WHO Urges Dramatic Expansion of Newborn Screening to Detect Birth Defects 23/06/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Universal newborn screening needs to be dramatically expanded to improve infant mortality, says the World Health Organization (WHO). Without intervention, many of the estimated eight million infants born worldwide annually with congenital anomalies face severe impairment or death, warns a new technical report. The WHO report reflects a paradoxical landscape. As low- and middle-income countries […] Continue reading -> How Ghana Slashed Child Malaria Deaths by 86% 23/06/2026 Selorm Kutsoati For decades, malaria has been one of Africa’s most persistent health challenges. In Ghana, it was once the leading cause of death for children under five. Bed nets and antimalarial drugs reduced deaths substantially, but by the mid-2010s, the pace of improvement had declined. Climate change was altering the length and intensity of transmission seasons. […] Continue reading -> ‘Progress is Not Success,’ Warns UNAIDS at Start of Poorly Attended UN High-Level Meeting on HIV 22/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan Despite remarkable advances against HIV over the past two decades, “let us not confuse progress with success”, warned UNAIDS head Winnie Byanyima at the start of the United Nations High-Level Meeting (HLM) on HIV in New York on Monday. Over 40 million people are living with HIV, yet “almost nine million people are still not […] Continue reading -> Palau banned e-cigarettes. Now we’re asking the harder question 22/06/2026 Valerie R Whipps The island country in the western Pacific Ocean has initiated a World Health Organization (WHO) review of nicotine in terms of the United Nations (UN) Convention on Psychotropic Substances In 2023, I stood in a room among other Palauan mothers, school principals, teachers, and students who had come to witness the signing of Palau’s comprehensive […] Continue reading -> European Parliament Deadlock On Higher Tobacco and Nicotine Taxes Leaves Decision to Divided European Council 19/06/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The European Parliament on Wednesday defeated a proposal to freeze cigarette excise taxes at a 60% rate of retail value – throwing a final decision on tobacco and nicotine policies into the court of the European Council of Ministers. But the politically divided EU Council is unlikely to raises taxes anywhere near the bar set […] Continue reading -> Where You’re Born Still Decides Whether You Can Access Surgical Care 19/06/2026 Faustin Ntirenganya Where a person is born should not determine whether they survive, whether they live with dignity, or whether they are forced to endure years of preventable suffering while waiting for surgical care that may never come. Yet, across large parts of Africa, this remains the reality. At this year’s 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) in […] Continue reading -> Clean Electricity, Waste and Construction Set to Top COP31 Agenda 18/06/2026 Stefan Anderson The stepping-stone meetings on the road to COP31 in Antalya unfolding in Bonn this week brought the first real clarity on what the incoming presidency wants the next UN climate summit to deliver on: electrification, reducing waste, and the energy efficiency of buildings and construction. The three headline targets call for electricity to meet 35% […] Continue reading -> Ebola Outbreak is Three Times Bigger Than Previous Outbreaks at Four Weeks 18/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan The current Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak is three times larger than any other Ebola outbreak was four weeks after being declared a public health emergency, Africa CDC revealed at a media briefing on Thursday. This Ebola outbreak was declared a public health emergency on 17 May, and there are currently 875 cases and 202 deaths, Africa […] Continue reading -> Midwives: The High Return Investment That’s Not Being Made 18/06/2026 Anna af Ugglas, Lwazi Manzi, Chikusela Sikazwe & Rajat Khosla A return on investment of 16:1 should be irresistible. So why does midwifery keep losing the budget fight, and what would make funders and finance ministers finally move? When a young mother in Mtendere, Lusaka, began bleeding heavily hours after delivering her baby, her life was in grave danger. Three midwives assessed her immediately, recognised […] Continue reading -> Nearly Every Child on Earth Now Faces a Climate Hazard 17/06/2026 Stefan Anderson A landmark UNICEF report that maps children’s exposure to overlapping climate hazards finds that almost half the world’s children – 1.1 billion kids – now contend with at least three threats at once. To reach school each morning, 15-year-old Lorna first has to swim across the Kemp Welch River, known to locals for its strong […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
