Liberia declares state of emergency over outbreak as US
president says more information needed about
experimental drugs.
US President Barack Obama said it is "premature" to send
an experimental medicine for the treatment of Ebola to
West Africa, as Liberia declared a state of emergency
amid an outbreak that shows no signs of slowing.
Obama said on Wednesday that he lacked enough
information to green-light a promising medicine called
ZMapp that was already used on two American aid
workers who saw their conditions improve by varying
degrees.
"We've got to let the science guide us and I don't think all
the information is in on whether this drug is helpful,"
Obama said. "The Ebola virus, both currently and in the
past, is controllable if you have a strong public health
infrastructure in place."
But he said: "the countries affected are the first to admit
that what's
happened here is the public health systems have been
overwhelmed. They weren't able to identify and then
isolate cases quickly enough."
"As a consequence, it spread more rapidly than has been
typical with the periodic Ebola outbreaks that occurred
previously."
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on
Wednesday it would ask medical ethics experts to
explore emergency use of experimental treatments.
There is no known cure for Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever
that has overwhelmed rudimentary healthcare systems
and prompted the deployment of troops to quarantine
the worst-hit areas in the remote border region of
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
International alarm at the diffusion of the virus
increased when a US citizen died in Nigeria last month
after flying there from Liberia.
Authorities said on Wednesday that a Nigerian nurse
who had treated Patrick Sawyer had also died of Ebola,
and five other people were being treated in an isolation
ward in Lagos, Africa's largest city.
Public health officials should do all they can to contain
the outbreak, and during the course of that process,
authorities can assess whether new drugs or treatments
can be effective, Obama said.
"We're focusing on the public health approach right now,
but I will continue to seek information about what we're
learning about these drugs going forward," he said.
US health regulators have authorised the use of an Ebola
diagnostic test developed by the Pentagon for use abroad
on military personnel, aid workers and emergency
responders, the US Food and Drug Administration said.
State of emergency
Health workers across West Africa appealed on
Wednesday for urgent help in controlling the world's
worst ever outbreak as the death toll climbed to 932 and
Liberia declared the state of emergency.
In a speech, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia's
president, said that "ignorance and poverty, as well
as entrenched religious and cultural practices, continue
to exacerbate the spread of the disease."
"The government and people of Liberia require
extraordinary measures for the very survival of our state
and for the protection of the lives of our people," Sirleaf
said in an official statement.
The state of emergency was for 90 days, effective from
Wednesday. Liberia also shut a major hospital where
several staff were infected, including a Spanish priest.


www.aljazeera.com/se/201486233959405345

soo its until everybody gets infected that's when he'd send it abi??

I woke up this morning with great sadness after reading the statement credited to the American President Barack Obama who was quoted as saying '' afflicted countries should focus on proven public health measures, rather than an untested drug, effectively foreclosing any hope of infected Africans getting any reprieve from the experimental drug ZMapp.

The drug produced by Mapp pharmaceuticals has shown great promise in the treatment and management of Ebola patients ,However its use to date has been restricted to Americans leaving other infected nationals in the cold. Not even the Omar Khan the celebrated Ebola doctor who recently succumbed to the deadly virus was considered worthy to receive a drop of the serum.

Asking Africans to concentrate on proven public health procedure
at a time when Gods own country is administering the drug on her Nationals does not portray the Americans in Good light considering the recent hype about partnering with Africa.

The fatality rate of Ebola is near 100% as such the argument about risk factor does not hold water, I sincerely believe that west African countries are very much willing to sign any indemnity agreement with the US government on the potential risks of ZMapp administration on infected population.

As the world confronts this epidemic it is imperative to note that mutual cooperation and scientific synergy among Ebola free nations and Ebola infected countries is key if the disease must be contained.

Let's Work Together to end Ebola

Oche Otorkpa
(Trained WHO IDSR Specialist)

The manufactured virus has not yet killed the number of Africans they are targeting, till it completes its target the Anti Dotes will still be unavailable to Africans.

ochejoseph: I woke up this morning with great sadness after reading the statement credited to the American President Barack Obama who was quoted as saying '' afflicted countries should focus on proven public health measures, rather than an untested drug, effectively foreclosing any hope of infected Africans getting any reprieve from the experimental drug ZMapp.

The drug produced by Mapp pharmaceuticals has shown great promise in the treatment and management of Ebola patients ,However its use to date has been restricted to Americans leaving other infected nationals in the cold. Not even the Omar Khan the celebrated Ebola doctor who recently succumbed to the deadly virus was considered worthy to receive a drop of the serum.

Asking Africans to concentrate on proven public health procedure
at a time when Gods own country is administering the drug on her Nationals does not portray the Americans in Good light considering the recent hype about partnering with Africa.

The fatality rate of Ebola is near 100% as such the argument about risk factor does not hold water, I sincerely believe that west African countries are very much willing to sign any indemnity agreement with the US government on the potential risks of ZMapp administration on infected population.

