The outbreak, centred in the Mpanda district near the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has so far sickened 28 people.

The cases, first reported on March 30, have primarily affected members of the same household.

WHO, in a statement on Thursday, said the patients had presented severe symptoms including fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, and blood in their urine, with some cases exhibiting jaundice and anaemia.

While initial tests for Ebola and Marburg virus diseases returned negative results, further laboratory analyses are ongoing.

WHO is currently supporting the Ministry of Health to “strengthen disease surveillance, field investigation, clinical care, and laboratory diagnosis.”

A joint team of experts has been deployed to the field to coordinate the response and “sustain key operations” aimed at containing the spread.

Source: NAN

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This statement came amid reports of a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC.

Dr Jide Idris, Director-General of the NCDC, said in a public health advisory issued on Saturday in Abuja that Nigeria was on high alert, enhancing surveillance at entry points, healthcare facilities, and communities.

Nigeria’s only Ebola outbreak occurred in 2014, when the virus was imported from Liberia by a traveller, resulting in 20 cases and eight deaths before successful containment.

The DRC Ministry of Health confirmed 28 suspected Ebola cases and 15 deaths on September 4 in Kasai Province, including four health workers, identifying the Ebola Zaire strain as the outbreak’s cause.

The outbreak has spread across Bulape and Mweka health zones and recorded a mortality rate of 57 per cent, raising concerns over the disease’s high fatality and potential for further spread.

According to Idris, there are currently no cases of Ebola in Nigeria, but preparedness has been intensified with infection control, border checks, and community risk communication to prevent importation and transmission.

He noted the DRC activated its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and deployed a rapid response team, receiving support from the World Health Organisation, WHO, to contain the outbreak effectively.

READ ALSO: Lagos raises alarm over looming environmental collapse of lagoon

Idris said the Ebola Zaire strain identified had an approved vaccine, Ervebo, which had been proven effective in controlling outbreaks and protecting vulnerable populations in affected regions.

To protect Nigerians, he urged frequent handwashing with soap and water as regular hygiene, a key preventive measure to reduce transmission risk from contact with infected surfaces or individuals.

He advised avoiding physical contact with anyone showing symptoms such as fever, vomiting, or unexplained bleeding, which were common signs of Ebola infection and warranted immediate medical attention.

Idris warned against consuming raw or undercooked bushmeat and cautioned against contact with fruit bats, monkeys, and apes, which were known reservoirs for the Ebola virus in wildlife.

He encouraged Nigerians to report suspected Ebola cases or unusual illnesses, especially among those with recent travel to affected areas, by calling the NCDC toll-free line 6232 for prompt response.

Healthcare workers were advised to maintain a high index of suspicion, strictly follow infection prevention protocols, and report any suspected cases immediately to aid rapid containment and treatment efforts.

Idris further issued travel advice, urging Nigerians to avoid all but essential trips to countries currently experiencing Ebola outbreaks to minimise the risk of exposure and disease importation.

He assured the public that NCDC would provide timely updates while collaborating with international partners to monitor the evolving situation in the DRC and other affected African regions.

Source: NAN

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The World Health Organisation, WHO, reported that the outbreak is concentrated in the Bulape and Mweka health zones in Kasai Province, in the south-central region of the country.

To rapidly scale up the response, an advance team from the country’s Ministry of Health and the global UN health body, WHO, has been deployed.

Symptoms of the rare, but severe, and often fatal illness, include fever, vomiting, diarrhoea and haemorrhaging.

Samples tested on September 3 at the country’s National Institute of Biomedical Research in the capital Kinshasa confirmed the cause of the outbreak as the Ebola Zaire strain.

A national Rapid Response Team assisted by WHO experts in epidemiology, infection prevention and control, as well as case management, has been deployed to Kasai province.

Communication experts have also been deployed to reach communities and help them understand how to protect themselves.

Additionally, WHO is delivering two tonnes of essential supplies including personal protective equipment, mobile laboratory equipment and medical supplies.

READ ALSO: Tinubu departs Abuja to begin 2025 annual leave

The area is difficult to reach and at least a day’s drive from the provincial capital Tshikapa, with few air links.

“We’re acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities,” Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said.

“Banking on the country’s long-standing expertise in controlling viral disease outbreaks, we’re working closely with the health authorities to quickly scale up key response measures to end the outbreak as soon as possible.”

