Ituri province in eastern DRC is the hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak. The response to the virus is underway. On the frontlines of this outbreak are healthcare workers, who feel increasingly helpless. They have never faced an outbreak of this magnitude before. Report by Aurélie Bazzara-Kibangula, Paula Sevilles and Jorkim Jotham Pituwa. Keywords for this article Source link
new video loaded: W.H.O. Chief Visits Ebola-Struck Region: ‘It’s Time to Move Fast’ transcript Back transcript W.H.O. Chief Visits Ebola-Struck Region: ‘It’s Time to Move Fast’ Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, told The New York Times on a flight to the Democratic Republic of Congo that swift international support was necessary to contain the Ebola virus, which is spreading rapidly there. “Of course there are different scenarios, but it’s in our hands. We move fast, we will catch up. If we don’t, it will be a very serious problem. So it’s time to re ally move fast.” A dire warning from the World Health Organization chief as we approach Ituri, the province at the center of Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak. More than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases and over 200 suspected deaths have been reported here. With no vaccines and no treatment for the virus species fueling the outbreak, containment is where immediate efforts should focus, health officials say. It’s not easy. Testing capacity is still very …
new video loaded: World Health Organization Defends Its Ebola Outbreak Response transcript Back transcript World Health Organization Defends Its Ebola Outbreak Response Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus defended the World Health Organization against criticism that it had acted too slowly in its response to the Ebola outbreak. We don’t replace the country’s work. We only support them. So that’s why there could be some lack of understanding. Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus defended the World Health Organization against criticism that it had acted too slowly in its response to the Ebola outbreak. By Axel Boada May 20, 2026 Source link
General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and neighboring Uganda a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths. In a post on X, the World Health Organization said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic, and advised against the closure of international borders. Keywords for this article Source link
As the world saw with Covid-19, the only thing that spreads faster than a virus is misinformation, and hantavirus is no exception. Despite only a few confirmed cases, conspiracy theories have swirled on social media falsely claiming hantavirus is a planned pandemic, or a ploy to disrupt the US midterm elections. Others alleged it’s a “bioweapon” created by big pharma to “poison” people or even that it’s a side effect of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. Many Covid-era conspiracy theories have been revived since the outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship, likely amplified due to the anti-vaxx movement and fears about a new global pandemic. As with the coronavirus, theorists allege hantavirus is a planned pandemic – or “plandemic” – created by Big Pharma and vaccine manufacturers, a “biological weapon” created in a laboratory to push vaccines onto the masses. Known conspiracy theorists Alex Jones and Marjorie Taylor Greene (who was notorious for sharing false narratives during the Covid-19 pandemic) amplified these claims on their platforms, with Greene also sharing fake news that anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin could be …
11/05/2026 – 04:44 This liveblog is no longer being updated. 11/05/2026 – 04:20 US citizen tests positive for hantavirus The US Department of Health and Human Services said on Sunday that out of 17 Americans being repatriated from a hantavirus-struck cruise ship, one has mild symptoms and another has tested mildly PCR positive for the Andes strain of the virus. 10/05/2026 – 21:59 Last two evacuation flights from hantavirus-hit ship to depart Monday afternoon The final two flights to evacuate passengers from the cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak docked near Tenerife will depart on Monday afternoon, Spain’s health minister said on Sunday evening, adding 94 passengers had been evacuated so far. One flight from Australia will carry six passengers and another from New Zealand will take 18 passengers, with both flights also taking passengers from other countries which did not send their own repatriation flights, officials have said. 10/05/2026 – 21:58 WHO chief says laxer US hantavirus quarantine rules ‘may have risks’ World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Sunday said …
Occupants of a cruise ship struck by a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has sparked international alarm began leaving the vessel in Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday for their repatriation. Three passengers from the MV Hondius – a Dutch husband and wife and a German woman – have died, while others have fallen sick with the rare disease, which usually spreads among rodents. No vaccines or specific treatments exist for hantavirus, which is endemic in Argentina, where the ship departed in April. But health officials have stressed that the risk for global public health is low and played down comparisons to a repeat of the Covid-19 pandemic. To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again © FRANCE 24 The final flight to evacuate most of the ship’s nearly 150 passengers and crew will leave for Australia on Monday, before …
The World Health Organization insisted Friday that there is a minimal risk from the hantavirus to the general public, as countries prepared to repatriate passengers stuck on a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak. Three passengers from the MV Hondius – a Dutch husband and wife and a German woman – have died while others have fallen sick with the rare disease, which usually spreads among rodents. The only hantavirus species which can transmit from person to person – Andes virus – has been confirmed among those who have tested positive, fuelling international concern. The Dutch-flagged vessel, which has around 150 people on board, is expected to arrive in the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife on Sunday. Special flights will take passengers to their home countries. Read moreWhat is hantavirus, the illness suspected to have killed several people on an Atlantic cruise ship? “This is a dangerous virus, but only to the person who’s really infected, and the risk to the general population remains absolutely low,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters. He said a picture was emerging …
To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again Infection generally occurs through the inhalation of dust and aerosols contaminated by the excretions of infected rodents. © FRANCE 24 Issued on: 04/05/2026 – 17:36Modified: 04/05/2026 – 17:42 04:30 min From the show Reading time 1 min Three people have died and three others are ill after a Netherlands-based cruise ship in the Atlantic was hit by a suspected outbreak of hantavirus. The virus is transmitted to humans through infected wild rodents, such as mice or rats, which shed the virus in their saliva, urine and droppings. In rare cases, it can also spread from human to human. FRANCE 24’s Environment Editor Valerie Dekimpe tells us more. By: Source link
To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again REPORTERS © FRANCE 24 Issued on: 27/02/2026 – 13:50 12:38 min From the show Reading time 1 min Some 2 million people worldwide are poisoned by snakebites every year, resulting in the deaths of around 130,000 of them. Yet these deaths are avoidable through preventive measures, first aid and public policies to make antivenom available. The World Health Organization has labelled snakebite a neglected tropical disease and believes the subject should be given more attention. Our correspondent reports from Kenya, where war has been declared on snakebites. Source link
