Tag Archives: west africa

GSK/NIH Ebola vaccine clinical trials by Oxford University showed that the vaccine has an acceptable safety profile at the doses tested, and is able to generate an immune response. “The vaccine was well tolerated. Its safety profile is pretty much as we had hoped,” said Professor Adrian Hill of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University, who led the trial. This ...

As is the case with virus, researchers are apprehensive that the genetic makeup of Ebola in West Africa has undergone several mutations that could potentially make new drugs ineffective to treat the deadly virus. “The (Ebola) virus mutates rapidly,” Jeffrey Kugelman of the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) said in a study. “And it’s an ongoing ...

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) recommended to creditors on Monday to cancel the outstanding debt of the three West African countries worst affected by the deadly Ebola epidemic, highlighting that even if those most affected were to register zero economic growth, the impact on Africa as a continent would be minimal. “The impact of the Ebola on ...

The number of people dying due to malaria has reduced dramatically since 2000 as more people are treated and due to the use of more bed nets, according to the annual report by the World Health Organisation (WHO). As per the report, the number of people infected fell from 173 million in 2000 to 128 million in 2013. The organisation ...

The European Commissionn Monday declared  that the European Union (EU) has pledged 61 million euros ($75 million) as fresh support to combat the deadly Ebola disease in West Africa. EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, announced the aid during his visit to Guinea from Friday to Sunday, Xinhua reported. Of the total assistance of 61 million euros, ...

Head of the UN Ebola response mission in West Africa Tony Banbury has said that there is still a “huge risk” that the Ebola virus could spread to other parts of the world. The ebola affected cases have crossed over 16,000 as per WHO’s latest report. In October, Banbury told the UN Security Council that by December 1, “about 70 ...

Wild price swings caused by the Ebola health crisis are making it more difficult for households to feed themselves and make a stable living, according to a new UN report released on Monday. The report said that action is required to protect the poor and support farmers, Xinhua reported. “Border closures, movement restrictions and a slowdown in farming activity are ...

At least 40 people were killed in an outbreak of plague in Madagascar island as the Ebola is taunting the other side of Africa. The disease may spread rapidly as fleas on the island have been found with high levels of resistance to a leading insecticide, BBC reported citing a World Health Organisation (WHO) warning. Humans usually develop the bubonic ...

After World Bank has approved a grant, an aid of $5.7 million is provided by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation too for the fight against the deadly Ebola virus disease. The foundation has decided to support efforts in Guinea and other Ebola-affected countries to scale up the production and evaluation of convalescent plasma and other convalescent blood products as ...

Health Ministry of Kenya is all prepared to send its 700 medical workers to Ebola-hit West African countries by November last, on Friday. According to the country’s Cabinet Secretary for Health James Macharia, about 700 doctors and nurses have enrolled in a regional voluntary programme to assist Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in fighting against Ebola, Xinhua reported. Macharia told ...