WHO said case numbers were likely to increase as transmission was ongoing.

The country has a stockpile of treatments, as well as 2,000 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine already prepositioned in the capital city Kinshasa.

The stockpile will be quickly moved to Kasai to vaccinate contacts and frontline health workers, according  to  WHO .

The DRC’s last outbreak affected the northwestern Equateur province in April 2022.

It was brought under control in under three months, thanks to the robust efforts of the health authorities.

In Kasai province, previous outbreaks of Ebola virus disease were reported in 2007 and 2008.

In the country overall, there have been 15 outbreaks since the disease was first identified in 1976.

Source: NAN

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In case you do not know, electronic fraud committed against business and individual accounts is a threat. Cybercriminals can drain your funds in minutes.

On the one hand

Another invincible problem is electronic fraud. It follows cash. We cannot kill it. We can only minimise it. We can turn the other cheek. Pretend it does not exist. And get caught in the dark side of the cashless economy. Well, in case you have forgotten, cyber-attack is sophisticated. Cybercriminals have developed insidious ways to breach your networks. That is why they have continuously gained access to your identity, clone your corporate account, and hijack your wallet.

In case you do not know, electronic fraud committed against business and individual accounts is a threat. Cybercriminals can drain your funds in minutes. For instance, a C-suite executive in one of the switching companies got a taste recently. Ernal, that is his real name spelt backwards, was engrossed in a meeting when he received a foreign call. The caller was a friend. His mobile app would not respond.

He was in a logjam. N250,000 would fix it. Could Ernal send him the fund? He would return it once his mobile app completed its madness. Sure, enough, he sent the fund. When his meeting was over and the cloud settled, Ernal called the number. Switched off. The story is clear. He was a victim of electronic fraud. He wrote his sad story on his Twitter handle. That is one side of the bad coin. The story is endless.

Before putting this writing to bed, an email from Remita.net dropped. It was on cyber fraud. It said while most organisations consider the direct risk of cyber threats to their business through cyber assaults, known vulnerabilities, and security flaws, ‘we acknowledge that customers constitute a bigger danger to the business and themselves. In many circumstances, a customer’s weak cybersecurity practices might lead to a compromise.’

READ ALSO: How loan sharks fish in murky waters, By Rarzack Olaegbe

Ernal was not a victim of phishing, social engineering, access control, or password. He was distracted. According to Remita.net to avoid falling into the hands of cybercriminals, beware of message contents, suspicious attachments, personal information, fake URLs, poor spelling etc. Above all, it advised, by remaining vigilant and following these highlighted best practices, you can significantly reduce your risk of falling victim to such attacks.

On the other hand

The Committee of e-Business Industry Heads, CeBIH, said it would collaborate with private and public sector agencies to tackle electronic payment fraud. The body would do this to restore consumers’ confidence in the cashless system. CeBIH Chairman, Celestina Appeal had said recently.

Fighting electronic payment fraud is not the responsibility of all. It is not the responsibility of fraudsters to prevent fraud. It is not the responsibility of one bad egg in the bank to prevent fraud. It is the responsibility of the regulator and a few good people in the system to ensure electronic fraud and fraudsters do not have a field day.

According to her, the promotion of a unified front in combating fraud through the active collaboration of providers of financial services, law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, and regulators, has become imperative in restoring the confidence of consumers in the Nigerian payment system.

She added that CeBIH is committed to leading the engagements and interactions with the identified partners to harness capabilities across the ecosystem into the Nigerian payment system of the menace of fraud.

There are many inherent dark sides of the cashless economy. A blade will manicure your nails. Or it can slit your throat, ending a life. Technology is not malicious.

In the short term

How can we ensure people use technology well? It is a vicious circle. If we do not contain the dark side of the cashless economy, or support the infrastructure, the citizen will resort to using cash.

There are many inherent dark sides of the cashless economy. A blade will manicure your nails. Or it can slit your throat, ending a life. Technology is not malicious. Some minds can make it perform malicious activities. That is a problem.

What is the solution?

Do not ask me!

*Olaegbe (psalmsonolaegbe@gmail.com)

The post The dark side of the cashless economy, By Rarzack Olaegbe appeared first on Frontpageng.

Last week, Uganda said it had discharged its last Ebola patient from hospital, raising hopes for the end of an outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic fever declared on September 20.