How Ghana Slashed Child Malaria Deaths by 86% 23/06/2026 Selorm Kutsoati For decades, malaria has been one of Africa’s most persistent health challenges. In Ghana, it was once the leading cause of death for children under five. Bed nets and antimalarial drugs reduced deaths substantially, but by the mid-2010s, the pace of improvement had declined. Climate change was altering the length and intensity of transmission seasons. […] Continue reading -> ‘Progress is Not Success,’ Warns UNAIDS at Start of Poorly Attended UN High-Level Meeting on HIV 22/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan Despite remarkable advances against HIV over the past two decades, “let us not confuse progress with success”, warned UNAIDS head Winnie Byanyima at the start of the United Nations High-Level Meeting (HLM) on HIV in New York on Monday. Over 40 million people are living with HIV, yet “almost nine million people are still not […] Continue reading -> Palau banned e-cigarettes. Now we’re asking the harder question 22/06/2026 Valerie R Whipps The island country in the western Pacific Ocean has initiated a World Health Organization (WHO) review of nicotine in terms of the United Nations (UN) Convention on Psychotropic Substances In 2023, I stood in a room among other Palauan mothers, school principals, teachers, and students who had come to witness the signing of Palau’s comprehensive […] Continue reading -> European Parliament Deadlock On Higher Tobacco and Nicotine Taxes Leaves Decision to Divided European Council 19/06/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The European Parliament on Wednesday defeated a proposal to freeze cigarette excise taxes at a 60% rate of retail value – throwing a final decision on tobacco and nicotine policies into the court of the European Council of Ministers. But the politically divided EU Council is unlikely to raises taxes anywhere near the bar set […] Continue reading -> Where You’re Born Still Decides Whether You Can Access Surgical Care 19/06/2026 Faustin Ntirenganya Where a person is born should not determine whether they survive, whether they live with dignity, or whether they are forced to endure years of preventable suffering while waiting for surgical care that may never come. Yet, across large parts of Africa, this remains the reality. At this year’s 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) in […] Continue reading -> Clean Electricity, Waste and Construction Set to Top COP31 Agenda 18/06/2026 Stefan Anderson The stepping-stone meetings on the road to COP31 in Antalya unfolding in Bonn this week brought the first real clarity on what the incoming presidency wants the next UN climate summit to deliver on: electrification, reducing waste, and the energy efficiency of buildings and construction. The three headline targets call for electricity to meet 35% […] Continue reading -> Ebola Outbreak is Three Times Bigger Than Previous Outbreaks at Four Weeks 18/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan The current Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak is three times larger than any other Ebola outbreak was four weeks after being declared a public health emergency, Africa CDC revealed at a media briefing on Thursday. This Ebola outbreak was declared a public health emergency on 17 May, and there are currently 875 cases and 202 deaths, Africa […] Continue reading -> Midwives: The High Return Investment That’s Not Being Made 18/06/2026 Anna af Ugglas, Lwazi Manzi, Chikusela Sikazwe & Rajat Khosla A return on investment of 16:1 should be irresistible. So why does midwifery keep losing the budget fight, and what would make funders and finance ministers finally move? When a young mother in Mtendere, Lusaka, began bleeding heavily hours after delivering her baby, her life was in grave danger. Three midwives assessed her immediately, recognised […] Continue reading -> Nearly Every Child on Earth Now Faces a Climate Hazard 17/06/2026 Stefan Anderson A landmark UNICEF report that maps children’s exposure to overlapping climate hazards finds that almost half the world’s children – 1.1 billion kids – now contend with at least three threats at once. To reach school each morning, 15-year-old Lorna first has to swim across the Kemp Welch River, known to locals for its strong […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
‘Progress is Not Success,’ Warns UNAIDS at Start of Poorly Attended UN High-Level Meeting on HIV 22/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan Despite remarkable advances against HIV over the past two decades, “let us not confuse progress with success”, warned UNAIDS head Winnie Byanyima at the start of the United Nations High-Level Meeting (HLM) on HIV in New York on Monday. Over 40 million people are living with HIV, yet “almost nine million people are still not […] Continue reading -> Palau banned e-cigarettes. Now we’re asking the harder question 22/06/2026 Valerie R Whipps The island country in the western Pacific Ocean has initiated a World Health Organization (WHO) review of nicotine in terms of the United Nations (UN) Convention on Psychotropic Substances In 2023, I stood in a room among other Palauan mothers, school principals, teachers, and students who had come to witness the signing of Palau’s comprehensive […] Continue reading -> European Parliament Deadlock On Higher Tobacco and Nicotine Taxes Leaves Decision to Divided European Council 19/06/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The European Parliament on Wednesday defeated a proposal to freeze cigarette excise taxes at a 60% rate of retail value – throwing a final decision on tobacco and nicotine policies into the court of the European Council of Ministers. But the politically divided EU Council is unlikely to raises taxes anywhere