A swift response is crucial in battling an Ebola outbreak, yet efforts to contain the rapidly spreading epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo are severely delayed. Thousands exposed to the virus remain unlocated, posing a significant threat. An analysis of discussions from a World Health Organization (WHO) and Africa Centres for Disease Control meeting reveals just how far behind the response has fallen. The outbreak, attributed to the Bundibugyo strain, which currently lacks an approved vaccine or treatment,…

The World Health Organization has issued a stark warning that the Ebola outbreak poses a significant risk at both national and regional levels in Congo and Uganda. However, the global threat remains low. Amidst growing concerns, the leader of the WHO team in Congo has cautioned that the outbreak, which has resulted in over 130 suspected deaths, could extend for at least two more months as efforts to control the situation intensify. The WHO has characterized the Ebola outbreak as a public health emergency of…

The World Health Organization raised alarms on Tuesday over the rapid escalation of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has resulted in an estimated 131 fatalities. In response to the surge, the WHO declared the situation an international health emergency, convening an emergency meeting to address the crisis. The current outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no vaccine or specific treatment exists, highlighting a significant challenge as this strain has claimed the…

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda as a "public health emergency of international concern," highlighting the potential threat to neighboring regions. Although this outbreak has not escalated to a pandemic level, countries bordering the DRC are alerted to a heightened risk of the virus spreading. According to the WHO, as of Saturday, the Ituri province in the DRC reported 80 suspected deaths, eight confirmed laboratory cases, and 246…

A Struggle for Survival: The Cholera Crisis in Darfur's Refugee Camps In the parched camps of Tawila, western Sudan, fear is as palpable as the scorching heat. Here, among the dusty landscapes, an invisible enemy strikes—and it's spreading with the relentlessness of a desert wildfire. Cholera, a ruthless bacterial infection, is carving through the refugee population with lethal speed, leaving healthcare workers racing against time to save lives. A Humanitarian Nightmare In the shadow of recent conflict, Mona Ibrahim's…

Swedish health authorities said Thursday they had registered the first case outside Africa of the more dangerous variant of mpox, a viral infection spread through close contact. The announcement came a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a global health emergency for the second time in two years, warning that the virus could eventually spread across international borders. Sweden's public health authority confirmed to Agence France-Presse (AFP) that the case was the same…

The World Health Organization declared a global emergency after mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa on Wednesday. Earlier this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency, with more than 500 deaths, and called for international help to stop the spread of the virus. "This is something that should concern us all ... The potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying," said WHO Director-General…

African countries were able to triple COVID-19 vaccinations in the past week, but the prospect of inoculating up to 10% of the continent's population by the end of September is still elusive, Africa's head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. At the same time, the continent saw 248,000 new confirmed cases in the past week, with at least 24 countries seeing an increase in infections driven by the delta variant. "This is a tragedy that can be prevented if African countries can get…

The end of Guinea's second Ebola outbreak was officially announced on Saturday by the World Health Organization (WHO). The outbreak began on February 14. "I have the honor to declare the end of Ebola" in Guinea, said WHO official Alfred Ki-Zerbo at a ceremony in the southeastern Nzerekore region where the disease occurred in late January. It was the second such outbreak in the poor country of 13 million people since the devastating Ebola epidemic of 2013-2016 in West Africa, which left 11,300 dead in…

A sense of dread grows in some of the poorest countries in the world as virus cases grow and more contagious variants tackle a crippling shortage of vaccines. The crisis has alerted public health officials along with millions of unvaccinated people, especially those who are struggling in the informal economy that is not the book, living hand-to-mouth and paying cash in health crises. With intensive care units filled in cities overwhelmed by the pandemic, serious illness can be a death sentence. Africa…