Health ministry spokesman Emmanuel Ainebyoona said the vaccine candidates had arrived, and added that the health minister was expected to announce the start date of trials later on Thursday.

There are currently no licensed vaccines for the Sudan strain of the virus that caused the infections in Uganda, although there are several candidate vaccines that appear to be suitable for evaluation, the World Health Organization says.

The WHO has said it would send three vaccine candidates to Uganda to be used in a trial, one by the University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India, another by the Sabin Vaccine Institute, and a third by Merck & Co Inc.

Existing vaccines combat the more common Zaire strain, which spread during recent outbreaks in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

Ebola causes vomiting, diarrhoea, and bleeding from all body orifices, and spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of those infected.

Health officials have previously said everything was in place for the trials to start and they were only waiting for the doses to arrive.

Source: Reuters/NAN

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WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, gave the confirmation at a news conference at the UN health agency’s headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday.

According to him, WHO is working diligently in Uganda to support the government in responding to an Ebola outbreak in four districts.

Ghebreyesus said 10 infected health workers, four of whom had died; and four people had recovered and were receiving follow-up care.

“WHO has released 2 million dollars from our Contingency Fund for Emergencies, CFE, and we’re…sending additional specialists, supplies, and resources,” he said.

READ ALSO: Nigeria on alert mode as Ebola resurfaces in Uganda —NCDC

Although the inoculations that curbed Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are not effective against the strain active now in Uganda, two vaccines in development could begin clinical trials in the coming weeks, pending government approval.

In a related development, Ghebreyesus said although the deadly flood waters in Pakistan had stopped rising, the dangers were surging.

“More than 1,500 lives were lost in the floods, but many more could be lost to disease in the coming weeks, without a massive and urgent international response,” he warned.

The country’s catastrophic flooding has damaged approximately 10 per cent of its health facilities, leaving millions without access to medical care, supplies and access to services.

Amidst new outbreaks of malaria, cholera, and dengue, WHO is focusing on supporting people in camps, those living along the roadside, individuals cut off by flood waters, and populations returning to their destroyed villages and homes.

In addition to 10 million dollars released from the CFE, WHO issued an appeal for 81.5 million dollars to support immunisations and other life-saving health services in response to the unprecedented disaster.

Several European countries are reporting an increase in COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations, and deaths, he told the journalists.

According to him, Omicron remains the dominant variant globally.

The WHO chief said while more than 300 sub-variants were being tracked globally, weak surveillance, testing and sequencing made tracking the virus, like chasing shadows.

Meanwhile, he noted that influenza season was starting in the Northern hemisphere.

Measures to curb COVID-19 also help reduce the flu and he reminded everyone to get flu vaccine.

After years of declining cholera cases, “a worrying upsurge” of deadly outbreaks across the world has emerged over the past year – including in 27 countries since January.

According to limited data, the senior UN official said the average case fatality rate so far this year, is almost three times that of the past five years.

“In Syria, more than 10,000 suspected cases of cholera have been reported just in the past six weeks.

“And in Haiti, after more than three years with no cases of cholera, two cases have been officially reported this week,” said Ghebreyesus.

He acknowledged that many could not  access simple interventions, such as vaccines, safe water and sanitation, oral rehydration or antibiotics for more severe cases.

“Cholera thrives on poverty and conflict but is now being turbo-charged by climate change, while those drivers also reduce access to clean water and create the ideal environment for cholera to spread,” he explained.

Source: NAN

The post WHO confirms 63 cases of Ebola, 29 deaths in Uganda appeared first on Frontpageng.

The Director-General, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said that Uganda had, on September 20, declared the outbreak of the virus and that it was on an alert mode.

The outbreak has also been confirmed by the World Health Organization, WHO.

The Sudan strain of the Ebola virus is the known cause of EVD, having caused previous outbreaks in Uganda, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed the virus in samples collected from a 24-year old male, who had exhibited symptoms of the disease and later died in Mubende District in the Central Region, about 175km from the capital, Kampala.

As of September 29, the Ugandan Ministry of Health reported 54 cases (35 confirmed and 19 probable) and 25 deaths (7 confirmed and 18 probable).

The Ugandan Ministry of Health, with the support of WHO, is working to effectively respond to and contain the spread of the virus.

The NCDC boss said that the agency’s -led multisectoral National Emerging Viral Haemorrhagic Diseases Technical Working Group, NEVHD TWG, working with partners and stakeholders, had conducted a rapid risk assessment to guide in-country preparedness activities.

