African heads of state from countries affected by mpox will meet virtually on Sunday to address the “worrying” increase of the virus – with 2,912 new cases and 14 deaths recorded in the past week, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported at a media briefing on Thursday. “Mpox is not under control […] Continue reading ->
Global Fund investments have reduced deaths in HIV, tuberculosis and malaria by 61% and saved 65 million lives since 2002 – while simultaneously improving health service delivery, according to its annual Results Report released on Thursday. The past year (2023) has brought significant wins: a 55% reduction in the price of bedaquiline, the main treatment […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA – Ensuring that universal health coverage (UHC) protects cancer patients and tackling commercial interests driving cancer were two issues in the spotlight of the World Cancer Congress. Speakers stressed that they need to make their mark at the United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in 2025, ensuring a bold rethinking […] Continue reading ->
Geneva, Switzerland—The 2024 World Cancer Congress opened Tuesday in Geneva, bringing together more than 2,000 delegates from more than 120 countries. Its convener said the congress underscores a global commitment to combating the growing burden of cancer. Hosted by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), the congress aims to foster collaboration amongst cancer and […] Continue reading ->
The latest draft of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) pandemic agreement shifts key decisions to the Conference of the Parties (COP) – a body that will be set up after the World Health Assembly (WHA) has adopted the agreement. The draft, developed by the WHO Bureau overseeing the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) talks, was distributed […] Continue reading ->
Hungary’s Olivér Várhelyi has been announced as the new European Commissioner for Health, in a portfolio that now includes animal welfare. He succeeds Cyprus’s Stella Kyriakides, whose portfolio was health and food safety. Várhelyi has been the European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement since 2019, leading efforts to increase membership of the European Union. “He […] Continue reading ->
Royda Joseph, a 32-year-old mother of three lives in a community next to the PuguKinyamwezi dump in Tanzania. “The dump is on fire every two days,” Royda told the UK NGO TearFund. “Sometimes, when it is on fire, the smoke is so dark and huge that you can’t see the person in front of you […] Continue reading ->
Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN vaccine, has become the first mpox vaccine to be added to the World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification (PQ) list, enabling its use globally. The WHO has also recommended that single doses be given in supply-constrained outbreak situations instead of the usual two doses, and “off label” use for children as the vaccine […] Continue reading ->
Long-term exposure to air pollution and lack of green spaces significantly increases the risk of hospitalization for respiratory conditions, according to new research presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) International Congress in Vienna this week. Researchers from the University of Bergen, Norway, found that even in Northern Europe, where air pollution levels are relatively […] Continue reading ->
Health will be an important focus of the upcoming annual United Nations (UN) climate conference taking place in November in Baku, Azerbaijan, according to the COP29 Presidency and the World Health Organization (WHO). Like the previous COP, there will be a health day and there is a slew of health-focused initiatives, according to Elmar Mammadov, […] Continue reading ->