Press statement by CapaCare International

November 24, 2019By 0 comment

Trondheim Norway, 24 November 2019

It is with great sorrow to announce that one of our colleagues passed away last night in Leiden University Medical Centre. He contracted Lassa fever during his clinical work at the Masanga hospital in Sierra Leone.
We are very grateful for having had him in our team to strengthen the healthcare system in Sierra Leone. We admired his knowledge, capacity and passion to improve access to surgical care in the country. The way he was able to provide his patients the best possible treatment and his students thoughtful guidance never stopped to impress us.
Lassa fever is an acute viral illness. Humans become infected through contact with the excreta of infected rats or by close person-to-person contacts (through bodily fluids). Lassa fever is endemic in the rodent population in parts of West Africa. Infections of Lassa occur annually in West Africa and causing by estimation 100,000 to 300,000 infections per year.
Also, one other Global Health and Tropical Medicine doctor and a local nurse has tested positive for Lassa fever. The doctor is repatriated to the Netherlands while the nurse is isolated in a specialized Lassa fever treatment centre in Sierra Leone. International healthcare workers that had contact with the Lassa patients are repatriated.
The healthcare in this hospital has been taken care of by other doctors to ensure best possible treatment. CapaCare has until further notice stopped all training and research activities.
CapaCare and its Dutch affiliation (CapaCare Netherlands), are closely monitoring the situation on the ground in Sierra Leone, in good collaboration with the local authorities and partner organisations, the Ministry of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone and the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM).
Our hearts are with the family of the deceased, our affected employees and all involved. We give them our greatest sympathy. Please respect their privacy.

Chairman of CapaCare
Dr. Håkon A Bolkan

For any additional information on Lassa Fever we kindly refer to the Dutch RIVM.
References / for more information about Lassa Fever:
RIVM: https://www.rivm.nl/nieuws/patient-met-lassakoorts-overleden-collega-gerepatrieerd
WHO: https://www.who.int/health-topics/lassa-fever
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/vhf/lassa

READ MORE
More for Masanga

A running start by Alex van Duinen

September 26, 2019By 0 comment

What a great running start by previous Masanga doctor Alex van Duinen! In order to raise money for the running costs of Masanga Hospital, he asked friends and family to sponsor his running of the Trondheim half marathon. He was able to raise over €3.600 for the campaign. We are most thankful and happy with this great start to our campaign.

Thank you for this great effort Alex! And congratulations on your new record time of 1:49:06.

READ MORE
More for Masanga

More for Masanga: the start

September 10, 2019By

Welcome to the new and revived website of Masanga Hospital! We are glad to have you.

Today marks the day of the start of our new campaign: More for Masanga. Our goal is to raise €50.000 towards the running cost of the hospital. To get there we’ll be working together with everyone who feels connected to Masanga in some way. Perhaps you were a volunteer, a resident doctor or a visiting trainer. Or perhaps you were a family member or friend of someone who spent time in Masanga!

We know that everyone who has spent some time in Masanga sees how special this place is. And how valuable the services provided by Masanga Hospital are to Sierra Leone. Now we’d like to ask you to share your Masanga experiences with others in our search for more Masanga contributors.

By sharing your experiences with others and asking them to donate to our cause (or by donating directly) you will be helping Masanga Hospital to move towards a sustainable future. With total financial governmental support in 2024.

Thank you for reading and welcome to Masanga!

READ MORE