New positive case of Ebola virus disease confirmed in Liberia

Lab results confirm a new case of Ebola virus disease in Liberia — a 30-year-old woman who died yesterday afternoon while being transferred to a hospital in the capital Monrovia.
Liberia’s Ministry of Health, WHO and partner agencies immediately sent a team to the community outside Monrovia where the woman lived and the clinic where she was being treated to begin case investigation and identification of individuals who may have been in contact with her.
Liberian health authorities convened an emergency meeting early this morning with key partners to coordinate and plan a rapid response.
This latest case marks Liberia’s third flare-up of Ebola virus disease since its original outbreak was declared over on 9 May 2015. The last flare-up in the country began in November 2015 and ended 14 January 2016. Neighbouring Guinea is also responding to a new cluster of Ebola cases in its southern prefecture of Nzérékoré.
Earlier this week, at the recommendation of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, WHO declared that the Ebola epidemic in West Africa no longer represents a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. WHO said Guinea, Liberia and Sierra now have the detection and response capacities in place to effectively manage ongoing flare-ups of Ebola, pointing to the swift response and rapid containment of recent small outbreaks

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia

Between 18 and 31 March 2016, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia notified WHO of 16 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 6 deaths.

Details of the cases

• A 56-year-old male from Buraidah city, Qassim Region. He developed symptoms on 26 March and was admitted to a hospital in Riyadh on 28 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 30 March. The patient has comorbidities and a history of contact with dromedaries and consumption of their raw milk. He has no history of exposure to the other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Currently the patient is in critical condition admitted to ICU. The Ministry of Agriculture has been informed and investigation of the dromedaries is ongoing.
• A 55-year-old male from Jazan city developed symptoms on 10 March and was admitted to a hospital in Abha on 23 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 25 March. The patient has comorbidities. Investigation of history of exposure to the known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms is ongoing. Currently the patient is in critical condition admitted to ICU.
• A 72-year-old male from Turbah city developed symptoms on 20 March and was admitted to a hospital in Taif on 25 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 27 March. The patient has comorbidities and a history of frequent contact with dromedaries and consumption of their raw milk. He has no history of exposure to the other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Currently the patient is in critical condition admitted to ICU. The Ministry of Agriculture has been informed and investigation of the dromedaries is ongoing.
• A 78-year-old male from Hail city developed symptoms on 22 March and was admitted to a hospital on 24 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 26 March. The patient had comorbidities. Investigation of history of exposure to the known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms is ongoing. The patient passed away on 26 March.
• A 76-year-old male from Makkah city developed symptoms on 18 March and was admitted to a hospital in Jeddah on 24 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 26 March. The patient has comorbidities. He is a contact of the MERS-CoV case reported in a previous DON on 23 March (case no. 2). He has no history of exposure to the other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Currently the patient is in stable condition admitted to a negative pressure isolation room on a ward.
• A 76-year-old female from Riyadh Al Khabra developed symptoms on 10 March and was admitted to a hospital in Buraidah on 13 March. She tested positive for MERS-CoV on 23 March. The patient had comorbidities. Investigation of history of exposure to the known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms is ongoing. The patient passed away on 25 March.
• A 57-year-old, male non-national from Buraidah city developed symptoms on 15 March and was admitted to a hospital on 21 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 23 March. The patient has no comorbidities. Investigation of history of exposure to the known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms is ongoing. Currently the patient is in stable condition admitted to a negative pressure isolation room on a ward.
• A 65-year-old male from Alrass city developed symptoms on 19 March and was admitted to a hospital on 21 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 23 March. The patient has comorbidities. He has a history of frequent contact with dromedaries and consumption of their raw milk. He has no history of exposure to the other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Currently the patient is in critical condition admitted to ICU. The Ministry of Agriculture has been informed and investigation of dromedaries is ongoing.
• A 57-year-old male from Buraidah city developed symptoms on 16 March and was admitted to a hospital in Buraidah on 19 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 23 March. The patient has comorbidities and a history of visiting the emergency room of the hospital where a MERS-CoV outbreak occurred (see DON published on 14 March). He is also one of the household contacts of the 50-year-old male national MERS-CoV case reported in a previous DON on 16 March (case no. 7). Investigation of exposure to MERS-CoV cases admitted to the same hospital, shared healthcare workers or other risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms is ongoing. Currently, the patient is in critical condition admitted to the ICU.
• A 78-year-old female from Buraidah city developed an unrelated medical condition on 5 March and visited the emergency room of the hospital where the MERS-CoV outbreak occurred. She was treated symptomatically and sent home. She developed further symptoms on 13 March and was admitted to the same hospital on 19 March. The patient tested positive for MERS-CoV on 21 March. Investigation of exposure to MERS-CoV cases admitted to the same hospital, shared healthcare workers or other risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms is ongoing. Currently the patient is in stable condition admitted to a negative pressure isolation room on a ward.
• A 29-year-old female from Buraidah city was admitted on 11 March to the hospital in Buraidah where the MERS-CoV outbreak occurred due to an unrelated medical condition. On 18 March, while hospitalized, she developed symptoms and tested positive for MERS-CoV on 20 March. Investigation of exposure to MERS-CoV cases hospitalized in the same hospital, shared healthcare workers or other risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms is ongoing. The patient passed away on 20 March.
• A 55-year-old male non-national from Hail city developed symptoms on 11 March and was admitted to a hospital on 15 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 19 March. The patient had comorbidities. Investigation of history of exposure to the known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms is ongoing. The patient passed away on 25 March.
• A 21-year-old male non-national from Alkharj city developed symptoms on 14 March and was admitted to a hospital on 16 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 18 March. The patient has no comorbidities. He has a history of frequent contact with dromedaries and consumption of their raw milk. He has no history of exposure to the other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms. Currently the patient is in stable condition admitted to a negative pressure isolation room on a ward. The Ministry of Agriculture has been informed and investigation of the dromedaries is ongoing.
• A 56-year-old female national, housewife and living in Buraidah city, Qassim Region. She developed fever and shortness of breath on 17 March and was admitted to a hospital in Buraidah on the same day. She tested positive for MERS-CoV on 18 March. The patient had comorbidities. Investigation of history of exposure to the known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms is ongoing. The patient passed away on 19 March.
• A 66-year-old male from Buraidah city developed symptoms on 13 March and was admitted to a hospital on 15 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 17 March. The patient had comorbidities. The patient visited the emergency room of the hospital where the MERS-CoV outbreak occurred on 8 March for an unrelated medical condition. Investigation of exposure to MERS-CoV cases admitted to the same hospital, shared healthcare workers or other risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms is ongoing. The patient passed away on 22 March.
• A 60-year-old male from Buraidah city developed symptoms on 13 March and was admitted to a hospital in Riyadh on 15 March. He tested positive for MERS-CoV on 17 March. The patient has comorbidities. The patient visited the emergency room of the hospital where the MERS-CoV outbreak occurred on 10 March. Investigation of history of exposure to the other known risk factors in the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms is ongoing. Currently, the patient is in stable condition admitted to a negative pressure isolation room on a ward (content from WHO.INT)

