Watch:Akon, Femi Kuti, Ice Prince, Fally Ipupa, Mafikizolo, Angelique Kidjo, Others For #EndEbola Campaign

 

The ONE Campaign has brought together fourteen African artistes to pressure African leaders do more and quickly fight the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, and take action to strengthen national health systems to prevent and contain future outbreaks.

In the new video, Akon (Senegal), Fally Ipupa (DRC) , Angélique Kidjo (Benin), Danai Gurira (Zimbabwe), Ice Prince, Femi Kuti, Desmond Elliot and Praiz (Nigeria); Mafikizolo and T-bo Touch (South Africa), Victoria Kimani (Kenya),Diamond (Tanzania) and Magasco (Cameroon) are joined by a nurse who treated Ebola patients and an Ebola survivor in making this call .

The video reiterates the call by African Union Chair, H.E. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, for all African leaders  to  take more responsibility and act urgently by providing more trained personnel, materials, financing and international coordination to all affected countries. ONE’s campaign is focused on ensuring governments deliver their pledges and increase their response.

The video, which is completely silent, highlights how the world waited too long to act, and over 5,000 lives were lost as a result. However, we cannot wait any longer for the delivery of commitments made if this fight against Ebola is to succeed.

The video ends with a call to action for citizens to sign ONE’s petition. The petition asks world leaders to step up and provide more trained personnel, materials, financing and international coordination to help stop Ebola.

Join the conversation on twitter- #EndEbola

Watch the video below

Ebola Response Tracker: www.one.org/ebolatracker

To sign the petition: http://act.one.org/sign/ebola_africa

Ebola Scare: Australia Suspends Humanitarian Aid, Closes Border To West Africans

Australia’s Immigration Minister, Scott Morrison, has announced that his government would not be issuing any more visas to West Africa’s Ebola-affected countries and was halting humanitarian aid operations in the region.

The decision, which was announced in a televised session of parliament on Monday, went into immediate effect and comes after 11 persons previously isolated out of Ebola concerns were released after testing negative to the Ebola virus.

Holders of permanent visas in Ebola-hotspots issued by the Australian government would not be barred from entry into Australia, but will have to undergo three weeks of isolation at points of departure deemed Ebola risk zones, in addition to isolation regimes upon re-entry into Australia.

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) and medical experts have repeatedly warned of restrictive measures against returning health workers fearing the potential in discouraging more international volunteers at Ebola hotspots.

To date the Ebola crisis has resulted in over 10, 000 recorded cases of transmissions and over 5000 related deaths.

#Ebola: Sawyer’s Wife Speaks Out-‘Nigerians Are Still Angry At My Husband’

Mrs. Sawyer, who says she’s struggling financially, needs Patrick’s death certificate to enable her access some benefits for her 3 daughters but despite requests made to the hospital in Lagos and the Liberian finance minister, she has not received her husband's cremated remains, his health records or his death certificate, MPR News reports.

She said:

"They are angry at Patrick. And so that anger is still there, even though he's dead now,"

"My heart goes out to...all the families that have lost a loved one to Ebola,"  "I'm one of those people."

Ebola-Free: President Jonathan Congratulates Nigerians On Facebook

President Federal Republic of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan posted on facebook this morning, October 21 congratulating Nigerians, most especially the people of Lagos, Rivers and Enugu for their quick response to containing the Ebola Virus.

The Ebola virus was brought into the Nation by one Mr. Sawyer of Liberia who later died in a now popular Hospital at Obalende, Lagos.

Read the President’s comment on facebook Below:

Post by Goodluck Jonathan.

Nigeria is Ebola-Free: Here’s What We Did Right

It's been 42 days since the last new case

Nigeria and the World Health Organization were poised to declare the country free of Ebola on Monday, a containment victory in an outbreak that has stymied other countries’ response efforts.

The milestone was set for 9 a.m. local time or 4 a.m., E.T., 42 days since the last new case. The outbreak has killed more than 4,500 in West Africa is remains unchecked in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, so Nigeria is by no means immune to another outbreak.

A school official takes a pupil's temperature using an infrared digital laser thermometer in front of the school premises, at the resumption of private schools, in Lagos, Sept. 22, 2014.

“It’s possible to control Ebola. It’s possible to defeat Ebola. We’ve seen it here in Nigeria,” Nigerian Minister of Health Onyebuchi Chukwu told TIME. “If any cases emerge in the future, it will be considered—by international standards—a separate outbreak. If that happens, Nigeria will be ready and able to confront it exactly as we have done with this outbreak.”

