September 2014 Subscribe Here

BORDER SECURITY
the right precautions to avoid
infection.
Bushmeat - from animals such as
bats, antelopes, porcupines and
monkeys - is a prized delicacy in
much of West Africa but can also
be a source of Ebola
It was first discovered in the
Democratic Republic of Congo in
1976 since when it has affected
countries further east, including
Uganda and Sudan. This outbreak
is unusual because it started in
Guinea, which has never before
been affected, and is spreading to
urban areas.
From Nzerekore, a remote area
of south-eastern Guinea, the virus
has spread to the capital, Conakry,
and neighbouring Liberia and
Sierra Leone.
A man who flew from Liberia to
Lagos in July was quarantined on
his arrival and later died of Ebola
- the first case in Nigeria. One of
the nurses who treated him and
an official who came into direct
contact with him have since died.
The medical charity Medecins
Sans Frontieres (MSF) says the
outbreak is “unprecedented” in
the way the cases were scattered
in multiple locations across
Guinea, hundreds of kilometres
apart, and says it is a “race against
time” to check people who come
into contact with sick people.
The current outbreak is killing
between 50% and 60% of people
infected
There are no vaccines, though
some are being tested, along with
new drug therapies. The WHO
ruled in August that untested
drugs can be used to treat
patients in light of the scale of the
current outbreak.
It is not known which factors
allow some people to recover
while most succumb. The new
medical interventions such as that
provided to aid worker William
Pooley who made headlines
when he was flown to London for
treatment after contracting the
Ebola virus while volunteering
in a Sierra Leone hospital are
experimental, however they do
offer hope..
Patients with Ebola frequently
become dehydrated. They
should drink solutions containing
electrolytes or receive intravenous
fluids.
MSF says this outbreak comes
from the deadliest and most
aggressive strain of the virus.
Nigeria, with 12 confirmed Ebola
cases so far, said yesterday it
has placed over 200 people
under surveillance for the deadly
disease, trying to limit an outbreak
that’s killed more than 2461
people in West Africa.
Nigeria is the fourth country where
Ebola is reported, following its
spread in Guinea, Liberia and
Sierra Leone. At least 5000 people
have been infected throughout
West Africa, the World Health
Organization has reported and
they are preparing to deal with
20000.
Countries in the region are
strengthening security at
borders, and more airlines are
discontinuing flights to some
affected countries, further isolating
them. The actions come after a
top official from Doctors Without
Borders said it will take months to
curb the outbreak, while the WHO
said its’ running tally of Ebola
cases and deaths underestimates
the numbers medical workers are
reporting.
“We are not talking weeks; we’re
talking about months to get an
upper hand on the epidemic,”
Joanne Liu, international president
of Doctors Without Borders, said
in a news conference last week in
Geneva.
Liu, whose organization has almost
700 health workers in West Africa,
said a turnaround may take six to
nine months and called for more
help by global health groups.
She said others need to “step up
to the plate” in aiding the four
countries battling the virus.
Resilience
Resilience is “The capacity of
an organisation to prepare for,
respond and adapt to incremental
change and sudden shocks, in
order to survive and prosper”.
Resilience is essential to the
sustainability of any organisation’s
operations. Assuring that
timely and effective information
10 - World Security Report www.worldsecurity-index.com