The current outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has been associated with an apparent increased risk of congenital microcephaly. We describe a case of a pregnant woman and her fetus infected with ZIKV during the 11th gestational week. The fetal head circumference decreased from the 47th percentile to the 24th percentile between 16 and 20 weeks of gestation. ZIKV RNA was identified in maternal serum at 16 and 21 weeks of gestation. At 19 and 20 weeks of gestation, substantial brain abnormalities were detected on ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without the presence of microcephaly or intracranial calcifications. On postmortem analysis of the fetal brain, diffuse cerebral cortical thinning, high ZIKV RNA loads, and viral particles were detected, and ZIKV was subsequently isolated.

read more at: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1601824

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday that Republicans would regret stalling President Barack Obama’s request for funds to combat the Zika virus. “At some point, they’re going to have to choose whether or not their animosity toward President Obama trumps their desire to try to protect pregnant women in their states from this terrible disease,” Earnest said.

WASHINGTON -- Federal money left over from the largely successful fight against Ebola will now go to fight the growing threat of the Zika virus, President Barack Obama's administration announced Wednesday.

Led by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Brima Kargbo, a team of health officials are now on an on-the-spot visit to border crossing areas around the country.
The five man assessment mission to the eastern district of Kailahun was as a result of the re-emergence of the ebola disease in Liberia which borders with Sierra Leone, both on the south and east.
On arrival in Kailahun which could be described as one of the high risk districts, in the event of an epidemic, Dr Brima Kargbo noted that for the past year a single case has not been reported, and was very impressed over the level of preparedness and mechanisms put in place at border crossing points and the on-going community sensitization.

05 APRIL 2016 - WHO and partners need US$ 2.2 billion to provide lifesaving health services to more than 79 million people in more than 30 countries facing protracted emergencies this year, according to WHO’s Humanitarian Response Plans 2016 launched today.

GENETICALLY modified mosquitoes are in the news for good reason: They may be our best hope for controlling the mosquito-borne Zika virus. The Food and Drug Administration has issued a preliminary finding of no significant environmental impact and is seeking public comment on a plan to test them in a field trial in the Florida Keys.

So you might think this will resolve the Zika crisis, which has caught the world’s attention because of an unexpected spike in microcephaly in babies born to women infected during pregnancy and in the incidence of the paralytic Guillain-Barré syndrome in Zika-infected adults.

Monrovia - Two new cases of the Deadly Ebola Virus Disease along with at least 91 contacts have been confirmed in Liberia by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare following recent outbreak of the disease in neighboring Guinea.

Survivors of infection by Ebola virus, already known to face vision, hearing and other problems during their recovery, may also be plagued with health issues such as depression, anxiety and nerve damage that surface after they leave the hospital, according to a small spot survey of victims whose care was managed in the U.S.

New symptoms surface in Ebola patients months after initial recovery

Some of the signs and symptoms can persist for months, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta found.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is to announce Wednesday it will transfer leftover money from the largely successful fight against Ebola to combat the growing threat of the Zika virus, congressional officials say.

Roughly 75 percent of the $600 million or so would be devoted to the Centers for Disease Control, which is focused on research and development of anti-Zika vaccines, treating those infected with the virus and combating the mosquitoes that spread it. The rest would go to foreign aid accounts to fight the virus overseas.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter before the White House announcement.

Top Zika investigators now believe that the birth defect microcephaly and the paralysing Guillain-Barre syndrome may be just the most obvious maladies caused by the mosquito-borne virus.

Fuelling that suspicion are recent discoveries of serious brain and spinal cord infections - including encephalitis, meningitis and myelitis - in people exposed to Zika.

Monday 4^th April, 2016: EVD survivors still have substantial unmet needs in Sierra Leone. Yesterday’s demonstration with placards at the State House and around the country further reinforce many of the concerns EVD survivors face.

Sierra Leone is projected to grow in 2016 by 4.3 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from a contraction of 21 percent last year with the resumption of iron ore mining and the end of Ebola, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a statement released on March 29.
A team from the IMF visited Sierra Leone from March 15 -29 to conduct the fifth review under the Extended Credit Facility programme (ECF) and at the end of the visit issued the statement, disclosing that “Sierra Leone’s economy is recovering from the twin shocks of the Ebola virus epidemic and the halt in iron-ore mining. Economic momentum is building again, and GDP is expected to grow by 4.3 percent this year from a contraction of 21 percent in 2015,” the statement reads.
“Shandong Iron and Steel Group (SISG) have resumed iron ore production and have shipped over 10 shiploads since the start of operation in February. But the fall in commodity prices and drop in demand from China are major challenges to the economy.
Inflation was 8.5 percent in December 2015, “but a small up-tick is expected in 2016 due to the depreciation of the Leone.” The buying rate of the Dollar currently is Le 5,887.16 and selling rate is Le 6,006.09 according to the Bank of Sierra Leone weekly exchange rate. Exchange rate on the black market is Le 6,100 buying rate and Le 6,500 selling rate.

The Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa devastated that region through 2014 and 2015, with more than 11,000 dead, putting the rest of the world on alert and spurring many nations to lend support to the fight against the hemorrhagic fever.

As part of the Canadian government’s contribution against the epidemic, a total of 79 CAF health care and support staff deployed to Sierra Leone in three different rotations from December 2014 to May 2015. The mission, dubbed Operation SIRONA, sent personnel to the UK’s Kerrytown Treatment Unit. The facility wasn’t tasked with caring just for local patients, but rather with caring for the local and international health care workers who had been exposed to the Ebola virus.

Sekou Camara, 20, was among the first to volunteer to conduct safe and dignified burials with the Red Cross Society of Guinea when the Ebola outbreak began two years ago. Despite his young age, Sekou Camara dedicated himself to fighting Ebola, acquiring valuable experience along the way. When the outbreak was declared over, Sekou was ready for a new challenge and turned his sights to surveillance activities.

Volunteering became a passion for Sekou five years ago when he joined the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement. An orphan, Sekou grew up with his grandmother, and because of their modest living conditions, was forced to end his education after completing primary school. The local committee of the Red Cross in Kaloum became his second home where he distinguished himself through his diligence to volunteer service. “I consider the Red Cross as my second family because there I found the love and warmness of a home. It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that I bring my modest contributions to relief efforts,” says Sekou with his usual smile.