Ebola aftermath is ‘best chance’ to transform future epidemic response – UN health agency
The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today warned that infectious diseases have become “a much larger menace” under the unique conditions of the 21st century with its unprecedented global travel volume of nearly…
Ebola response panel is studying ways to enforce compliance with key UN legal health instrument
A special United Nations international panel reviewing the role of existing international health regulations in the response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is studying the use of possible sanctions and other mechanisms…
Sierra Leone begins 42-day countdown to be declared free of Ebola virus transmission – UN health agency
Sierra Leone today began its countdown to be declared by the World Health Organization as free of Ebola virus transmission as the West African nation’s President described the release of the last patient treated for the…
New Ebola case in Sierra Leone prompts expansion of experimental vaccine trial – UN health agency
The detection of a new case of Ebola in Sierra Leone over the weekend after the West African country had marked almost three weeks of zero cases has prompted the use of an experimental vaccine to fight the disease, according…
Liberia again declared free of Ebola transmission as number of cases remains stable in wider West Africa
The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared Liberia free of Ebola virus transmission after the disease had resurfaced in June, and as the country enters a 90-day period of heightened surveillance, the number of cases…
UN health agency warns Ebola outbreak in West Africa has ‘a very nasty sting in its tail’
The United Nations health agency’s special envoy on Ebola response today said the outbreak in West Africa has a “very nasty sting in its tail,” but projected that the goal of zero transmission in the human population remains…
Presidents of Sierra Leone and Liberia outline post-Ebola recovery plan in addresses to UN Assembly
In their respective statements to the United Nations General Assembly, the leaders of Sierra Leone and Liberia, among the countries hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak, discussed their subsequent recovery efforts, and also…
No new cases of Ebola reported for first time since March 2014 – UN health agency
There were no new cases of Ebola reported in West Africa in the week ending last Sunday, making it the first week since March 2014 with zero cases recorded in the three countries most affected by the outbreak, according to…
Ebola virus persists in body fluids of survivors for months – UN health agency
The Ebola virus can persist in the eye, semen, the placenta, breast milk and central nervous system of survivors of the disease for as long as 9 and a half months, according to a new study supported by the World Health…
Ebola virus transmission ends in Sierra Leone – UN health agency
The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared that Ebola virus transmission has been stopped in Sierra Leone, as 42 days – two Ebola virus incubation cycles – have now passed since the last person confirmed to have the…
Ensuring 15,000 survivors have support they need is ‘my priority number one’ – UN envoy on Ebola
Transmission of Ebola has been stopped in Liberia and Sierra Leone, while Guinea is now treating a baby believed to be its last case, the United Nations Special Envoy on Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro, reported today, underscoring…
West Africa cannot recover from Ebola epidemic on its own – senior UN health official
Following the flare-up of Ebola in Liberia 77 days after the outbreak was declared over, the region's top coordinator of the United Nations response to the epidemic said the three West African countries most affected by the…