EBOLA/EVD [to 2 January 2016]

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EBOLA/EVD [to 2 January 2016]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); “Threat to international peace and security” (UN Security Council)

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Ebola Situation Report – 30 December 2015
SUMMARY
:: No confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) were reported in the week to 27 December. On 29 December, WHO declared that human-to-human transmission of Ebola virus has ended in Guinea, after the completion of 42 days with zero cases since the last person confirmed to have EVD received a second consecutive negative blood test for Ebola virus RNA. Guinea has now entered a 90-day period of heightened surveillance.

:: Human-to-human transmission linked to the most recent cluster of cases in Liberia will be declared to have ended on 14 January 2016, 42 days after the 2 most-recent cases received a second consecutive negative test for Ebola virus, if no further cases are reported. In Sierra Leone, human-to-human transmission linked to the primary outbreak was declared to have ended on 7 November 2015. The country has now entered a 90-day period of enhanced surveillance scheduled to conclude on 5 February 2016.

:: The 8th meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) regarding the EVD outbreak in West Africa took place by teleconference on 15 December 2015. Based on the advice of the Committee, the Director-General declared that the 2014–15 Ebola outbreak continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern….

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WHO: End of Ebola transmission in Guinea
29 December 2015 — Today WHO declares the end of Ebola virus transmission in the Republic of Guinea. Forty-two days have passed since the last person confirmed to have Ebola virus disease tested negative for the second time. Guinea now enters a 90-day period of heightened surveillance to ensure that any new cases are identified quickly before they can spread to other people.
Read the news release from WHO African Region

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UNICEF [to 2 January 2016]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_78364.html

UNICEF welcomes declaration of the end of Ebola outbreak in Guinea
CONAKRY, 29 December 2015 – Almost two years to the day when a toddler became the first victim of Ebola in West Africa, UNICEF welcomed the declaration that the outbreak has ended in Guinea, but cautioned that the thousands of children orphaned by the disease, as well as those who survived infection, will need continued support.

“While we mark this occasion, we must all remember that children were greatly impacted by Ebola. They were more likely to die if infected. Over 22,000 children lost one or both parents in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. They are traumatized and continue to be stigmatized in their neighbourhoods. For thousands of girls and boys, the outbreak does not end today. It will be with them throughout their lives. Let us commit to be with them too,” said Dr. Mohamed Ag Ayoya, UNICEF’s Representative in Guinea….

One of the main challenges moving forward will be to rebuild and strengthen health systems, which were profoundly impacted by Ebola. In Guinea, vaccinations for children under one year dropped 30 per cent, all hospitalizations fell 54 per cent and assisted deliveries by a trained practitioner dropped 11 per cent between January and August 2014, according to the Government.

“Weak health systems fuelled the outbreak in all three countries. And, today, the system in Guinea is even weaker,” said Ayoya…

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World Health Organization to Review Merck’s Investigational Ebola Vaccine for Emergency Use Assessment and Listing
December 23, 2015
KENILWORTH, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced today that the application for Emergency Use Assessment and Listing (EUAL) for the company’s investigational Ebola Zaire vaccine, V920 (rVSV∆G-ZEBOV-GP, live attenuated), has been accepted for review by the World Health Organization (WHO).

“This application to the WHO is an important step toward enabling V920 to be used if a public health emergency of international concern were to be declared for the Ebola Zaire species prior to licensure of the vaccine candidate”

According to the WHO, the EUAL process is designed to expedite the availability of vaccines needed for public health emergencies such as another outbreak of Ebola. The procedure is intended to assist United Nations’ procurement agencies and Member States on the acceptability of using a vaccine candidate in an emergency-use setting. EUAL designation is not prequalification by WHO, but rather is a special procedure implemented when there is an outbreak of a disease with high rates of morbidity and/or mortality and a lack of treatment and/or prevention options. In such instances, WHO may recommend making a vaccine available for a limited time, while further clinical trial data are being gathered for formal regulatory agency review by a national regulatory authority.

“This application to the WHO is an important step toward enabling V920 to be used if a public health emergency of international concern were to be declared for the Ebola Zaire species prior to licensure of the vaccine candidate,” said Paula Annunziato, M.D., vice president for clinical research, Merck Research Laboratories.

The decision to grant V920 EUAL status will be based on data regarding quality, safety, and efficacy/effectiveness; as well as a risk/benefit analysis for emergency use. While EUAL designation allows for emergency use, the vaccine remains investigational and has not yet been licensed for commercial distribution.

For more information on the WHO’s EUAL process please visit: http://www.who.int/en/…

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WHO: Rebuilding resilient health systems in the aftermath of an outbreak
December 2015 — Recovering from Ebola requires getting essential health services back up and running in a safe and reliable way, and addressing the weaknesses of the system. WHO is supporting Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone on the road to recovery.

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Sierra Leone awards the Ebola fighters
23 December 2015 — The work of WHO Ebola fighters, many of whom have spent more than a year working to stop the outbreak, was recognized by His Excellency, the President of Sierra Leone this weekend in a special ceremony. All four recipients of the award have worked tirelessly along with WHO colleagues and thousands of others, both local and international, to bring this unprecedented outbreak under control.