One of the most intense debates in the pandemic accord negotiations is over how to fast-track the development and equitable rollout of vaccines and medicines, with pharmaceutical companies insisting that any infringement on intellectual property (IP) rights will stifle innovation and that voluntary arrangements are the way forward. A recent event to showcase voluntary licensing […] Continue reading ->
There have been 46 attacks on Sudan’s healthcare infrastructure during which eight people have been killed and 18 injured, and two-thirds of the hospitals in affected areas are closed as a result of the heightened attacks, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Clashes erupted in mid-April in Khartoum between the country’s armed forces and a […] Continue reading ->
The burgeoning health issues of small island developing states – which are on the front lines of climate change, but also awash in handguns and ultra-processed food imports – is the focus of a high level ministerial meeting taking place in the Caribbean island of Barbados today and tomorrow. The SIDS Ministerial Conference on NCDs […] Continue reading ->
The African Medicine Agency (AMA) came a small step closer to reality over the weekend when Rwanda signed a Host Country Agreement with the African Union (AU) Commission. The AMA will serve as a continental body that provides regulatory leadership on medicines, enabling a harmonized regulatory system on the continent – but it has still […] Continue reading ->
International vaccine alliance Gavi is on track to immunize 300 million more children by 2025 despite setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it announced on Tuesday. “Despite the huge strain placed on countries’ health systems by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re on or ahead of schedule on eight of the 11 key commitments that we made […] Continue reading ->
There have been calls for abortion law reforms in the UK after a woman was sentenced to 28 months in prison on Monday for carrying out an abortion after the legal term limit. The 44-year-old mother of three was sentenced under a law passed in 1861 that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, sparking […] Continue reading ->
It took years – and much data-crunching – before the US government was persuaded that measuring women’s security is an important way to assess the security of where she lives – her city, state and country. Most governments lack the data to make this calculation. Gender-based violence (GBV) is notoriously under-reported, and officials often have […] Continue reading ->
The African region of the World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned the weakening of equity clauses in latest draft of the pandemic accord and called for this week’s negotiations to focus on principles and key areas of concern rather than the detailed text. The 47 WHO Africa group countries made their submission at the resumption […] Continue reading ->
A staff member of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Somalia was among the 16 civilians killed in a terrorist attack on a hotel in the capital Mogadishu on Friday night, the WHO confirmed. The attack by al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab targeted the Pearl Beach Hotel and Restaurant, an upscale location on Lido beach often frequented […] Continue reading ->
More R&D into already known emerging disease threats, from Mpox to Lassa fever would go a long way to both bolster developing countries’ preparedness as well as protecting the world, experts argue. Member state negotiations resume next week over a draft WHO convention on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response – which is supposed to be […] Continue reading ->