READ ALSO: Monkeypox cases top 35,000 in 92 countries -WHO

“The NEVHD TWG coordinates preparedness efforts for EVD and other emerging viral haemorrhagic diseases.

“Based on available data, the overall risk of importation of the Ebola virus and the impact on the health of Nigerians has been assessed as high for the following reasons:

“The Sudan Ebola Virus does not currently have an effective drug for treatment or licensed vaccine for prevention.

“The extent of the outbreak in Uganda has not yet been ascertained as investigations have shown that some persons may have died with similar symptoms which were not reported to health authorities.

“In addition, their burials were not conducted safely to prevent transmission.

“The case fatality rate of the Sudan virus varied from 41 per cent to 100 per cent in past outbreaks.

“The likelihood of importation to Nigeria is high, due to the increased air travel between Nigeria and Uganda, especially through Kenya’s Nairobi airport, a regional transport hub, and other neighbouring countries that shared a direct border with Uganda.

“The likelihood of spread in Nigeria following importation is high due to the gatherings and travel associated with politics, the coming yuletide as well as other religious gatherings and festivals during the last few months of the year,” he outlined.

He said that in spite of the risk assessment, the country had the capacity – technical, human (health workforce), and diagnostic – to respond effectively in the event of an outbreak.

“This is exemplified by our successful response to the Ebola outbreak in 2014, as well as improvements in our capacity for health emergency response during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have the diagnostic capacity to test for the EVD presently at the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital’s Centre for Human and Zoonotic Virology Laboratory,” he said.

He, however, said that diagnostic capacity would be scaled up to other laboratories in cities with important Points of Entry (POE) and others as might be required.

“An effective response system is in place with the availability of control capacities (trained rapid response teams, and an effective infection prevention and control programme) to limit the risk of spread in the event of a single imported case.

“Currently, no case of EVD has been reported in Nigeria. Nonetheless, the Nigerian government, through NCDC’s multisectoral NEVHD TWG, has put several measures in place to prevent and prepare for immediate control of any outbreak of the disease in-country.

“The NCDC Incident Coordination Centre (ICC) is now in alert mode. Development of an incident action plan for the first few cases of EVD has commenced.

“POE surveillance has been heightened, using the passenger pre-boarding health declaration and screening form in the Nigeria International Travel Portal, NITP, platform.

“Passengers arriving from Uganda and persons who transited in Uganda are being followed up for 21 days of their arrival in Nigeria on their health status.

“Trained Rapid Response Teams are on standby to be deployed in the event of an outbreak.

“Public Health Emergency Operations Centres (PHEOCs) in states with major POE i.e. Lagos, Kano, Abuja, and Rivers are on standby.

“A medical counter measures plan is available.”

He said amplification of risk communication and engagement with states and partners, to strengthen preparedness activities including a review of risk communication protocols, plans and messages in the event of an outbreak, had been done.

Adetifa said the country had an active infection Prevention and Control, IPC, programme nationwide with guidelines and training packages developed for healthcare workers.

Ebola virus disease is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans.

The strain responsible for the current outbreak was first reported in southern Sudan in June 1976.

Since then, seven outbreaks caused by this strain had been reported (four in Uganda and three in Sudan) with previous outbreaks’ fatality ratio ranging from 41 to 100 per cent.

Just like other types of Ebola virus, people infected cannot spread the disease until the development of symptoms, including fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and sore throat later followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, symptoms of impaired kidney and liver function.

Symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to the virus, but the average is 8 to 10 days.

Currently, there are no vaccines or therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of this strain of the virus.

However, the early initiation of supportive treatment has been shown to significantly reduce deaths.

Recovery from EVD depends on good supportive clinical care, management of co-morbidities, and the patient’s immune response.

People who recover from Ebola virus infection develop antibodies that last for at least 10 years.

Source: NAN

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The Pasteur Institute of Cote d’Ivoire examined the woman’s blood sample taken on Friday, and informed local health authorities on Saturday of the positive case, Health Minister Pierre Dimba said in a press release.

The patient had left the Guinean city of Labe by road, and arrived in Abidjan on Wednesday, Dimba said, adding that she was “diagnosed and taken care of immediately” on Thursday by health services.

