Former boss of Microsoft Bill Gates believes progress is being made in the battle against Ebola in West Africa.

News that the number of new cases in Liberia is declining suggests the tide may be turning, he told the BBC.

He is hopeful of similar gains in Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Mr Gates, who has committed $50m to the international effort, believes an important factor is educating local communities in the handling of bodies of Ebola victims.

In London to deliver a lecture to MPs and peers at Westminster, Mr Gates – who runs a major charitable foundation with his wife Melinda – said the commitment of resources by major economies, including the UK, had been impressive.

“Ever since the big intervention that started in August I think the world’s done quite well – the United States and the UK stepping up with the most resources.

“In Liberia you’re seeing the cases flatten or decline and if we can get the funeral practices to change, get people treated, we’re likely to see that same thing in the other countries.”

He said that the fact that the three main countries affected by the outbreak – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – had very broken down health systems meant that the disease got to a reasonably high level before it was evident.

He said that whatever progress was made in the next few months on Ebola, a big challenge remained – ensuring local healthcare systems across Africa were better prepared for other disease outbreaks and epidemics. Better data, surveillance systems and research and development were needed, he said, so the international medical response could be faster and more effective next time.

Medecins Sans Frontieres reported the fall in Ebola cases in Liberia. But it warned that the outbreak was far from over and that case numbers could rise again as they have in Guinea following earlier declines.

The medical charity is calling for a change in tactics in Liberia. It says treatment and isolation centres now have spare capacity so the focus should shift to rapid response teams that can finish off any local flare-ups of Ebola in towns and villages.

In his speech to peers and MPs, Mr Gates also covered his foundation’s work in reducing malaria cases in the world’s poorest nations. He said a turning point had been reached in the battle to eliminate the disease but more support was needed to continue the reduction in death rates. He said it was vital the UK sustained its current focus and spending levels through the next Parliament.

SOURCE : BBC World News

 Over 8 million people have been contacted in the fight to tackle the devastating Ebola crisis in West Africa with half a million receiving practical support and another 7.5 million people receiving vital public health information on how to keep themselves safe and stop the spread of the disease.

More than 35,000 volunteers are using street theatre, house to house information and religious services to get the message across with radio broadcasts helping to share life-saving information on how to avoid catching the disease, how to identify if a loved one might be infected and encouraging those infected to seek early treatment.

Public health education is beginning to have an impact on the population of Sierra Leone and Liberia where literacy rates are extremely low. Volunteers and government agencies are playing a major role in challenging the myths surrounding Ebola and the lack of understanding around the disease.

Scientists are working to develop a test that will allow doctors to screen for multiple cancer types from a single blood sample.

All cancers produce compounds that end up in the bloodstream, so it is feasible that such blood markers could form the basis of a general screening test for many different forms of cancer.

Cancer cells often start shedding blood markers long before many of the signs and symptoms of tumors begin to emerge, so earlier diagnosis can generally mean treatment is more effective, which, in turn, improves survival.

Our genes influence whether we are fat or thin by shaping which types of microbes thrive in our gut, scientists are now suggesting.

A recent discovery is pointing towards healthy bacteria one day being used to treat obesity and by studying human twins, scientists have found a type of bacteria that was not only associated with being thin but also seemed to run in families.

When the researchers treated mice with a specific member of this bacterial family, isolated from the twin study, the animals gained less weight than mice that did not get this treatment.

They are now working to identify which genes seem to influence the presence of the bacteria and why it would have an effect on weight and hope to be able develop these findings to create a probiotic to regulate weight.

If the answer to either is yes,  here are some tips on how to prevent illnesses or other health complications while travelling.

Be Selective About Your Meals
Try to find out how your food was prepared. By eating or dining in well-established restaurants, which to be fair are usually a little more expensive, your food is likely to have been better prepared and stored in more hygienic conditions.

Avoid uncooked food
Fruit or salad shouldn’t be part of your diet while traveling, nor should uncooked vegetables but if you can’t avoid them make sure that they are thoroughly washed in clean water and fruit and salad is completely dried before you eat it.

Avoid ice and straws
Typhoid is normally transmitted through contaminated water and although most people usually remember to avoid drinking tap water when travelling, many forget that the ice in their cocktails is more often than not made from tap water.

Seek out local foreigners
Having a friend who is a ‘local’ can be helpful in identifying places which serve food that is free from disease and unhealthy bacteria.

Bottled water
Always carry your own bottled water and ensure that you use bottled water when brushing your teeth and keep your mouth closed when showering.

Be cautious of the dairy
Whilst delicious, these foods often harbor harmful bacteria.”

Last year over nine million people developed TB around the world, according the World Health Organisation, having risen by almost 500,000 during the past 12 months, although the number of people dying from the condition continues to decline.

None the less, campaigners say that one of the biggest problems in tackling the deadly disease was gauging how many people were affected. About 1.5 million people died from TB in 2013 and it remains the second biggest killer disease from a single infectious agent.

ALC Health attended this year’s popular Mind Body & Spirit Exhibition held at the Andalucia Plaza Hotel in Marbella on the 25 & 26 October.

It was a great opportunity to meet and chat not only with a number of existing ALC Health members but also those people attending the event who were looking for medical insurance cover”.

In Mali, the World Health Organization (WHO) has put under medical observation 82 people who had contact with the two year old girl deceased last Friday after contracting Ebola.

WHO is exploring the possibility of creating a medical treatment center in Kayes. 40 volunteers have already been trained to search for contacts of infected persons.

Mali, which hosts a large Stabilization Mission of the United Nations (UN) and a French military contingent (because of the presence of radical Islamists in the North), is ill-prepared for a potential Ebola cases increase.

Now more than ever, we strongly recommend avoiding or interrupting all travel to the countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

At this stage, we consider there are no resources to support medical and non-medical needs, including for non-Ebola situations in these countries and exiting these countries on an urgent basis is becoming increasingly difficult.

Foreigners requiring medical attention for any emergency condition in these countries are at serious risk of having unmet needs and being subject to uncomfortable or potentially dangerous conditions

Dr. Cai Glushak
International Chief Medical Officer