News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Two medical aid groups in cholera-stricken Haiti are planning a pilot campaign to administer a cholera vaccine to about 1% of the population, but some public health experts are questioning whether the effort is the most cost-effective way to fight the disease, according to press reports.

(CIDRAP News) – Global cholera incidence has increased since 2000, with Haiti's large outbreak tipping the largest burden away from Africa for the first time since 1995, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today.

(CIDRAP News) – Officials from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today praised the performance of Haiti's public health ministry in the wake of two catastrophic health events in 2010, the earthquake and the cholera epidemic.

– (CIDRAP News) Global health officials responding to a quickly spreading cholera outbreak in Haiti say cases in the past few days have doubled, to 3,015, while deaths are up by about 100, to 253.

The figures were published yesterday by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which also reported that the disease is reaching new parts of the country.

Note: Substantial material was added to this article at 6:15 p.m. US Central Time on the WHO's pandemic response and the role of public health going forward.

(CIDRAP News) – The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) today declared the H1N1 influenza pandemic over, saying worldwide flu activity has returned to typical seasonal patterns and many people have immunity to the virus.

(CIDRAP News) – Amid media reports that the World Health Organization (WHO) might be on the verge of setting a date to discuss a step-down in the pandemic alert level, the agency said today that it's too early to determine if tropical and Southern Hemisphere countries have transitioned to normal seasonal flu patterns.