WHO / EBOLA UPDATE

WHO said that UNMEER, the new UN mission combating Ebola, has unveiled part of its strategy to reverse the upward trend of Ebola cases inWest Africain the next 60 days. WHO announced the latest numbers of Ebola cases at 8,914 with 4,447 deaths. WHO

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:32
• Production Date: 14 October 2014
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION - WHO
• Subject Topical: HEALTH; HEALTH SERVICES; ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH; SANITATION; PUBLIC HEALTH
• MAMS Id: 1203504

Description

STORY: WHO / EBOLA UPDATE
TRT: 2.32
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 14 OCTOBER 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

14 OCTOBER 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, WHO press briefing room
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General:
“The numbers we need to get behind are 70-70-60. That number is 70 percent safe burials, 70 percent cases being managed and cared for properly and within 60 days of our start date, which for UNMEER we are taking as first of October, so that our goal is to have that in place by 60 days, which would be the first of December. And those numbers come from our assessment of what it is going to take to, you have heard Margaret Chan and others talking about bending the curve, and trying to get that upward curve going the other direction in terms of case numbers, and so that the 70-70-60 is really designed to strike that balance between how fast with an incredibly concerted international effort and commitment can we build those capacities and how fast will we have an impact in terms of cases.”
3. Close up, journalist
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General:
“The disease continues to expand geographically, there are more districts, counties, and prefectures that actually have disease than there would have been a month ago, and it is happening in all three countries. You are hearing of one or two new districts or counties or prefectures, and it is important looking at a map as well where they are coming up, because they are on the border areas as well, with Côte d’Ivoire, in particular, we are seeing some additional areas reporting cases that we hadn’t. So that is concerning, just that geographic expansion.”
5. Close up, laptop tilt up to journalist
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General:
“There are a couple of positive things we are seeing that again that some of you have seen, one is a slowing down in the rate of new cases in some areas in what's been the historic epicentre, Lofa County Liberia, in both Kenema and Kailahun, it has been slowing down over the last couple of weeks, as well.”
7. Close up, journalist
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General:
“Every time you isolate another patient, every time you have a safe a burial you are taking some of the heat out of this outbreak.”
9. Med shot, journalists

Storyline

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned today that Ebola could reach 10,000 cases per week in West Africa if the international community did not step up their response to the deadly virus.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva today (14 Oct), Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO’s Assistant Director-General said that the disease continues to expand geographically, “there are more districts, counties, and prefectures that actually have disease than there would have been a month ago, and it is happening in all three countries.”

He added that the border areas, Côte d’Ivoire in particular, was seeing additional areas reporting cases.

Aylward said a big part of the response effort comes with the new United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) coordination. UNMEER unveiled part of its strategy to reverse the upward trend of Ebola cases in West Africa in the next 60 days.

What is referred to as the 70-70-60 plan, aims to build and scale the foundation that governments and organizations have put into training, treatment and logistics to enable 70 percent safe burials and 70 of suspected cases isolated in 60 days.

“The 70-70-60 is really designed to strike that balance between how fast with an incredibly concerted international effort and commitment can we build those capacities and how fast will we have an impact in terms of cases,”Aylward said.

On a positive note, he said that over the past few weeks, there has been a slowing down in the rate of new cases in what's been the historic epicentre, Lofa County Liberia.

“Every time you isolate another patient, every time you have a safe a burial you are taking some of the heat out of this outbreak,” he said.

The World Health Organization announced the latest numbers on Ebola - the total number of cases has reached 8,914 with 4,447 deaths.