The Ebola outbreak is currently being faced in 6 African countries and researchers say there could be more

A new Oxford University model has attempted to make sense of the current Ebola outbreak due to the fact that the disease had never been witnessed in West Africa before now.

The model, published in the journal eLife, suggests that “Ebola's animal reservoir, fruit bats, could spread the disease in the animal kingdom and to humans through the dense forest that spans 22 countries.”

These African countries are mostly at risk because of their consumption of bats, monkeys and other animals as "bush meat".

The consumption of cooked bush meat is not likely to cause infection but the preparation of the raw meat increases the likelihood of contracting the disease.

According to the Oxford prediction, these countries are at risk of animal-to-human transmission of Ebola by virtue of their geography:

1. Nigeria
2. Cameroon
3. Central African Republic
4. Ghana
5. Liberia
6. Sierra Leone
7. Angola
8. Togo
9. United Republic of Tanzania
10. Ethiopia
11. Mozambique
12. Burundi
13. Equatorial Guinea
14. Madagascar
15. Malawi.

The author of the study, Nick Golding, a researcher at Oxford University’s Department of Zoology said:

"Our map shows the likely ‘reservoir’ of Ebola virus in animal populations, and this is larger than has been previously appreciated,"

"This does not mean that transmission to humans is inevitable in these areas; only that all the environmental and epidemiological conditions suitable for an outbreak occur there.’"

The Nigerian Health Minister has said that a new case of Ebola has been confirmed in Lagos

A new case of the Ebola disease has been confirmed in Lagos, Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu said.

Professor Chukwu disclosed this at a press conference held yesterday, September 8, 2014 while also saying that the sister of late Port Harcourt doctor, Iyke Enemuo had been discharged.

The new patient is said to be the fiancé of someone who made primary contact with index case, Patrick Sawyer.

The Minister also said that Enemuo's wife is responding to treatment and will soon be discharged. Enemuo contracted the disease after secretly treating an infected ECOWAS diplomat in Port harcourt.

The development was also revealed via Twitter by the minister's Special Assistant on Media and Communication, Dan Nwomeh.

Mr. Nwomeh shared some of the highlights of the press conference through a series of tweets. Read below:

Wife of late PH doctor on treatment in isolatn ward in Lag no longer has #EVD symptoms, undergoing series of tests preparatory to discharge

Of 11 #Ebola survivors in Nigeria, 9 managed sucesfuly by mgt team & discharged, 1 treated by late doctor, latest Lagos case also survived

Nigeria current EVD status Sept 8 Total confirmed cases 19 - 7 dead, 11 survivors, 1 under treatment in Lagos. No more #Ebola patient in PH

Minister of Health:  only 1 #Ebola patient now under treatment in Nigeria.  Patient, wife of late PH is recovering & will be discharged soon

Minister of Health again dispels rumours of #Ebola cases in many states including Kebbi Kaduna Lagos FCT Oyo Ebonyi Delta & Sokoto

Port Harcourt has total of 477 currently under surveillance,  5 have been discharged after completing 21 days observation

Total of 339 contacts previously on surveillance released after completing 21 days of observation

Total number of contacts of EVD currently under surveillance in Lagos has reduced to 27

Another #Ebola patient in Nigeria has been successfully managed & discharged.  She is sister of late PH doctor & was treated in PH

19th case of EVD in Nigeria is fiancé of a primary contact of Sawyer in Lagos who has made full recovery

Total number of confirmed cases now 19th, with total number of deaths still 7 while there are now 10 survivors of EVD in Nigeria so far

Minister of Health briefing d press on latest developments on #Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria

Minister of Health to brief d press this morning on status of #Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria. Venue is 6th Floor FMOH Abuja @ 10 am

The First Consultant Hospital in Obalende, Lagos, where Patrick Sawyer died, has reportedly been cleared for re-opening

