The Ebola outbreak that started in December 2013 became a public
health, humanitarian and socioeconomic crisis with a devastating
impact on families, communities and affected countries. It also served
as a reminder that the world, including WHO, is ill-prepared for a large
and sustained disease ...outbreak.
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In light of the decline in new Ebola cases, strategies are now needed to scale down the activities and bed capacities in Ebola care facilities. These facilities include Ebola treatment units, community care centres, Ebola treatment centres and isolation centres. The Governments of Guinea, Liberia an...d Sierra Leone; WHO; CDC; ICAN and UNICEF have jointly developed this rapid guidance and checklist to assist national governments and partners as they begin this process. This rapid guidance pertains to protecting the safety and repurposing of infrastructures and resources previously used for the Ebola outbreak to care for Ebola patients.
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An informative free course to help spread valuable information about this disease. This free course will help to inform people about Ebola virus and the controls required to contain the disease.
Learn more about the Ebola virus and how to avoid it. Free online course.
Having completed this course the learner will be able to: - Describe what the Ebola virus is; - List the countries where the outbreak has occurred; - Explain what the signs and symptoms of an infection are; - Explain how an i...nfection is treated; - Explain how to avoid becoming infected
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Situation analysis
Description of the disaster
An Ebola epidemic that started in March 2014 in Guinea has relentlessly continued to claim lives and to spread to other countries in West Africa. The current Ebola outbreak is the largest in history and the first to affect multiple countries simu...ltaneously. There have been over 24 000 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (table 1), with almost 10 000 reported deaths (outcomes for many cases are unknown). A total of 58 new confirmed cases were reported in Guinea, 0 in Liberia, and 58 in Sierra Leone in the 7 days to 8 March (4 days to 5 March for Liberia). Many experts believe that the official numbers substantially understate the size of the outbreak because of families' widespread reluctance to report cases. Because of the fluidity of movement of people between West Africa and several countries in the East African countries, especially Kenya and Ethiopia (who in turn have extensive interaction with other countries in the region in terms of human movement), the risk of an outbreak of Ebola in East Africa is as eminent as in any of the countries bordering the affected countries. The IFRC regional office intends to support National Societies to raise their Ebola preparedness and response capacity through training, technical support in planning and implementation of Ebola related activities, and coordination both within and outside the movement.
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I SURVIVED EBOLA:THANKS TO ASEOWA
Alimatou Camara Speaks of her battle with Ebola and of the Care she received at the ASEOWA run Ebola Treatment Unit in Guinea
Guinean Alimatou Camara, a seventeen year old housewife in a polygamous union, lost her mother in-law, her only daughter and her stepdau...ghter to Ebola. She got infected too, but survived, thanks to the African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA).
By Lilas Belepe,
Communication Officer, ASEOWA Guinee
A resident of Forécariah, a town situated one hundred kilometres away from Conakry, the capital of Guinea, she narrates the ordeal that befell her and her family, her battle with Ebola and the time she spent recovering at the African Union run Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU), in Coyah.
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UNICEF provides a detailed update and list of Ebola virus disease personal protective equipment technical specifications for use in high- and low-risk settings. It includes barriers for full body protection, as well as the head, nose, mouth, eyes, hands and feet. In selecting the right PPE specifica...tions for frontline workers, the degree of contact with infectious material, and the potential for infected fluid penetration should be considered.
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Find out what money, health care workers and other support has been pledged--and delivered--for the Ebola crisis by countries and private donors so far.
Tell your family and friends in Liberia
Tell your family and friends in Guinea
Practical guidance on immunization services and the risks they present for both Ebola affected and non-affected countries. The specific purpose of this document is to assist countries to:
- Maintain immunization services and use immunization contacts and surveillance system as opportunities to ...educate and monitor for Ebola;
- Provide guidance on infection prevention and control during vaccination;
- Prepare where there is a potential risk of Ebola (e.g. border, etc.) and low immunization coverage, to implement activities to increase immunization coverage in these areas.
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Ebola Outbreak in West Africa: Impact on Health Service Utilisation in Sierra Leone
