I have not commented on the Ebola epidemic for a while. But things are finally looking up. The number of new cases reported each week has continued to fall in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, while Mali has now been declared free of Ebola after 42 days without a new case of Ebola reported. The […]
A new year has begun. What were the major infectious diseases events of the past year? The following two are my personal picks, reflecting on what I have read or experienced in 2014: Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This is the Ebola outbreak that dwarfs all previous outbreaks combined, and is still ongoing in Sierra […]
A returning healthcare worker from Guinea – Dr Craig Spencer from Médicins Sans Frontières – has tested positive for Ebola in New York, USA. Occasional isolated importation of Ebola into the US – as well as to other countries with direct links to the affected West African countries – is expected. This is a second chance […]
After the flurry of activities following the public dismay and outrage at Ebola transmitting to two healthcare workers in Dallas, Texas, we are nearing the end (of sorts) of the initial Ebola “saga” in the USA. The cruise ship Carnival Magic carrying a potentially infected healthcare worker has docked – no one was infected. There […]
There will soon be more posts on the current Ebola epidemic than on antimicrobial resistance, a temporary “problem” that I hope will be rectified shortly. Unfortunately, I have also fallen into the “media headlines trap” and am posting more about the 3 US cases and the consequent developments than on the ongoing tragedy unfolding in […]
A second healthcare worker has tested positive for Ebola in Dallas, Texas. This healthcare staff had also looked after Thomas Eric Duncan, the index case. One case could well be individual lapse. A second case makes it more likely a systemic fault. But the verdict is not out as yet.
How would Singapore fare in the management of Ebola? There is no doubt in my mind that any outbreak will be contained rapidly, with minimal local transmission. The country is small, and the government has more than sufficient resources and political will to monitor or even quarantine suspected travelers and contacts of cases, as was […]
How the nurse in Texas acquired Ebola remains publicly unknown at this point in time. CDC Atlanta has ascribed it to “protocol breaches“, and CDC officials are currently deciding whether additional safety measures are required to prevent further transmission. There are now more than 100 contacts to track from the initial imported case of Ebola. […]
Reported in major US news sites, including the Washington Post. Another healthcare worker down with Ebola, this time from the U.S. In the earlier case from Spain, it seems that the infected nursing aide’s co-workers are now refusing to work, concerned that the protective measures in place may be inadequate.
The first case of Ebola transmission outside Africa in this current outbreak occurred in Madrid, Spain. It was a nurse who had helped care for the two priests who had died of Ebola earlier last month. A grim reminder that infection control practices are not foolproof, even in a developed country with an advanced healthcare […]
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