For the WHO to declare Nigeria’s Ebola-free, the country had to make it 42 days with no new cases (double the incubation period), verify that it actively sought out all possible contacts, and show negative test results for any suspected cases.

Nigeria had 20 cases of Ebola after a Liberian-American man named Patrick Sawyer flew into Lagos collapsed at the airport. Health care workers treating Sawyer were infected, and as it spread it ultimately killed eight people, a low number next to the thousands of cases and deaths in other countries. Nigeria’s health system is considered more robust, but there was significant concern from experts that a case would pop up in one of the country’s dense-populated slums and catch fire.

So what did Nigeria do right? Chukwu and Dr. Faisal Shuaib of the country’s Ebola Emergency Operation Center, broke it down for TIME.

Preparing early. Nigeria knew it was possible a case of Ebola would make it into the country, so officials got to work early by training health care workers on how to manage the disease, and disseminating information so the country knew what to expect.

 

Declaring an emergency—right away. When Nigeria had its first confirmed case of Ebola, the government declared a national public health emergency immediately. This allowed the Ministry of Health to form its Ebola Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC is an assembly of public health experts within Nigeria as well as the WHO, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and groups like Doctors Without Borders. “[We] used a war-room approach to coordinate the outbreak response,” Shuaib said. “So you have a situation whereby government and staff of international development agencies are co-located in a designated facility where they are able to agree on strategies, develop one plan and implement this plan together.”

The EOC was in charge of contact tracing (the process of identifying and monitoring people who may have had direct or indirect contact with Ebola patients), implementing strict procedures for handling and treating patients, screening all individuals arriving or departing the country by land, air and sea, and communicating with the community. Some workers went door-to-door to offer Ebola-related education, and others involved religious and professional leaders. Social media was a central part of the education response.

Training local doctors. Nigerian doctors were trained by Doctors Without Borders and WHO, and treated patients in shifts with their oversight.

Managing fear. “Expectedly, people were scared of contracting the disease,” Shuaib said. “In the beginning, there was also some misinformation about available cures, so fear and inaccurate rumors had to be actively managed.” Nigeria used social media to to ramp up awareness efforts, and publicized patients who were successfully treated and discharged.

“People began to realize that contracting Ebola was not necessarily a death sentence,” Shuai said. “Emphasizing that reporting early to the hospital boosts survival gave comfort that [a person] has some level of control over the disease prognosis.”

Keeping borders open. Nigeria has not closed its borders to travelers from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, saying the move would be counterproductive. “Closing borders tends to reinforce panic and the notion of helplessness,” Shuaib said. “When you close the legal points of entry, then you potentially drive people to use illegal passages, thus compounding the problem.” Shuaib said that if public health strategies are implemented, outbreaks can be controlled, and that closing borders would only stifle commercial activities in the countries whose economies are already struggling due to Ebola.

Remaining prepared for more patients.Even though this outbreak was contained, Nigeria is not slowing down its training and preparations for the possibility of more cases.

“Outbreak response preparedness is a continuous process that requires constant review of the level of the response mechanisms in place to ensure that the health system is ready to jump into action at all levels,” Shuaib said. “There is no alternative to preparedness.”

Advocating for more international response. “The global community needs to consistently come together, act as one in any public health emergency, whether it is Ebola or a natural disaster.” Shuaib said. “While a lot has been done, it still falls short of what is necessary to get ahead of the curve. We must act now, not tomorrow, not next week.”

Two strippers are in Ebola quarantine.

Two strippers won't be hitting up the champagne room for the next 21 days because they're in Ebola quarantine ... but once they get out, would you still let them rub their junk on your lap?

Texas flop jockeys Axl Goode and Taylor Cole say they sat 3-feet from Ebola patient, nurse Amber Vinson -- during a flight from Cleveland to Dallas on Monday -- so they called the CDC.

The buffed out strippers were on hold for 81 minutes before they finally got an official on the line.  After that, they were placed on a 21 day voluntary quarantine.
So, sometime next month Goode and Cole will be back on their grind. But we gotta ask ...

This Business Man Is Making It Big Off His Ebola-C Product

A New York businessman is one of the first people to capitalize on the Ebola scare ... and he's making a fortune.
Todd Spinelli tells TMZ ... he developed a dietary supplement in the form of a wafer. He says the supplement prevents healthy cells from breaking down, which keeps them in the body longer than normal. Spinelli claims as a result ... the wafer can help boost the immune system to protect it from contracting diseases, including Ebola.
Spinelli says he trademarked the product -- called Ebola-C -- and went to market on October 1. It is NOT FDA approved, but he says there is a doctor on staff who gives it the A-Okay.

