CAPE TOWN – A new partnership between African scientists and pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J), aimed at finding solutions to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), was launched in South Africa on Monday. The J&J Satellite Center for Global Health Discovery, housed at the University of Cape Town (UCT)’s Holistic Drug Discovery and Development (H3D) Center, will […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended Paxlovid, the antiviral medicine produced by Pfizer, for patients with COVID-19 at high risk of developing severe disease – but it is concerned about limited access to the life-saving medicine. Friday’s WHO recommendation is aimed at “patients with non-severe COVID-19 who are at highest risk of developing severe […] Continue reading ->
Discussions about the creation of a new global convention on pandemic preparedness and response have already become a bit like a Christmas tree.  Last week’s WHO-convened public hearings, saw a wide array of interest groups trying to attach a number of features to the proposed international pandemic instrument, ranging from stronger accountability and transparency measures […] Continue reading ->
Only 10 of Africa’s 54 countries have vaccinated more than a third of their citizens, although the continent has administered over two-thirds of the vaccine doses it has procured. The top 10 vaccinators are Seychelles (81%), Mauritius (76%), Rwanda (64%), Morocco (63%),  Cape Verde (55%), Botswana (54%), Tunisia (53%), Mozambique (43%), São Tomé and Príncipe […] Continue reading ->
Some 42% of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean is fully vaccinated, but only five of the 22 member states have met the global goal of vaccinating 70% of their populations despite enough vaccine stocks being available, according to a media briefing on Wednesday. WHO Region Director for Eastern Mediterranean, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, ascribed […] Continue reading ->
Getting medical supplies and equipment to those Ukrainians who need it as fighting intensifies is one of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) biggest concerns, according to WHO Europe spokesperson, Bhanu Bhatnagar on Tuesday. “An increase in fighting could further threaten our supply chains in and out of affected areas.,” said Bhatnagar, who is currently in […] Continue reading ->