Human activity is pushing the world towards multiple tipping points that will cause rapid and fundamental change to the planet, according to a new report by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS). The Interconnected Disaster Risks report, released on Wednesday, identifies six key tipping points: accelerating extinctions, groundwater depletion, mountain […] Continue reading ->
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country has introduced the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into its routine immunization system, aiming to reach 7.7 million girls – in the continent’s largest-ever vaccination drive against the virus that causes nearly all cases of cervical cancer. Girls aged 9–14 years will receive a single dose of the vaccine, which is […] Continue reading ->
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has projected that global demand for oil, coal, and gas will peak by 2030, but that demand for fossil fuels is set to remain “far too high” to keep the Paris Agreement Target of 1.5C within reach. The IEA now says that the transition to clean energy is happening worldwide […] Continue reading ->
Better access to NCD medicines and treatments isn’t enough to ensure effective prevention and treatment of the conditions, responsible for 74% of premature deaths in the world. More attention needs to be focused on training, retention and effective use of health care workers, said a panel of experts at the World Health Summit. BERLIN – […] Continue reading ->
On the morning of October 10, 2022, Russia launched a barrage of over 100 cruise missiles and suicide drones at Ukraine’s power grid and water supply, striking civilian areas across the country. One of the first targets hit were the streets around Kyiv City Clinical Hospital 5, a medical facility with hundreds of beds in […] Continue reading ->
Part of the Global Health Matters “Dialogues” series. “We make choices about who we take care of, and we make choices about who we neglect,” says author Daisy Hernández about health systems around the world. A guest on a recent episode of the Global Health Matters podcast‘s “Dialogues” program, Hernández shared her personal experience with […] Continue reading ->
In the wake of an abuse scandal that led to the removal of its regional director, WHO’s Western Pacific Regional Office on Friday announced a series of new measures to combat abusive behaviour and sexual exploitation among the region’s over 600 staff. Last March, in an unprecedented move, some countries in the 37-member region voted […] Continue reading ->
The devastating floods that submerged one-third of Pakistan in 2022 have severely disrupted the country’s vaccination programme, leaving millions of children at risk of preventable diseases. The floods severely damaged health infrastructure, causing overall immunization coverage in the country to drop to 64% in 2022, from a national average of 74% in 2020, according to […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA – At the 1853 World Fair, the inventor of a new safety brake technology for elevators, Elisha Otis, demonstrated his innovation by posing an elevator right over the heads of a crowd of visitors and then cutting the cables. The new security brake kicked in. His gimmick helped build trust in an innovation that […] Continue reading ->
The Mauritius Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that a colonial-era law criminalising consensual sexual relations between men is “unconstitutional” and should be struck from the country’s criminal code with immediate effect. According to Section 250 of the Mauritian Criminal Code, men convicted of same-sex relations could be jailed for a maximum of five years. The […] Continue reading ->