Spinelli claims he's selling up to 14,000 a day at $34.95.
As for what's in Ebola-C ... the C should give it away, because each serving delivers 554% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C.

Credit: TMZ

Did This Texas College Really Reject A Nigerian Student Because Of Ebola?

With enhanced screening of passengers from affected areas at several major U.S. airports and an increased vigilance about stopping the domestic spread of the Ebola virus now that a second case has been diagnosed in Texas, it feels as if American officials are taking the threat of the disease seriously.

But did a two-year Texas community college take things too far? According to CNBC, a student from one of the affected African countries, Nigeria, claims that his application to Navarro College was rejected over Ebola fears.

The school, 58 miles from Dallas, the site of one Ebola death and a second diagnosed case, reportedly told Kamorudeen Abidogun that he would not be welcomed for the spring 2015 term. Abidogun is originally from Nigeria and has five relatives in Nigeria who were applying to the school using his home in Richmond, Texas, as a U.S. mailing address. He supplied CNBC with a rejection letter in which the college’s international programs director,

Elizabeth Pillans, informed him that “Unfortunately, Navarro College is not accepting international students from countries with confirmed Ebola cases.”

Mechanical engineer Abidogun said he got not one, but two letters citing Ebola as a reason for his rejection. A fellow Nigerian who lives in East Texas, Idris Bello, tweeted out a copy of the letter to bring attention to the case.

Tell @NavarroCollege ; Stop Ebola, Stop Discrimination! http://t.co/6upQGZjp7x. cc @renoomokri @lindaikeji pic.twitter.com/C4YbB3gwo7

— Idris Ayodeji Bello (@idrisayobello) October 13, 2014

 

The college, however, claims that Abidogun was not rejected over Ebola. “Our college values its diverse population of international students,” Navarro’s vice president for Access and Accountability, Dewayne Gregg, wrote to CNBC in an email. “This fall we have almost 100 students from Africa. Unfortunately, some students received incorrect information regarding their applications to the institution.”

Despite the letter posted online citing Ebola, Gregg said the rejection came because the college restructured its honors program to focus on recruitment from China and Indonesia in 2014-2015. “Other countries will be identified and recruitment efforts put in place once we launch our new honors program fall 2015,” he wrote. “We apologize for any misinformation that may have been shared with students.”

Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg & Wife Kicks in $25 Million for Ebola

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife announced Tuesday they are donating $25 million to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control foundation to fight the Ebola crisis that has killed more than 4,440 people in west Africa.

Zuckerberg revealed the donation in a post on Facebook (of course), the site that has made him into the $33 billion man he is today.

In a status update, Zuckerberg compared the disease to Polio and HIV, noting that 8,400 people have already been infected by Ebola and that it has the potential to spread quickly. Here's his full update:

Post by Mark Zuckerberg.

Ebola.com To Sell For 24 Million Naira

Jon Schultz is the President of Nevada-based Blue String Ventures and the owner of the Ebola.com domain and he intends to part with it for $150,000 (24,614,980.68) or more as he says that the price is "is subject to change as the situation evolves."

He told CNBC:

"$150,000 is not a tremendous amount for a premium domain. The fact that this is a top news story makes it very reasonable, in our opinion, as many domains sell for seven figures. Just this year Whisky.com sold for $3.1 million and MI.com sold for $3.6 million."

"Ebola.com would be a great domain for a pharmaceutical company working on a vaccine or cure, a company selling pandemic or disaster-preparedness supplies, or a medical company wishing to provide information and advertise services,"

"There could be many other applications as well. With so many people concerned about the disease, any advertisement referring people to Ebola.com should get an excellent response."

Schultz is said to have bought Ebola.com in 2008 for $13,500 and along with his business partner Chris Hood, owns other domains such as BirdFlu.com and PotassiumIodide.com.

#Ebola Spanish Nurse Became The First To Contracts Ebola Outside Africa

A Spanish nurse has become the first suspected person to have contracted the Ebola virus outside of western Africa.

The female medic was part of the team that treated a 69-year-old Spanish priest called Manuel Garcia Viejo, who died from the disease on 25 September.

The priest had been working as a missionary in Sierra Leone when he contracted Ebola and had been flown back to his home country for specialist treatment.

NBC News Cameraman Tests Positive For Ebola

While reporting on the Ebola outbreak taking place in West Africa, a NBC cameraman has tested positive for the virus.

