His call came as Ugandan authorities confirmed on Saturday that there were three new cases of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which to date has neither a cure nor a vaccine. “The three new cases include a Ugandan health worker, a driver and a Congolese national who traveled from Ituri province in the […]
The WHO chief calls for urgent Ebola action and pandemic preparedness Read More »
The UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday raised the national risk assessment for the DRC to “very high” – although the global risk remains “low”. So far, 82 cases and seven deaths have been confirmed in the DRC, but the WHO says the true scale of the outbreak is likely far greater, with nearly
Ebola risk ‘very high’ in eastern DR Congo as UN steps up efforts Read More »
The UN health agency assessed on Wednesday that there is a high risk from the Bundibugyo tribe at the national and regional level, but a low risk globally. Low pandemic risk – for now However, the UN agency’s emergency preparedness committee believes that it does not currently meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency. To
Ebola outbreak: ‘Every epidemic begins in a community and ends in a community’ Read More »
The latest attacks killed two Lebanese Red Cross volunteers: Youssef Assaf, who died during a rescue operation on March 9, and Hassan Badawi, who was killed in a drone strike on April 12. According to the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), there have been 169 confirmed attacks on health personnel and facilities in Lebanon,
Flak jackets and last farewell: Lebanon’s first efforts under fire Read More »
As health authorities in both the DRC and Uganda respond to the deadly resurgence, the UN is also helping to strengthen preparedness and raise awareness in vulnerable communities. UN aid workers have been on the job since the outbreak was declared on 15 May in Ituri province in eastern DRC. Within 72 hours, the World
UN agencies step up the Ebola fight in eastern DR Congo Read More »
In an update on the rapidly evolving situation in eastern DRC, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that in addition to the several dozen confirmed cases of infection, there almost 600 suspected cases of Ebola Bundibugyo virus and 139 suspected deaths. “We expect these numbers to continue to rise, given the time
Ebola risk is high in DR Congo, but it is not a pandemic emergency: WHO Read More »
Health ministers and diplomats are in Geneva for the 79th World Health Assembly – a week of talks 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 used the opening session to argue that recent crises had
WHO meeting opens in shadow of Ebola, hantavirus and funding cuts Read More »
WHO’s representative in the DRC, Dr. Anne Ancia, told reporters in Geneva that there are more than 500 suspected cases, including 130 suspected deaths, but that only 30 cases have been confirmed in the country so far. The agency is working closely with authorities and is rushing more test kits to eastern DRC to identify
DRC Ebola outbreak: hundreds of suspected cases, no vaccine Read More »
“The world is no safer from pandemics”, experts from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) said on Monday, who underlined how the world’s vulnerability was exposed by an Ebola outbreak ten years ago and then by the “global catastrophe” of COVID-19. “As outbreaks of infectious diseases become more frequent they are also becoming more harmful,
Ebola outbreak follows hunger and displacement crisis in DR Congo Read More »
The decision, announced by WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus on Sunday, follows reports of both 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’s international health regulations. As of 16 May, health authorities had
