While air pollution claims more than eight million lives annually, the burden of proving exactly which air polluters or tailpipes caused a specific lung cancer or child’s asthma attack has rested firmly on the shoulders of the sick. That is about to change, according to a landmark United Nations (UN) report by Astrid Puentes Riaño, […] Continue reading ->
In a landmark decision, the European Commission is allowing member states to utilize existing EU funds to finance access to safe abortions. This move represents a significant shift in European reproductive health, although it stops short of providing financial certainty for women seeking essential reproductive healthcare. “Behind every unsafe abortion is a woman forced to […] Continue reading ->
India launched the most extensive free Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination initiative in history to systematically combat the rising toll of cervical cancer. This ambitious 90-day campaign aims to inoculate nearly 12 million 14-year-old girls before the preventative shot is permanently integrated into the country’s universal immunization schedule. “India has joined the community of 160 countries […] Continue reading ->
Two regional research hubs that aim to develop climate adaptation strategies that reduce health impacts are to be established in Ghana and South Africa under the terms of a new £40 million climate-health initiative led by African universities and the Wellcome Trust, announced on Thursday. Along with the two hubs in South Africa and Ghana, […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced its updated recommendations for the 2026-2027 Northern Hemisphere seasonal flu vaccine on Friday, a critical adjustment driven by the rapid global dominance of a new A(H3N2) variant known as subclade K. Following four days of intense consultation by the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS), experts finalized the […] Continue reading ->
Following the lead of Australia, France, and Spain, Germany’s governing parties have found common ground on a proposal to ban social media for children. But as politicians prepare strict age restrictions, experts warn that significant legal roadblocks and data protection concerns could stall the legislation. At a recent party conference in Stuttgart, the centre-right Christian […] Continue reading ->
As the war in Ukraine grinds into its fifth year, the systematic destruction of healthcare infrastructure is accelerating, with strikes targeting hospitals, ambulances, and medical workers surging by nearly 20 percent in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to a statement by the World Health Organization Europe region (WHO/EURO) released on Tuesday. The cumulative […] Continue reading ->
As the mandate of Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus approaches its expiration in August 2027, the high-stakes manoeuvring for the next Director-General (DG) of the World Health Organization (WHO) has intensified in the halls of Geneva and capital cities worldwide. While the official call for nominations is expected in April 2026 and no candidate has formally […] Continue reading ->
The European Commission intends to significantly cut its contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, ending a decades-long trend of increasing contributions to the multilateral health organisation. According to research by Health Policy Watch, the Commission plans to pledge €700 million over a four-year span from 2026 to 2029 at the […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board faced a grim reckoning on Thursday in a report detailing how global progress on maternal, infant and child nutrition has largely stalled or even regressed. Notably, six critical nutrition targets remain “off track,” with rising rates of anaemia and childhood obesity sliding back, threatening to reverse years of […] Continue reading ->