children fleeing hostilities in rural areas of neighbouring Deir-ez-Zor, have arrived in the camp. Many of them have walked or travelled in open trucks for several days and nights in the bitterly cold winter weather. Their journeys have been delayed en route by lengthy security screening procedures in an exposed field, and their ordeal has not ended on arrival to the camp. Thousands of new arrivals have been forced to spend several nights in the camp’s open-air reception and screening areas, without tents, blankets or heating. At least 29 children and newborns are reported to have died over the past 8 weeks, mainly from hypothermia, while travelling to the camp or shortly after arrival. 

The situation in the camp is now critical. Its population has tripled in size (from 10 000 to almost 33 000 people) in less than 2 months. The authorities are overwhelmed and struggling to cope with the sheer numbers of people. Many new arrivals are malnourished and exhausted following years of deprivation living under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. 

The camp is unheated and there are shortages of health care services, tents, latrines and sanitation facilities. Humanitarian access to the camp and surrounding roads is hampered by bureaucratic obstacles and security constraints. 

Since the beginning of January, WHO has delivered over 35 000 treatment courses to support the work of 2 mobile clinics donated by WHO, as well as 4 mobile health teams currently operating in the camp. WHO-supported teams are working round the clock to screen new arrivals and refer them to hospitals when required. Severely malnourished children are being referred to a WHO-supported hospital in Al-Hasakeh.

DRC: Cholera officially declared in Upper Katanga

Via mediacongo.net: Cholera officially declared in Upper Katanga. The Google translation:

Provincial Health Minister Dr. Modeste Baloy officially declared Friday, January 18, the cholera outbreak in Upper Katanga. During a press briefing in Kinshasa, he said that since last August, more than 1,000 cases were recorded including 64 deaths, including 29 in Lubumbashi.   

"The epidemiological curve shows since August 24, 2018 an excessive and increasing number of cases, a total of 1 304 registered patients and 64 deaths including 42 intra hospital and 22 community," he said.  

Other health zones throughout the province also record cases of cholera, including Pweto and Mufunga Sapwe in the Mitwaba territory. 

"In the case of suspected cholera cases recorded at Kapolowe Village 65, Lukutwe village, 5 samples were taken, 1 of which was confirmed positive by the laboratory of the National Research Institute. It was from this contact that the cholera then spread to the city of Lubumbashi and other territories," said Dr. Modeste Baloy. 

He assured that in response to this situation, the Ministry of Health has set up a response plan to combat this epidemic.  

"Several strategic thrusts for emergency orders are in place, including orders for drugs, inputs and the strengthening of preventive measures to help improve the health status of the population through the reduction of morbidity and mortality due to cholera and water-related diseases, hygiene and sanitation," continued Dr. Modeste Baloy.

Graphene sieve turns seawater into drinking water

Via a news release from University of Manchester, a promising development for global health: Graphene sieve turns seawater into drinking water. The report itself seems not to have been posted yet to the Nature Nanotechnology website. Excerpt:

Graphene-oxide membranes have attracted considerable attention as promising candidates for new filtration technologies. Now the much sought-after development of making membranes capable of sieving common salts has been achieved. 

New research demonstrates the real-world potential of providing clean drinking water for millions of people who struggle to access adequate clean water sources.  

The new findings from a group of scientists at The University of Manchester were published today in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. Previously graphene-oxide membranes have shown exciting potential for gas separation and water filtration. 

Graphene-oxide membranes developed at the National Graphene Institute have already demonstrated the potential of filtering out small nanoparticles, organic molecules, and even large salts. Until now, however, they couldn’t be used for sieving common salts used in desalination technologies, which require even smaller sieves. 

Previous research at The University of Manchester found that if immersed in water, graphene-oxide membranes become slightly swollen and smaller salts flow through the membrane along with water, but larger ions or molecules are blocked. 

The Manchester-based group have now further developed these graphene membranes and found a strategy to avoid the swelling of the membrane when exposed to water. The pore size in the membrane can be precisely controlled which can sieve common salts out of salty water and make it safe to drink. 

As the effects of climate change continue to reduce modern city’s water supplies, wealthy modern countries are also investing in desalination technologies. Following the severe floods in California major wealthy cities are also looking increasingly to alternative water solutions.  

