Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Suspected Ebola Cases In Congo Top 1,000; Uganda Shuts Shared Border
AP: Uganda Closes Its Border As Ebola Cases Surge In Neighboring Congo
Uganda on Wednesday ordered the closure of its border with Congo, where suspected cases of a rare type of Ebola are surging, and as cases have been confirmed at home after Ugandan health workers were exposed to the disease from Congolese patients. The measure, which goes against the guidance by the World Health Organization, underscores growing fears of contagion in East Africa from Bundibugyo, a rare type of the Ebola virus that is behind this outbreak and that has no approved medicines or vaccines. (Muhumuza, 5/27)
Bloomberg: Congo Seeks Experimental Ebola Antibody As Cases Surpass 1,000
Congo is seeking access to an experimental antibody treatment targeting multiple Ebola strains as confirmed infections and deaths continue climbing in the country’s conflict-hit east. The Democratic Republic of Congo reported 121 confirmed Ebola cases and 17 confirmed deaths as of May 26, while suspected cases climbed to 1,077 and suspected deaths reached 238, according to health ministry figures released Wednesday. Sixteen new confirmed infections were recorded in Ituri province alone, the ministry said. (Gale, 5/28)
More news on the Ebola outbreak —
The Hill: Ebola-Infected American Doctor Weak But Not Critically Ill, Officials Say
An American medical missionary doctor infected with Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains weak but is not critically ill after being evacuated to Germany for treatment, officials said. During a news conference on Wednesday, health officials said Dr. Peter Stafford has not required intensive care and has not suffered organ failure. Officials said his viral counts are steadily decreasing as he receives antiviral treatment. Stafford is being treated in a fully isolated ward at the Charité Hospital in Berlin, though officials said he can still see his family through a window. (Delandro, 5/27)
The Guardian: ‘Among The Things He Feared Most Was Death’: The Doctors And Nurses Dying On The Ebola Frontline
When Dr Vladimir Maduali died of Ebola in the early hours of Sunday morning, he was the fourth member of staff at his hospital to be killed by the disease in as many days. Two days later, his colleague Dr Tibenderana Katho Blaisealso died of the disease at the Bunia Evangelical medical centre, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Maduali graduated from the University of Bunia just three years ago and had been working in the Rwampara region, one of the areas of eastern DRC’s Ituri province worst hit by Ebola. The 30-year-old died at Rwampara’s isolation centre, where he had spent two days on oxygen therapy, according to his family. (Ngorora, 5/28)
Reuters: In Photos: Death Of Doctor Treating Ebola Patients Raises Fears Among Congo Health Workers
Doctors, relatives and Red Cross volunteers gathered in the eastern Congolese city of Bunia for the burial of a doctor who died after treating Ebola patients, underscoring growing fears among frontline health workers as the outbreak worsens. (5/27)
On the World Cup and travel concerns —
Reuters: DR Congo Say World Cup Delegation Compliant With US Ebola Protocols
The Democratic Republic of Congo said its national football federation and FIFA had confirmed its World Cup delegation is compliant with U.S. protocols related to the Ebola outbreak, clearing the way for the team to compete at the tournament. A team official had said on Saturday that preparations would continue as planned despite a U.S. requirement for individuals to complete a 21-day isolation period before entering the country. (5/28)
CNN: This Year’s World Cup Is Testing The Public Health Playbook
The FIFA World Cup is now just a few weeks away, but Dr. Rebecca Katz has been worrying about the public health threats it poses for years. “With any mass gathering event, there are certain disease conditions that people worry about,” said Katz, who leads Georgetown University’s Center for Global Health Science and Security. “There’s always something happening.” There’s a well-established playbook for planning how to protect the public’s health during mass gatherings like the World Cup, experts say. But broader circumstances surrounding this year’s tournament, which is expected to bring millions of visitors to North America, are poised to test that playbook. (McPhillips, 5/27)
Bloomberg: How Companies Are Tracking Disease Threats During The World Cup
Late last year, an infectious-disease surveillance company was tracking the spread of an unusually contagious virus as it moved through Argentina. Not only were people getting sick in parts of the country where the virus hadn’t appeared before, BlueDot Inc.’s intelligence showed, but the death rate was higher too. On Dec. 14 the firm issued an alert to subscribers — including countries, cities, airlines, drugmakers and even defense alliances such as NATO — about the swelling danger of the Andes strain of hantavirus. That was four and a half months before the disease erupted on a Dutch cruise ship off Cape Verde, infecting almost a dozen travelers and leaving three people dead. Now something even friendlier to contagion than a cruise ship is on its way: the FIFA World Cup. (Hart, 5/28)
The Hill: What Are The Enhanced Ebola Screening Procedures At US Airports
Americans who have visited Congo, South Sudan or Uganda in the past 21 days must reenter the country through select airports for enhanced screening during an Ebola outbreak in these African nations. Three airports are involved in the process: Washington Dulles International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport. (Davis, 5/27)
In updates on the hantavirus outbreak —
People: Hantavirus Cruise Ship Will Proceed With Next Sailing 34 Days After Infected Passengers Disembarked
The cruise ship at the center of a deadly hantavirus outbreak is preparing to welcome new passengers on board. The MV Hondius plans to set sail for North Spitsbergen, an Arctic region in Norway's Svalbard archipelago on June 13, 34 days after 140 passengers and crew members who were on board during the outbreak disembarked in Spain's Canary Islands to be repatriated and enter quarantine or self isolate. (Thayer, 5/27)
The New York Times: Why The Ebola And Hantavirus Outbreaks Have Confounded Scientists
This month, a pair of viruses seized the headlines. First came a hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship, which caused as many as 13 infections, three of which were fatal. Then an Ebola outbreak flared in Africa, so far leading to more than 900 infections and 220 deaths. In both cases, the news has been not only frightening but also confusing, even to scientists. The hantaviruses didn’t seem to be acting like hantaviruses, and the Ebola viruses weren’t behaving like Ebola viruses. (Zimmer, 5/27)
