The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed more than 39 million lives so far. According to the most recent fact sheet on HIV/AIDS (Fact sheet N°360) published by the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1.5 million people died from HIV-related causes in 2013, globally. There were […]
Vaccination affects us all, and in World Immunization Week 2015 (April 24 – 30), the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on everyone, from policy-makers and health professionals to community-based initiatives and the private sector, to raise awareness about the importance of immunization and mobilize their collective resources and creativity to close the immunization gap. […]
Tuberculosis — or TB for short — is as old as humanity itself. It is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an exclusive human pathogen. According to the World Health Organization, in 2013, 9 million people fell ill with TB and 1.5 million died from the disease worldwide. Although it is difficult to estimate the number of […]
In 2010, in a demonstration of global commitment to immunization, partners from all over the world came together to begin the Decade of Vaccines (2010–2020). In 2011, more than 100 vaccine and public health experts developed the first version of the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP). The plan was refined through a global consultation effort, […]
The 2014 Ebola epidemic began as a mysterious disease in a small village in Guinea at the end of 2013, but was not identified as Ebola until March 2014. From the original location near a tropical rainforest, it spread to major rural and urban areas across West Africa. Formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Ebola […]
During the past few years, the global fight against tuberculosis (TB) has made noticeable progress: according to the World Health Organization, between 2000 and 2013, over 37 million lives have been saved through effective diagnosis and treatment. However, as detailed in the Stop TB strategy, much more needs to be done. One of the targets […]
In the past months, Ebola has received a lot of attention. As of December 3, 2014, the Ebola Response Roadmap Situation Report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) counted 17,145 reported cases and 6,070 reported deaths. However, another viral disease deserves the same level of attention — dengue hemorrhagic fever, which is sickening up to 100 […]
A few months ago, Zmapp made its way across the ocean — from the United States to Liberia, where it was administered to Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol. Both of them had contracted Ebola while doing missionary aid work, helping people infected with the virus. Both of them recovered. However, we don’t know the exact […]
During the past few years, we’ve come to appreciate how beneficial our microbiome is to us. The trillions of bacteria and other microbes that reside on and in our bodies complement each other and the human host, thus playing important roles in a variety of biological processes. Indeed, the microbiome may represent a newly recognized organ, […]
In March 2013, a new flu virus — the H7N9 — was identified in China. By early May, before retreating and disappearing, it had infected 131 people and killed 26 of them. However, a few months ago (January 17, 2104), the New York Times reported that “China is disclosing a steadily growing number of cases of H7N9 bird flu, including […]