Category Archives: Ebola

Global Health Security 2019: Committee’s failure to declare Ebola emergency undermines WHO’s legitimacy, experts say

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SYDNEY – The decision by a World Health Organization-convened emergency committee Friday not to recognize the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo  a Public Health Emergency of International Concern — a PHEIC —  may contribute to an erosion of the multilateral agency’s legitimacy and authority over the long term, experts said […]

Spread of Ebola not a surprise, not a PHEIC, committee finds in third meeting

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Following a third emergency meeting since the outbreak of Ebola in a conflict-riven region of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the first since the outbreak was found to have spread to neighboring Uganda, a committee appointed by the World Health Organization has once again concluded that the still uncontrolled crisis does not constitute a […]

Will Ebola cross-border spread spur recognition of an international public health emergency?

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An Ebola-infected child’s death in Uganda, and the confirmation of the virus in at least two of his family members who had together traveled from the Democratic Republic of Congo after attending the funeral of a relative who died in the outbreak there, brings reality to fears expressed since the beginning of the current outbreak […]

World Health Assembly 2019: Failures persist in DRC Ebola outbreak responses, leaders say

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GENEVA – While international agencies identify violence and community mistrust as the main reasons the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains uncontrolled, here DRC Minister of Health Dr. Oly Ilunga Kalenga identified gaps in communication, data and planning as additional weaknesses preventing effective responses. “We need to emerge from silos,” he […]

From the tiniest patient, to building strategies, community plays pivotal roles in Ebola outbreak

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A seven-week old infant, less than two weeks old  when admitted to a Katwa Ebola treatment center with her fatally ill mother, is the latest “miracle baby,” touted by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s health ministry as owing her survival to a team of recovered and now Ebola-immune patients who nurtured her back to health. […]

Study finds “no significant differences” in survival rates of Ebola patients getting intravenous fluids and those who didn’t

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Unmeasured factors leave questions, authors note A study retrospectively examining the role of intravenous fluids in preventing deaths of Ebola patients during the 2013-2016 West Africa Ebola crisis concludes the intervention, in itself, did not make a significant difference in chances of surviving during the 28 days following diagnosis. Differences in survival rates during the […]

In face of ongoing Ebola response challenges, WHO adapts vaccine strategy to streamline process, expand access, extend supply

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“Pop-up” vaccination sites, widened eligibility for inoculations, reduced doses, and the addition of a new investigational vaccine candidate are among the strategies a panel of World Health Organization experts has recommended to reverse discouraging trends, including increased cases and continuing security threats confronting responses to the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. […]

What we’re reading: Ebola may not be a PHEIC, but it is of international concern

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News of a health worker’s death is the latest to tell us we all have stakes in the DRC Ebola outbreak – Whether officially designated or not, the largest outbreak of Ebola recorded in the country where the virus was identified is of international concern, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli writes here. Dr. Kuppalli, who served as […]

DRC Ebola outbreak still not a PHEIC, committee says, while calling for “redoubled efforts”

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Expressing concern over recent increases in areas, and continued risk of cross border spread, and unprecedented challenges posed by ongoing violence in the affected area, committee chair notes the outbreak still has not entered other countries, “now, over many months” The WHO emergency committee convened to evaluate whether the ongoing spread of Ebola in the […]

As Ebola vaccinations begin in South Sudan, DRC officials highlight challenges, perceptions

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Vaccinations against Ebola in a South Sudan city close to the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo where the virus continues to spread, began today, the latest recognition of the potential for the ongoing war-zone outbreak still not officially deemed a Public Health Emergency of International Concern — or PHEIC — to become one. […]