Ivory P&I our correspondents in IVORY COAST, has provided us with the following information.
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Cases of Ebola-type hemorrhagic fever were reported in the center of Guinea. According to the information available at this stage, situation is as follows:
1. REPORTED CASES
GUINEA: To date the total number of suspected cases on the whole Guinean territory is of 137 (86 deaths). As for Conakry, the number of suspected cases has risen to 16 (5 deaths / 2 confirmed cases), all of whom were however people having been in contact with Conarky’s patient zero who had travelled from the infectious area. All are currently being kept under quarantine at the Donka hospital, under close monitoring by a team composed with members of the MSF* epidemiological unit along in collaboration with representatives of the Guinean Health Authorities and doctors from the W.H.O.
At this stage, the Authorities consider that the cases reported in Conakry are deriving from the original area and should not be considered as a new source of the epidemic
LIBERIA: 8 suspected cases (2 deaths) have now been diagnosed in the region bordering Guinea, 2 of which are confirmed as Ebola
SIERRA LEONE: the number of suspected cases remains unchanged, none of which have been confirmed so far.
MALI: 3 suspected cases of Ebola have been diagnosed and isolated over the past couple of days. Samples taken have been sent to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC).
(*MSF = Doctors Without Boundaries)
2. LOCAL & REGIONAL CONTAINMENT MEASURES
As previously reported, all bordering countries (Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ivory Coast) have activated their health watch & epidemiological monitoring cells & containment plans in order to avoid/reduce the risk of spread of the epidemic to their own populations in the areas contiguous to the Guinean region of “Guinean Forest” (“Guinée Forestière”).
SENEGAL: The country has officially closed their southern border with Guinea since 30.03.14 and cancelled all farmers’ markets in the direct vicinity of the border.
– Furthermore, as relayed by our colleagues from SENEGAL P&I, the following measures have been announced yesterday by the Senegalese Maritime Authorities, effective immediately :
– All vessels arriving from any country with reported or suspected cases of Ebola (currently : Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) will need to be declared to the Authorities at least 24 hours in advance.
– These ships will be inspected systematically at anchorage by representatives of the Senegalese Health Authorities
– Any vessel bearing suspected cases will be immediately quarantined and forbidden to enter the port of Dakar (or any other Senegalese port).
Local Agents have already advised that carriage cost of Health Authorities from shore to vessels may require the use of launch service, which will be charged to vessels at cost.
MOROCCO: The airport of Casablanca being the main North & West African hub with daily flights to/from Conakry, the Moroccan Health Authorities have announced they would reinforce the “medical monitoring” of passengers flying in from countries infected. No specific details given so far regarding what this “medical monitoring” will be.
As for the rest of the concerned countries (including Guinea), at this stage and to date NO specific measure of quarantine or travelling restriction to/from these countries has been ordered by either local authorities or the W.H.O., and all airlines servicing the above countries are still operating normally.
3. SYMPTOMS & SANITARY RECOMMENDATIONS
As a reminder, the disease can transmit through direct physical contact (hand, mouth, …) or bodily fluids (blood, urine, faeces, …). Early-stage common symptoms are fever, muscle pain, headaches, dizziness & tiredness and nausea (all unfortunately quite common to most flu syndromes). Following symptoms are vomiting, diarrhea, coughing (all possibly with blood) and nose or mouth bleeding.
Recommendations to be made to crews of vessels calling in these areas are to:
- refrain from making physical contact with any person showing any of the above symptoms;
- refrain from purchasing/consuming meat from local forest animals (monkeys, bats, porcupines, agouti and all other kinds of local rodents).
- respect normal basic hygiene measures and wash their hands frequently.
- Unless absolutely necessary, avoid travelling to/inside the infected areas
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