HIGHLIGHTS
No reported EVD cases for five consecutive days in Guinea reflect the longest period without a new EVD case since the start of the current outbreak
Interim analysis finds EVD vaccine highly effective
USAID/FFP assistance increases access to food for vulnerable households in EVDaffected districts of Sierra Leone
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
The UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMMER) officially closed on July 31; the UN World Health Organization (WHO) is now responsible for oversight of the UN system’s Ebola virus disease (EVD) emergency response. The UNMEER Ebola crisis managers will remain in the EVD-affected countries under the oversight of WHO and with the support of the UN resident coordinators and UN country teams. According to UNMEER, the mission was established on September 19, 2014, as a temporary measure to meet immediate needs related to the EVD outbreak, deploying financial, logistical, and human resources to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
The clinical trial for the Vesicular Stomatitis Virus-Ebola Virus vaccine in Guinea is expanding to be offered to all EVD contacts. WHO experts continue to underscore that, while indicating positive and promising efficacy rates, the recently published interim results of the trial are not fully conclusive.