When it becomes fully operational, the AMA will complement the Africa CDC especially in the area of pandemic preparedness. KIGALI, Rwanda – Advocates for the African Medicines Agency called on the African Union (AU) and its 55 member countries to speed up efforts to establish the African Medicines Agency (AMA), saying it will strengthen the […] Continue reading ->
South Africa is poised to become the first African country to decriminalise sex work following the publication of an amendment to the country’s criminal law for public comment. South Africa’s Cabinet has approved the publication of the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill, which proposes the decriminalising the “buying and selling of […] Continue reading ->
The Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and African Centers for Disease control signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday to providing technical support to African manufacturers of antimalarial drugs that would help bring their products up to WHO-approved standards – thus ensuring wider use of locally-produced drugs on the continent and beyond. The move […] Continue reading ->
As COVID-19 cases are starting to spike around the world once again, a new study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine “provides safety assurances to the global population” about fourth vaccine shots. The study, conducted in Israel, is the first large-scale research into the safety of the additional booster. It comes at the same time […] Continue reading ->
There are emerging hopes that sometime in 2023, WHO can declare that the COVID-19 global health emergency is over, said WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking at a pre-holiday press briefing on Wednesday. Meanwhile, however, the world continues to invest some $2 trillion in wars and “killing each other” – but not nearly […] Continue reading ->
Amid a worldwide surge in cholera outbreaks – a sign of poor access to clean water and sanitation – a key report released on Wednesday shows that only a quarter of countries are on track to achieve their national sanitation targets. Meanwhile, less than half – a mere 45% – are on track to achieve […] Continue reading ->
Taxing sugary drinks can be a win for health and government revenue, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) at the launch of its first ever tax manual for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) on Tuesday. “SSBs have little to no added nutritional value, but their consumption is significantly associated with tooth decay, weight gain and obesity, […] Continue reading ->
Wellcome Trust director Dr Jeremy Farrar will become the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Chief Scientist in the second quarter of 2023, according to announcements by the WHO and Wellcome on Tuesday. Farrar’s second five-year term is ending next February and Wellcome Trust “have been planning the transition for some time, and a global search for […] Continue reading ->
Africa’s limited pharmaceutical industry, high costs of raw materials, and dependence on imported medicines have long hampered citizens’ access to the medicines they need. The challenges the continent faces are daunting. They include poor supply chain systems, lack of government investment in the pharmaceutical sector, unfavourable manufacturing conditions, limited health workforce, lack of sustainable health […] Continue reading ->
COVID-19, conflicts and climate change are posing additional challenges to efforts to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMRO), the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged on the eve of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day on Monday. “The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the vulnerability of our health, social protection and economic systems,” Dr […] Continue reading ->