All articles tagged with #world health organization
A WHO official says the Ebola outbreak is outpacing response efforts, with the majority of new infections stemming from unknown chains of transmission, highlighting gaps in surveillance and contact tracing and underscoring the need for intensified public-health actions.
A US national who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has arrived in Frankfurt for treatment, marking another Ebola case treated in Germany after a prior patient in Berlin; the patient, in his 60s and a humanitarian worker with Samaritan’s Purse, is under care as the WHO monitors the Ituri outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain (no vaccine or cure). The Trump administration has barred Americans in the DRC from flying home on commercial flights, placing them on a do-not-board list until they spend 21 days in a third country; about two dozen Americans were expected to board flights back, amid confirmation that the overall risk to Germany remains very low.
A U.S. humanitarian worker in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola and was evacuated to Germany for care, the second American infected amid the DRC outbreak, highlighting ongoing debates over U.S. isolationist policies despite a growing international response led by the WHO.
DR Congo's northeast Ebola outbreak is spreading with about 1,792 cases and 625 deaths; WHO warns 80% of new infections have no known links to prior patients, implying widespread community transmission and a true scale potentially 2–4 times higher than reported. The Bundibugyo strain may cause milder symptoms, complicating risk perception, as the virus has reached North Kivu, South Kivu and Tshopo beyond Ituri's Bunia. Authorities are deploying 21,000 community health workers for door-to-door surveillance, while 70% of early deaths occurred outside treatment centers.
The World Health Organization warns global cancer cases could rise from about 20.6 million today to around 35 million by 2050, driven by aging populations and rising costs that threaten access to care. In the U.S., cancer care spending reached about $209 billion in 2020, and roughly 45–60% of patients experience catastrophic health expenditures. The report calls for unified action to expand prevention and care, highlighting high returns on investment and the role of lifestyle, vaccination (HPV), and policy in reducing future cancer burden.
A World Health Organization report projects global cancer cases to rise substantially by 2050, with lower-income countries hit hardest. Despite progress in cancer surveillance and treatment, inequities in global health care and risk factors such as obesity are driving more cases and deaths, making many cancers preventable through prevention and equitable care.
The MV Hondius hantavirus outbreak on a small cruise ship sickened 12 confirmed cases and 1 probable, killed three, and triggered weeks of quarantines and a global health alert; the World Health Organization says the outbreak is over after the final passenger completed quarantine and tested negative.
The World Health Organization launches a trial of two therapeutics for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the DRC, with the first patient enrolled as the outbreak in the DRC (and Uganda) continues. There have been about 1,406 confirmed DRC cases and 438 deaths as of June 30, with 20 Ugandan cases and one French case by July 1. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for this strain yet; the study is coordinated by DRC’s INRB, Belgium’s Institute of Tropical Medicine, and the University of Oxford, aiming to expand safe treatment options.
A Washington Post column argues that antimicrobial soaps provide no benefit over plain soap and water in preventing illness, and their use could drive antibiotic resistance. While the FDA has banned some antimicrobial ingredients, loopholes remain. Experts urge sticking with plain soap and good hygiene rather than “hygiene theater,” since basic measures—handwashing with ordinary soap and water—remain the best defense against germs.
DR Congo reports about 380 confirmed Ebola cases and 60 deaths, with 15 further cases and one death in Uganda. The apparent drop reflects better laboratory confirmation rather than an actual fall in danger, and key goals like tracing 90% of contacts remain unmet (around 45%). Ongoing conflict, community mistrust and burial practices hinder response, and there is no proven vaccine or treatment for this Bundibugyo outbreak.
New WHO estimates for 2021 place foodborne disease at about 866 million illnesses and 1.52 million deaths worldwide, with a $647 billion productivity loss. Metals like arsenic and lead account for a large share of deaths, and Africa and Southeast Asia bear most of the burden. Children under five are disproportionately affected. The report urges a One Health approach, stronger surveillance, cross‑sector coordination, and action on climate change and antimicrobial resistance to curb this preventable toll.
Amid a Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo, critics say U.S. policy cuts — including dismantling USAID and withdrawing from WHO — have weakened frontline health responses, while Washington publicly blames the WHO. Experts warn the delay and difficulty of outbreak control stem from fragile health systems and ongoing conflict, not WHO failures. Cases in Congo have fallen from over 1,000 suspected to 116 as testing backlogs are resolved, with at least 62 deaths in DRC and one in Uganda. The U.S. has floated treating Americans in Kenya rather than Congo, sparking further debate about global health strategy.
Brazil is monitoring two suspected Ebola cases in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro after initial tests were negative; a 37-year-old man from the DRC remains isolated as a precaution, and a Ugandan patient is malaria-positive and under investigation. Separately, the WHO notes recoveries from the Bundibugyo virus in Congo as the outbreak persists with hundreds of suspected cases and dozens of confirmed infections, spurring renewed calls for expanded testing, aid, and community involvement.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited Bunia in eastern Congo as the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak accelerates, with about 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths officially reported; despite better facilities and new aid, MSF warns the true scale may be higher and urges expanded testing, faster deployment of responders, and sustained supplies, while violence against health workers and traditional burial practices complicate efforts and border closures are deemed ineffective.
As Congo endures a severe Ebola outbreak with around 1,000 suspected cases and roughly 230 deaths, the Trump administration’s decision to bar travelers from affected regions and to divert exposed Americans to Europe for care reopens the debate over whether travel bans are a practical public health tool or a political maneuver. The WHO warns such restrictions are often not scientifically justified and can hinder response, while Africa CDC and other experts contend they can stigmatize and complicate tracking. The U.S. plans, including quarantines and potential Kenyan facilities, echo early Covid-era tactics and contrast with Obama-era approaches that avoided broad bans, underscoring ongoing tension between national borders and global outbreak management.