Africa

A rare Marburg outbreak sparks a race against time to test vaccines and drugs Finding out if Marburg vaccine candidates actually work in people requires an outbreak, and outbreaks are blessedly rare. But now there are cases in Equatorial Guinea. Helen Branswell STAT

A Marburg fever outbreak in Equatorial Guinea is galvanizing efforts to test drugs and vaccines for a virus that currently has none. But every day counts, warned experts who gathered virtually on Tuesday to try to chart a course for the work.

Malawi cholera death toll crosses 1,300: health official The death toll from a cholera outbreak in Malawi has crossed 1,300, a senior Malawian health official said on Thursday, as the southern African country battles its deadliest outbreak yet. Reuters Reuters

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The WHO said in a statement on Thursday that Malawi's current outbreak was the deadliest on record, worse than ones in 1998/99 and 2001/02 that saw 860 and 968 deaths respectively.

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African countries lack 'immediate access' to cholera vaccine NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Africa’s public health agency says countries with deadly cholera outbreaks on the continent have no “immediate access” to vaccines amid a global supply shortage. AP NEWS

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The acting director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ahmed Ogwell, told journalists on Thursday that the agency is working with the World Health Organization and the vaccine alliance GAVI on ways to obtain more doses.

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Draft WHO pandemic deal pushes for equity to avoid COVID 'failure' repeat Governments may have to reserve drugs and vaccines for the World Health Organization to distribute in poorer countries to avoid a repeat of the "catastrophic failure" during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an early draft of a global pandemic agreement. Jennifer Rigby,Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber Reuters

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