Three investigational vaccine candidates for the Ebola Bundibugyo virus are being “urgently accelerated towards clinical trials”, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced on Monday. There are no licensed vaccines for the Bundibugyo virus, and none are in clinical development. This is the strain of Ebola currently driving the outbreak in the Democratic Republic […] Continue reading ->
Artificial intelligence promises huge efficiency gains for strained health systems, but algorithmic surveillance in long-term care systems also introduces profound ethical dilemmas. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled a comprehensive consultation draft on global long-term care standards to ensure digital innovation is balanced with fundamental human rights. Across the world, countries are […] Continue reading ->
Steatotic liver disease (SLD) was recognized as a “missing piece” of the global noncommunicable disease response in a milestone World Health Assembly resolution last week. With countries making extraordinary progress in combating viral hepatitis, SLD, formerly known as fatty liver disease, is now the fastest-growing chronic liver disease – but far less recognized. Experts and […] Continue reading ->
The recent hantavirus outbreak triggered a wave of disinformation along similar lines to the COVID-19 pandemic: the virus was “fake”, “deliberately engineered”, and could be “cured” by Ivermectin. In the past week, furious community members have attacked and torched tents housing Ebola patients at Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Director General has called for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern DRC to enable officials to address the outbreak of a particularly deadly strain of Ebola, warning that stopping transmission “depends entirely on humanitarian access”. The DRC’s Ituri province, the heart of the Ebola Bundibugyo virus outbreak, is facing “a […] Continue reading ->
Afrigen Biologics, the South African facility that developed an mRNA vaccine from scratch during COVID-19, has become the first African facility to be certified to manufacture investigational biological products for Phase I and II clinical trials. The facility celebrated receiving its Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification for its mRNA facility in Cape Town from the […] Continue reading ->