As the world confronts this epidemic it is imperative to note that mutual cooperation and scientific synergy among Ebola free nations and Ebola infected countries is key if the disease must be contained.

Let's Work Together to end Ebola

Oche Otorkpa
(Trained WHO IDSR Specialist)

Not one single Ebola victim, who knows the hideous fate awaiting them in a couple of weeks, would reject a drug that has worked very well as an Ebola cure in clinical trials on primates, simply because those efficacy tests have not been carried out on large enough test groups of human subjects.

Please, President Obama, reconsider this stand against approving for export and rapid distribution a drug that offers so much hope to Africa, especially in light of the dramatic improvement recorded in the health of the American doctor and nurse who both benefited from treatment with that same drug, despite its having been labelled as an "experimental" cure. Consider for now the two recovering American medical personnel as human test subjects, whose ongoing recovery from what has been described as an ailment with a 90% mortality rate, corroborates the promising findings obtained with from test administrations of the drug on laboratory-infected primates.

President Obama please save Africa and the human race NOW, by allowing mass-production and distribution of the only known Ebola cure to Africa and all other lands where it is needed so urgently at this desperate hour.

I know why Africans will not get this drug.
I know why only this two american missionary get the drug.
Do you know that samaritian purse is the charity and gospel spreading organisation from Billy graham and his son is the CEO of Samaritian purse.
I know there was money behind it that the two american get it.

that shows only the real face of america!

What obama say is a disgrace for humanity.

Did you know why no health worker from doctors without border get ebola because they know what they have to do. Dodtors without border is an organisation from europa.

Africans always begging! With all the money our leaders throw around we could have our own cure. We had enough notice in Nigeria while other West African Countries where affected yet we did nothing. Every Country for itself so I don't blame USA. If the right measures had been put in place we wouldn't be in this position now.

Super1759: ok....its too early to send the drug to africa... but not too late to give the drug to the americans....Nonsense
something tells me that asia will come for help,i believe china maybe they are coming up with better drug that the american rubbish drug...

Even though America is culpable in this Ebola Conspiracy but Nigerians are way too gullible, religious & extremely foolish for always avoiding their responsibilities.

ACTIONS A SERIOUS GOVERNMENT WOULD TAKE

1. Summon the Liberian Ambassador to explain his Country's Gross Negligence.

2. Ban (not suspend) all flights from or enroute from Liberia until the Aviation Agency has proven their capacity to screen passengers diligently.

3. Given the fact the Liberian officials have publicly admitted they saw him on video seriously ill and the Govt got this information not even by espionage but public admission, they should start looking at prosecuting and punishing the Liberian Govt for endangering the lives of over 170 million people.

4. Prosecute the Airline on criminal charges for allowing such an obviously sick person check in and board their plane, and allow him to disembark without informing the authorities.

5. Seize and confiscate all the Airlines assets in Nigeria and sue them in their home jurisdiction.

6. Get the list of the Asky Airline heads and go after them. Individually, look for ways to lock them up or make them financially bankrupt.

7. Get the list of the heads of their Airport Agencies and go after them individually.

THESE ARE THE ACTIONS A SERIOUS GOVERNMENT WOULD HAVE TAKEN but unfortunately we have bunch of dispassionate & frivolous people at the helm of affairs who say corruption is not the main problem of our people, so there you go, make your vote count Feb 2015! We need people that will fight for this Country not these PDP/APC clowns.

It's really pathetic. We are looking to the West and to Asia for cures for Ebola Virus Disease. We are not even looking among ourselves.

When the time comes to make mouth we will be celebrating how we are a sovereign nation. We will be making noise about how we don't need the West, about how they can go to hell. Few months ago, were we not sending the US and the UN to hell?

Now we are begging them for help.
We are still very backward and as such, we'll always be at the mercy of the West whether we like it or not.

The US doesn't owe us anything. Our porous borders were not caused by the US. Our ineffective health ministry wasn't put in place by the US. When their citizens contracted the virus, they went to Liberia and took them home. And they are getting better. Now, Spain is getting prepared to receive her own citizens that have contracted the virus. This shows the level of preparedness and co-ordination that exists in these countries. And we say we are not backward.

SMH for Nigeria.

Is he serious?

amakufrancis: Is he serious?

yes he is he said the serum no reach

that is not tru

the newest information about ebola and the WHO

I am sorry it is only in german but i know it is possible to translate it

http://kurier.at/politik/weltchronik/epidemie-who-erklaert-ebola-zum-internationalen-notfall/79.190.865

Ebola is now an international dissease!

krazydave: soo its until everybody gets infected that's when he'd send it abi??

Don't Mind that Kenyan.

It was used on compassionate approval basis by their drug administration department to save their citizens but for Africa, the drug is still under testing and approval stages.

So let Africans keep dieing while ZMapp keeps freezing in America...