Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Possible Marburg Disease Outbreak Detected In Uganda Near Ebola-Afflicted Area
Stat: Marburg Virus Cases Reported In Ugandan Ebola Outbreak Area
Uganda formally reported to the World Health Organization on Tuesday that it had detected a Marburg disease outbreak in the western part of the country, a spokesperson for the Geneva-based global health agency told STAT. The development could further complicate the effort to contain what is already the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record in Central Africa. Both diseases are viral hemorrhagic fevers. (Branswell, 6/30)
Reuters: Congo Traces Possible Ebola Spread To Two New Provinces, Sources Say
Congolese health authorities are tracing people potentially exposed to Ebola in two provinces not previously affected by the latest outbreak, amid fears the virus could spread further, a health ministry report and a senior health official said. (6/30)
CIDRAP: Ebola Outbreak Will Cause Major Harm To Africa’s Economies, UN Warns
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda could have a long-lasting detrimental effects on Africa’s economies, with the DRC likely being the hardest hit, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said today in a report. The outbreak could lead to an additional 985,000 people living in poverty, with women experiencing the brunt of it. The report also anticipates that the impact on healthcare services could contribute to as many as 2,520 additional infant deaths unrelated to Ebola in the DRC. (Holohan, 6/30)
Other news from around the world —
The New York Times: Aid Workers In Venezuela Fear Disease Outbreaks After Twin Quakes
As the window of opportunity shrank in the search for earthquake survivors trapped under rubble in Venezuela, relief efforts on Tuesday began to focus on the longer-term ripple effects of disaster that are often less reported. One of the most pressing consequences is the destruction of what little infrastructure for clean water existed in affected areas, raising the risk of contamination and the spread of illnesses like cholera and typhoid fever. (Irwin, 6/30)
AP: Hospitals Gear Up For Europe's Next Heat Wave Armed With Lessons From This One
Ice. Urgently and in large quantities. At a Paris-region hospital, emergency medics needed it to plunge patients into cold-water baths to speedily bring down their temperatures so they wouldn’t join the growing tally of dead from a record-smashing heat wave. But lacking an ice-making machine, where to get it? A fast-food restaurant helped out last week, saying the hospital could take its ice. Staff also bought ice from the supermarket. The Paris-Saclay Hospital has now ordered its own ice machine, eagerly awaited in the emergency department for a future attack of sizzling heat. (Leicester, 7/1)
Bloomberg: EU Adds Palm Oil For Medicines, Soy Seeds To Deforestation Carve-Out
The EU plans to exempt palm oil derivatives used in medicines and soybeans used for sowing from its landmark rules tackling global deforestation in its latest attempt to blunt the law’s impact on sensitive sectors. The carve-outs were among amendments added by the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, according to a draft seen by Bloomberg, which could still change ahead of its adoption. (Ramsay and Krukowska, 6/30)
