Problem

When a team from Tulane University sent a batch of protective clothing and equipment to help workers fighting an outbreak of Ebola virus in Sierra Leone last month, they were fairly confident the 300 or so packs would be enough for a good start.

They couldn’t have predicted what they would be up against.

Certains individus mal intentionnés n’ont aucun mal à transformer un morceau de craie, un peu de farine ou d’amidon en un comprimé ou une pilule. Difficile de dire à l’œil nu s’il s’agit d’un « faux ». L’étiquetage et l’emballage sont souvent imités à la perfection. Le commerce mondial de médicaments de contrefaçon, qui pèse un milliard de dollars, se porte bien en Afrique. Les médicaments contrefaits et de mauvaise qualité inondent les marchés. Se rendre à la pharmacie, c’est un peu jouer à la roulette russe. Choisir la mauvaise boîte peut vous coûter la vie.

En Afrique, selon l’Organisation mondiale de la santé (OMS), près de 100 000 décès par...

Africa’s biggest Ebola outbreak in seven years has probably spread from Guinea to neighboring Liberia and also threatens Sierra Leone.

Five people are suspected to have died from the disease in Lofa county in northern Liberia, Bernice Dahn, Liberia’s chief medical officer, said at a briefing yesterday. At least 86 cases and 59 deaths have been recorded across Guinea, the west African country’s health ministry said. The capital, Conakry, hasn’t been affected, government spokesman Albert Damantang Camara said.

cnn.com - by Christabelle Fombu and Susanna Capelouto - March 23, 2014

(CNN) -- An Ebola outbreak has killed at least 59 people in Guinea, UNICEF said, as the deadly hemorrhagic fever has quickly spread from southern communities in the West African nation.

Experts in the country had been unable to identify the disease, whose symptoms -- diarrhea, vomiting and fever -- were first observed last month.

Health Minister Remy Lamah said Saturday initial test results confirm the presence of a viral hemorrhagic fever, which according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refers to a group of viruses that affect multiple organ systems in the body.

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