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Response to Zika outbreak driven by Ebola failures
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the global health community are working more aggressively to contain the Zika virus in the Americas to avoid repeating mistakes that occurred during the handling of the continuing Ebola epidemic in West…
Billions needed to prepare for global health crises, says panel
February 2, 2016 — In the wake of the devastating Ebola epidemic of 2014-15 in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people and cost about $2.2 billion, an international commission has outlined an ambitious agenda—at an annual cost…
Predicting global health threats for 2016
Which diseases might plague the world in 2016? Experts say that relatively unheard-of diseases could emerge, such as the Zika virus, which may already be causing birth defects in Brazil and French Polynesia. Or known threats such as…
Panel calls for reform of global public health system in wake of Ebola epidemic
A new report by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and colleagues criticizes the World Health Organization’s leadership during the 2014-15 Ebola outbreak in West Africa and offers recommendations to strengthen public health systems and…
Two Harvard Chan faculty receive prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigatorships
[Fall 2015] Researchers Tobias Walther and Pardis Sabeti were named HHMI investigators in May by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute—a prestigious five-year appointment covering salary, benefits, and research budget. Walther, professor of genetics and complex diseases, is the…
Experimental Ebola vaccine found highly effective in trial
An experimental Ebola vaccine tested in a trial of more than 4,000 people in Guinea has shown a high level of effectiveness, according a new study in The Lancet. In the trial, experts used a “ring vaccination” strategy—the…
Report calls for changes at WHO in wake of Ebola outbreak
A panel reviewing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa says WHO “must re-establish its pre-eminence as the guardian of global public health.”
Tracking a duo of deadly diseases
June 30, 2015 -- Should we be worried about Lassa fever, the hemorrhagic fever that recently killed a New Jersey man? How is it different from Ebola? Computational biologist Pardis Sabeti—recently named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator…
Resilient health systems key for managing disease outbreaks
Health systems can better handle future infectious disease outbreaks such as Ebola by being more resilient and better prepared to respond to severe global health crises, according to a May 7, 2015 Lancet article co-authored by Margaret E.…
Coping during the Ebola epidemic—and beyond
March 31, 2015 -- Epidemiologist and infectious disease immunologist Mosoka Fallah, MPH ’12, has been on the front lines for many months in his native Liberia battling the Ebola epidemic, which began in December 2013 and spread through…
