Nearly 1.4 million people in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPR Korea) are suspected of having been infected with COVID-19 in just the past three weeks, WHO officials said today. The global health agency has offered diagnostics, vaccines, medicines and other support, but with no clear response to date from the isolated Asian nation […] Continue reading ->
What are the paths health systems can take to a more disease-free world? And related to that, why do we talk about the total “eradication” of some diseases, like polio, whereas for others, “elimination as a public health problem” or simply disease “control” that shrinks an epidemic into an endemic disease is a more realistic […] Continue reading ->
From wheelchairs to memory aids, over 2.5 billion people in the world today need at least one assistive device either for communication, vision, mobility, as well as for certain cognitive functions, like memory aids. And the number is set to rise to 3.5 billion people by 2050 due to an ageing population and the prevalence […] Continue reading ->
Within the last five years, Africa CDC has grown into a “formidable” public health agency. But equally formidable challenges remain for the agency, which must provide advice and guidance on Ebola, cholera, measles – as well facing yet another surge in COVID cases in South Africa – the country hardest hit by SARS-CoV2, says outgoing […] Continue reading ->
With a target to raise at least $18 billion to save 20 million lives, and reduce mortality from HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria by 64%, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is gearing up to implement its ambitious new strategy to defeat these longstanding pandemics by 2030. However, even though TB kills more […] Continue reading ->
One-half of the countries facing serious climate threats also are located in conflict zones – and that single fact alone illustrates the symbiotic relationship of climate and conflict, and their inter-related impacts on health. This was a key message of the Geneva Health Forum panel on ‘Effective Responses to Health and Environmental Emergencies through Peacebuilding’, […] Continue reading ->
The United States National Institute of Health (NIH) has finalized an agreement with WHO’s COVID-19 patent sharing facility (C-TAP) to share the patent rights on 11 government-funded coronavirus medicine and vaccine technologies – in what is perhaps the most significant agreement to date with WHO to share closely-guarded pharma know-how. The announcement was made today […] Continue reading ->
The upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA) has the biggest focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in a decade – and offers an opportunity to ensure that NCDs are integrated into future responses to pandemics and other health emergencies. This is according to Katie Dain, CEO of the NCD Alliance, who urged attendees at a high-level NCD […] Continue reading ->
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) published a toolkit on Thursday in honour of International Nurses Day (IND) to help countries turn global goals and strategies established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) into action on the countr. Each year, International Nurses Day is observed on 12 May, Florence Nightingale’s birthday. “We have the WHO […] Continue reading ->
The alcohol industry’s use of sophisticated digital media tools that transcend borders has prompted the World Health Organization to call for more effective cross border regulation. The WHO is particularly concerned about how the marketing is targeting young individuals and heavy drinkers, according to a report released on Tuesday. Someone dies every 10 seconds as […] Continue reading ->