The SARS-CoV-2 virus
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, which cause diseases ranging from the common cold (some seasonal viruses are Coronaviruses) to more severe diseases such as MERS-COV or SARS.
The virus identified in January 2020 in China is a new Coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2. The disease caused by this coronavirus has been named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization – WHO. Since March 11, 2020, the WHO calls the global situation of COVID-19 a pandemic; i.e. the epidemic is now global.
- Find answers to frequently asked questions about the pandemic.
- Our actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic
The Ebola virus
Ebola virus disease (formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever) is a serious, often fatal disease in humans. The virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals and then spreads to people through human-to-human transmission. The first outbreaks of Ebola disease occurred in remote villages in central Africa, close to tropical forests, but the recent outbreak in West Africa affected large urban centres as well as rural areas.
The average case-fatality rate is about 50%. In previous outbreaks, rates have ranged from 25% to 90%. Community participation is essential to contain outbreaks. To be effective, control must be based on a combination of interventions: case management, surveillance and contact tracing, quality laboratory services, safe burials and social mobilization. Early supportive care focusing on rehydration and symptomatic treatment improves survival rates.
No approved treatment has yet been shown to neutralize the virus, but several treatments (blood derivatives, immunologic or drug therapies) are being investigated. There is currently no licensed vaccine against Ebola disease, but two candidates are being evaluated.
Solthis Action
Health workers were hit hard by the outbreak of Ebola disease in West Africa, working tirelessly to care for the sick and risking their lives every time they went to work. According to a WHO report on infection among health workers, the risk of Ebola infection is between 21 and 32 times greater for health workers than for the general population.
Solthis has therefore committed to its local and international partners to support the new measures to protect healthcare workers and patients in line with the national Ebola response plans in these two countries by providing training for healthcare workers, technical assistance to check the availability of protective equipment in HIV units and monitoring the implementation of prevention measures in the HIV units of the sites targeted by the project.
- Find out about our response actions in Guinea and Sierra Leone
- Learn more about the TWIN 2H Infection Prevention and Control (ICP) & Hospital Hygiene project (phase 1 and 2).
- Find all our scientific publications and interventions
