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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
On October 24, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced plans to produce millions of doses of experimental Ebola vaccines by the end of 2015, with hundreds of thousands ready halfway through the year. Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO assistant director-general for health systems and innovation, said that although vaccines are not magic bullets, they may be a good part […]