The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Aug 21 reported 34,866 new cases of chikungunya in the Caribbean and Americas. The outbreak total, adjusted for ongoing case confirmation, is 1,679,223.
The new total includes 514,534 suspected, 17,118 confirmed locally acquired cases, and 802 imported cases reported in 2015, or 532,454 total for the year.
New cases in West Africa remained at 3 for the 3rd straight week, and the WHO IHR panel will meet next week.
Sierra Leone is down to its last known Ebola transmission chain, a sign of continuing progress in the battle against the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced today. It added that the country has now gone a full epidemiologic week without a new case for the first time since the outbreak began last year.
Transmission in healthcare settings has medical officials bracing for more cases.
Researchers discussed unique opportunities to learn about the after-effects of Ebola and how to manage them, as well as knowledge gaps, study protocols, and how to build research capacity in outbreak nations.
Animal health officials in Ghana and Ivory Coast yesterday reported more highly pathogenic H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in poultry, signaling a continuation of virus activity that reemerged late last year in Africa.
Experts are meeting this week to discuss survivor care, keeping clinical samples, and setting research priorities.
A trial to see if a lower dose of one of the leading Ebola vaccine candidates can reduce reactions such as arthritis and skin rashes found that the effects persisted and that decreasing the dose had a negative impact on immune response. An international research team based in Switzerland published their findings on the lower VSV-EBOV dose yesterday in an early online edition of Lancet Infectious Diseases.
The vaccine was 100% effective in those who received it soon after possible exposure, setting the scene for it quickly to become a useful response tool.
The WHO announces a unified program for health emergencies, vaccine support, and other reforms.
