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Clinical trial for experimental Ebola drug publishes results

April 19, 2016

Results of the Wellcome Trust funded trial of the experimental anti-Ebola drug TKM-130803 have been published today (April 19) in PLOS Medicine. Using a novel approach designed to get rapid indications of a drug's effectiveness, the trial showed that at the dose given the drug did not improve survival compared to historic controls.

TKM-130803 interferes with the production of two essential Ebola virus proteins and has been shown to improve survival when given to monkeys experimentally infected with Ebola virus. Scientists from the University of Oxford and Sierra Leone worked with the humanitarian organisation GOAL Global, the World Health Organisation, and collaborators from a number of other institutions to test whether TKM-130803 could improve survival in adults with Ebola infection.

The researchers used a new approach to generate early evidence of effectiveness or ineffectiveness. This method can be used as a tool to screen potential therapies and determine the need for further studies (including randomised controlled trials) during an epidemic. The approach meant that the study was quickly able to reach a pre-defined point to stop the trial.

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Dr. Campbell: Zika virus much worse than initially feared

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a Zika emergency. From 2007 to 2016 there are cases in 62 countries and the numbers are only increasing.

Published: April 18, 2016, 5:00 am

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Looking, hopefully, towards an Ebola-free future

Ebola vaccine trial team follows-up with a vaccine trial participant, Katongourou, Guinea
WHO/S. Hawkey -April 15, 2016

 

WHO, partners and affected countries are stepping up planning for how to use an Ebola vaccine in response to an outbreak.

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The struggle for Water Is Sickening!

By Beny Sam
Thursday April 14, 2016

With all the efforts made by our ministry of water resources, the bulk of our compatriots are still thirsting for water. In Africa, many communities go without electricity for ages, but they cannot afford to go without water. If the United Nations perhaps knew March month is the driest month in most West African countries, may be they would have shifted the World Water commemoration from a day in March.  Why I see the date disturbing is that when our Ministry each year mobilizes resources to mark the World Water Day, I see it as a biting irony since that is the time Sierra Leoneans forage all over the place to have a drop of water to utilize for various purposes.

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To increase access to budget info… AHBN launches #ValueOurHealth

Thursday April 14, 2016

Africa Health Budget Network (AHBN) yesterday launched a new campaign dubbed #ValueOurHealth at Kona Lodge, King Street in Freetown which is a prelude to the Global launch tomorrow.
#ValueOurHealth campaign which theme is ‘open and participatory budgets lead to more and better health spending for women and children’ is calling on all governments in Sub-Saharan Africa to take urgent action to increase access to budget information and to provide more opportunity for public engagement in the budgeting process.

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Unaccredited Nursing schools are unacceptable-Health Ministry

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation in collaboration with the Nurses and Mid Wives Board, has condemned the establishment of illegal nursing and midwifery schools around the country.
According to a release from the board, illegal nursing and midwifery schools pose a threat not only to the image of the noble profession, but also to the innocent unsuspecting public.
The release further states that nursing and midwifery is a profession that deals with people who need properly established institutions with sets of rules and systems governing the profession.

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He sells ‘top up’

 

By Edna Smalle
Wednesday April 13, 2016

A recent statistical update presented boy the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board  on  their activities covering  1st September 2015 to 11th March 2016, shows that crime rate in the country is prevalent among youths.

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