Nigeria Becomes First Country in World to Roll out New Five-in-One Meningitis Vaccine

15/04/2024 Zuzanna Stawiska

Nigeria has incorporated a cutting-edge meningitis vaccine into its immunization programmes, becoming the first country on the continent to roll it out. The vaccine provides immunity against as many as five strains of deadly meningococcus bacteria, WHO announced on Friday. “Meningitis is an old and deadly foe, but this new vaccine holds the potential to […] Continue reading ->

Amid Global Cholera Surge, Gavi Launches New Testing Programme

10/04/2024 Zuzanna Stawiska

A new programme aiming at providing 1.2 million rapid cholera diagnostic tests has been launched in 14 African and Asian countries. “Routine use of diagnostics will bolster cholera surveillance in impacted countries, and must be leveraged to better target vaccination efforts, which play a critical role in multisectoral cholera prevention and control programmes,” said Aurélia […] Continue reading ->

Stigma Prevents Europeans Living with Hepatitis B and C From Telling Families and Getting Care

10/04/2024 Zuzanna Stawiska

Half the people living with hepatitis B or C struggle to tell others about their condition and a quarter had not told their families of their diagnosis, concluded a first-ever European study on the stigma related to the disease. Findings from the multi-country study, conducted by the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) and the European Centre […] Continue reading ->

Access Battle for New Generation Obesity Drugs

04/04/2024 Zuzanna Stawiska

Demand for diabetes drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsis and Trulicity has soared since they have been clinically proven to help weight loss – but they are massively overpriced in the US and unavailable in most low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), according to Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The mark-up for these drugs – called glucagon-like […] Continue reading ->

Older Women and Those With Disabilities Are More at Risk of Abuse

27/03/2024 Zuzanna Stawiska

Women over the age of 60 and women with disabilities, face a higher risk of abuse yet their experiences are largely hidden in most data, according to two new publications released today by the World Health Organization (WHO). Where there is data, these groups face high prevalence, with one systematic review finding greater risks of […] Continue reading ->

Abortion Reform in Poland Faces Obstacles Despite Defeat of Right-wing Government

26/03/2024 Zuzanna Stawiska

Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which championed the country’s restrictive abortion laws, was voted out of power last October, but the path to improving access to abortion is not fast or straight forward. “First of all, we need accessible abortions and we need, which is extremely important, the decriminalisation of abortion support,” activist […] Continue reading ->

WHO Issues New Guidance for Reducing Avoidable Harm from Medicines

14/03/2024 Zuzanna Stawiska

As many as one in 20 patients experience avoidable side effects from medication that they use, with this figure rising to 7% in developing countries. The causes range from taking the medication at the wrong time, which could result in minor side effects, to taking an inappropriate drug, which might result in unpredicted harm as […] Continue reading ->

New WHO Report Finds Women Perform 76% of Unpaid Healthcare Activities

13/03/2024 Zuzanna Stawiska

Women perform an estimated 76% of all unpaid healthcare activities, according to a new WHO report on gender-based discrimination in healthcare. Globally, it has been estimated that women spend between two and ten times more time on unpaid health care work than men, amounting to a total of 16.4 billion hours per day. Further, in […] Continue reading ->

Deadly Mpox Transmission in DR Congo Happening Under Radar; Most Victims are Children

13/03/2024 Zuzanna Stawiska

A leading Geneva-based global health organization has decried the lack of tests available for mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – where an outbreak declared in 2023 continues unchecked – saying that children are the main victims. “The mpox situation in the DRC is deeply alarming and the lack of tests for […] Continue reading ->

WHO Issues Guidelines for Expanding Access to Hearing Aids

01/03/2024 Zuzanna Stawiska

Over 400 million people with hearing loss could benefit from hearing devices. However, less than 20% of those people actually get hearing aids. That’s one of the findings cited in new World Health Organisation guidelines on improving access to hearing care, published Friday, just ahead of World Hearing Day. “Unaddressed hearing loss is a global […] Continue reading ->