In a little-publicised move, the WHA last week agreed to close a critical loophole in the WHO Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework that could have allowed commercial vaccine manufacturers to indirectly make use of biological information about flu strains from another country – without providing that country with any benefits from the vaccines or antivirals […] Continue reading ->
There has been a dramatic increase in security incidents around the epicentre of the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but a sharp decrease in hospital transmissions, increased vaccinations, and new measures to safeguard response teams, are positive signs, WHO officials told reporters today in a briefing. Image Credits: WHO/L.Mackenzie, Catherine […] Continue reading ->
[Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Press Release] Agencies warn of unprecedented situation in the DRC as cholera and measles epidemics compound Ebola challenges Geneva / Goma 27 May 2019 – More than 800,000 people will be immunised against cholera in North Kivu in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following the launch […] Continue reading ->
The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is not related to the lack of means or experience to fight the epidemic, but the difficulty to reach communities, the World Health Organization Director-General told the World Health Assembly today. The DRC Minister of Health illustrated the complexity of the response, linked […] Continue reading ->
[WHO News Release] WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) today issued new recommendations to address vaccination challenges in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Image Credits: WHO/J. D. Kannah. Continue reading ->
A festering civil conflict fueling rampant fear and distrust has been a major obstacle in the World Health Organization’s efforts to end the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). But now, funding shortages could further cripple the already strained response – unless the global community steps up quickly, Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom […] Continue reading ->
Global health policymakers need to adopt a “bench-to-bedside” approach to research and development, to ensure that new drugs and vaccines are not only put into the development pipeline, but are also readily available for responding to global health crises such as Ebola, says Michelle Childs of the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi). Image Credits: […] Continue reading ->
A preliminary analysis of the World Health Organization’s “ring vaccination” strategy against Ebola shows that vaccinating people who came into contact with Ebola patients is proving to be effective at preventing new cases and limiting the spread of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Image Credits: WHO. Continue reading ->
In extended conflicts, “bullets and bombs are not always the deadliest threats to a child’s life,” a new UNICEF report reveals. During such conflicts, children are up to 20 times more likely to die from diarrhoea than violence. As is evidenced by recent outbreaks of cholera in Yemen and Mozambique, conflict and disaster-resilient water, sanitation […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization called on the international community to ramp up contributions to the US$ 148 million in funding required for the next six months’ Ebola outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of Congo – after infection rates saw a worrisome increase in recent weeks. Image Credits: World Bank Group/ V.Tremeau, WHO. Continue reading ->