EBOLA/EVD [to 22 November 2014]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); “Threat to international peace and security” (UN Security Council)

Heads of UN, World Bank Group, IMF & WHO on Global Ebola Response
UN Chief Executives Board
[Video: 11:35]
On Friday, November 21, 2014, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim, and World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan held a brief press availability after the UN Chief Executive Board’s private session on the Ebola response.

In Presidential Statement, Security Council Hails Successes of Scaled-up Ebola Response, Calls for Stronger Coordination to Identify Gaps, Trace Contacts
UN Security Council
21 November 2014
SC/11663
7318th Meeting (PM)
The full text of presidential statement S/PRST/2014/24 reads as follows;
“The Security Council reiterates its grave concern about the unprecedented extent of the Ebola outbreak in Africa, which constitutes a threat to international peace and security, and the impact of the Ebola virus on West Africa, in particular Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. The Security Council expresses its appreciation for the crucial contributions and commitments made by the Member States of the region, to continue to lead the ground-level response against the Ebola outbreak, as well as to address the wider political, security, socioeconomic and humanitarian impact, including on food security, of the Ebola outbreak on communities and the need to plan for the longer term recovery in the region, including with the support of the Peacebuilding Commission. The Security Council underscores the continued need for robust contact tracing, social mobilization and community-level engagement efforts, especially outside of major urban areas in the most affected countries.

“The Security Council stresses the importance for the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) to continue to strengthen coordination with the Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and all national, regional and international actors, including bilateral partners and multilateral organizations, including the Mano River Union, African Union, Economic Community of West African States, European Union, World Bank Group and the United Nations system, in order to more readily identify gaps in the response effort and to utilize all Ebola response assistance more fully and efficiently, particularly at the local level. In this regard, the Security Council requests that the Secretary-General accelerate efforts to scale-up UNMEER’s presence and activities at the district and prefecture level outside of the capital cities.

“The Security Council expresses its concern about the recent reported Ebola infections in Mali. The Security Council recognizes the important steps taken by the Government of Mali, including by appointing an Ebola Incident Coordinator to lead a whole-of-Government response. The Security Council affirms the importance of preparedness by all Member States to detect, prevent, respond to, isolate and mitigate suspected cases of Ebola within and across borders and of bolstering the preparedness of all countries in the region. The Security Council recalls the International Health Regulations (2005), which aim to improve the capacity of all countries to detect, assess, notify and respond to all public health threats.

“The Security Council welcomes the efforts undertaken by UNMEER to provide overall leadership and direction to the operational work of the United Nations system, as mandated by the United Nations General Assembly. The Security Council underscores the need for relevant United Nations System entities, including the United Nations peacekeeping operations and special political missions in West Africa, in close collaboration with UNMEER and within their existing mandates and capacities, to provide immediate assistance to the governments of the most affected countries.

“The Security Council lauds the critical, heroic and selfless efforts of the first-line responders to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, including national health and humanitarian relief workers, educators and burial team members, as well as international health and humanitarian relief workers contributed by the Member States of diverse regions and non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations. The Security Council expresses its condolences to the families of the victims of the Ebola outbreak, including national and international first-line responders. The Security Council urges all Member States, non-governmental, inter-governmental and regional organizations to continue to respond to the outstanding need for medical personnel, as well as related critical gap areas, such as personnel with expertise in sanitation and hygiene.

“The Security Council underscores the critical importance of putting in place essential arrangements, including medical evacuation capacities and treatment and transport provisions, to facilitate the immediate, unhindered and sustainable deployment of health and humanitarian relief workers to the affected countries. The Security Council welcomes the steps announced by Member States and regional organizations to provide medical evacuation capacities for health and humanitarian relief workers, as well as other treatment options in situ.

“The Security Council notes the considerable efforts of the international community to scale-up its coordinated response to the Ebola outbreak and the important progress on the ground as a result of these contributions. In this regard, the Security Council commends those Member States, which, in concert with other actors on the ground, have opened Ebola treatment units and provided other crucial support in the affected countries. The Security Council urges all Member States, bilateral partners and multilateral organizations, to expedite the provision of resources and financial assistance, as well as mobile laboratories; field hospitals to provide non-Ebola-related medical care; dedicated and trained clinical personnel and services in Ebola treatment units and isolation units; therapies, vaccines and diagnostics to treat patients and limit or prevent further Ebola infection or transmission; and personal protective equipment for first-line responders. The Security Council calls on Member States, especially in the region, to facilitate immediately the delivery of such assistance, to the most affected countries.

“The Security Council emphasizes that the dynamic needs on the ground in the most affected countries require that the international community’s response remains flexible, in order to adapt to changing requirements and rapidly respond to new outbreaks.

“The Security Council strongly urges Member States, as well as airlines and shipping companies, while applying appropriate public health protocols, to maintain trade and transport links with the most affected countries to enable the timely utilization of all efforts aimed at containing the Ebola outbreak within and across borders of the region. While recognizing the important role that appropriate screening measures can play in stopping the spread of the outbreak, the Security Council expresses its continued concern about the detrimental effect of the isolation of the affected countries as a result of trade and travel restrictions imposed on and to the affected countries, as well as acts of discrimination against the nationals of Guinea, Liberia, Mali and Sierra Leone, including Ebola survivors and their families or those infected with the disease…

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November 19, 2014
[US Congress} Health Subcommittee Convenes Hearing on Examining Medical Product Development in the Wake of the Ebola Epidemic
Click here to watch the hearing
WHO: Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
Situation report – 14 November 2014 – ‘WHO Roadmap’
HIGHLIGHTS
:: There have been 15 351 reported Ebola cases in eight countries since the outbreak began, with 5459 reported deaths.
:: Transmission remains intense in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
:: A total of 6 cases, all of whom have died, have been reported in Mali.

WHO: Ebola situation assessments
:: Mali: Details of the additional cases of Ebola virus disease 20 November 2014
UPDATED: This situation assessment was updated on 21 November to include new information received overnight, including improvements in contact tracing, the death of the sole surviving patient and more details about the last 3 cases in the transmission chain.
As of today (21 November), Mali has officially reported a cumulative total of 6 cases of Ebola virus disease, with 6 deaths. Of the 6 cases, 5 are laboratory confirmed and one remains probable as no samples were available for testing.
These numbers include the 2-year-old girl who initially imported the virus into Mali and died of the disease on 24 October.
Intensive tracing and monitoring of the child’s numerous contacts, including many who were monitored in hospital, failed to detect any additional cases. All 118 contacts, including family members, have now passed through the 21-day incubation period without developing symptoms.
The virus was almost certainly re-introduced into Mali by a 70-year-old Grand Imam from Guinea, who was admitted to Bamako’s Pasteur Clinic on 25 October and died on 27 October. He has been reclassified as a Guinea case, as he developed symptoms in that country. No samples were available for testing.
Pasteur Clinic: direct and indirect links
All 5 cases in this new outbreak are linked, 4 directly and 1 indirectly, to the patient in the Pasteur Clini

:: WHO declares end of Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo 21 November 2014