The inflated costs of insulin and control of its price and supply – are barriers preventing people with diabetes from accessing this life-saving medicine, according to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO). Insulin is the basis of diabetes treatment, essential for nine million people with type 1 diabetes who cannot make […] Continue reading ->
As the Glasgow Climate Conference winds to a close, the final COP26 declaration appears destined to contain watered-down language on fossil fuel phase-out, and no clear way forward for the $100 billion in finance needed by low-income countries. Against that landscape, Médecins Sans Frontières Dr Maria Guevara talks about why health is the elephant in […] Continue reading ->
It may be too late for many European countries to avoid harsh measures to try to curb the intense transmission of COVID-19, according to World Health Organization (WHO) officials on Friday. “Almost two million cases of COVID-19 were reported in Europe last week, the most in a single week in that region since the pandemic […] Continue reading ->
Moderna has fired back against claims made by US National Institutes of Health (NIH) that its scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAD) helped to invent the crucial component of the pharma company’s COVID-19 vaccine, stating that the mRNA sequence was “selected exclusively” by Moderna scientists. “We do not agree that […] Continue reading ->
Following World Health Organization approval last week, interim data from a phase 3 trial of BBV152, a COVID-19 vaccine developed in India, reports 77.8% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19. The study, published in The Lancet, indicated that BBV152 induced a robust antibody response, with the majority of adverse events, including headache, fatigue, fever, and pain at […] Continue reading ->
Pakistan and eight other countries, mostly in or around conflict zones, face the largest gaps in vaccine commitments needed to reach a WHO goal of 70% coverage by September 2022. The data is part of a new “COVID Global Tracker” – launched Wednesday during a first-ever meeting of the world’s foreign ministers, convened by US […] Continue reading ->
A draft agreement released by UN Climate on Wednesday “calls upon parties to accelerate the phasing out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuels” – as countries work toward reaching consensus by the time the Glasgow Climate Conference (COP26) ends on Friday. The word ‘health’ also was noticeably absent from the draft text, reflecting the […] Continue reading ->
Fifty countries have committed to building sustainable, low-carbon and climate-resilient healthcare systems, and 14 of these have set net-zero carbon emission target dates from as early as 2030. This emerged from a health and climate change session at COP26, the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, that was co-hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO). […] Continue reading ->
GLASGOW – Conversations on the health impacts of the climate crisis have grown this year at COP26 – the United Nation’s annual climate conference, now in its 26th year. Experts hope that this increase in conversation will lead to greater awareness about the health crisis exacerbated by the climate crisis and lead to concrete action in […] Continue reading ->
An international pandemic treaty based on equity could be the antidote to current weaknesses and imbalances in the global response to COVID-19, according to a group of influential authors in a Lancet paper published on Tuesday. A number of the authors are associated with The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response chaired by Helen […] Continue reading ->