Disease

HIV - Philippines

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) situation continues to be a serious public health problem in the Philippines as health officials reported 912 new HIV cases in March 2018.

In fact, with a 140% increase in estimated annual new HIV infections from 2010 to 2016, UNAIDS said that the “the Philippines has become the country with the fastest growing HIV epidemic in Asia and the Pacific, and has become one of eight countries that account for more than 85% of new infections in the region.”

Ebola Advisory - Democratic Republic of Congo

Following the confirmation of a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last week, several African countries have taken steps to prevent Ebola from crossing their border and Nigeria is just one of several.

Since the publication of the first Disease Outbreak News on the Ebola outbreak in Equateur province, Democratic Republic of the Congo on 10 May 2018, an additional seven suspected cases have been notified by the country’s Ministry of Health.

In other news, at least 93 children below the age of 15 years have been confirmed dead from the outbreak ravaging internally displaced people’s (IDPs) communities in Kandoyi, some 350 km from Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province. The causes of these community deaths are yet unknown but fever and anemia are the most common symptoms among casualties. Authorities said most victims have died at home following the near-collapse of the health system. The local inter organizations committee of aid agencies said the death rate was unusually high.