Health

Sharon Gaffney is pleased to welcome Heather Kerr, Country Director for Congo at the International Rescue Committee. The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is unprecedented, not simply because of its scale, but because it spread undetected for months before it was correctly identified. According to Kerr, the response has been hindered by delayed diagnosis, the complexity of distinguishing this Bundibugyo strain from other common illnesses, and the immense operational challenges of working in an active conflict zone. ]

Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome WHO Spokesperson Tarik Jašarević. His central concern is that we do not yet know where all the places the Ebola virus is circulating: infected people remain outside treatment centres, transmission chains go undetected, and patients who seek care too late face much poorer chances of survival. Conflict, population mobility and other humanitarian pressures make surveillance more difficult, but community engagement is equally crucial. Without trust and cooperation, testing, contact tracing, safe burials and early treatment cannot work effectively.  ]

Parkour may conjure images of rowdy teenagers swinging from building to building in urban landscapes, but since 2017, coach Tan Shie Boon has been using these techniques to improve Singaporean seniors’ strength and agility. Tan’s Movement Singapore classes have gone viral online, showing people in their 60s and 70s climbing structures, vaulting over railings, rolling down slanted surfaces and jumping off platforms.  ]

More than 2,500 people have already died in the Ebola epidemic currently gripping the Democratic Republic of Congo. The UN coordinator for the outbreak has warned that the virus is spreading exponentially – adding that an existing pool of funds is set to run out within weeks. Details by Catherine Viette. ]

The Democratic Republic of Congo has received more than 16,000 doses of an Ebola vaccine, as authorities step up efforts against the ongoing outbreak. More than 2,500 people have already died and health officials from the WHO are warning this epidemic could surpass the deadliest on record – that occurred between 2014 and 2016 and caused over 11,000 deaths across West Africa. Dr Muhammad Munir, Professor of virology at Lancaster University in the UK, helps us understand the situation on the ground. ]

Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial are deliberating for a sixth day in Plymouth, Massachusetts after twice saying they can’t agree whether the former labor and delivery nurse is criminally responsible for killing her three young children. FRANCE 24's Monte Francis explains. ]