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Updated: 3 hours 19 min ago
Ebola in DR Congo: Childhood deaths rise; hopes raised over new vaccine
More than 300 children have died in the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN said on Friday, as health experts urged trials of the only vaccine against the disease to halt further spread of the rare Bundibugyo species.
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Ebola virus reaches displacement camps in DR Congo
Agencies are on high alert amid reports that the rapidly spreading Ebola Bundibugyo virus species in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has infected 19 internally displaced people, killed five of them, according to the UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR).
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New Ebola vaccine trial launches as outbreak spreads in DR Congo
Results may be months away, but efforts are advancing towards enhanced treatment and the world’s first vaccine for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday as deaths and cases rise in the largest ever outbreak on record in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
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Mothers still lack support to breastfeed, UN warns
Breastfeeding rates are rising worldwide, but millions of mothers and families still lack the services and protection they need to feed their babies safely, the UN has warned.
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DR Congo: New centre opens at heart of record Ebola outbreak
New UN-backed centres will serve eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as confirmed Ebola cases continued to climb sharply over the weekend in the largest ever outbreak of the highly contagious disease in the country.
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Wildfire smoke poses hidden health threat
Wildfires are often associated with the destruction they leave behind, but the smoke they produce can pose a serious health threat far beyond the fire zone, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
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Hunger hampers Ebola response as cases top 3,200 in DR Congo
The UN emergency food agency appealed for immediate funding on Wednesday, warning that deepening hunger is undermining the response to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has now infected more than 3,200 people.
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HIV, hepatitis, STI gains at risk as funding falls, WHO warns
Years of progress in tackling HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are at risk of stalling, leaving millions of people without access to life-saving prevention, testing and treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
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High prices and funding cuts stall HIV prevention revolution
The AIDS epidemic could stage a comeback amid unequal access to breakthrough prevention medicines and a sharp decline in global funding, according to a UN report released on Monday ahead of the opening of the 26th International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Cyberattacks and the digital divide are creating new barriers to HIV services
Cyberattacks, data breaches, online harassment and other forms of technology-facilitated violence are becoming significant obstacles to HIV prevention and treatment, according to a UNAIDS specialist who says digital security has become inseparable from the fight against the epidemic itself.
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Gaza: Dialysis patients face gruelling hospital journey by donkey cart
Shortly before sunrise, Palestinian Fathi Hajji begins an arduous thrice-weekly journey to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.
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‘I am somebody’: Street-smart youth take their declaration to the UN
When Samantha Richards and Angela Hifume walked into the Hall of Flags at United Nations Headquarters last week, they carried more than a folder of paper. They carried the voices of hundreds of street-connected children who had never expected anyone to listen.
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After an Ebola centre was attacked, peacekeepers moved in next door
A new mobile UN peacekeeping base in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has allowed local authorities to continue responding to the fast-moving Ebola outbreak there after violence disrupted the work of medics at a treatment centre set up to contain the spread.
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Wildfires surge across Europe as Spain and France battle major blazes
The amount of land burned by wildfires across Europe has increased by 57 per cent in four years, according to new data from the World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe.
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DR Congo: Ebola outbreak still expanding, WHO sees signs of stabilization
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health teams and partners are still racing to contain the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, despite ongoing insecurity in eastern areas where the virus has taken hold. As of 19 July, the DRC Government has recorded 2,423 confirmed cases, including 967 deaths and 469 recoveries.
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A former Ferrari boss has a blunt message: Your commute is more dangerous than his old job
Jean Todt spent decades around the deadliest motorsport on Earth. He was a rally co‑driver, then ran Ferrari’s Formula One team, then became president of world motorsport’s governing body. In his early years, a driver dying at the track barely made news.
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Breaking the silence: Zimbabwean youth leader calls for urgent investment in mental health
For Tanatswa Amanda Chikaura, mental health advocacy began with a personal loss: while studying psychology at the University of Zimbabwe, she learned that a fellow student had died by suicide.
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WHO warns DR Congo Ebola outbreak is outpacing response as Uganda reaches milestone
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the third largest on record and is spreading faster than any previous one during the first month of exposure, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday.
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‘Heat deaths are not inevitable’: WHO pushes Europe to heat‑proof its hospitals
As Europe battles a deadly record-breaking heatwave, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued new guidance on Thursday to help countries face scorching temperatures now and in the future.
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New guidance offers hope for reducing the global toll of dementia
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued updated global guidelines aimed at reducing the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, saying that up to 45 per cent of cases may be preventable or delayed by addressing modifiable risk factors throughout life.
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