near the bar set […] Continue reading -> Where You’re Born Still Decides Whether You Can Access Surgical Care 19/06/2026 Faustin Ntirenganya Where a person is born should not determine whether they survive, whether they live with dignity, or whether they are forced to endure years of preventable suffering while waiting for surgical care that may never come. Yet, across large parts of Africa, this remains the reality. At this year’s 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) in […] Continue reading -> Clean Electricity, Waste and Construction Set to Top COP31 Agenda 18/06/2026 Stefan Anderson The stepping-stone meetings on the road to COP31 in Antalya unfolding in Bonn this week brought the first real clarity on what the incoming presidency wants the next UN climate summit to deliver on: electrification, reducing waste, and the energy efficiency of buildings and construction. The three headline targets call for electricity to meet 35% […] Continue reading -> Ebola Outbreak is Three Times Bigger Than Previous Outbreaks at Four Weeks 18/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan The current Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak is three times larger than any other Ebola outbreak was four weeks after being declared a public health emergency, Africa CDC revealed at a media briefing on Thursday. This Ebola outbreak was declared a public health emergency on 17 May, and there are currently 875 cases and 202 deaths, Africa […] Continue reading -> Midwives: The High Return Investment That’s Not Being Made 18/06/2026 Anna af Ugglas, Lwazi Manzi, Chikusela Sikazwe & Rajat Khosla A return on investment of 16:1 should be irresistible. So why does midwifery keep losing the budget fight, and what would make funders and finance ministers finally move? When a young mother in Mtendere, Lusaka, began bleeding heavily hours after delivering her baby, her life was in grave danger. Three midwives assessed her immediately, recognised […] Continue reading -> Nearly Every Child on Earth Now Faces a Climate Hazard 17/06/2026 Stefan Anderson A landmark UNICEF report that maps children’s exposure to overlapping climate hazards finds that almost half the world’s children – 1.1 billion kids – now contend with at least three threats at once. To reach school each morning, 15-year-old Lorna first has to swim across the Kemp Welch River, known to locals for its strong […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Palau banned e-cigarettes. Now we’re asking the harder question 22/06/2026 Valerie R Whipps The island country in the western Pacific Ocean has initiated a World Health Organization (WHO) review of nicotine in terms of the United Nations (UN) Convention on Psychotropic Substances In 2023, I stood in a room among other Palauan mothers, school principals, teachers, and students who had come to witness the signing of Palau’s comprehensive […] Continue reading -> European Parliament Deadlock On Higher Tobacco and Nicotine Taxes Leaves Decision to Divided European Council 19/06/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The European Parliament on Wednesday defeated a proposal to freeze cigarette excise taxes at a 60% rate of retail value – throwing a final decision on tobacco and nicotine policies into the court of the European Council of Ministers. But the politically divided EU Council is unlikely to raises taxes anywhere near the bar set […] Continue reading -> Where You’re Born Still Decides Whether You Can Access Surgical Care 19/06/2026 Faustin Ntirenganya Where a person is born should not determine whether they survive, whether they live with dignity, or whether they are forced to endure years of preventable suffering while waiting for surgical care that may never come. Yet, across large parts of Africa, this remains the reality. At this year’s 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) in […] Continue reading -> Clean Electricity, Waste and Construction Set to Top COP31 Agenda 18/06/2026 Stefan Anderson The stepping-stone meetings on the road to COP31 in Antalya unfolding in Bonn this week brought the first real clarity on what the incoming presidency wants the next UN climate summit to deliver on: electrification, reducing waste, and the energy efficiency of buildings and construction. The three headline targets call for electricity to meet 35% […] Continue reading -> Ebola Outbreak is Three Times Bigger Than Previous Outbreaks at Four Weeks 18/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan The current Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak is three times larger than any other Ebola outbreak was four weeks after being declared a public health emergency, Africa CDC revealed at a media briefing on Thursday. This Ebola outbreak was declared a public health emergency on 17 May, and there are currently 875 cases and 202 deaths, Africa […] Continue reading -> Midwives: The High Return Investment That’s Not Being Made 18/06/2026 Anna af Ugglas, Lwazi Manzi, Chikusela Sikazwe & Rajat Khosla A return on investment of 16:1 should be irresistible. So why does midwifery keep losing the budget fight, and what would make funders and finance ministers finally move? When a young mother in Mtendere, Lusaka, began bleeding heavily hours after delivering her baby, her life was in grave danger. Three midwives assessed her immediately, recognised […] Continue reading -> Nearly Every Child on Earth Now Faces a Climate Hazard 17/06/2026 Stefan Anderson A landmark UNICEF report that maps children’s exposure to overlapping climate hazards finds that almost half the world’s children – 1.1 billion kids – now contend with at least three threats at once. To reach school each morning, 15-year-old Lorna first has to swim across the Kemp Welch River, known to locals for its strong […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