When the common salts are dissolved in water, they always form a ‘shell’ of water molecules around the salts molecules. This allows the tiny capillaries of the graphene-oxide membranes to block the salt from flowing along with the water. Water molecules are able to pass through the membrane barrier and flow anomalously fast which is ideal for application of these membranes for desalination. 

Professor Rahul Nair, at The University of Manchester said: “Realisation of scalable membranes with uniform pore size down to atomic scale is a significant step forward and will open new possibilities for improving the efficiency of desalination technology."

Conflict in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions forces 430,000 people to flee

Credit: Øystein Os Simonsen

The Norwegian Refugee Council has published Conflict in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions forces 430,000 people to flee. Excerpt:

The number of people displaced as a result of the crisis in Cameroon’s Anglophone regions has spiked to more than 430,000 during the last months. Many people are hiding in the bush with no support, warns the Norwegian Refugee Council. 

“We are deeply worried by the ongoing conflict and the increasing displacement figures. Parties to the conflict must ensure that civilians in the area are protected and are able to safely access life-saving assistance,” said David Manan, Country Director for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Cameroon. 

The number of people displaced from their homes in Cameroon’s Anglophone Southwest and Northwest regions and in neighbouring Littoral and West regions has reached 437.000, according to the latest UN estimates.  

NRC is assisting people displaced by this crisis. However, many people are left without any support, as insecurity is hindering organisations from accessing many areas. People are without proper shelter and sanitation facilities, clean water, food and access to medical care.  

“The needs we are witnessing in the Southwest and Northwest regions are alarming and there are too few agencies on the ground to provide the necessary aid due to limited funding. We call for more donors to prioritise this crisis to allow more agencies to respond so that we can stem the rising tide of suffering and displacement,” said Manan.  

“Displaced families who receive our assistance have told us that they share it or give it to their relatives who did not yet receive any assistance and desperately need help. Many people are hiding in the bush with no support, fearing for their lives,” added Manan.

Medics: Chikungunya infections on the rise in Port Sudan

Thanks to @GeopoliticalJD for alerting me to this story. Via Radio Dabanga: Medics: Chikungunya infections on the rise in Port Sudan.The full report:

Health sources have pointed to a rise of rates of chikungunya fever infections in eastern districts of Port Sudan in Red Sea state. 

Sources within the health sector in Post Sudan told Radio Dabanga that on average, new infections in the eastern districts exceed 70 cases a day.  

Journalist Amin Sinada told Radio Dabanga that the incidence of chikungunya fever has increased due to standing water left after floods and rains, which has led to the increase of mosquito breeding. 

He called on the competent authorities to exert more sanitation efforts. 

Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health announced that are 10 million people in the country who live without proper or any sanitation and are forced to use the open with no toilet available. The Ministry has acknowledged “the emergence of health problems as a result of the habit”. 

Poor sanitation, health risk  

Poor sanitation and contamination of drinking water are blamed for the spread of diseases such as cholera and chikungunya, which have become endemic in parts of the country.  

In October, the Sudan Call, a coalition of opposition parties and armed movements, submitted a memorandum to the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) drawing attention to “the terrible collapse in the health sector, the spread of epidemics in Sudan such as cholera, and its transformation into an endemic disease amid government misinformation”.  

The outbreak of chikungunya fever, popularly known as kankasha, began in August after heavy rains hit Sudan’s eastern Kassala state and El Gash river flooded large pieces of land. In October, health sources told Radio Dabanga that the number of patients admitted to health centres and private clinics in the eastern Sudanese state was increasing. Government officials reported that at least 13,400 people in Kassala are infected with the mosquito-borne disease.  

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed in a report that laboratory tests of samples from the infected people in Sudan’s Kassala state show cases of dengue fever along with chikungunya. 

Khartoum out of medicines 

In Khartoum, the Federal Minister of Health, Mohamed Abuzaid pointed out that government stores habe run-out of 34 types of life-saving medicines.  

On Wednesday, the minister warned the parliament that nearly 27 other medicines would run out within a month. 

He pointed out that 33 companies have stopped dealing with medical supplies until the previous debt since the beginning of the year of €34 million be paid. 

He pointed out that 97 items have been affected by the stop of companies. 

The Parliament announced the formation of a committee to monitor and provide life-saving medicines.