Unknown haemorrhagic virus kills 13 people in Congo...

This news has just been reported in RTL over here in France and is starting to make the small headlines on BFM news.

I shall make a small translation of the situation :

Since the 11th of August 13 people have died from an unknown unknown haemorrhagic virus in the Democratic republic of the Congo.

The 13 people all showed symptoms of high temperature, diarrhoea, vomiting and in the final stages, blackened vomiting.

Two epicenters for this outbreak :

Roughly 80 people who have been in contact with the 13 deceased are currently being closely monitored for health status at their homes in Boende Moke, Lokolia, Watsikengo and Lokula, villages which are situated in the North West Equator province.

They are under daily surveillance for 21 days.

In case these people show symptoms of high temperature, diarrhoea, vomiting they will be transported to health centers in Lokolia and Watsikengo (these towns within 30 km of each other are the epicenters of the actual outbreak).

The first victim reported was a pregnant woman and the 12 other people died after coming into contact with her while she was sick or after she died.

NOW HERE IS THE ALARMING PART

Of the people who have so far died :

5 health workers including 1 doctor, 2 hygenists and a hospital worker. The other victims are village dwellers who assisted at her burial.

Safety kits have now been distributed to all health workers.

Original article in French from RTL here : www.rtl.fr...

This is actually quite worrying as they say that this particular virus has not been identified yet... Possible Ebola mutation or not?

More information on Viral hemorrhagic fever :

The viral hemorrhagic (or haemorrhagic) fevers (VHFs) are a diverse group of animal and human illnesses that may be caused by five distinct families of RNA viruses: the families Arenaviridae, Filoviridae, Bunyaviridae, Flaviviridae, and Rhabdoviridae.

All types of VHF are characterized by fever and bleeding disorders and all can progress to high fever, shock and death in many cases.

Some of the VHF agents cause relatively mild illnesses, such as the Scandinavian nephropathia epidemica (a Hantavirus), while others, such as Ebola virus, can cause severe, life-threatening disease.

Five families of RNA viruses have been recognised as being able to cause this syndrome.

The family Arenaviridae include the viruses responsible for Lassa fever, Lujo virus, Argentine, Bolivian, Brazilian and Venezuelan hemorrhagic fevers.

The family Bunyaviridae include the members of the Hantavirus genus that cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus from the Nairovirus genus, Garissa virus and Ilesha virus from the Orthobunyavirus and the Rift Valley fever (RVF) virus from the Phlebovirus genus.

The family Filoviridae include Ebola virus and Marburg virus.

The family Flaviviridae include dengue, yellow fever, and two viruses in the tick-borne encephalitis group that cause VHF: Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus and Kyasanur Forest disease virus.

In September 2012 scientists writing in the journal PLOS Pathogens reported the isolation of a member of the Rhabdoviridae responsible for 2 fatal and 2 non-fatal cases of hemorrhagic fever in the Bas-Congo district of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The non-fatal cases occurred in healthcare workers involved in the treatment of the other two, suggesting the possibility of person-to-person transmission.

This virus appears to be unrelated to previously known Rhabdoviruses.

Link here : en.wikipedia.org...

The worrying part about this is that we already have a possibility of an eventual worldwide epidemic/pandemic with the current Ebola situation... another haemorrhagic virus (if not mutation of Ebola) is just going to make things even more difficult to manage.

Thoughts folks?

Kindest respects

Rodinus

a reply to: Rodinus

wow these fevers seem to be really advancing....the only thoughts i have at this stage ...is someone messing around with biological weapons over in that part of the world testing to see which strain would be the most effective

Please could you elaborate as to why you may think that this is a red herring Thirdcoast?

Kindest respects

Rodinus

is someone messing around with biological weapons over in that part of the world testing to see which strain would be the most effective

To be quite honest Hope, I really don't know but my guess would be no as I am sure that those who do "dabble" around biological weapons (especially this type of pathogen) know darned well that this could have disastrous consequences for the rest of the planet.

Just a little extra snippet of news : I have a personal friend who has a company in Europe making patient isolator stretchers similar to this one :



Since the beginning of the current Ebola outbreak he has been completely bogged down with queries and orders from health authorities in Belgium, France, Germany and other EU countries as well as queries from health services in many major shipping ports throughout the EU.

Europe is stepping up on this one...

Kindest respects

Rodinus

a reply to: Rodinus

There are multiple Hem. Fevers that are as bad as Ebola. This xould be ebola but drom what imn reading this and other one. Could be Lassa or something new. There are undiscovered ones out there. Ebola is a slow mutator, but bio labs have altered it. Russia supposedly mised it withbmeasles making ebolapox. Thats scary. The black vomit is likely dark blood..
Pretty scsry.

originally posted by: GogoVicMorrow
a reply to: Rodinus

There are multiple Hem. Fevers that are as bad as Ebola. This xould be ebola but drom what imn reading this and other one. Could be Lassa or something new. There are undiscovered ones out there. Ebola is a slow mutator, but bio labs have altered it. Russia supposedly mised it withbmeasles making ebolapox. Thats scary. The black vomit is likely dark blood..
Pretty scsry.

Samples have been taken from those who are in quarantine and the deceased,results are expected to be published next week.

And yes, you are probably right as black vomiting is usually a symptom of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

I just wish results didn't take so long. If ever there was a need for instant gratification this is it!

a reply to: Rodinus

I look forwarrd to those results.
And for the record I'm not drunk I'm on a cursed touchphone haha.