“This is an isolated and imported case,” the minister said, adding that the patient was at that moment in quarantine at the epidemic disease treatment centre of the University Hospital Center of Treichville in Abidjan.

The government ensured its citizens that “all measures that have been successfully tested in the past are (being) taken for the control of the disease,” Dimba said.

The government will promote the vaccination of front-line health workers, immediate contacts of the patient, and security forces at points of entry, Dimba added.

During an emergency inter-ministerial meeting held on Saturday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Patrick Achi, the participants decided to reactivate community event-based surveillance for Ebola, and strengthen cross-border collaboration with Guinea.

On February 14, Guinea declared a new outbreak of Ebola in Gouecke, a sub-prefecture in its Nzerekore Prefecture.

There have also been fresh cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo in its North Kivu province.

The 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola virus outbreak, which mainly hit Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, claimed over 11,300 lives, with more than 28,600 cases recorded.

Source: Xinhua/NAN

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WHO had on Friday confirmed a new case of Ebola virus in the city of Beni in DRC, after 52 days of not recording a case in the country.

Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, disclosed this in a statement issued from the agency’s headquarters in Geneva and posted on its website.

“Three new cases have been confirmed – two people who died in the community and one person who was in contact with one of them.

“The source of their infection is still under investigation. It is likely that additional cases will be identified.

“Flare-ups are expected at the tail-end of Ebola outbreaks.

“Our teams in Beni are experienced in responding to new cases and acted quickly to engage with affected communities, investigate alerts, identify and vaccinate contacts, decontaminate affected homes and health facilities, and send samples for sequencing,’’ he said.

Ghebreyesus said the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC, had met and advised him.

He said their view on the Ebola outbreak in the DRC was that “it continued to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and I have accepted that advice.”

He added: “Tremendous progress has been made containing this outbreak in very difficult circumstances.

“Up until Friday, 54 days had passed without a confirmed case being reported, and 40 days had passed since the last person known to have Ebola tested negative and was discharged from treatment.

“The Committee noted that armed groups are active in the area where these cases were identified, a lack of funding is constraining the response and the COVID-19 pandemic is adding more challenges to an already complex operation.

“We have to anticipate and be prepared for additional small outbreaks.

“We need the full force of all partners to bring these outbreaks under control and to meet the needs of the people affected,’’ Ghebreyesus said.

The director-general, however, thanked the Committee for their advice.

“I thank the government and people of DRC, the responders, partners and WHO colleagues, who are dedicated to ending this outbreak,’’ he said.

Source: NAN

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A statement on Saturday from the WHO website, named the countries as: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Ghana and Zambia.

The statement said registration of the vaccine is expected in additional countries in the coming weeks.

It said that the licensing of the vaccine meant that the manufacturer would stockpile and widely distribute the vaccine to African countries at risk of Ebola outbreak.

According to the statement, once licensed doses are available, use of the vaccine will not require clinical trial or other research protocols.

Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said, “The approval of the Ebola vaccine by these countries is another milestone in the fight against this unforgiving disease.

“Africa has rallied to cement hard-fought progress to keep its people safe from Ebola.”

He said that WHO accelerated the licensing and roll-out of the Ebola vaccine by certifying that it met the organisation’s standards for quality, safety and efficacy in its fastest vaccine prequalification process ever.

The pre-qualification announcement was in November 2019.

“The speed with which this has been achieved has been made possible by a different approach, where national licensing procedures were done in parallel based on one single scientific review process.

“Usually, these process are done one by one, which can take years,” the statement said.

It noted that the process was led by WHO, with the participation of the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum, an African network of national regulatory authorities and ethics committees, the European Medicines Agency, and Merck.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said that the rapid approval of the Ebola vaccine by countries in Africa would help to ensure critical prevention tool would be available when needed.

“This kind of collaboration and innovation is a model for other health priorities,” Moeti said.

The statement disclosed that the injectable Ebola vaccine, Ervebo, is manufactured by Merck.

“Preliminary study results have shown a 97.5 per cent vaccine efficacy. Data also suggests that vaccinating people who are already infected reduces their chances of dying,” it said.

WHO disclosed that in response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC, over 290,000 people have been vaccinated under compassionate use protocols.

It said that once licensed doses are available, use of the vaccine in DRC will no longer require these protocols.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the International Health Regulations 2005 Emergency Committee for Ebola virus disease on Feb. 12, maintained that Ebola outbreak in the DRC still constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

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