Category: Infectious Diseases

  • First Malaria Vaccine Rolls Out in Malawi

    First Malaria Vaccine Rolls Out in Malawi

    It is heartening to see progress in the fight against malaria. Over the past thirty years and with hundreds of millions of dollars invested thus far, the RTS,S malaria vaccine was officially rolled out yesterday in Malawi. In 2017, I wrote about the vaccine trials that began in 2009 and the announcement of the three countries…

  • 3 Ways You Can Help On World Malaria Day

    3 Ways You Can Help On World Malaria Day

    Today is World Malaria Day. This year’s theme: End Malaria for Good. While 6.8 million malaria deaths were averted between 2000 – 2015, there are still 3.2 billion people who are susceptible to contracting the disease every day and a half million children die from malaria every year.  There is a long way to go…

  • Three African Countries Chosen for First Malaria Vaccine Trials

    Three African Countries Chosen for First Malaria Vaccine Trials

    For decades, there has been consistent chatter, research, and hope for a potential malaria vaccine. Now, all three are finally coming to fruition to roll out the world’s first clinical malaria vaccine trials. The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) announced today that Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi have been chosen for the WHO-coordinated pilot…

  • Featured Video: What Invention Are You Waiting For?

    When people think about new inventions, 95% of them immediately begin thinking about tech inventions, but what about medical inventions that save lives? Merck recently launched a video that asked Americans what invention they are waiting for. Take a look. Did you know 68% of Americans cannot name a single scientist working to invent medicine?…

  • HIV ‘Test and Treat’ Strategy Can Save Lives

    HIV ‘Test and Treat’ Strategy Can Save Lives

    By Sydney Rosen, Boston University The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to take a tremendous toll on human health, with 37 million people infected and 1.2 million deaths worldwide in 2014. In sub-Saharan Africa, where the HIV epidemic has been most devastating, more than 25 million people are HIV-infected, about 70 percent of the global total.…

  • West Africa Declared Ebola Free, Despite Recent Outbreak

    West Africa Declared Ebola Free, Despite Recent Outbreak

    For two years Ebola has drastically ravaged three West African countries – Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia – and has taken the lives of 11,300 people according to the Guardian UK. Over 28,000 people were diagnosed with Ebola and still live with the pain and stigma of the disease. Since Liberia has not reported a…

  • Upcoming Events Discuss Ebola in Liberia, Raise Money for Children in Crisis

    Upcoming Events Discuss Ebola in Liberia, Raise Money for Children in Crisis

    This week we will collaborate with Save the Children and Children Inspire Design on two important awareness raising and fundraising events. #EndEbola Twitter Chat Join us this Wednesday when we join Save the Children and their Liberia Country Director, Greg Duly. We will discuss the state of the Ebola crisis in Liberia and how it…

  • In Photos: Safe and Dignified Burials in Sierra Leone

    In Photos: Safe and Dignified Burials in Sierra Leone

    In September 2014 the Centers for Disease Control along with Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health studied traditional burials in order to create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for safe and dignified burials for those who die from Ebola. As of October 2014, a SOP for safe, dignified medical burials was approved and released by the Sierra…