Public Health - Conakry

Non-invasive contact with Ebola survivors 6 weeks after the virus has been cleared poses little risk for healthcare workers, though contact with semen, ocular humor, and cerebrospinal fluid requires Ebola-appropriate precautions, according to a study yesterday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

A cross-sectional cohort study evaluated 555 specimens from 112 Ebola survivors without fever seeking follow-up care at a clinic in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from Apr 2 to Jun 16, 2015. Almost one third of survivors (34, or 30%) were under the age of 16, and 50 (40%) were male.

Samples were obtained from the armpit (103 specimens), blood (93), conjunctiva (92), forehead (54), mouth (105), rectum (17), semen (1), urine (69), and vagina (21). The median time from Ebola treatment unit discharge to specimen collection was 142 days.

Some of the final cases of Ebola in Sierra Leone were transmitted via unconventional routes, such as semen and breastmilk, according to the largest analysis to date of the tail-end of the epidemic.

An international team of researchers has produced a detailed picture of the latter stages of the outbreak in Sierra Leone, using real-time sequencing of Ebola virus genomes carried out in a temporary laboratory in the country.

CLICK HERE - Quest Diagnostics - Zika Virus Infection - Important Testing Information and Helpful Resources

nbcnews.com - by Maggie Fox - April 28, 2016

The first commercial U.S. test to diagnose Zika virus won emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration Thursday.

It's a rare piece of good news as states and the federal government struggle to get out ahead of the Zika virus epidemic as it makes its way north to the U.S.

Quest Diagnostics says it should be able to handle any demand for the test, which uses the same method that government labs use to look for Zika virus in a patient's blood.

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ambafrance-gn.org

Translation to English via Google Translate . . .

New cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever have been reported in the prefecture of N'Zérékoré in Forest Guinea.

Any movement in this area is not recommended except for participation in pre-approved medical missions.

epidemiological situation in the April 16, 2016

- No new confirmed case to April 16.

- Since February 29 (1st suspected case): 10 probable and confirmed cases (seven confirmed and 3 probable).

- 8 deaths (probable and confirmed cases). No health staff is concerned

1. Health monitoring of the Embassy of France

- Continuous Embassy of France to follow in real time the evolution of the situation in conjunction with the Guinean Ministry of Health, WHO and NGOs on the ground, its European partners, and in Paris with the Crisis Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2. Tips and Recommendations

- To limit the minimum necessary traveling in areas where the epidemic is active.

- Do not eat bushmeat.

- Wash hands frequently.

- Do not touch prolonged sick with a high fever or gastroenteritis.

- When a person has on the temperature, how to deal remains: malaria research, medical and surveillance to monitor the disease.