Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Facebook Instagram Threads
    Global BiodefenseGlobal Biodefense
    Subscribe
    • Featured News
    • Funding
    • Directory
    • Jobs
    • Events
    Global BiodefenseGlobal Biodefense
    News Scan

    12 Dead in Ebola Outbreak, Antibody Patent Rush, Cholera in Nigeria

    By Stephanie LizotteMay 27, 2018
    Global Biodefense Market News
    Share
    Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Email

    See what we’re reading this week at Global Biodefense on topics including the lucrative antibody patent business, call for independent monitoring of preparedness, and an update on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    Contents

    • POLICY + INITIATIVES
        • Call for Independent Monitoring of Disease Outbreak Preparedness
        • Seventy-First World Health Assembly Update
        • Ebola, Amnesia and Donald Trump
        • The White House Signals That Bioterrorism and Disease Don’t Matter — Again
    • OUTBREAK NEWS
        • New Ebola Death Confirmed in Congo, Bringing Total to 12
        • Fear and Suspicion Hinder Congo Medics in Ebola Battle
        • Nipah Death Toll in India Hits 12 as CEPI Funds Vaccine Efforts
        • Cholera Outbreak Kills 12 in Northeast Nigeria
    • MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES
        • Rush to Protect Lucrative Antibody Patents Kicks Into Gear
        • Data Show Vast Majority of Preemies Treated with Antibiotics
    • SPECIAL INTEREST
        • Smithsonian Institute Launches Special Exhibit on Outbreaks
        • Mapping Ebola in the Hobbyist Zone
        • Netflix’s ‘Cargo’ is a Zombie Movie to Sink Your Teeth Into

    POLICY + INITIATIVES

    Call for Independent Monitoring of Disease Outbreak Preparedness

    Persistence of poor preparedness is no surprise. How governments and international organisations deal with the risks of infrequent, predictably recurring, and high impact outbreaks has long followed a set pattern. An initial panic during the outbreak is followed by neglect once the outbreak is over. BMJ

    Seventy-First World Health Assembly Update

    Delegates considered the report by the Director-General on progress to implement decision WHA70(10) on Review of the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework. The Health Assembly approved all the recommendations in the Director-General’s report but requested that the final text of the analysis requested in decision WHA70(10)8b, be submitted to WHA 2019 rather than WHA 2020. World Health Organization

    Ebola, Amnesia and Donald Trump

    The Trump White House appears to be uniquely amnesiac regarding the last Ebola outbreak. On the same day that officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo reported the new Ebola cases, the administration sought to rescind $252 million in Ebola response funds left over from the earlier epidemic. NY Times

    The White House Signals That Bioterrorism and Disease Don’t Matter — Again

    Opinion piece by Kenneth W. Bernard, who served as a special assistant to the president for security and health during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. Washington Post

    OUTBREAK NEWS

    New Ebola Death Confirmed in Congo, Bringing Total to 12

    Another person has died in Congo of a confirmed case of Ebola, bringing the number of fatalities to 12, the country’s health ministry said. The new death happened in Iboko, a rural area in northwestern Equateur province, according to a health ministry statement released Sunday. There are also four new suspected cases in the province, the statement said. LA Times

    Fear and Suspicion Hinder Congo Medics in Ebola Battle

    Health officials say they are working hard to get out accurate information about the deadly hemorrhagic fever but face significant mistrust in a part of Africa where many place more faith in clerics in white collars than doctors in white coats. Reuters

    Nipah Death Toll in India Hits 12 as CEPI Funds Vaccine Efforts

    One more death has been reported in India’s Nipah virus outbreak, and on May 24 the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced a $25 million collaboration with two pharmaceutical companies to develop a vaccine against the disease, one of the group’s priority diseases. CIDRAP

    Cholera Outbreak Kills 12 in Northeast Nigeria

    A cholera outbreak has killed 12 people and may have infected at least 134 others in the northeast Nigerian state of Adamawa. Northeast Nigeria is ground zero for Nigeria’s nine-year war against Islamist insurgency Boko Haram and its offshoot, now Islamic State’s West Africa ally. The conflict has spawned one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with millions of people displaced and in need of aid to survive. Reuters

    MEDICAL COUNTERMEASURES

    Rush to Protect Lucrative Antibody Patents Kicks Into Gear

    US universities and biotechnology companies are scrambling to protect some of their most valuable assets: patents on antibodies. These immune-system molecules form the basis of drugs that rake in about US$100 billion per year. Nature

    Data Show Vast Majority of Preemies Treated with Antibiotics

    A new analysis has found that almost 80% of premature infants are exposed to early antibiotic treatment, administered to to protect them from bacterial infections and early-onset sepsis. But recent research has highlighted potential risks associated with prolonged antibiotic treatment in premature infants without culture-confirmed infection, including increased mortality. CIDRAP

    SPECIAL INTEREST

    Smithsonian Institute Launches Special Exhibit on Outbreaks

    On May 18, 2018, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History launched “Outbreak: Epidemics in a Connected World”, a new exhibit highlighting the impact infectious diseases have around the globe. The launching of this exhibit could not be more timely on the 100th anniversary of the 1918 influenza pandemic that shook the world. Pandora Report

    Mapping Ebola in the Hobbyist Zone

    One of the most important parts of an early understanding of the risks attached to an infectious disease outbreak is knowing where it is. Which country? What part of the country? How remote is its location? How easy is it to access for the locals and for any help that may be coming? Could its location have played a role in exposure to an infected vector or reservoir? Virology Down Under

    Netflix’s ‘Cargo’ is a Zombie Movie to Sink Your Teeth Into

    Written by Yolanda Ramke and directed by Ramke and Ben Howling, based on their 2013 short film of the same name, “Cargo” takes place in a world where a pandemic has decimated the population. Once infected, people have 48 hours before they turn into bloodthirsty maniacs. The Cap Times

    Share. Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleSan Diego Grand Jury Report Highlights Shortcomings in Hepatitis A Outbreak Response
    Next Article How Staphylococcus Can Colonize Our Noses But Not Cause Infection

    Related Stories

    Biodefense Headlines – 19 September 2023

    September 19, 2023

    Biodefense Headlines – 12 September 2023

    September 12, 2023

    Biodefense Headlines – 3 September 2023

    September 3, 2023

    Biodefense Headlines – 27 August 2023

    August 27, 2023
    News Scan

    Biodefense Headlines – 19 September 2023

    News Scan September 19, 2023

    News highlights on health security threats and countermeasures curated by Global Biodefense This week’s selections include a global survey of gain-of-function research; funding of an mRNA mpox vaccine; Nipah virus outbreak in India; field detection of threat agents with acoustic…

    Upcoming Events

    Oct 3
    Virtual Event Virtual Event
    October 3 - October 5

    OneLab Summit 2023

    Oct 3
    Virtual Event Virtual Event
    12:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

    Public-Private Partnerships to Distribute, Dispense, and Administer Medical Countermeasures

    Oct 4
    Virtual Event Virtual Event
    10:00 am - 2:00 pm EDT

    Tunneling Nanotubes and Intracellular Protrusions Workshop

    Oct 12
    Virtual Event Virtual Event
    12:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT

    Public-Private Partnerships for Acceptance and Uptake of Medical Countermeasures

    View Calendar

    Subscribe to Global Biodefense

    Get the latest news on pathogens and preparedness

    © 2023 Stemar Media Group LLC
    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
    • Subscribe

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are okay with it.OkPrivacy policy