European Parliament Deadlock On Higher Tobacco and Nicotine Taxes Leaves Decision to Divided European Council 19/06/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The European Parliament on Wednesday defeated a proposal to freeze cigarette excise taxes at a 60% rate of retail value – throwing a final decision on tobacco and nicotine policies into the court of the European Council of Ministers. But the politically divided EU Council is unlikely to raises taxes anywhere near the bar set […] Continue reading -> Where You’re Born Still Decides Whether You Can Access Surgical Care 19/06/2026 Faustin Ntirenganya Where a person is born should not determine whether they survive, whether they live with dignity, or whether they are forced to endure years of preventable suffering while waiting for surgical care that may never come. Yet, across large parts of Africa, this remains the reality. At this year’s 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) in […] Continue reading -> Clean Electricity, Waste and Construction Set to Top COP31 Agenda 18/06/2026 Stefan Anderson The stepping-stone meetings on the road to COP31 in Antalya unfolding in Bonn this week brought the first real clarity on what the incoming presidency wants the next UN climate summit to deliver on: electrification, reducing waste, and the energy efficiency of buildings and construction. The three headline targets call for electricity to meet 35% […] Continue reading -> Ebola Outbreak is Three Times Bigger Than Previous Outbreaks at Four Weeks 18/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan The current Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak is three times larger than any other Ebola outbreak was four weeks after being declared a public health emergency, Africa CDC revealed at a media briefing on Thursday. This Ebola outbreak was declared a public health emergency on 17 May, and there are currently 875 cases and 202 deaths, Africa […] Continue reading -> Midwives: The High Return Investment That’s Not Being Made 18/06/2026 Anna af Ugglas, Lwazi Manzi, Chikusela Sikazwe & Rajat Khosla A return on investment of 16:1 should be irresistible. So why does midwifery keep losing the budget fight, and what would make funders and finance ministers finally move? When a young mother in Mtendere, Lusaka, began bleeding heavily hours after delivering her baby, her life was in grave danger. Three midwives assessed her immediately, recognised […] Continue reading -> Nearly Every Child on Earth Now Faces a Climate Hazard 17/06/2026 Stefan Anderson A landmark UNICEF report that maps children’s exposure to overlapping climate hazards finds that almost half the world’s children – 1.1 billion kids – now contend with at least three threats at once. To reach school each morning, 15-year-old Lorna first has to swim across the Kemp Welch River, known to locals for its strong […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Where You’re Born Still Decides Whether You Can Access Surgical Care 19/06/2026 Faustin Ntirenganya Where a person is born should not determine whether they survive, whether they live with dignity, or whether they are forced to endure years of preventable suffering while waiting for surgical care that may never come. Yet, across large parts of Africa, this remains the reality. At this year’s 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) in […] Continue reading -> Clean Electricity, Waste and Construction Set to Top COP31 Agenda 18/06/2026 Stefan Anderson The stepping-stone meetings on the road to COP31 in Antalya unfolding in Bonn this week brought the first real clarity on what the incoming presidency wants the next UN climate summit to deliver on: electrification, reducing waste, and the energy efficiency of buildings and construction. The three headline targets call for electricity to meet 35% […] Continue reading -> Ebola Outbreak is Three Times Bigger Than Previous Outbreaks at Four Weeks 18/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan The current Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak is three times larger than any other Ebola outbreak was four weeks after being declared a public health emergency, Africa CDC revealed at a media briefing on Thursday. This Ebola outbreak was declared a public health emergency on 17 May, and there are currently 875 cases and 202 deaths, Africa […] Continue reading -> Midwives: The High Return Investment That’s Not Being Made 18/06/2026 Anna af Ugglas, Lwazi Manzi, Chikusela Sikazwe & Rajat Khosla A return on investment of 16:1 should be irresistible. So why does midwifery keep losing the budget fight, and what would make funders and finance ministers finally move? When a young mother in Mtendere, Lusaka, began bleeding heavily hours after delivering her baby, her life was in grave danger. Three