3/28/2014 SITREP #1 Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever, Guinea, 28 March 2014 - WHO | Regional Office for Africa
http://www.afro.who.int/en/clusters-a-programmes/dpc/epidemic-a-pandemic-alert-and-response/sitreps/4070-sitrep-1-ebola-guinea-28-march-2014.html?t… 1/2
SITREP #1 Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever, Guinea, 28 March 2014
Date of issue 28 March 2014
1. Summary of overall situation to date
Cases of an unknown disease presenting with an acute febrile illness characterised by diarrhoea, vomiting and bleeding in some individuals, were first reported from Guekedou district, Guinea, east Africa, in February 2014, presumed to be a viral haemorrhagic fever or other severe gastrointestinal disease. On 21 March, WHO was officially notified that the rapidly evolving outbreak was caused by Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (EHF) in forested areas south eastern Guinea. This is the first reported outbreak of EHF in Guinea. The outbreak investigation subsequently retrospectively identified earlier suspected cases that fell ill and died in December 2013. The outbreak is now confirmed to be caused by a strain of ebolavirus with very close homology (98%) to the Zaire ebolavirus.
A small number of suspected cases and deaths have also been reported from Sierra Leone and Liberia in
individuals who had travelled to Guinea. As of today, no locally acquired cases in Sierra Leone or Liberia have been reported to WHO. Investigations are ongoing and laboratory results pending.
On 25 March, the WHO Global Emergency Management Team graded the outbreak as a Level 2 emergency and has mobilised international resources to support the response. Accordingly, all 3 levels of WHO have activated their Strategic Health Operations Centres (Emergency Operations Centres).
On 27 March, WHO was informed of 4 laboratory confirmed cases and one suspected case who died without laboratory confirmation in the capital, Conakry.
As of 28 March 2014, 103 suspected and confirmed cases, including 66 deaths, (CFR 64%) have been reported from Guinea affecting mainly 3 districts (Guekedou, Macenta and Kissidougou). Four health care workers are among the deceased.
To date, 37 clinical samples have been tested by PCR of which 15 are positive for ebolavirus.
2. Actions to date Coordination
The AFRO Regional Director has informed all WHO Country Offices in the African Region of the strategy to be taken at country level in response to the Ebola outbreak.
Daily conferencing is occurring among the MoH/WCO of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, IST West Africa, WHO HQ and AFRO for risk assessment and operational planning and review.
The Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) Operational Support Team issued an alert to GOARN partners on 22 March and subsequent request for assistance to mobilise additional international expertise in clinical case management, surveillance and epidemiology, data management, infection prevention and control, outbreak logistics, social mobilisation, risk communications and medical anthropology among key disciplines to support response efforts.
Cross-border collaboration and cooperation are being actively promoted among the affected countries, particularly at major transport corridors.
Response partners in the field include:
Médecins Sans Frontières, Switzerland (MSF-CH) has established isolation facilities in Guekedou district and is planning a facility in Macenta.
International reference laboratory support is being coordinated through Emerging and Dangerous Pathogens Laboratory Network (EDPLN). EDPLN labs are working with Guinean VHF Laboratory in Donka and Kenema Lassa fever laboratory in Sierra Leone to build capacity in filovirus diagnostics. The following laboratories are currently providing support: Institut Pasteur (IP) Dakar, Senegal; the European Union Mobile Laboratory
3/28/2014 SITREP #1 Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever, Guinea, 28 March 2014 - WHO | Regional Office for Africa
http://www.afro.who.int/en/clusters-a-programmes/dpc/epidemic-a-pandemic-alert-and-response/sitreps/4070-sitrep-1-ebola-guinea-28-march-2014.html?t… 2/2 (EMLab) team (comprising the Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie (CIRI), France; the
Bernhard-Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine Hamburg, Germany; the National Institute for Infectious Diseases, Rome, Italy); and the Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie (CIRI), Lyon, France.
Technical cooperation – Outbreak response
Affected countries have activated their emergency management committees, prepared/adapted emergency management plans and are carrying out needs assessments for human, financial and material resources.
Enhanced surveillance activities, including distributing case definitions for EHF and sensitising health care workers to report suspected cases immediately.
Case and contact tracing efforts are being implemented through Rapid Response Teams.
Harmonisation of data collection is being encouraged for the generation of the key epidemiological parameters.
Information and Communications
Fact sheets on EHF have been developed and distributed.
IEC materials adapted/developed and multimedia approaches are being used to raise public awareness and support community mobilisation efforts.
Key technical areas for the response to viral haemorrhagic fevers include: case management, surveillance and epidemiology, infection prevention control and safe burials, prevention through risk and behaviour change communications and response logistics. Applied research needs include investigation of animal reservoirs of ebolavirus.
The international community is informed through the Disease Outbreak News posted on the WHO HQ and the AFRO website as well as through the Event Information Site under the International Health Regulations.
Finance and administration
Seed funds have been provided to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia to initiate outbreak investigation and response activities.
Response plans, including identifying HR needs into the future, have been submitted by the affected countries.
A Flash Appeal has been submitted for 2M USD.
Funding proposals have been submitted to the African Public Health Emergency Fund (APHEF) and to ECHO.
Other financial resource mobilisation is ongoing.
Human resource management
WHO AFRO and HQ have deployed 19 experts in case management, epidemiology, infection prevention and control (IPC), outbreak logistics and medical anthropology to Guinea in the first instance. A rotation plan is being developed for the coming weeks.
See also GOARN Request for Assistance above.
Logistics and Supplies
Supplies are being prepositioned in high risk areas. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and other viral haemorrhagic fever response materials prepositioned in Dubai and Ouagadougou have been shipped to Guinea. 3,000 PPE have already reached Guinea. Additional PPEs and materials should reach the neighbouring countries within 3-4 days.
VHF prevention & control guidelines and IEC materials have been sent and disseminated