To improve your relationship, spend less time together

Jumping from one social event to another without any time to come up for air could sacrifice the quality of your relationships. Spending time alone allows you to process your thoughts rather than act impulsively and, as a result, you get to know yourself better, says Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD, author of Better Than Perfect: 7 Strategies to Crush Your Inner Critic and Create a Life You Love. "Alone time enables you to be more in touch with yourself and can better give and receive," Lombardo says. "In addition, it reduces stress and anxiety, which could also contribute to relationship strains." Meditate, go for a walk, sit in a café and people watch, or even clean out your closet, she suggests.

Ditch antibacterial soap to prevent illness

Reaching for the soap bottle labeled "antibacterial" won't necessarily reduce your risk of getting sick or passing illness to others—in fact, there is no evidence that antibacterial soaps are more effective than regular ones. What's more, long-term exposure to some ingredients in these products, such as triclosan, may pose health risks like bacterial resistance or hormonal effects, according to a 2013 FDA statement. More research on the effects of triclosan is needed, and in the meantime, the FDA is working toward requiring manufacturers to prove their products are safe for long-term use—and the state of Minnesota has banned triclosan-containing products altogether, which goes into full effect in 2017.

Handwrite notes to boost your brainpower

Typing notes enables you to jot down more material, but you're more likely to remember those notes if you handwrite them, according to research from Indiana University. "To learn something means you have processed it," says Dr. Towfigh. "And when you take handwritten notes you 'process' or learn more information. You begin the learning process as you listen to the lecture." Plus, since you look at the page on which you are writing, you naturally review the material and reinforce the information you've already processed, Dr. Towfigh says.

Exercise when you're tired

After a long, exhausting workday, exercising sounds like the last thing you'd want to do, but getting your sweat on will actually energize you. Fatigue along with mood and depression improved after a single 30-minute moderate intensity exercise session, according to a study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. "Everything we do uses oxygen, so when you exercise it helps you work more efficiently and you don't tire as easily," says Nutting. "You also function better mentally."

Drink a hot beverage to cool off

Which will cool you off faster on a steamy summer morning: iced coffee or hot? Two recent studies say the latter—and so do other cultures where drinking hot tea in hot weather is the norm, like in India. When you sip a hot beverage, your body senses the change in temperature and increases your sweat production. Then, as the sweat evaporates from your skin, you cool off naturally.

Ditch diet soda to lose weight

You should ditch all soda, including diet. Research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health revealed that overweight and obese adults who drank diet beverages ate more calories from food than those who drank regular soda. Additionally, a University of Texas study found that diet soda drinkers had a 70% greater increase in waist circumference than non-drinkers over the course of about 10 years.

"In addition, many people think 'low-fat,' 'low-sugar,' or 'light' means fewer calories, but that's not always true," says Goodson. "Typically when manufacturers cut something out and the end result tastes just as good, they've added something like additional sugar." 

Drink water when you're bloated

When you feel bloated, drinking water sounds as if it would only make matters worse, but it can often help, says James Lee, MD, gastroenterologist with St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif. If you're on a high-fiber diet, for instance, then your body needs more water to work more efficiently, says Dr. Lee. "Water mixes with water soluble fiber and makes it into a gel like substance. This affects the motility of the gut and reduces the symptom of bloating." Drinking more water also relieves bloating caused by dehydration. When you're dehydrated, your body clings to the water your body does have, causing you to puff up.

Skip energy drinks when you're tired

Energy drinks contain up to five times more caffeine than coffee, but the boost they provide is fleeting and comes with unpleasant side effects like nervousness, irritability, and rapid heartbeat, says Goodson. Plus, energy drinks often contain high levels of taurine, a central nervous system stimulant, and upwards of 50 grams of sugar per can (that's 13 teaspoons worth!). The sweet stuff spikes blood sugar temporarily, only to crash soon after, leaving you sluggish and foggyheaded—and reaching for another energy drink.