The outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) may be “a much larger outbreak than what is currently being detected and reported, with significant local and regional risk of spread”, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Sunday. The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on […] Continue reading ->
At least 68 people are suspected of Ebola in four districts of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Kasai state, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Twenty cases have been confirmed and 16 people have died since the DRC declared the outbreak on 4 September, Africa CDC’s Dr Ngashi Ngongo told […] Continue reading ->
The latest Ebola outbreak in Kasai province in southern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is being hampered by lack of instructure, including roads and transport. Samples from the index case and five other suspected cases took eight days to get to the National Public Health Laboratory (INRB) in Kinshasa, only arriving on 3 September. The […] Continue reading ->
Dr Joanne Liu, a veteran humanitarian and former international president of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), has seen the front lines of global health crises—from Ebola in West Africa to bombed-out hospitals in Afghanistan. But her message today is clear: “An imperfect solution is better than no solution.” Speaking on the Global Health Matters podcast, Liu […] Continue reading ->
Uganda is set to declare an end to its Ebola outbreak on April 26 if no new cases emerge, Africa’s top public health agency announced Thursday. The country’s 83% recovery rate among confirmed cases significantly exceeds the typical 30-40% survival rate for Ebola outbreaks, with Uganda managing to contain the disease while simultaneously responding to […] Continue reading ->
As Africa battles a relentless mpox outbreak, a sudden freeze in United States foreign aid is crippling containment efforts, threatening vaccine distribution, and leaving the hardest-hit regions scrambling for solutions, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned on Thursday. In conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epicentre of the outbreak, […] Continue reading ->
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, announced last week that it will offer high risk countries the option of obtaining preventative Ebola vaccines, particularly for health workers, as part of the rollout of new vaccine offerings, which also include meningitis, rabies and hepatitis B vaccines. Plans to add the vaccines to the basket of available products were […] Continue reading ->
Some of the $2.6 billion that remains in a COVID-19 vaccine delivery scheme, COVAX, could be redirected into investment into investigational vaccine candidates for Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) and Ebola Sudan strain virus, as well as over half a dozen other vaccine programmes that were suspended due to the pandemic or delays in product development, […] Continue reading ->
A special unit to address sexual ‘misconduct’, a fund to support survivors in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and training for all staff are some of the steps taken by the World Health Organization (WHO) to rid itself of exploitative behaviour. This follows the scandal that played out during the Ebola outbreaks in the […] Continue reading ->
There is no clear path to test the three candidate vaccines developed to combat the Ebola Sudan strain now that Uganda’s outbreak is over. The three candidate vaccines – produced by IAVI (called SUDV), Sabin (ChAD3) and Oxford (ChAdOx1) – were delivered to Uganda with much fanfare in mid-December. But scientists attending a meeting convened […] Continue reading ->