The program is part of efforts to respond better to global health crises and signifies one of the biggest changes in WHO history.
Rapid genetic sequencing was instrumental in identifying transmission chains, one study noted.
A preponderance of secondary MERS-CoV infections tend to occur in older and/or male relatives of a primary MERS patient and those with preexisting medical conditions, say findings of a study yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID). Risk factors for household transmission included sleeping in the same room with a MERS patient and direct patient care.
Late death from Ebola disease in survivors of earlier episodes is very rare, occurring in less than 1% of patients in a cohort study of Sierra Leone survivors published yesterday in BMJ. The study additionally found that the infecting dose of Ebola as measured by exposure level does not affect the severity of disease.
Though non-invasive contact with Ebola survivors poses little risk, contact with semen, ocular humor, and cerebrospinal fluid requires precautions.
A study of Ebola virus disease survivors in Guinea has added to previous evidence that the virus can persist for as long as 9 months in the semen of survivors, reinforcing the concern about a risk of sexual transmission for months after recovery.
In a study conducted in Sierra Leone, nearly half of household contacts of Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors contracted the illness, with the risk strongly associated with the level of exposure, according to a report published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Qatar yesterday reported its second MERS-CoV case this year in a man with no travel history, according to translated information from Qatar's Ministry of Public Health posted on FluTrackers, an infectious disease message board.
Six measles cases have been confirmed in the Memphis, Tenn., area, according to news services and health officials, signaling what is apparently the largest US measles outbreak since more than 100 cases were linked to Disney theme parks in California early in 2015.
NewLink Genetics Corporation announced yesterday that it had received $21.6 million in federal funding to continue developing its vesicular stomatitis virus–Ebola virus (VSV-EBOV) vaccine candidate.
