United Nations

Ebola outbreak: Virus still 'running ahead of us', says WHO

Wed, 2014-12-10 17:16 — mike kraft

BBC by Tulip Mazumdar Dec. 10, 2014

The Ebola virus that has killed thousands in West Africa is still "running ahead" of efforts to contain it, the head of the World Health Organization has said.
Director general Margaret Chan said the situation had improved in some parts of the worst-affected countries, but she warned against complacency.

The risk to the world "is always there" while the outbreak continues, she said.

She said the WHO and the international community failed to act quickly enough....

"It is fair to say the whole world, including WHO, failed to see what was unfolding, what was going to happen in front of our eyes," said Dr Chan.

"Of course, with the benefit of hindsight, if you ask me now... we could have mounted a much more robust response."

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http://www.bbc.com/news/health-30400304

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WHO: malaria gains 'at risk' in Ebola-affected countries

Wed, 2014-12-10 11:05 — mike kraft

MEDICAL NEWS TODAY Dec. 9, 2014

LONDON --Thanks to increased disease control, global deaths to malaria have fallen dramatically, and the number of new cases is steadily declining, say the World Health Organization in a new report. Also, an increasing number of countries are moving toward eliminating the mosquito-borne disease altogether. But the UN agency warns these gains are fragile, and no more so than in countries worse-affected by the Ebola crisis.

A new report from the World Health Organization says the number of lives claimed by malaria worldwide fell by 47% between 2000 and 2013, and by 54% in Africa, where the vast majority of deaths occur.

The 2014 World Health Organization (WHO) report says deaths to malaria worldwide fell by 47% between 2000 and 2013. In the WHO African Region, where 90% of deaths to malaria occur, the reduction is 54%.

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In Ebola Outbreak, Bad Data Adds Another Problem

Mon, 2014-12-08 14:10 — mike kraft

ASSOCIATED PRESS -By MARIA CHENG and SARAH DiLORENZO Dec. 14, 2014

LONDON--As health officials struggle to contain the world's biggest-ever Ebola outbreak, their efforts are being complicated by another problem: bad data.

Having accurate numbers about an outbreak is essential not only to provide a realistic picture of the epidemic, but to determine effective control strategies. Dr. Bruce Aylward, who is leading the World Health Organization's Ebola response, said it's crucial to track every single Ebola patient in West Africa to stop the outbreak and that serious gaps remain in their data.

"As we move into the stage of hunting down the virus instead of just slowing the exponential growth, having good data is going to be at the heart of this," Aylward said. "We are not there yet and this is something we definitely need to fix."

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