NEW DELHI – On 2 November 2023, extreme air pollution caught Delhi off-guard. It shut down schools and led to flight cancellations, curbs on construction and other emergency responses. That every little increase in air pollution increases the risk of death has been well-established for some years. But till now the effect of short-term air […] Continue reading ->
Almost 15 years ago, when the University of Ghana established its Office of Research, Innovation, and Development, it did so with the goal of bolstering the West African nation’s research capacity. In the African region, where less than 0.5% of GDP is devoted to research, and a significant number of Africa’s educated is siphoned off […] Continue reading ->
As H5N1 avian flu spreads in US dairy cows, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has granted approximately $176 million to Moderna to develop an mRNA-based vaccine for influenza with pandemic-potential. “We have successfully taken lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic and used them to better prepare for future public health crises. […] Continue reading ->
Digital cessation programmes, behavioural support, and medication for tobacco cessation in adults are some of the measures contained in first-ever guidelines to help people quit smoking published recently by the World Health Organization (WHO). One in five adults – 1.25 billion users worldwide – consume various tobacco products such as cigarettes, heated tobacco products, water […] Continue reading ->
While a vaccine exists to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer, over 20 therapeutic HPV vaccine candidates are currently in development. These therapeutic vaccines aim to “boost the body’s immune response so that it can either fight and clear high-risk strains of the virus or abnormal ‘precancerous’ cells,” according to the […] Continue reading ->
Following the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA)’s endorsement of a delay of up to one year for finalizing a pandemic agreement, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) is set to resume talks on 16-17 July 2024. INB member states will face contentious procedural issues and thorny debates over the resolution of substantive matters including a system […] Continue reading ->
A growing body of evidence from India is firmly establishing the country’s toxic levels of air pollution as a leading cause of ill health, particularly non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The results are significant because the country’s politicians have repeatedly questioned the validity of research that links air pollution with reduced life expectancy and worsening health. As […] Continue reading ->
While this week’s CARICOM summit in Grenada has been postponed due to Hurricane Beryl, when it does convenes, a key item on the agenda will be the new ‘HeDPAC’ initiative to deepen South-South partnerships to meet shared global health challenges – from pandemic threats to climate change. In remote communities of Guyana, the introduction of […] Continue reading ->
Fourteen months into its devastating civil war, one-half of Sudan’s 25.6 million population faces levels of food security ranked as “crisis,” emergency, or “catastrophic,” according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis. The IPC analysis of Gaza also found that a “high and sustained risk” of famine persists across the entire occupied […] Continue reading ->
Amid the growing avian influenza epidemic in American cattle, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched new research Tuesday to ensure dairy products available in the market do not contain the virus in its active form. The research will involve a series of studies to test pasteurised milk samples collected from store shelves. The […] Continue reading ->