A small milestone. The last death occurred one week ago, 13th December. The beauty of the line graph above is the flattening of that slope on the right. A whole week without an Ebola death...that's a cause for celebration.
Today's numbers:
-Cumulative cases: 131
-Cumulative deaths: 34 (CFR=25.9%)
-Current admissions: Bundibugyo Hospital 2, with 1 new admission, no discharges and no deaths. Kikyo Health Unit has 4 inpatients, with no new admissions, 1 discharge and no deaths.
Contacts: 571 of which 432 are being followed-up. 94 have completed their 21 day incubation count-down. 89% of contacts were seen today.
Issues discussed in the evening briefing:
-World Food Programme will be giving a generous package to the families of all Ebola patients: 75 kg of corn meal, 11 kg of dry peas, 3.7 kg (one can) of vegetable oil, 14 kg of corn-soya blend, and 3 kg of sugar.
- The Batwa (a.k.a., the pygmies) have appealed to the LC5 Chairman because they are "bad off" because of Ebola. They claim that they depend on the income generated from tourists who have stopped coming to Bundibugyo because of Ebola and that they are starving. In fact, the Queen Pygmy has deserted her husband, the King, because he is not providing for her. Abdicating the throne because of hunger...things are bad in Bundibugyo. The Task Force requested that their request be redirected to other donors so as not to confuse our mandate which is to treat and prevent Ebola infection.
-The Democratic Republic of Congo has closed the border to incoming traffic. Congolese citizens may enter Uganda freely, but not re-enter the DRC. Congolese nationals who want to re-enter their country from Uganda are being admitted to Isolation Tents whether they are sick or not. Unnecesary, extreme, mis-informed.
Jonah's wife, Melen, and her family returned from their outlying farm to their small concrete home in Nyahuka last night. Melen, Sofia and Jonah's mother wept all evening. Pat slept with them and read Scripture to them all morning until the stream of visitors began which lasted all day.
5 comments:
Sir and ma'am, I do not know you, nor do you know me. But I must thank you. I am scared to death of the Ebola virus, and yet, I am continuously educating myself on it. I can not tell you enough how in awe I am at the amount of courage you two display just by being there. God is most definitely smiling down on you both. You are seeing all of this in real-time... I only became aware of this current outbreak today.
Is the outbreak slowing, do you think? It seems for quite some time now the mortalities has stayed at single number (thank God)!
I am a college student down in Colorado. I am studying towards a biolog major with a pre-veterinary/medical emphasis. I know rudimentary virology and immunology...so please bear with these questions...because I've always harbored them, but have never had the chance to actually ask an authority on the Ebola virus...
I remember reading earlier in the blog that a survivor wasn't afraid of an infected cell phone because he was immune. With this in mind, is it practical to develop some sort of treatment from the serum of a survivor's blood (like doctors have been able to do with the Hantavirus)? I've read that this is an RNA virus...does this mean that it is rapidly changing? Would this be why a vaccine or antibody treatment is so difficult to develop?
Again, I must thank you and your team for helping these people. It is something I don't think I could bring myself to do. I will keep you and your patients in my prayers.
God bless each and every one of you!
Thank you for all that you do for the people of Bundibugyo. For the love of Christ that you show by being His hands, His feet, His love. Our continued prayers for you and your family. I can only imagine how difficult it must be to be seperated from your children and now Jennifer too. We pray the loving arms of Jesus continue to hold each of you to protect, and comfort you. Prayers, Carol
Hi, I used to attend Scott Ickes' church in NC, which is how I found out about your blog. I just wanted to let you know that I and my small group in Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Iowa are praying for your family & for all affected by this outbreak. May you find comfort in the Jesus who weeps with us even when he knows the greater good he has planned to do in the future. (John 11)
Grace & Peace,
Melissa M.
Another Nigerian MK who has been following your story.
Our MK network has sometimes debated why our parents took us to Nigeria and what they felt like there. You provide a day to day, nitty gritty, and very personal look at those issues. Bless you (and your children) and your work.
Because the back of this outbreak appears to be broken, but, we understand some of the ongoing needs of the people you work with, my wife and I decided to buy our family 3 goats from your web site for Christmas. We already have an embarrassment of "things".
A Merry CHRISTmas to you!
Scott...thank you so much for keeping us up to date each day. We pray for you and those on the front line ... for your health, protection, spiritual health and nurture, strength and joy in the midst of all the sorrow. Blessings.
Simmons family (Tennessee)
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