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WHO / EBOLA UPDATE
STORY: WHO / EBOLA UPDATE
TRT: 02:47
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 29 DECEMBER 2015, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE, SIERRA LEONE, GUINEA, LIBERIA
FILE, 20 FEBRUARY 2015, FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE
1. Wide shot, village residents behind quarantine barrier
2. Med shot, rack focus of girl behind quarantine barrier
FILE, 14 JANUARY 2014, MATOTO COMMUNITY, CONAKRY, GUINEA
3. Various shots, contact tracer asking man about his health
4. Pan right, contact tracer taking man's temperature
FILE, 20 FEBRUARY 2015, FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE
5. Various shots, community volunteers checking people's temperature at roadblock
29 DECEMBER 2015, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Bruce Aylward, Special Representative of the Director-General for the World Health Organization (WHO) Ebola Response:
“Today is an incredibly important milestone for the huge effort that has been ongoing for nearly 2 years to stop the Ebola crisis in West Africa. As of today, for the first time in 2 years we can say that all three countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) have stopped the original chains of transmission, which have been driving this crisis and had led to such an international and national alarm last year.”
FILE, 16 JANUARY 2014, CONAKRY, GUINEA
7. Various shots, team members helping each other with PPEs
29 DECEMBER 2015, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Bruce Aylward, Special Representative of the Director-General for the World Health Organization (WHO) Ebola Response:
“We have to be very clear that although today is an important milestone, it’s only a milestone, it is not the end of the Ebola response in West Africa. Because what we have learned is while we stopped the original chains of transmission, we are also seeing small flares, one or two cases occurring. We have had 10 events like this where the virus is re-introduced from the survivor population. We know these flares will disappear as the virus disappears from the survivor population over the next year. But during that time we have to maintain the vigilance, we have to maintain the surveillance capacity, we have to maintain the ability to rapidly respond to new flares, but most importantly we have to build the capacity to ensure that survivors get the care they need, that they can be screened if they want to be screened and that they can minimize the risk of any inadvertent re-introduction of the virus into the community. It is a very small risk, but has such consequences, we have to make sure it is carefully managed.”
FILE, 26 JANUARY 2014, DISCO HILL, MONROVIA, LIBERIA
9. Med shot, health workers wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) preparing body for burial
10. Pan right, health workers in PPEs carrying body
11. Med shot, man digging grave
12. Wide shot, body being lowered into grave
13. Med shot, sprayer disinfecting members of the burial team
14. Wide shot, members of the burial team walking awayMed shot, team members by MSF centre gate
The Special Representative of the Director-General for the World Health Organization (WHO) Ebola Response, Bruce Aylward, said today represented a “milestone” in the fight against Ebola, with the end of the transmission of the virus, for the first time in two years, in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
“Today is an incredibly important milestone for the huge effort that has been ongoing for nearly 2 years to stop the Ebola crisis in West Africa. As of today, for the first time in 2 years we can say that all three countries (Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone) have stopped the original chains of transmission, which have been driving this crisis and had led to such an international and national alarm last year,” Aylward announced on Tuesday (29 Dec) from the organisation’s headquarters in Geneva.
Earlier in the day Mohamed Belhocine, WHO Representative in Guinea, called the West African country Ebola-free. Forty-two days have passed since the last person confirmed to have Ebola virus disease tested negative for the second time. Guinea now enters a 90-day period of heightened surveillance to ensure that any new cases are identified quickly before they can spread to other people.
The original chain of transmission started two years ago in Gueckedou, Guinea in late December 2013 and drove the outbreak which spread to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone and, ultimately, by land and air travel to seven other countries.
In addition to the original chain of transmission, there have been 10 new small Ebola outbreaks (or ‘flares’) between March and November 2015. These appear to have been due to the re-emergence of a persistent virus from the survivor population.
“We have to be very clear that although today is an important milestone, it’s only a milestone, it is not the end of the Ebola response in West Africa. Because what we have learned is while we stopped the original chains of transmission, we are also seeing small flares, one or two cases occurring. We have had 10 events like this where the virus is re-introduced from the survivor population,” Aylward said.
Among the challenges survivors have faced is that after recovering from Ebola virus disease and clearing the virus from their bloodstream, the virus may persist in the semen of some male survivors for as long as 9-12 months.
“We know these flares will disappear as the virus disappears from the survivor population over the next year. But during that time we have to maintain the vigilance, we have to maintain the surveillance capacity, we have to maintain the ability to rapidly respond to new flares, but most importantly we have to build the capacity to ensure that survivors get the care they need, that they can be screened if they want to be screened and that they can minimize the risk of any inadvertent re-introduction of the virus into the community,” the Special-Representative added.
WHO and its partners are currently working with the Governments of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea to help ensure that survivors have access to medical and psychosocial care, screening for persistent virus, as well as counselling and education to help them reintegrate into family and community life, reduce stigma and minimize the risk of Ebola virus transmission.
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