U.N. News: World is closer than ever to seeing polio disappear for good “In a ‘historic achievement for humanity,’ two of three wild poliovirus strains have been eliminated worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday, following the conclusion by a group of experts that WPV3, type three of…

New York Times: Scientists Were Hunting for the Next Ebola. Now the U.S. Has Cut Off Their Funding. “In a move that worries many public health experts, the federal government is quietly shutting down a surveillance program for dangerous animal viruses that someday may infect humans. … Ending the program,…

CIDRAP News: DRC Ebola cases hit 3,285 as transmission rate slows “From Oct. 28 to Nov. 3, only 10 new Ebola cases from five health zones were confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that security issues and poor access continue…

Associated Press: Chinese company in vaccine scandal declared bankrupt (11/8). CNN: First native Zika cases in Europe confirmed as experts warn climate change could bring more (Picheta, 11/7). Homeland Preparedness News: KSU-developed model accurately predicted Ebola spread into Uganda (Galford, 11/7). IPS: Nearly Half of Nepali Children Still Malnourished (Awale,…

CIDRAP News: Ebola continues decline, but mobile patients still pose a risk “A steady decline in the number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) outbreak continued last week, with just nine new cases reported from three health zones, but a new illness was reported from…

CIDRAP News: WHO official highlights Ebola security challenges: ‘We are so close’ “[Friday] Mike Ryan, MD, the World Health Organization (WHO) executive director of health emergencies, spotlighted recent violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and its impact on the Ebola outbreak response and issued a dire warning.…

ABC Science: Women in climate change hotspots face greater burdens when under environmental stress (Lyons, 11/26). AP: Red Cross reports new outbreak of dengue fever in Yemen (Lederer, 11/25). AP: U.N. launches campaign against gender violence targeting rape (Lederer, 11/25). BBC: Lassa fever ‘at risk’ Britons sent home from Sierra…

CIDRAP News: WHO: 29 new Ebola cases in past week, down from 57 in week before “According to the latest update from the World Health Organization (WHO), daily Ebola case counts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have dropped nearly by half in the past few weeks, but…

Associated Press: Verbal autopsies used in push to better track global deaths “…About 50 countries have attempted verbal autopsy projects, and the list is growing. On Tuesday, Bloomberg Philanthropies — a major funder of international health data initiatives — announced it will devote another $120 million over the next four…

AFP: DR Congo ex-health minister charged with embezzlement: lawyer “Former Health Minister Oly Ilunga of the Democratic Republic of Congo has been charged with embezzling funds allotted for the fight against the deadly Ebola virus, his lawyer told AFP Tuesday. … Ilunga’s lawyers have rejected the embezzlement claim, saying accounts…