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Improve sanitation eliminates “Big Fut” – Health Min.

Thu, 2016-05-26 15:29 — Mohamed S

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation will soon embark on a mass drug administration to reduce Lymphatic Filariasis in the country.
During a media brief at the conference room of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, the Programme Manager for Neglected Tropical Diseases in Sierra Leone, Dr Yakuba Bah called on members of the public to improve in sanitation in their various communities.

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New United Nations study finds digital payments to Ebola response workers saved lives

Thu, 2016-05-26 15:15 — Mohamed S

E money Transaction

By using digital payments to pay Ebola response workers, Sierra Leone massively cut payment times, avoiding large-scale strikes and ensuring a stable workforce to defeat Ebola. Sierra Leone’s experience shows the critical importance of preparing early for digital payments before crises hit.

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Company calls on FDA to issue permit for genetically modified mosquitoes

Thu, 2016-05-26 14:14 — Mohamed S

A company with a swarm of genetically modified mosquitoes wants the Food and Drug Administrationto grant emergency approval for the controversial insects' use in the fight against the Zika virus.

Oxitec changed the DNA of the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that spread the virus so their offspring die before adulthood, Hadyn Parry, the British company's CEO, told the House of Representatives' Committee on Science, Space, and Technology in Washington on Wednesday. The company deploys only male mosquitoes, which cannot bite, to halt transmission of the disease, he added.

"I don’t think time is on our side with Zika," Parry said.

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African Monkeys Caught Eating Bats For the First Time

Wed, 2016-05-25 13:32 — davidmc

Researchers working in Africa are the first to observe monkeys preying on bats. The unusual behavior, which may have something to do with loss of habitat, could explain how dangerous diseases such as Ebola spread among species—and eventually to humans.

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Resilient Health Systems Can Prevent and Contain Pandemics

Wed, 2016-05-25 13:04 — davidmc

Resilience is one of those buzzwords that every so often captures the hearts and minds of development practitioners. The importance of this particular term, though, becomes all too clear as the world faces an increasing number of humanitarian crises, including outbreaks that can turn into pandemics.

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Zika Strain from Americas Outbreak Spreads in Africa for First Time: WHO

Sat, 2016-05-21 14:56 — Kathy Gilbeaux

CLICK HERE - WHO confirms Zika virus strain imported from the Americas to Cabo Verde

CLICK HERE - CDC - Zika Virus in Cape Verde

who.int - digitaljournal.com - by AGNÈS PEDRERO (AFP) - May 20, 2016

The Zika virus strain linked to surging cases of neurological disorders and birth defects in Latin America has now been found in Africa, health officials said Friday, as the first fatality on French territory was reported on the Caribbean island of Martinique.

The World Health Organization announced that the strain of Zika circulating in Cape Verde had been shown to be the same as the one behind an explosion of cases in the Americas.

"This is the first time that strain of Zika which has been showed to cause neurological disorders and microcephaly... has been detected in Africa," Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's Africa regional chief, told reporters in Geneva.

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WHO calls emergency meeting on yellow fever outbreak

Wed, 2016-05-18 12:08 — davidmc

GENEVA - The World Health Organization will hold an emergency meeting Thursday on the yellow fever outbreak that has hit hardest in Angola but risks spreading further if vaccinations are not ramped up.

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First Commercial Zika Virus Test Gets FDA Approval

Sat, 2016-04-30 23:56 — Kathy Gilbeaux

CLICK HERE - Quest Diagnostics - Zika Virus Infection - Important Testing Information and Helpful Resources

nbcnews.com - by Maggie Fox - April 28, 2016

The first commercial U.S. test to diagnose Zika virus won emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration Thursday.

It's a rare piece of good news as states and the federal government struggle to get out ahead of the Zika virus epidemic as it makes its way north to the U.S.

Quest Diagnostics says it should be able to handle any demand for the test, which uses the same method that government labs use to look for Zika virus in a patient's blood.

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Civil Society calls for more intervention in Health

Fri, 2016-04-29 11:56 — Mohamed S

The Coordinator, Health for all Coalition, Victor Lansana Koroma has called on Government and health partners to invest more resources in order to maintain progress in the fight against malaria.

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Mali Authorities Seek 2 Guineans Who Had Ebola Contact

Thu, 2016-04-14 17:14 — Mohamed S

Malian health authorities say they are searching for two women who left Guinea after having had contact with a recent Ebola case.

Dr. Keni Diarra, head doctor at the health center in Kenieba in the Kayes region, said Wednesday the two Guinean women came to Mali Sunday. He said they are suspected to be in Hamdallaye, a village in Kayes.

The World Health Organization says there have been eight cases of Ebola and seven deaths since late February in Guinea, flare-ups that came months after the nation was declared Ebola-free.

In Mali eight people were infected with Ebola and six of them died in 2014 before it was declared free from transmissions in January 2015.

More than 11,300 people, mostly in West Africa, have died from Ebola since December 2013.

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