Jan 25, 2011
Ivory Coast reports yellow fever outbreak
Twelve cases of yellow fever have been confirmed in the Ivory Coast, making it the second such outbreak in an African country in recent months. In a statement today the World Health Organization (WHO) said the country notified the agency of the cases on Jan 3. Infections have been detected in central and northern regions. A mid-January field investigation by Ivory Coast's health ministry, with assistance from the WHO, identified 64 suspected cases, along with 25 deaths. The Ivory Coast launched an emergency vaccination campaign on Jan 22 targeting 840,000 people ages 9 months and older in four districts. The WHO said the four districts are among 61 that were singled out to receive vaccine in a disease-prevention campaign last year, which could not be held due to political problems. Uganda reported a yellow fever outbreak in October, its first in nearly 40 years. A vaccine campaign targeting the northern part of the country started on Jan 22.
Jan
25 WHO statement
GenVec to develop dengue vaccine with Navy researchers
GenVec, Inc., a pharmaceutical company based in Gaithersburg, Md., announced today that it has signed a cooperative agreement with the US Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) to develop a vaccine against dengue fever. In a separate contract, GenVec will receive $530,000 in development funding from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc. The vaccine uses GenVec's adenovector technology and its proprietary cell line, the company said in a press release. The NMRC will handle preclinical studies, including trials on nonhuman primates.
Jan 25 GenVec press release
