A widely cited study about the use of Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin to treat COVID-19, published in March 2020, has been retracted by its publisher, Elsevier. The study, published in Elsevier’s International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, was retracted in the January 2025 edition of the journal (issued last month). “Concerns have been raised regarding this article, […] Continue reading ->
Chinese surgeons have used a surgical robotic system and a high-speed satellite to perform five operations on patients thousands of kilometres away from them, according to China Global Television Network (CGTN), China’s global news  broadcaster. The surgeons, who were based in the Chinese cities of Lhasa, Dali and Sanya, performed procedures on the Beijing patients’ […] Continue reading ->
Climate change, unplanned urbanization, sprawling cities, and the El Nino effect all converged to make 2024 a “historic” year for dengue transmission. With increased opportunities for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes–the insects that carry dengue– to breed, cases reached a record 12.7 million cases in the WHO’s Americas Region, nearly three times more than in 2023. This translates […] Continue reading ->
The world needs to urgently change the way food is grown and land is used in order to avoid irreparable harm to global food production capacity, according to a major new scientific report released Sunday. Currently seven out of nine ‘planetary boundaries’ have been negatively impacted by unsustainable land use, mostly related to unsustainable agriculture, […] Continue reading ->
WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed the new ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon, which took effect Wednesday, but he noted that health needs in Gaza remain huge and “will only increase” with the onset of winter cold and rains.   While there is an opportunity now to rebuild southern Lebanon’s shattered health infrastructure, […] Continue reading ->
Dr Faustine Ndugulile, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director-elect for Africa, has died while receiving medical treatment in India, Tanzania’s parliament speaker announced on Wednesday. Ndugulile, aged 55, was due to assume his position as the next leader of WHO Africa in February  No reasons were given for his death, which has been met […] Continue reading ->