For all are sake I just hope its not the cursed Ebolassaids. Time to nuke africa.

a reply to: Rodinus

my guess would be no as I am sure that those who do "dabble" around biological weapons (especially this type of pathogen) know darned well that this could have disastrous consequences for the rest of the planet.

that was pure speculation on my behalf...and i agree with you but mistakes do get made and stupidity seems to governing our world these days so i wouldn't put it past them..

Since the beginning of the current Ebola outbreak he has been completely bogged down with queries and orders from health authorities in Belgium, France, Germany and other EU countries as well as queries from health services in many major shipping ports throughout the EU. Europe is stepping up on this one...

now that is interesting....good luck to your friend i hope he makes some $$$...but the fact that interest has become high in these all of a sudden tells me something is brewing...i would like to think it is only precautions being taken....hmmm i guess time will tell

Over in Ireland we are currently awaiting the results of a 43 yr old Irish national who died 2 wks after coming back from West Africa....
Body is quarantined in Letterkenny, Donegal BUT he had been in Dublin for the two weeks prior....!

Makes you wonder....

PS - how much are those isolation pod / stretchers?

Regards
PDUK

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
a reply to: Rodinus

my guess would be no as I am sure that those who do "dabble" around biological weapons (especially this type of pathogen) know darned well that this could have disastrous consequences for the rest of the planet.

that was pure speculation on my behalf...and i agree with you but mistakes do get made and stupidity seems to governing our world these days so i wouldn't put it past them..

Since the beginning of the current Ebola outbreak he has been completely bogged down with queries and orders from health authorities in Belgium, France, Germany and other EU countries as well as queries from health services in many major shipping ports throughout the EU. Europe is stepping up on this one...

now that is interesting....good luck to your friend i hope he makes some $$$...but the fact that interest has become high in these all of a sudden tells me something is brewing...i would like to think it is only precautions being taken....hmmm i guess time will tell

Something is definitely brewing mate... and your speculation should be seriously considered, although I believe that we should also open our minds to other options too... for example, why not plain old simple evolution of a dormant virus that likes to pop up its head from time to time to naturally regulate the worlds population... (REMEMBER THE SPANISH FLU?)

More details here : en.wikipedia.org...

The 1918 flu pandemic (January 1918 – December 1920) was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic, the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus. It infected 500 million people across the world, including remote Pacific islands and the Arctic, and killed 50 to 100 million of them—three to five percent of the world's population—making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history...

We will probaly never know... one of the reasons why so many of us ask and ponder these types of issues here on ATS...

Worst thing about this (in regards to my friend), is that he is one of my suppliers for veterinary related material and he has just offered me the possibility of selling this material on the European market but on the "human" side of health care as exclusive distributer to the whole of Europe...

Ethical questions are being asked in my mind right now...

Kindest respects

Rodinus

a reply to: Rodinus

Rodinus

Will you be taking up your friends offer of distribution.?

I'm definitely interested if you don't as I have access and a network to a lot of healthcare professionals and different markets in Europe .

Regards

PDUK

Blasted edit time limit "for all OUR sake."

This is really weird. I'd like to know if they are just bleeding internally or from theeyes, and orifices like ebola. Why might just have a classic Ebola outbreak separate from the newishnsyrain in the west.

a reply to: Rodinus

well selling these things is not a bad thing because if some virus or disease get out of control there could be many lives saved......and we all need to make money !

and i agree viruses mutate naturally so its not necessarily a human entity that will create it...in fact we as humans were probably once just a virus that evolved...

originally posted by: GogoVicMorrow
a reply to: Rodinus

I look forwarrd to those results.
And for the record I'm not drunk I'm on a cursed touchphone haha.

For all are sake I just hope its not the cursed Ebolassaids. Time to nuke africa.

Thank god for that, was worried about you These are interesting times, the sort of interesting I dont like

originally posted by: PurpleDog UK
a reply to: Rodinus

Rodinus

Will you be taking up your friends offer of distribution.?

I'm definitely interested if you don't as I have access and a network to a lot of healthcare professionals and different markets in Europe .

Regards

PDUK

A situation such as the one in hand holds many ethical questions PD, however, taking into account the current situation I have discussed with my partners over in the Netherlands and we may just start distributing this product throughout Europe.

I will be discussing this with my partners when I go to the Netherlands next week.

If you need more info please U2U me and not display interest on the open threads as I do not wish to advertise here on ATS and disrespect T and Cs.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

originally posted by: PurpleDog UK
Over in Ireland we are currently awaiting the results of a 43 yr old Irish national who died 2 wks after coming back from West Africa....
Body is quarantined in Letterkenny, Donegal BUT he had been in Dublin for the two weeks prior....!

Makes you wonder....

PS - how much are those isolation pod / stretchers?

Regards
PDUK

2 weeks is a long time, but understandable when you take into account the health risks to other people that are possible... plus waiting time for sample results to come back.

Those stretchers are darned expensive because much technology is involved to ensure that they are under constant surveyed negative pressure in able to contain any type of contagious pathogen(s)... I will let you know via U2U next week when I am back from our meeting in the Netherlands.

Kindest respects

Rodinus

a reply to: Rodinus

This is dreadful news for the people in Africa. Is it because we are so crowded and hygiene in many places is not good enough to keep diseases at bay, or are we looking at the rise of something completely new or something that nature has simply created to cull our numbers. What disturbs me is the number of doctors and health workers that are getting infected who would be thoroughly trained in hygiene.

Reuters has a bit different numbers, WHO says 70 die by illness and denies a Ebola link
Reuters