Beni, DR Congo | AFP | The World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday that 16 staff members have been temporarily evacuated from DR Congo’s restive eastern city of Beni after a shell hit the building they were staying in. The incident occurred in the Ebola-plagued region during clashes between UN …
Read More »WHO chief visits Ebola epicenter in Beni, Uganda on full alert
Kasese, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & UN NEWS | A significant phase in the battle against the Ebola epidemic in neighbouring Democratic of Congo (DRC) started this week, with a visit of the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) to the epicenter in Beni, and first ever vaccinations locally for …
Read More »Uganda gives go-ahead for Ebola vaccine
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda has given the World Health Organisation (WHO) a go-ahead to administer an investigational Ebola vaccine in high risk areas neighbouring the DRC, where the outbreak has already claimed 170 lives. Uganda will become the first country in the world to give the vaccine …
Read More »WHO says DRC Ebola outbreak not yet global emergency
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | A deadly Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is deeply worrying, but does not yet merit being labelled a global health emergency, the World Health Organization said Wednesday. “Based on the current context… the committee recommended that the current Ebola outbreak in DRC …
Read More »Community fears grow as DR Congo Ebola death toll climbs
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Humanitarian workers are struggling to calm community fears in strife-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where 125 people have died of Ebola, and cases of the virus are spreading fast. The World Health Organization said Friday that 200 cases of the deadly virus have been …
Read More »‘Just say no’ to drug legalisation: WHO chief
Manila, Philippines | AFP | With Canada on the verge of becoming the world’s second nation to legalise recreational marijuana, the head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday that countries should think twice before opening that door. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was in the Philippines for a regional …
Read More »WHO lists Snake bites amongst top 20 killers
In Uganda, many antivenoms do not work, all snakebite first aid information is wrong Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | In 2002, James Ntulume developed a keen interest in snakes. Then an owner of a farm – Snakes Uganda—located in an upscale Kampala suburb, Muyenga, Ntulume immersed himself into studying the …
Read More »WHO preparing for the worst in DR Congo Ebola outbreak
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization said Friday it was preparing for “the worst case scenario” in a fresh outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. “We are very concerned, and we are planning for all scenarios, including the worst case scenario,” WHO’s head of …
Read More »Biggest ever cholera vaccine drive underway in Africa: UN
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The biggest cholera vaccine drive in history is under way in Africa aimed at reining in a spate of outbreaks across the continent, the UN and charity alliance Gavi said Monday. More than two million people will receive the oral cholera vaccine as part of …
Read More »UN’s health body urges Hepatitis C offensive
2500, France | AFP | Hepatitis C is easily cured. Yet, about 400,000 people die of the liver disease every year as only a smattering get the medicine they need. On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged governments to attack the problem with more urgency, and more money. Only …
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