The scale of West Africa’s Ebola epidemic has been attributed to the weak health systems of affected countries,
their lack of resources, the mobility of communities and their inexperience in dealing with Ebola. This briefing for African Affairs argues that these explanations lack important contex...t. The briefing examines responses to the outbreak and offers a different set of explanations, rooted in the history of the region and the political economy of global health and development. To move past technical discussions of “weak” health systems, it highlights how structural violence has contributed to the epidemic. As part of this, local people – their beliefs, concerns and priorities – have been marginalised. Both the crisis response and post-Ebola ‘reconstruction’ will be strengthened by acknowledgment of its long term structural underpinnings and from a more collaborative inclusion of local people.
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Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2014, 3:42
http://www.idpjournal.com/content/3/1/42
Interim Assessement Report
The EMA review was started by the Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) to support decision-making by health authorities. This first interim report includes information on seven experimental medicines intended for the treatment of people infecte...d with the Ebola virus:
BCX4430 (Biocryst);
Brincidofovir (Chimerix);
Favipiravir (Fujifilm Corporation/Toyama);
TKM-100802 (Tekmira);
AVI-7537 (Sarepta);
ZMapp (Leafbio Inc.);
Anti-Ebola F(ab’)2 (Fab’entech).
The amount of information available for the seven treatments is highly variable. For some compounds there is no data from use in human subjects available. A small number of treatments have been administered to patients in the current Ebola outbreak as compassionate use. Finally, there are also medicines included in this review that have already been studied in humans, albeit for the treatment of other viral diseases.
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The document summarizes the infrastructure and activities for Ebola virus disease (EVD) preparedness that are already in place in the Gambia and identifies opportunities for improvement to strengthen the nation’s readiness in the event of an EVD incident.
Updated version June 2015
DOI 10.15252/emmm.201404792 |Published online 30.12.2014
EMBO Molecular Medicine(2014)emmm.201404792
Preliminary Key Findings from Interviews in Accra on the Ebola Response
Desk Review and Recommendations for Private Sector Engagement
The preparedness strengthening team deployed to Ghana focused on specific objectives in order to assist the country in becoming as operationally prepared as possible to detect, investigate and report potential EVD cases effectively and safely and to mount an effective response to prevent a larger o...utbreak. To accomplish this goal, the team conducted “scoping” activities, stakeholder meetings, site visits and a “table-top” simulation exercise to determine what systems were in place and what aspects of preparedness could be strengthened.
It is organized in 10 components of the WHO consolidated checklist for EVD preparedness: 1) planning and coordination; 2) epidemiological and laboratory surveillance; 3) rapid response teams; 4) contact tracing; 5) points of entry; 6) laboratory; 7) case management; 8) infection prevention and control; 9) social mobilization and risk communication; 10) budget.
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What are the political, economic, social and security implications of the Ebola crisis, with a particular focus on Sierra Leone?
L’OMS a mis sur pied un protocole visant à fournir des renseignements concernant la gestion sûre de l’inhumation des personnes décédées de maladie à virus Ebola suspectée ou confirmée.
Ces mesures devraient être appliquées non seulement par le personnel médical, mais également pa...r toutes les personnes jouant un rôle dans la gestion de l’inhumation des personnes décédées de maladie à virus Ebola suspectée ou confirmée.
Douze étapes ont été définies. Elles décrivent la façon dont les équipes de fossoyeurs doivent procéder pour garantir la sécurité des inhumations, depuis le moment où les équipes arrivent dans le village jusqu’à leur retour à l’hôpital ou dans leurs locaux après les procédures d’inhumation et de désinfection. Ces étapes sont fondées sur les expériences engrangées sur le terrain.
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Ces lignes directrices provisoires présentent quelques principes de base en matière de prise en charge nutritionnelle adaptée aux patients adultes et pédiatriques pendant leur traitement et leur convalescence dans les unités de traitement Ebola, dans les centres de soins communautaires et autre...s centres dans lesquels des patients Ebola reçoivent des soins et un soutien.
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Biennial Report. SUBMITTED TO THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION ON HIV AND AIDS
Reporting period: January 2012 – December 2013