The yellow fever vaccine given as one fifth of the regular dose could be used to control an outbreak in case of vaccine shortages.
Experts agreed with this proposal at a meeting convened by WHO to consider potential shortages in yellow fever vaccine due to the outbreak in Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo.
WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization reviewed existing evidence that demonstrates that using a fifth of a standard vaccine dose would still provide…
Op-Ed by Dr Matshidiso Moeti
The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa and its devastating toll on human life were stark reminders of the dangers posed by weak health systems. For the international community, the outbreak highlighted the importance of health security and epidemic-preparedness, and demonstrated just how quickly local disease outbreaks can become global issues.
Brazzaville, 24 October 2015 – Today, we celebrate a very special World Polio Day and a historic moment in the WHO African Region, one without a case of wild polio virus in over a year. The day comes just days before the official ceremony with the President of Nigeria to take the country off the polio endemic list. The day is a true testament of what political will, government leadership and the collective efforts of partners can achieve when united behind a global public health good.
GENEVA | 16 September 2014 - WHO welcomes the commitment from the Government of the People’s Republic of China to dispatch a mobile laboratory team to Sierra Leone to enhance the laboratory testing capacity for Ebola virus disease (EVD) in the country.
Delivered by Dr Anders Nordström, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone.
Today, 7 November 2015, the World Health Organization declares the end of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone.
Since Sierra Leone recorded the first Ebola case on 24 May 2014, a total number of 8,704 people were infected and 3,589 have died. From those who tragically lost their lives, 221 of them were healthcare workers. We remember them all today.
Many people remember the West African outbreak of Ebola, which started at the end of 2013 and was declared over in the middle of 2016. This unprecedented outbreak led to more than 11,000 people losing their lives in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. That outbreak also inflicted US$2.8 billion in economic damages. The governments of these countries and the international community, as well as the UN and WHO, were unable to contain this outbreak rapidly.
Lower doses of yellow fever vaccine could be used in emergencies
Transforming WHO AFRO to Transform Health in the African Region
Statement by the WHO Regional Director for Africa on World Polio Day 2015: A tribute to polio successes in Africa
WHO welcomes Chinese contribution of mobile laboratory and health experts for Ebola response in West Africa
Statement on the end of the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone
New Ebola outbreak is being tackled by a stronger WHO in the African region