Health

WHO chief calls for urgent action against Ebola and pandemic preparedness

His appeal comes as Ugandan authorities confirmed on Saturday the existence of three new cases of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no cure or vaccine. “The three new cases include a Ugandan health worker, a driver and a Congolese national who traveled from Ituri province in the neighboring […]

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Ebola outbreak: “Every outbreak starts in a community and ends in a community”

The United Nations health agency assessed Wednesday that there is a high risk from the Bundibugyo strain nationally and regionally, but a low risk globally. Low pandemic risk – so far However, the UN agency’s emergency committee believes that at this stage, it does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency. To date, 51

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Bulletproof vests and final goodbyes: Lebanon’s first responders under fire

Recent attacks killed two Lebanese Red Cross volunteers: Youssef Assaf, who died during a rescue operation on March 9, and Hassan Badawi, killed during a drone strike on April 12. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 169 attacks have been confirmed against health professionals and facilities in Lebanon, resulting in 116 deaths. Lebanese authorities

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Ebola risk high in Democratic Republic of Congo, but not a pandemic emergency (WHO)

Taking stock of the rapidly evolving situation in eastern DRC, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that beyond the several dozen confirmed cases of infection, there are nearly 600 suspected cases of Ebola Bundibugyo virus and 139 suspected deaths. “We expect these numbers to continue to rise, given

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WHO Assembly opens under shadow of Ebola, hantavirus and funding cuts

Health ministers and diplomats are in Geneva for the 79th World Health Assembly – a week of negotiations on key topics such as pandemic preparedness, health financing and how to manage public health across borders to save the most lives. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took advantage of the opening session to affirm that recent

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Ebola outbreak follows hunger and displacement crisis in DRC

“The world is no safer from pandemics“, said experts from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) on Monday, who highlighted how the world’s vulnerability was exposed by the Ebola outbreak a decade ago and then by the COVID-19 “global catastrophe.” “As infectious disease outbreaks become more frequent they are also becoming more damaging, with increasing

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Ebola outbreak in Central Africa declared a “public health emergency of international concern”

The decision, announced by WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus on Sunday, follows reports of confirmed and suspected infections linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus. Although the situation is serious, it does not currently meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency under the WHO International Health Regulations. As of May 16, health authorities had recorded

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