The 33 year old man who has not been identified to the public, was working as a freelance videographer for NBC. He was a part of a small crew of five working with the network's top medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman.

The unidentified NBC worker makes the fourth American to contract the deadly virus. He will be flown back to the U.S for treatment, CNN reports

"We are doing everything we can to get him the best care possible. He will be flown back to the United States for treatment at a medical center that is equipped to handle Ebola patients," NBC News President Deborah Turness.

Sanitizing crew turned away at Ebola patient's residence in Dallas

Four days after a man was diagnosed with Ebola in Dallas, the apartment where he stayed has not been sanitized, a cleaning crew contracted to do the job said. Four other people are still living there.

Thomas Eric Duncan became the first person diagnosed with Ebola on American soil when he was hospitalized this week after arrival from Liberia.

His partner and her family are in isolation at the apartment, which still has the sheets and towels Duncan used.

Before leaving his homeland, Duncan answered no to questions on whether he was exposed to the deadly virus, said Binyah Kesselly, board chairman of the Liberia Airport Authority.

Duncan had been helping Ebola patients, including caring for one at a residence outside the capital of Monrovia, Liberian community leader Tugbeh Chieh Tugbeh said.

Cleanup delayed

As concerns grow over how many people he may have exposed to the deadly virus, a plan to sanitize the apartment was delayed late Thursday.

Brad Smith of the Cleaning Guys, the company hired to sanitize the apartment, said they do not have the proper permits to transport hazardous waste on Texas highways. The company specializes in hazmat and biohazard cleaning services.

Smith said authorities sent them away late Thursday before they entered the apartment and told them to come back with proper permits. It's unclear how long that will take.

"The permit is being processed through DOT (Department of Transportation) because it is a special permit," Smith said.

"This is a unique situation. Once awarded our hazmat teams will be allowed back inside to do their jobs."

This was Duncan's first time in the United States, according to Wilfred Smallwood, his half-brother.

Liberia looking into prosecuting him

"The fact that he knew (he was exposed to the virus) and he left the country is unpardonable, quite frankly," Johnson Sirleaf said.

"With the U.S. doing so much to help us fight Ebola, and again one of our compatriots didn't take due care, and so, he's gone there and ... put some Americans in a state of fear, and put them at some risk, and so I feel very saddened by that and very angry with him, to tell you the truth."

Duncan's family said he hadn't mentioned any exposure to Ebola in Liberia.

Smallwood said he doesn't believe Duncan knew he had Ebola when he left Liberia for the United States. But he said it isn't out of the ordinary to come to the assistance of suffering people.

Duncan was screened three times before he boarded his flight in Liberia to Brussels, Kesselly said. His temperature was a consistent 97.3 degrees Fahrenheit, said Thomas Frieden, chief of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

#Ebola: Last Ebola Suspect In Lagos cleared

The Lagos state governor, Babtunde Fashola, on Friday while giving an update on the Ebola virus at the secretariat general mosque where he observed jummat prayers said the last suspected case of the disease in the state had been cleared having tested negative under surveillance this morning.

The governor said the development meant that the state was now Ebola free and that it was safe enough for schools to resume on sept 22. He further said that the declaration that the state was now free didn’t mean Ebola threats had been completely eliminated as the situation in Liberia, Sierra Leone and other high risk countries meant cross border transmission threat was still there.

However, he said the state government was implementing strict measures to ensure the disease was confined to history and and urged residents to be vigilant, keep their environment clean and maintain good personal hygiene.

Liberian Woman Commits Suicide In Lagos Amid #Ebola Scare[Viewer Discretion Is Advised]

The fear of having the Ebola Virus Disease has led a Liberian woman living in Lagos to commit suicide  by hanging herself in Lagos on Friday.

The deceased, was identified simply as Kate, and was said to be a worker in a pure water factory before her death.

While they said that the woman had been sickly for some time, the residents said she did not appear to have any problem with anyone in the community.

But after the outbreak of the Ebola disease that was brought to Nigeria by a Liberian diplomat, Patrick Sawyer, some of the people in the area opted not to have anything to do with her.

One of the residents, who pleaded anonymity, said, “We see her in this neighbourhood every day. She always looked sick but people stopped selling to her after the Ebola outbreak. It could be because she was Liberian and looked sickly. This might have frustrated her.”

When contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said that she was not aware of the incident and promised to check with the police division.

“I am not aware of the incident but I will check with the police division to confirm the report,” she said.