At around 3am Wednesday, after three years of often intense negotiations, World Health Organization (WHO) member states agreed on a draft Pandemic Agreement, which sets out basic terms of engagement to prepare for, prevent and respond to pandemics. Bleary-eyed negotiators and co-chairs Precious Matsoso and Anne-Claire Amprou welcomed the final greening of the entire text […] Continue reading ->
Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent and 2024 was the warmest year on record, with record temperatures in the central, eastern and southeastern regions, according to the latest European State of the Climate 2024 report published jointly by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). Severe storms and flooding claimed 335 […] Continue reading ->
The United States federal government’s response to the rapidly spreading measles outbreak has faced steep criticism after Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr (RFK Jr) falsely claimed the vaccine’s protection “waned quickly” and hasn’t been “safely tested.”  While Kennedy endorsed the measles vaccine as the most effective way to protect against […] Continue reading ->
The number of WHO programme divisions would be reduced from 10 to just five and the number of directors in headquarters would shrink from nearly 80 to around 30 in an emergency reorganisation plan reviewed by the agency’s executive management group at a closed-door retreat on Saturday.    The plan, to be presented to member […] Continue reading ->
The federal agency responsible for protecting the environment in the United States will stop requiring most polluters to report their emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases that cause climate change. The upcoming policy shift by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), first reported by ProPublica on Thursday, will effectively render the second-largest greenhouse […] Continue reading ->
Amid bleak global economic and development aid trends, Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is piloting innovative financing solutions and doubling down on efforts to get member states to invest more domestic funds in health. A week ago, Africa CDC launched a new financing guide for member states and on Friday the […] Continue reading ->