Sierra Leone: In battle against Ebola, officials admit defeat

[cali]

Acknowledging a major “defeat” in the fight against Ebola, international health officials battling the epidemic in Sierra Leone approved plans Friday to help families treat patients at home, recognizing that they are overwhelmed and have little chance of getting enough treatment beds in place quickly to meet the surging need.

The decision signifies a significant shift in the struggle against the rampaging disease. Officials said they would begin distributing painkillers, rehydrating solution, and gloves to hundreds of Ebola-afflicted households in Sierra Leone, contending that the aid arriving here was not fast or extensive enough to keep up with an outbreak that doubles in size every month or so.

“It’s basically admitting defeat,” said Dr. Peter H. Kilmarx, the leader of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s team in Sierra Leone. “There are hundreds of people with Ebola that we are not able to bring into a facility.”

The news from Sierra Leone came in tandem with a dire report and warning.

<snip>

“It’s basically admitting defeat,” said Dr. Peter H. Kilmarx, the leader of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s team in Sierra Leone. “There are hundreds of people with Ebola that we are not able to bring into a facility.”

The news from Sierra Leone came in tandem with a dire report and warning.

<snip>

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/2014/10/10/ebola-death-toll-rises-more-than/92OZDvZhsLGNaxoj892K6L/story.html

[TorchTheWitch]

1. forgot the link

And I'd really like to read all of this.

This is just so terrible. I'm so disgusted with the non-reaction of the rest of the world to this though it was so obviously roaring out of control for months on end. So many many people are going to die.

[cali]

4. thank you. fixed.

it is so tragic. MSF tried desperately to get the attention of the world for months.

[TorchTheWitch]

5. the rest of the world leaders don't give a crap about desperately poor

black people on another continent. Until it threatens their own countries, but that should have been obvious that it would without help from the start. The countries affected are the poorest in the world without basic sanitation or clean water with abysmal medical services... what on earth did they expect was going to happen without the help of the rest of the world?

These outbreaks MUST be contained or it becomes a global catastrophe. That's Epidemic 101. Even in medieval times people readily understood that much though they had no clue what germs or viruses were or how they spread.

[JDPriestly]

2. Link please.

I have to wear waterproof gloves a lot. I get about 100 surgical or industrial gloves for $20. Can't wear latex very well. There is no excuse for the lack of gloves. Where are our major foundations? Where is our government on this? I think my gloves are nitrite gloves. And by the way, I can use my gloves more than once.

Is there a problem with obtaining clean water? What are people told to do with the toxic waste?

This is such a sad situation.

[magical thyme]

10. in a medical situation we never wear gloves more than once

it is too risky. They are the the most in contact with infectious matter, the hardest thing to remove without getting contaminated and they are not perfect even when new, since they tear easily, so washing and drying even once could cause them to become permeable.

On the frontlines they are wearing them 3 layers thick to protect against seepage, tears and presumably accidental needlesticks.

Twice I've pulled off my gloves after making a single gram stain and found the stain leached through the glove and reaching the interior surface.

[JDPriestly]

13. I don't wear them because of sanitation. I wear them because my skin reacts to soap and water

and other chemicals. For dishwashing and cleaning, I can wear them twice. Thanks for making your point clear because I would not want someone to think they could wear them twice when dealing with medical issues. Dermatologists that I have known wear just one pair of gloves. But they carefully take little scrapings from the skin to test before touching it.

[magical thyme]

14. We normally wear one pair. It's treating Ebola that they are wearing 3 and 4 layers

The consequences of a tear are too great.

[Hugin]

3. Very sad news, indeed.

[littlemissmartypants]

6. Where are

Bill and Melinda?
The Clinton Globalizers?
Warren Buffet and friends?

In the counting house?
Counting out their gold?

[LuvNewcastle]

7. That's a very good question.

I thought that bunch was supposed to save the world. They're counting their money and figuring out ways to get more. I think Bill and Melinda, for instance, are too busy dismantling the public school system to deal with some pesky little Ebola epidemic. The Clinton Foundation is still in Haiti doing God knows what. And the Orifice of Omaha is running around being the benign, smiling ambassador for billionaires. The aid workers and our troops over there are the only people I see who are doing anything. They are true heroes.

[littlemissmartypants]

8. Indeed. eom

[Are_grits_groceries]

9. Bill and Melinda have donated $50M.

CGI is involved in coordinating donations from several charities as well as their own.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/12/bill-gates-foundation-ebola_n_5811592.html
http://www.ibtimes.com/ebola-relief-charities-5-aid-groups-avoid-donating-1703226

They should be involved, but this outbreak is not primarily a failure of individuals to act. It is a complete failure by the world's leaders to respond when this disease was at a manageable level.

I could see this coming just by following Twitter headlines over the last few months. There were continual reports of this disease and those trying to fight it. It grew worse and worse. If any world leader was too stupid to realize it could reach epidemic proportions, there were many epidemiologists who did. Nobody cared or listened until it was literally a direct threat at their doorsteps. By then, it was a huge problem that could no longer be confined to a small group or area.

The money will help but those in charge have to take direct action to make sure proper measures are set up. As is pointed out, we are past one curve and behind another. Gates and every gazillionaire could donate everything they had and it won't matter unless it is used properly in the right places.

And no! I am not fond of the way Gates and others have applied their resources in all cases. However, they can't save the world and stupid/oblivious people and governments from themselves.

[RiffRandell]

11. So sad.

[seabeyond]

12. John Kerry: Other countries aren’t doing enough to stop Ebola

President Obama has made it crystal clear that Ebola is an urgent global crisis that demands an urgent global response. The United States has intensified every aspect of our engagement, and that includes providing Ebola treatment units, recruiting first responders, and supplying a critical set of medical equipment. The administration is working as a team to make sure that we bring all our resources to this effort; for my part, I am working extremely closely with Rajiv Shah, the USAID director, Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom and our Ebola Coordinator Ambassador Nancy Powell.

But I want to expand that effort with an urgent plea to countries around the world to step up even further. While we are making progress, we are not where we need to be. There are additional needs that have to be met in order for the global community to respond effectively to this challenge — and to make sure that we protect people in all of our countries.

*

Many countries are already contributing, but the scale of needs is dramatic. The United States has contributed $113 million to the United Nations response. Smaller countries have stepped up to the plate – some quite remarkably. Some smaller countries are contributing way above their per capita population.

But the fact is more countries can and must step up to make their contributions felt, and the charts tell the story. There are not enough countries to make the difference to be able to deal with this crisis. We need more nations – every nation has an ability to do something on this challenge.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/10/08/john-kerry-other-countries-need-to-do-more-to-stop-ebola/

[uppityperson]

15. k&r for people in an awful situation without enough resources or help.