The World Health Organization (WHO) has added the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine to its list of ‘prequalified’ vaccines, paving the way for bulk procurement and mass deployment of the new vaccine across malaria-endemic countries by UNICEF and other global health agencies. The prequalification of the world’s second malaria vaccine, developed by Oxford University and manufactured by […] Continue reading ->
The worldwide shortage of nurses should be considered a “global health emergency” – yet governments are failing to invest in measures to retain these essential workers, according to Howard Catton, CEO of the International Council of Nurses (ICN). “The US has lost 100,000 nurses since 2020 and is predicted to lose up to 600,000 by […] Continue reading ->
From earthquakes in Afghanistan to floods in Libya and the conflicts in Gaza and Sudan, WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region, is beset with one of the world’s largest concentrations of people trapped in humanitarian crises and in desperate need of emergency health services, food aid, as well as peace, said Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director […] Continue reading ->
Days after government officials took a break from frenetic pandemic accord negotiations, news broke that European countries had destroyed at least 215 million unwanted COVID-19 vaccine doses valued at over €4 billion. The 19 countries surveyed dumped 0.7 doses per resident – with Estonia and Germany being the most wasteful, according to Politico, which broke […] Continue reading ->
The court challenge to Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, one of the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world, began in Kampala on Monday before five Constitutional Court judges. The Act, which was passed by an overwhelming majority of Members of Parliament in May, includes penalties such as a life sentence for same-sex acts between consenting adults, 10 […] Continue reading ->
Global spending on health increased during 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching a record $9.8 trillion or 10.3% of global gross domestic product (GDP) – mostly as a result of governments devoting more domestic resources to health, Country spending was highest on hospitals, accounting for 40% of expenditure, followed by ambulatory care […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first guidelines for addressing low back pain, a condition affecting an estimated 619 million people, or one in 13 worldwide. The new guidelines are designed to enhance care quality for millions suffering from the condition, offering healthcare professionals a range of non-surgical treatments applicable in primary and […] Continue reading ->
The elimination of tuberculosis cannot be achieved if medicines are locked in a “patent panoply,” according to Indian author and journalist Vidya Kishnan. Speaking to Garry Aslanyan on the most recent episode of Dialogues, a new series from the Global Health Matters podcast, the author of “Phantom Plague: How Tuberculosis Shaped History” said that “everything […] Continue reading ->
In the wake of COP28, WHO will press ahead with calls for fossil fuel phase out, stepped up commitments for health sector decarbonization, and a new resolution on Climate and Health, set to go before the World Health Assembly in May 2024. Those were key takeaways from an end-year WHO global press briefing by WHO […] Continue reading ->
A spike in COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia has prompted Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia to reintroduce screening for travellers at airports. In the past week, Indonesia has installed thermal body scanners at Jakarta International Airport and the main ferry line. The Bali Port Health Office has also implemented thermal checks at three border entry points: […] Continue reading ->