midwives assessed her immediately, recognised […] Continue reading -> Nearly Every Child on Earth Now Faces a Climate Hazard 17/06/2026 Stefan Anderson A landmark UNICEF report that maps children’s exposure to overlapping climate hazards finds that almost half the world’s children – 1.1 billion kids – now contend with at least three threats at once. To reach school each morning, 15-year-old Lorna first has to swim across the Kemp Welch River, known to locals for its strong […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Clean Electricity, Waste and Construction Set to Top COP31 Agenda 18/06/2026 Stefan Anderson The stepping-stone meetings on the road to COP31 in Antalya unfolding in Bonn this week brought the first real clarity on what the incoming presidency wants the next UN climate summit to deliver on: electrification, reducing waste, and the energy efficiency of buildings and construction. The three headline targets call for electricity to meet 35% […] Continue reading -> Ebola Outbreak is Three Times Bigger Than Previous Outbreaks at Four Weeks 18/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan The current Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak is three times larger than any other Ebola outbreak was four weeks after being declared a public health emergency, Africa CDC revealed at a media briefing on Thursday. This Ebola outbreak was declared a public health emergency on 17 May, and there are currently 875 cases and 202 deaths, Africa […] Continue reading -> Midwives: The High Return Investment That’s Not Being Made 18/06/2026 Anna af Ugglas, Lwazi Manzi, Chikusela Sikazwe & Rajat Khosla A return on investment of 16:1 should be irresistible. So why does midwifery keep losing the budget fight, and what would make funders and finance ministers finally move? When a young mother in Mtendere, Lusaka, began bleeding heavily hours after delivering her baby, her life was in grave danger. Three midwives assessed her immediately, recognised […] Continue reading -> Nearly Every Child on Earth Now Faces a Climate Hazard 17/06/2026 Stefan Anderson A landmark UNICEF report that maps children’s exposure to overlapping climate hazards finds that almost half the world’s children – 1.1 billion kids – now contend with at least three threats at once. To reach school each morning, 15-year-old Lorna first has to swim across the Kemp Welch River, known to locals for its strong […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Ebola Outbreak is Three Times Bigger Than Previous Outbreaks at Four Weeks 18/06/2026 Kerry Cullinan The current Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak is three times larger than any other Ebola outbreak was four weeks after being declared a public health emergency, Africa CDC revealed at a media briefing on Thursday. This Ebola outbreak was declared a public health emergency on 17 May, and there are currently 875 cases and 202 deaths, Africa […] Continue reading -> Midwives: The High Return Investment That’s Not Being Made 18/06/2026 Anna af Ugglas, Lwazi Manzi, Chikusela Sikazwe & Rajat Khosla A return on investment of 16:1 should be irresistible. So why does midwifery keep losing the budget fight, and what would make funders and finance ministers finally move? When a young mother in Mtendere, Lusaka, began bleeding heavily hours after delivering her baby, her life was in grave danger. Three midwives assessed her immediately, recognised […] Continue reading -> Nearly Every Child on Earth Now Faces a Climate Hazard 17/06/2026 Stefan Anderson A landmark UNICEF report that maps children’s exposure to overlapping climate hazards finds that almost half the world’s children – 1.1 billion kids – now contend with at least three threats at once. To reach school each morning, 15-year-old Lorna first has to swim across the Kemp Welch River, known to locals for its strong […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Midwives: The High Return Investment That’s Not Being Made 18/06/2026 Anna af Ugglas, Lwazi Manzi, Chikusela Sikazwe & Rajat Khosla A return on investment of 16:1 should be irresistible. So why does midwifery keep losing the budget fight, and what would make funders and finance ministers finally move? When a young mother in Mtendere, Lusaka, began bleeding heavily hours after delivering her baby, her life was in grave danger. Three midwives assessed her immediately, recognised […] Continue reading -> Nearly Every Child on Earth Now Faces a Climate Hazard 17/06/2026 Stefan Anderson A landmark UNICEF report that maps children’s exposure to overlapping climate hazards finds that almost half the world’s children – 1.1 billion kids – now contend with at least three threats at once. To reach school each morning, 15-year-old Lorna first has to swim across the Kemp Welch River, known to locals for its strong […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Nearly Every Child on Earth Now Faces a Climate Hazard 17/06/2026 Stefan Anderson A landmark UNICEF report that maps children’s exposure to overlapping climate hazards finds that almost half the world’s children – 1.1 billion kids – now contend with at least three threats at once. To reach school each morning, 15-year-old Lorna first has to swim across the Kemp Welch River, known to locals for its strong […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts