News bites: Humanitarian developments

Ebola-like virus outbreak - At least six people have died along Congo's northwestern border with Gabon because of a disease caused by an Ebola-like virus, according to updated figures released by the health ministry. Médecins Sans Frontières says that three other people died of the same disease in Itoumbi. The first cases were in Itoumbi villagers who had gone elephant hunting in the bush (Agence France Presse).

Malaria drug shortage to cost lives, says charity A shortage of drugs to treat malaria would cost lives and jeopardise a global plan to halve malaria deaths by 2010, Médecins Sans Frontières has claimed. The aid agency has called on the World Health Organization, which relied on Swiss drug maker Novartis to provide its drug Coartem (artemether, lumefantrine) at cost for use in developing countries, to use other suppliers to save lives. But WHO officials rejected Médecins Sans Frontières' claim that equivalent drugs exist to combat the mosquito borne disease, especially in parts of Africa where resistance to standard drugs is a problem.

Charity warns of humanitarian disaster in Niger - A nutritional crisis is emerging in Niger, west Africa, says the medical aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontières. The number of malnourished children treated by the charity - more than 3000 in the past four months - has already reached an unusually high level and is expected to worsen. See Careers p 244-6.



studentBMJ 2005;13:221-264 June ISSN 0966-6494