The United States will no longer fund Namibia’s HIV programme after 2027, following an impasse over data- and information-sharing terms required by the US for a longer aid package. The joint US-Namibia announcement frames the one-year aid phase-out as “recognition of Namibia’s historic achievement in reaching HIV epidemic control and surpassing global targets”. The US will […] Continue reading ->
The risk of infertility is 1.4 times higher in women who smoke, according to a systematic review of studies conducted between 2000 and 2026, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report released on Tuesday. “This means that if the risk of infertility is 15% for women who do not smoke, then 21% will experience […] Continue reading ->
The defenders of sexual and reproductive health and rights are on the frontline of the “heightened hostility to science, fact, and truth, directly facing the anti-science toxic tangles of racism, sexism, and homophobia,” asserted Professor Kate Gilmore, co-chair of the Human Reproduction Programme’s (HRP) Gender and Rights Advisory Panel. HRP is the United Nations instrument […] Continue reading ->
Women’s organisations are anxious that Secretary-General António Guterres will push the controversial proposed merger of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women at the UN General Assembly later this month. Guterres proposed the merger as part of his UN80 initiative, aimed at streamlining and cutting costs as the global body tries to recover from […] Continue reading ->
A draft charter on “family, sovereignty and values”, which would significantly undermine the rights of African women and girls, is not likely to be presented to the African Union (AU) General Assembly next February – despite a push from its conservative sponsors. “That draft instrument has not got to the AU yet, and it is […] Continue reading ->
Namibia has rejected the United States’ demands for sharing health data and pathogen information during negotiations for renewed US support for its HIV programme, according to The Namibian newspaper. In the past few years, the country has received around $45 million a year in support from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), […] Continue reading ->
The United States plans to cut its health funding to 18 countries by 59% of pre-2025 levels by 2030, according to a Public Citizen and Partners In Health analysis of the bilateral agreements the US has signed with these countries. The bilateral Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) were signed as part of the ‘America First Global […] Continue reading ->
The antiretroviral medicine lenacapavir, delivered via injection every six months, is almost completely effective in preventing HIV. But it is expensive at present, and millions will need to be initiated on it every year to make a dent on HIV transmission in South Africa. CAPE TOWN – South Africa has the biggest population of people […] Continue reading ->
Four of the 58 health zones in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) affected by the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak have had no new cases in the past 42 days, while five others have been case-free for at least three weeks. “The message is that it is definitely possible in that environment to break the transmission,” […] Continue reading ->
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s Ebola outbreak passed the 100-day mark on Monday with over 5,515 confirmed cases and 2,642 deaths – and health experts warn that the response needs to be accelerated to bring the world’s fastest Ebola outbreak under control. While the case fatality rate is almost 48%, the DRC’s Ministry of […] Continue reading ->