[stem-ebola] PRO/AH/EDR> Ebola virus disease - West Africa (195): Liberi

[alex@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

EBOLA VIRUS DISEASE - WEST AFRICA (195): LIBERIA, SIERRA LEONE, DRUG
TRIALS
***************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

In this update:
[1] Liberia: Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak (as of 20 Oct 2014)
[2] Sierra Leone: fresh UK deployment
[3] Drug trials planned: MSF

******
[1] Liberia: Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak (as of 20 Oct 2014)
Date: Mon 20 Oct 2014
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
<http://reliefweb.int/report/liberia/liberia-ebola-virus-disease-evd-outbreak-20-oct-2014>

See graphic at URL above.

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

******
[2] Sierra Leone: fresh UK deployment
Date: Tue 21 Oct 2014
Source: BBC News [edited]
<http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-29699195>


Ebola crisis: British medics head to Sierra Leone
-------------------------------------------------
About 100 soldiers from the Royal Army Medical Corps are travelling to
Sierra Leone as part of the UK's efforts to tackle the Ebola
outbreak....

Cabinet minister Ms Greening left RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on
Tuesday morning [21 Oct 2014] with the medics from Catterick-based 35
Squadron, 5 Armoured Medical Regiment and the Royal Army Medical
Corps. They will staff an Ebola training academy alongside some 90
personnel from 22 Field Hospital who left for Sierra Leone last week
[13-19 Oct 2014]. Ms Greening will visit the academy and the site of a
92-bed treatment facility in Kerry Town, which is in the final stages
of construction. She said: "Halting the disease in West Africa is the
most effective way of preventing Ebola infecting people here in the
UK. That is why we are providing 700 treatment beds in Sierra Leone,
sending vital supplies such as chlorine and protective clothing, and
training hundreds of health workers."

The UK is leading the [European] response to the disease in Sierra
Leone, where it has pledged a GBP 125 million [about USD 200 million]
aid package. In all, Britain is deploying 750 military personnel,
including the Royal Navy's casualty ship RFA Argus. European countries
have committed more than 500 million euros (GBP 400 million; USD 600
million) -- but the UK is pressing for that amount to be doubled.

Infographic (from Reuters):
- 780 British health staff volunteers helping to cope with the crisis
- 700 hospital beds supported by UK -- tripling Sierra Leone's
capacity
- 750 military staff to help construct treatment centre and other
facilities
- 100 beds on board medical ship RFA Argus being deployed to region
Source: health secretary's statement to Commons

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

******
[3] Drug trials planned: MSF
Date: 21 Oct 2014
Source: Reuters [edited]
<http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/21/health-ebola-msf-idUSL6N0SG3UL20141021>


MSF aims to start drug trials in Ebola clinics next month [Nov 2014]
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Bertrand Draguez, medical director of MSF [Medecins sans Frontieres]
Belgium, said academics and the World Health Organization (WHO) were
currently assessing which drugs to include in the tests....

Draguez said priority would be given to pharmaceuticals that are
already available -- so called 'off-label' drugs that were approved
for use on other diseases but that may have a beneficial effect on
Ebola. "To start the trials, I hope we are talking about weeks,"
Draguez said. "I hope it will be around the end of November [2014]."

Turn no one down
----------------
Draguez said MSF wanted to avoid having to turn down any patient who
wanted to be involved in the trials because of the lack of
availability of drugs. He said that while there were good supplies of
Avigan, or favipiravir, originally developed by Japan's Fujifilm to
treat flu, and Chimerix's Brincidofovir, the ZMapp treatment developed
by Mapp Biopharmaceutical was scarcer. A 4th treatment, TKM-Ebola, is
being developed by Tekmira.

[byline: Daniel Flynn]

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

[HealthMaps may be seen for:
Liberia: <http://healthmap.org/promed/p/54>
Sierra Leone: <http://healthmap.org/promed/p/46>]

[See Also:
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (194): bat immunity clue
20141020.2882849
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (193): Senegal free, WHO, S. Leone,
Nigeria 20141018.2878044
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (192): WHO, S. Leone soldier, MSF,
new drug 20141016.2870865
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (191): Liberia, Sierra Leone,
volunteers, vaccine testing 20141012.2854716
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (186): WHO, Cuban HCWs arrive,
prevention 20141004.2832637
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (185): WHO, CDC, Liberia, vaccine
20141001.2823670
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (183): great apes as sentinels
20140930.2818170
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (182): vaccine, orphans, S.Leone,
prevention 20140930.2817719
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (180): S. Leone, Liberia, USA,
drugs, Guinea 20140928.2813292
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (179): Liberia, protection, aerosol,
prevention 20140927.2811394
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (177): WHO, quarantine, vaccine,
Liberia, surv. 20140926.2808526
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (175): CDC, Sierra Leone, drugs,
survivors RFI 20140924.2802601
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (168): MSF, volunteers, hiccups,
vaccine 20140917.2780781
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (162): WHO, volunteering, protection
20140912.2770539
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (161): hospital ships, military
medical aid 20140911.2767249
Ebola virus disease - West Africa (160): Senegal, Liberia, tests,
media 20140911.2766294]
.................................................jw/je/sh
*##########################################################*
************************************************************
ProMED-mail makes every effort to  verify  the reports  that
are  posted,  but  the  accuracy  and  completeness  of  the
information,   and  of  any  statements  or  opinions  based
thereon, are not guaranteed. The reader assumes all risks in
using information posted or archived by  ProMED-mail.   ISID
and  its  associated  service  providers  shall not be  held
responsible for errors or omissions or  held liable for  any
damages incurred as a result of use or reliance upon  posted
or archived material.
************************************************************
Donate to ProMED-mail. Details available at:
<http://www.isid.org/donate/>
************************************************************
Visit ProMED-mail's web site at <http://www.promedmail.org>.
Send all items for posting to: promed@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (NOT to
an individual moderator).  If you do not give your full name
name and affiliation,  it may not be posted.  You may unsub-
scribe at  <http://ww4.isid.org/promedmail/subscribe.php>.
For  assistance  from   a   human   being, send mail to:
<postmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>.
############################################################
############################################################

List-Unsubscribe: http://ww4.isid.org/promedmail/subscribe.php