Ebola

Covid-19 lab leak fight obscures the global rise of high-security biolabs

There are 69 so-called Biosafety Level 4, or BSL-4, facilities designed to study dangerous infectious pathogens in operation, under construction or planned worldwide, according to Global Biolabs

Uganda ends WHO's mandatory 42-day countdown to be declared Ebola-free

Uganda has ended a 42-day countdown to be declared Ebola-free with no case reported in the period, the country's Health Minister said

Uganda reports alarming rise in Ebola cases in capital, 11 more infected

Ugandan officials have reported 11 more cases of Ebola in the capital since Friday, a worrisome increase in infections just over a month after an outbreak was declared in a remote part of the East African country. Nine more people in the Kampala metropolitan area tested positive for Ebola on Sunday, in addition to two others on Friday, Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said Monday. A top World Health Organization official in Africa said last week that Uganda's Ebola outbreak was rapidly evolving, describing a challenging situation for health workers. Ugandan health authorities have confirmed 75 cases of Ebola since Sept. 20, including 28 deaths. There are 19 active cases. The official numbers don't include those who probably died of Ebola before the outbreak was confirmed in a farming community about 150 kilometers (93 miles) west of Kampala. Fears that Ebola could spread far from the outbreak's epicenter compelled authorities to impose an ongoing lockdown, including nighttime curfe

65 Ugandan health workers quarantined for 21 days amid Ebola outbreak

At least 65 health workers in Uganda have been put under quarantine after getting in contact with Ebola cases, a ministry of health spokesperson said

Uganda confirms 7 Ebola cases, authorities race to halt outbreak

Uganda confirmed seven Ebola infections on Thursday as authorities try to track down 43 contacts of known Ebola patients two days after authorities in the East African country announced an outbreak of the contagious disease. A total of eight deaths, including one confirmed, are attributable to the virus, said Dr. Henry Kyobe, a Ugandan military officer who is tracking Ebola cases. He spoke of a rapidly evolving" situation where we think cases may rise in a few days. The epicentre of the outbreak is the central Ugandan district of Mubende, whose main town lies along a highway into the capital, Kampala. That travel link and several crowded artisanal gold mines there is concerning, Kyobe told the World Health Organisation. Ugandan authorities have not yet to found the source of the outbreak, and neither have they discovered the key first case. But they were able to confirm an Ebola outbreak of the Sudan type earlier this week after testing a sample from a 24-year-old man who had bee

Africa CDC calls for enhanced Ebola control measures amid new outbreak

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has called on Ugandan authorities to intensify surveillance and control measures amidst a new outbreak of the Ebola virus in the country

Disease experts call on WHO, governments for more action on monkeypox

Scientists say there needs to be clearer guidance on how a person infected with monkeypox should isolate, more explicit advice on how to protect people who are at risk, and improved testing

Iraq sees spike in hemorrhagic fever; 90 cases, 18 deaths reported

The VHFs are a group of diseases caused by different viruses, including the Ebola virus, which affects multiple organ systems in the body and may cause fever and bleeding

Guinea declares end to latest Ebola outbreak that killed 12: WHO

The outbreak emerged in February

Lab-leak hypothesis

China's obfuscation is not helping matters

Congo declares the end of the 12th Ebola outbreak in the country

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Monday officially declared the end of the 12th Ebola outbreak, which killed six people in its eastern province of North Kivu

Democratic Republic of Congo confirms a new Ebola case

A new positive case of the Ebola virus has been confirmed in North Kivu, a province in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to Minister of Public Health Eteni Longondo.

Ebola vaccines stockpiled to stamp out future outbreaks, says WHO

The World Health Organisation and partners said on Tuesday they are creating a global stockpile of Ebola vaccines to help stamp out future outbreaks

A virus in a medical desert

Book review of FEVERS, FEUDS, AND DIAMONDS: Ebola and the Ravages of History

Lakshmi Mittal gifts GBP 3.5 mn to Oxford for developing Covid-19 vaccine

Lakshmi Mittal said, "This year has been a wake-up call to the world to be better prepared for pandemics, which, as we have all experienced, can cause massive social and economic disruption."

Maharashtra may procure remdesivir from Bangladesh to treat Covid patients

State government to procure 10,000 vials for Rs 12 crore

Jubilant Life inks non-exclusive licensing pact with Gilead for Remdesivir

The drug, which is an injectable, got emergency approval from the US drug regulator recently.

Here are a few stories of how Ebola helped Africa prepare for coronavirus

Ebola prompted the World Health Organization to change its emergency response structure, rapid laboratory testing and changing the design of treatment centres

Drug used for Ebola may be effective in stopping Covid-19 replication: ICMR

The research institute also said there can be a possibility of transmission of Covid-19 from a pregnant mother to the newborn

Covid-19 outreach and Modi's second big experiment in social mobilisation

After his successful experiment with cooking gas subsidy, the PM's second such exercise - the call for a 'janata curfew' - could be precursor to more ambitious follow-through steps, writes T N Ninan