SciDev.Net

Bringing #science and #globaldev together through news and analysis.
Editions @SciDevNet_al @SciDevNetSSA @SciDevNet_MENA @SciDevNetSEAP @scidevafrique

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

Medics are putting their own lives at risk helping patients who may have been infected with the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus, for which there are no licensed vaccines or treatments.

The WHO has raised its assessment of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC to “very high.”

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

“This is the third time we are seeing Bundibugyo in Africa. If this was happening in Western countries, they would have a vaccine by now.” @AfricaCDC chief Jean Kaseya on the race for Ebola countermeasures.

https://t.co/PZtyD8UmbX

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

A vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola could enter human testing within months.
@CEPIvaccines has committed US$62 million to accelerate three candidates as cases rise in DRC and Uganda. https://t.co/PZtyD8UmbX

[Amref Health Africa @Amref_Worldwide]

The current #Ebola outbreak is exposing a critical gap in health security: outbreaks often spread faster than our ability to detect and stop them, and by then, lives are already at risk.

In his latest OpEd published by @SciDevNet, @daktari1 argues that trusted communities, early warning systems, and community health workers remain our strongest defence against future health emergencies.

Read more:
https://t.co/FQAyIbScW7

#Ebola #Amref4HealthSecurity #AmrefEbolaResponse @AHAIC_Amref @WHO @AfricaCDC

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

Dr Githinji Gitahi, CEO of @Amref_Worldwide warns that the first weeks of an Ebola outbreak are when prevention is cheapest and most effective.
“Every day of delay increases the number of people exposed.” https://t.co/2ftRchZZMY

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

Investment in community health surveillance is critical as the DRC battles a rapidly growing Ebola outbreak - Dr Githinji Gitahi (@daktari1) of @Amref_Worldwide

https://t.co/2ftRchZZMY

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

Medics are putting their own lives at risk helping patients who may have been infected with the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus, for which there are no licensed vaccines or treatments.

The WHO has raised its assessment of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC to “very high.”

[TheLiverDoc™ @theliverdoc]

Do make this your #mustread

I was interviewed as an international expert and my work on alternative medicines featured for @SciDevNet by @lolacometa on this very important global problem.

Other experts featured include Mario Chávez (of Mexican College of Rheumatology), Fernando Bessone (liver toxicity, of LATIN-DILI) and María Victoria Urrea (of INVIMA).

In this investigative health feature about so-called "natural" products across Latin America (with comparisons from India) — supplements and herbal remedies sold as natural, curative, or preventive, the central finding is that many of these products are not really natural at all: they are frequently adulterated with hidden pharmaceutical drugs, contaminated, or unlabeled, and they are causing real, sometimes fatal, harm to people who trust the word "natural" to mean "safe."

The piece is anchored by a human tragedy: Patricia Vela's father in Mexico died after months of taking AK-Forte (secretly containing diclofenac, dexamethasone, and methocarbamol), which caused multi-organ damage. A second case involves a Peruvian woman left incontinent after coffee enemas promoted on social media caused severe inflammation of the rectum and anal canal.

Regulation is weak and inconsistent - like India's Ayush. Because these aren't classified as medicines, pre-market safety and efficacy testing isn't required, good manufacturing practices are voluntary or loosely enforced, and pharmacovigilance is almost nonexistent.

Be better informed and do not fall for alternative medicine claims.

Please read: https://t.co/6sx4D9T8wI

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

“There is anxiety among healthcare staff,” one medic told https://t.co/HGL8Wb9wj0.

Doctors responding to the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC say they are working without protective equipment or rapid intervention kits.

https://t.co/tYo4n4Jhxz

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

No licensed vaccine or treatment exists for Bundibugyo species: https://t.co/dJuGYtpTGb

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

Medics are putting their own lives at risk helping patients who may have been infected with the rare Bundibugyo species of the virus, for which there are no licensed vaccines or treatments.

The WHO has raised its assessment of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC to “very high.”

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

“We have no choice, it is our oath.” Health workers in DRC say they are treating suspected Ebola patients despite shortages of PPE and medical supplies during the Bundibugyo outbreak.
https://t.co/tYo4n4Jhxz

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

.@WHO says suspected Ebola cases in DRC are nearing 750, with 177 suspected deaths. But frontline medics in the outbreak’s epicentre say critical supplies have still not reached them.

https://t.co/tYo4n4Jhxz

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

Pakistan’s HIV epidemic is increasingly being linked to unsafe medical care, with reused syringes and poor infection control driving infections among women and children.

https://t.co/mAr5cbFkPd

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

“There is anxiety among healthcare staff,” one medic told https://t.co/HGL8Wb9wj0.

Doctors responding to the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC say they are working without protective equipment or rapid intervention kits.

https://t.co/tYo4n4Jhxz

[MSF Science @MSFsci]

If your're attending #MSFscidays in person, don't forget to check out the posters and demos on display in the Linacre and Osler rooms!

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

WHO says the Ebola outbreak spreading from DRC may be larger than reported after weeks of undetected transmission. The rare Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment.

https://t.co/NYR5tIu6vT

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

“People are dying, with no medicines to save them.”

@AfricaCDC chief Jean Kaseya says he is in “panic mode” over the #Ebola outbreak linked to DRC.
https://t.co/dJuGYtpTGb

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

Three Zimbabweans evacuated from Ascension Island are under quarantine after possible hantavirus exposure linked to the MV Hondius cruise ship outbreak.

https://t.co/b0HtMz9veV

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

A hantavirus outbreak linked to an international cruise ship has triggered quarantines and cross-border surveillance in Southern Africa. @WHO says 11 cases and three deaths have been reported.

https://t.co/b0HtMz9veV

[SciDev.Net @SciDevNet]

Demand for lenacapavir, the twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, is already outpacing supply in parts of Africa.
@MSF says 70 doses at one Eswatini clinic were gone within weeks.

https://t.co/fO5VMhCijc