Brazzaville – The independent Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) for Polio Eradication officially declared on Tuesday that the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region is free of wild poliovirus. This marks the eradication of the second virus from the face of the continent since smallpox 40 years ago.  And while vaccine derived polio is still circulating […] Continue reading ->
There is insufficient evidence that treating people hospitalized for COVID-19 with blood plasma from recovered patients is safe and effective – and more randomized clinical trials are thus needed, warned the World Health Organization on Monday.  Evidence overall remains “inconclusive,” said WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan at a WHO press conference on Monday.  She spoke […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization and UNICEF have issued new age-specific mask guidance for children, recommending looser masking protocols for younger children. The agency’s new guidance comes the week after a new study from researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital found that children infected with COVID-19 had higher virus levels in their nose and throats than […] Continue reading ->
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) requires “critical” support to fend off a growing Ebola outbreak in the western Province of Équateur, warned WHO’s Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti on Friday. Her warnings came as Équateur’s Ebola cases have almost doubled to one hundred in the past five weeks, of which 96 are confirmed […] Continue reading ->
This week, the Africa Center for Disease Control (Africa CDC) will be launching a continent-wide antibody study to measure the true extent of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, where reported coronavirus cases are much lower than initial dire predictions. Africa CDC Director John Nkengasong announced the study at a regular Thursday press briefing. Just a […] Continue reading ->