Ebola Vaccine Trials Show Promise, Scientists Say March 31, 2015 News Summary VOA News: Ebola Vaccine Trials Underway in West Africa “…Since last summer, researchers have rushed to get anti-Ebola vaccines into clinical trials. While it’s too early to say that any of the potential vaccines work, some scientists say they are seeing strong results from some of the studies…” (Pearson, 3/30).
West African Countries Impose Measures To Prevent Ebola Spread; Sierra Leone’s Lockdown Exposes Suspected Cases March 31, 2015 News Summary Agence France-Presse: Sierra Leone back to work after Ebola lockdown “Sierra Leoneans breathed a sigh of relief on Monday as they emerged from a three-day nationwide lockdown imposed in a bid to prevent a resurgence of the deadly Ebola virus…” (3/30). Associated Press: Guinea shuts border with Sierra Leone in…
Nearly A Third Of Sierra Leone’s Ebola Funds ‘Unaccounted For,’ Audit Report Says March 31, 2015 News Summary IRIN: Sierra Leone’s missing Ebola millions “More than half of US$18 million of treasury and public donation funds supposedly spent on fighting Ebola in Sierra Leone, where the disease has claimed 3,764 lives, lacks complete paperwork and almost a third is officially ‘unaccounted for’ according to an audit report…” (Sahid,…
Global Warning, Response System For Outbreaks Critical For Next Epidemic, Gates Says March 31, 2015 News Summary NPR: Bill Gates Tells The World: Get Ready For The Next Epidemic “‘An epidemic is one of the few catastrophes that could set the world back drastically in the next few decades,’ Bill Gates warns in an essay he wrote for the March 18 edition of The New England Journal…
Sexual Contact May Cause Ebola To Spread, WHO Says March 31, 2015 News Summary Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Ebola virus: Sexual contact may be causing it to spread, World Health Organization says “The World Health Organization (WHO) says it has found evidence that sexual contact may be causing the Ebola virus to spread. A lack of education about treatment has meant sufferers are now hiding…
NIH Announces American Ebola Patient’s Condition Has Improved March 31, 2015 News Summary The Guardian: American Ebola patient’s condition improves from ‘serious’ to ‘fair’ “The condition of an American health care worker who contracted Ebola while fighting the outbreak of the disease in Sierra Leone has improved significantly since he arrived in the U.S. earlier this month…” (Gambino, 3/30). The Hill: Condition of…
Donors Pledge Funds For Syria As U.N. Warns Of Worsening Humanitarian Situation March 31, 2015 News Summary Agence France-Presse: U.N. warns of Syria ‘catastrophe’ as NGOs pledge funds “A U.N. envoy warned Monday of a ‘horrifying’ humanitarian situation brewing in Syria as non-governmental organizations pledged more than $500 million for refugees on the eve of a major donor conference. The United Nations has launched an appeal to…
Obama Administration Announces Plan To Address Antibiotic Drug Resistance March 30, 2015 News Summary The Hill: Obama unveils $1.2B plan to tackle drug-resistant bacteria “President Obama on Friday announced a long-awaited national plan to combat the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which he called one of the world’s ‘most pressing’ public health crises. It is the first White House plan to specifically address antibiotic…
Administration Releases Strategy To Prevent Spread Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria March 30, 2015 News Summary Center for Global Health Policy’s “Science Speaks”: Antibiotic-resistant bacteria prompts ‘National Action Plan,’ with global strategies targeting pathogens that include multidrug-resistant tuberculosis Antigone Barton, writer and editor of “Science Speaks” and senior communications officer at the Center for Global Health Policy, outlines the Obama administration’s recently-released plan to fight the…