Global tobacco use prevalence has dropped by one-third, and there are now an estimated 118 million fewer tobacco users in the world today, as compared with 2005, said Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo, Head of the Secretariat, on Tuesday.  She was speaking at a WHO press conference marking the 20th anniversary of the WHO Framework Convention […] Continue reading ->
Make “Health in All Policies” a global and national priority to improve health and reduce healthcare spending long-term, says a senior Saudi health official, Dr Nouf Al Numair. The health of a nation’s population is a critical determinant of its economic productivity, educational outcomes, and the sustainability of its healthcare systems. Yet health considerations are […] Continue reading ->
Encephalitis “remains under-recognized, under-diagnosed, and underfunded”,  according to a new policy report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Climate change, vaccine hesitancy, and the rising burden of vector-borne diseases are also fuelling an increased number of encephalitis cases, a rare but serious inflammation of the brain.  The technical document urges coordinated global action to “confront […] Continue reading ->
The large-scale government firings have now targeted thousands of probationary employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), wiping out the ranks of young and up-and-coming scientists from the nation’s leading health and research agencies as well as the more senior staff who had advanced to new positions.  Although it is unclear how […] Continue reading ->
 The eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) particularly around Goma and Bukavu, may become a hotspot for disease transmission following renewed conflict and the freeze in aid from the United States, warned Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Amid fighting when M23 […] Continue reading ->
As African countries baulk at One Health requirements in the draft Pandemic Agreement being negotiated in Geneva, Rwanda’s success in containing its Marburg outbreak underscores the essential role of international partnerships and a strong health system in containing human-animal outbreaks KIGALI, Rwanda – The Egyptian fruit bats look like innocuous little furry grey umbrellas hanging […] Continue reading ->
(The New Humanitarian) The International Rescue Committee, one of the oldest humanitarian aid organizations in the United States, is cutting thousands of staff, in another sign of the turmoil rippling across the humanitarian sector as the US aid funding freeze continues. “We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing […] Continue reading ->