Two out of the four drugs tested in a multi-drug randomised control trial have been found more effective in treating Ebola, the World Health Organization announced on Monday. The Data and Safety Monitoring Board, an independent body that has been reviewing interim safety and efficacy data, has therefore recommended that the study be stopped and that all future patients be randomized to receive either REGN-EB3 or mAb114, in what is being considered an extension phase of the study.
The recommendation from ECDC follows reports of falsified rabies vaccines and anti-rabies serum circulating in the Philippines and is aimed at travellers who have received the vaccine or serum after possible exposure to rabies.
After the Ebola virus disease outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 17 July 2019, ECDC updated its risk assessment for the EU/EEA on the on-going outbreak: the overall risk of introduction and further spread of the Ebola virus within the EU/EEA remains very low.
As of 12 June, three imported Ebola virus cases and two deaths in Kasese District in Uganda have been confirmed by the Ugandan Ministry of Health. These are the first cases to be reported outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo since the beginning of the outbreak in August 2018.
The outbreak reached 1000 cases and is now spreading across 21 health zones. March was the worst month in terms of number of cases since the beginning of the outbreak.
On 18–20 February 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) agreed on the recommended composition of the quadrivalent influenza vaccine for the northern hemisphere 2019–2020 influenza season: an A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus, an A(H3N2) virus component to be announced on 21 March 2019, a B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus (B/Victoria/2/87 lineage) and a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus (B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage).
The Carnival season will last from 1 to 9 March 2019. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1 million participants are expected, including many travellers from Europe
Since the beginning of the outbreak and as of 23 January 2019, according to the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there have been 715 Ebola virus disease cases (666 confirmed, 49 probable), including 443 deaths (394 in confirmed and 49 in probable cases).
None of the European Union (EU) Member States could demonstrate that they reach the EU target of 75% influenza vaccination coverage for vulnerable groups, according to a new report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).
In 2019, World Youth Day (WYD) will take place between 22 and 27 January 2019 in Panama City, Panama with an expected half a million participants. During mass gathering events, the most common health risks are related to vaccine-preventable diseases, gastrointestinal illnesses and vector-borne diseases in favourable climate conditions.