Although the pace of new COVID-19 infections is slowing down across North America, cases continue to rise in Latin America. Surges in COVID-related deaths and infections in some countries are even higher now than at any point during this pandemic, says the WHO Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Last week, the region reported more than […] Continue reading ->
Humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has criticised the European Union’s (EU) opposition to the TRIPS waiver, labelling its counter-proposal published on Friday as a “manoeuvre” to replace a concrete legal solution to COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing. Ahead of next week’s TRIPS council meeting scheduled for 8-9 June, Senior Legal and Policy Advisor at MSF’s Access […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization(WHO) is working with Chinese authorities to assess the circumstances around the first documented case of human infection with a rare strain bird flu known as H10N3. This is after a 41-year-old man in China’s eastern province of Jiangsu, located northwest of Shanghai, tested positive for H10N3 on May 28 – a […] Continue reading ->
A special strategic meeting at the 74th World Health Assembly on Friday discussed how the World Health Organization (WHO) is scaling up powers to investigate sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in emergency situations. WHO officials said this effort involves a “mass of inspectors” to prioritise investigations in at least eight countries. The intervention comes in […] Continue reading ->
A paradigm shift towards health systems and societies that emphasize health promotion, disease prevention and environmental protection could prevent and reduce 50% of the global disease burden worldwide, experts at an informal session on the margins of the 74th World Health Assembly said on Thursday. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inextricable relationships between environments […] Continue reading ->
While the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in huge setbacks for health systems – it has also highlighted the needs. And one of the biggest is the need for greater investment in basic primary health care systems as a pathway for ensuring Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Delegates speaking during a high-level strategic session on the third […] Continue reading ->
Bold decisions are required to strengthen the World Health Organization and equip it with authority and resources it needs to address glaring shortcomings in pandemic preparedness and response, the 74th World Health Assembly was told on Tuesday. Recommendations emerging out of a report by the Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee (IOAC) for the WHO Health […] Continue reading ->
A sugar tax that generated R3-billion in revenue for South Africa in one year and a mandatory minimum unit price for alcohol products that contributed to a 10% decrease in alcohol-related deaths in Scotland are two examples of proven successful policies governments have adopted for products that negatively impact health and that have helped raise […] Continue reading ->
Malawi on Wednesday burned nearly 20,000 doses of expired AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. The government move happened shortly after the Serum Institute of India (SII) announced that it would only resume its export of the precious vaccines to the rest of the world at the end of 2021 – due to the still burning pandemic crisis […] Continue reading ->
The European Union Council (EU) on Wednesday agreed to relax travel restrictions on entry by foreign tourists – clearing the way for countries in the bloc to open up their borders to COVID-19 vaccinated travellers after more than a year in which visits by most non-EU passport holders were refused. With the summer tourism season […] Continue reading ->