Top executives at Bavarian Nordic, which makes the world’s only monkeypox vaccine, avoided news media in the face of a worldwide shortage of their product. But SIGA, the company behind the antiviral treatment Tecovirimat (TPOXX™), has not been so shy. In an exclusive interview, SIGA’s CEO, Phillip Gomez, says the small, speciality firm is prepared […] Continue reading ->
Recent reforms to the World Health Organization “prequalification” program that certifies the safety and efficacy of health products procured in bulk by donors for low and middle-income countries have speeded up the process and thus accelerated access to lifesaving medicines and diagnostic tools in low- and middle-income countries. However, long lead times for product approvals, […] Continue reading ->
In the aftermath of a national health emergency declaration for Monkeypox, the United States has now decided to split the approved MVA-BN vaccine into five doses in an effort to stretch supply. Some experts, however, have warned that the plan may backfire if health workers are not sufficiently trained in the intradermal skin-based jab technique […] Continue reading ->
Some 43% of children under five in low- and middle-income countries – nearly 250 million children – were at risk of not reaching their developmental potential in 2017 due to extreme poverty and stunting. This is according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) position paper on brain health launched on Tuesday, which presents a […] Continue reading ->
Desperately ill patients died alone in hospitals, tended in their final hours by burnt-out health workers. An avalanche of misinformation undermined care, and non-COVID patients and programmes faced cancelled appointments and treatment delays. These are some of the factors that undermined patient safety during COVID-19, according to a rapid review by the World Health Organization […] Continue reading ->
The bulk of $3 billion in annual aid the US has committed to helping the most vulnerable countries to adapt to the impact of climate change is likely to go to sub-Saharan Africa, said US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Sub-Saharan Africa is home to 17 of the world’s 20 most climate vulnerable countries, which […] Continue reading ->
LEIDEN – Pandemic preparedness rests on having a robust surveillance system to identify health threats – something that is still “rudimentary” in many African countries, says Professor Salim Abdool Karim, a South African infectious diseases epidemiologist. Describing monkeypox as a threat to health security in Africa, Karim said that it was important that health services […] Continue reading ->
Nigeria began imposing a new tax on sugar-sweetened beverages on 1 June, but the aim of using the money raised to help curb the growing rates of obesity, diabetes and other diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) faces a host of challenges including a multibillion-dollar industry. IBADAN, Nigeria – Working for long hours under a scorching sun, […] Continue reading ->
Diversity is closely linked to dignity, and if separated, it can become “a checkbox exercise that fails to shift the dominant power dynamics,” according to Garry Aslanyan in his latest edition of “Global Health Matters. In a dialogue with Marie Ba, director of the Ouagadougou Partnership Coordination Unit based in Dakar, Senegal, and Tom Wein, […] Continue reading ->
The United States is considering shifting to intradermal injections of Monkeypox vaccine that could potentially stretch one dose of the approved MVA-BN vaccine, available only in limited quantities, into five doses, said US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf on Thursday. He was speaking at a press briefing minutes after Xavier Becerra, US Secretary […] Continue reading ->