The Federal Government has approved the re-opening of the First Consultant Medical Centre in Obalende, where late Dr. Stella Adadevoh worked and Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer died.
The hospital was shut after Sawyer arrived Nigeria with Ebola and was treated there. He also died in the hospital on July 25.
The FG has reportedly issued a Certification of Decontamination to the hospital and given them permission to re-open for business.
The hospital is said to have received a letter each from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, and has now gotten the all clear after undergoing three rounds of a state-certified decontamination process.
The Lagos state government reportedly issued a statement saying:

 “The Ministry is in receipt of a letter dated August 29, 2014, from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Ebola Emergency Centre, Lagos, informing that your facility has had three rounds of state-certified decontamination process.
“The Ministry acknowledges the role your facility played in alerting the State Government of the index case of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and appreciates your altruistic gestures in containing and managing this deadly virus, thus preventing an epidemic.
“We also commiserate with you on your members of staff who died in the line of duty.
“First Consultants has now been cleared to reopen for business. We hope that with this reopening, your facility will continue to maintain its high quality of standards”,

British military engineers and medics are being sent to Sierra Leone to help fight the world's largest-ever outbreak of Ebola.

They will set up and run a treatment centre near the capital Freetown.

The World Health Organization says more than 2,000 people have now died in the outbreak in West Africa.

Last week, the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres called for a global military intervention in the region.

It said the global response to the outbreak had been "lethally inadequate" with countries turning their back on West Africa and merely reducing the risk of Ebola arriving on their shores.

The UK has announced it will build a centre with 50 beds for people in Sierra Leone and 12 beds for healthcare workers who become ill.

The proposed site will be surveyed this week, with the healthcare worker section of the facility scheduled to be running within eight weeks.

Yesterday, President Obama said the US military would set up isolation units and provide security for public health workers

Ebola casualties

Up to 5 September

2,105

Ebola deaths - probable, confirmed and suspected

1,089 Liberia

517 Guinea

491 Sierra Leone

8 Nigeria

Source: WHO

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said: "The scale of the problem requires the entire international community to do more to assist the affected countries which is why the UK is working with the government of Sierra Leone to build a new medical treatment facility near their capital Freetown.

"When it is up and running it will enable the UK to provide medical care for local and international health workers, as well as treatment for the wider population."

The UK government has committed £25m to tackling the outbreak, including running trials for an Ebola vaccine.

The charity Save the Children will eventually take over management of the treatment centre.

Its chief executive, Justin Forsyth, said: "Ebola threatens thousands of people's lives across West Africa and could set back development many decades.

"The key to combating this epidemic is backing front line health workers and underpinning a fractured health system in Sierra Leone.

"Without urgent action to assist medics, many more children and their families will suffer and die from this most appalling and tragic disease."

Ebola virus disease (EVD)

Symptoms include high fever, bleeding and central nervous system damageSpread by body fluids, such as blood and salivaFatality rate can reach 90% - but current outbreak has mortality rate of about 55%Incubation period is two to 21 daysThere is no proven vaccine or cureSupportive care such as rehydrating patients who have diarrhoea and vomiting can help recoveryFruit bats, a delicacy for some West Africans, are considered to be virus's natural host

The Nigerian Medical Association has faulted the government’s instruction for all schools to resume September 22

Nigerian Doctors, under the aegis of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), have reportedly expressed displeasure at the new resumption date for primary and secondary schools announced by the Federal Government.

The government has said that students can now resume on September 22 as against October 12 after schools were shut indefinitely over the outbreak of Ebola in the country.

However, the NMA through its National Secretary-General, Dr. Olawunmi Alayaki,  has said that the schools are supposed to remain closed until there’s no case of Ebola (suspected or confirmed) left in the country.

The organization said:

 “We are not happy with this decision on the resumption of schools. Schools should be shut till the last suspected case or patient is certified free of the virus,” the NMA said.

 “ We can shift the resumption date till next year or in the next three months if that is the time it will take. Government should have enough time to follow the standard procedure for containing   the virus.

“Parents have no reason to be   in a hurry because if Ebola should enter any school, it will assume another dimension. Children cannot survive isolation like adults.

“Nigeria is peculiar because of her large population and we should be pragmatic and proactive. It   will not augur well for the country if we have another outbreak due to carelessness.”