Ebola Virus Vaccine

Congo seeks experimental Ebola antibody as outbreak crosses 1,000 cases

Eastern Congo faces a "catastrophic collision" of war and disease as fighting and displacement accelerate the spread of Ebola and undermine efforts to isolate patients and trace contacts

India sends emergency medical supplies for Ebola outbreak response in Congo

India has sent emergency pharmaceutical supplies to support efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak in Congo, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. In a social media post, Ethiopia-headquartered Africa CDC said the consignment, donated by India, was received in Uganda by its Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre. The supplies include essential diagnostics, therapeutics, infection prevention and control materials, and case management support, which will be deployed to affected communities in eastern DR Congo, it said. "Africa CDC welcomes the arrival of emergency pharmaceutical supplies generously donated by the Government and people of India to support the ongoing response to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC," the continental public health agency said. It thanked India for its "continued support and commitment to protecting lives and advancing health security across the continent". The Bundibugyo strain is one of the six known species

Ebola outbreak is one danger, attacks on healthcare workers are another

Every time Vanny Birungi, a volunteer with the Red Cross in eastern Congo, goes out to raise awareness about the latest Ebola outbreak as suspected cases near 1,000, she faces a double threat. One is the rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola, with no vaccine or treatment. The other is the anger and suspicion of residents who have pelted her with stones and verbal abuse in Bunia, a city at the heart of the outbreak. "We continue to tell them that the disease is out there. Some accept, and others don't," Birungi told The Associated Press on Monday as she and colleagues spoke with groups of people in a working-class neighborhood under the scorching sun. Aid workers are especially at risk in this volatile region where residents, like Birungi, have long been under threat of armed groups that have killed thousands of people and displaced many more in recent years. Trust is hard to find among the traumatised population that is wary of outsiders, even those trying desperately to contain the rapidl

How Congo is battling Ebola amid aid cuts, armed rebels, and anger

Arson attacks on Ebola treatment centers in eastern Congo underscore the serious challenges authorities face -- including a backlash in local communities -- as they try to stem an outbreak of the infectious disease that has been declared a global health emergency. On Sunday, Congolese authorities said suspected cases have now passed 900 in the east of the country, mainly in Ituri Province, where the ongoing outbreak is centered. The burning last week of the centers in two towns at the heart of the outbreak exposed the anger in a region beset by violence linked to armed rebel groups, the displacement of a large number of people, the failure of local government and international aid cuts that experts say have stripped health facilities in vulnerable communities. "A devastating set of emergencies are converging," the Physicians for Human Rights nonprofit said. Here's a look at the longstanding crises in eastern Congo that have made it home to one of the world's worst humanitarian ...

Ebola outbreak in Congo spreading rapidly amid treatment gaps, warns WHO

The agency upgraded its risk assessment to 'very high' in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where there are now almost 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths from the disease

WHO chief Adhanom says Ebola outbreak in Congo is 'spreading rapidly'

The head of the World Health Organisation says the Ebola outbreak in Congo is "spreading rapidly" and now poses a "very high" risk at the national level. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom said Friday the UN health agency was revising upward to "very high" its assessment of the risk within Congo, which had previously been deemed as high. The risk remains high for regional spread and low at global levels, he told reporters. The WHO chief noted that 82 cases have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with seven confirmed deaths, "but we know the epidemic in DRC is much larger." He said there are now almost 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths. The situation in neighbouring Uganda is "stable" with two cases confirmed in people who had travelled from Congo, with one death.

Ebola spreads silently through Congo's mines and conflict-hit regions

Population growth, climate change and rising human contact with wildlife are fuelling spread of animal-borne diseases like Ebola, though improved detection methods may explain some increase in cases

Ebola outbreak likely started months ago, spread undetected in Africa: WHO

First confirmed death took place April 20, and experts used social media posts to reconstruct the recent progress of the virus after the super-spreader event on May 5

WHO-Imperial College analysis suggests Congo Ebola outbreak undercounted

The analysis, based on case data collected through Saturday, found the outbreak was likely substantially larger than officially detected

Ebola outbreak in Congo kills 131, over 500 suspected cases reported

At least 131 deaths and over 500 suspected cases have been reported in the ongoing Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, the Congolese health ministry said Tuesday as details emerged about the government's delayed response. Samuel Roger Kamba, the minister of public health, said: "513 suspected cases and 131 deaths have been recorded in the affected areas." "These are suspected deaths, and investigations are underway to determine which ones are actually linked to the disease." The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. Health authorities say the current outbreak, first confirmed on Friday, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare variant of the Ebola disease that has no approved therapeutics or vaccines. Although more than 20 Ebola outbreaks have taken place in Congo and Uganda, this is only the third time that the Bundibugyo virus has been detected. Cases have now been confirmed in Bunia, North Kivu's

Rare Ebola's silent spread in Congo exposes gaps in surveillance system

About 350 suspected cases and 91 deaths have been reported in northeastern Congo, the country's health minister Roger Kamba said on Sunday

Rare Ebola virus strain with no approved vaccine kills dozens in Congo

About 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths have been reported mainly in Mongbwalu and Rwampara health zones in Ituri province, near the Ugandan border, in Democratic Republic of Congo

New Ebola outbreak in Congo claims lives; WHO sounds global alarm

More than 80 cases and rising deaths have been confirmed in Kasai Province of Congo, with limited resources and remote villages testing response efforts

Bharat Biotech, ExcellGene consortium to develop variant-proof Covid vax

The consortium is developing or designing a new vaccine concept that confers highly cross-reactive protection against numerous SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

Global Covid-19 caseload tops 169.7mn with more than 3.52 mn deaths

The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 169.7 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.52 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University

Congo declares the end of the 12th Ebola outbreak in the country

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Monday officially declared the end of the 12th Ebola outbreak, which killed six people in its eastern province of North Kivu

Ebola vaccines stockpiled to stamp out future outbreaks, says WHO

The World Health Organisation and partners said on Tuesday they are creating a global stockpile of Ebola vaccines to help stamp out future outbreaks

Lakshmi Mittal gifts GBP 3.5 mn to Oxford for developing Covid-19 vaccine

Lakshmi Mittal said, "This year has been a wake-up call to the world to be better prepared for pandemics, which, as we have all experienced, can cause massive social and economic disruption."

Despite its positives, social media can be used to spread falsehoods

Social media messaging has its positives but, being far faster than traditional ways of communication, it can be used to spread destructive falsehoods and distortions

Merck's experimental Ebola virus vaccine proves useful in outbreak

More than 96 percent of people offered the Merck vaccination take it, and some 4,600 doses have been administered