The World Health Organization’s top official in Europe says the monkeypox outbreak appears to be slowing in the region, and could be eliminated through universal effort. “There are encouraging early signs, as evidenced in France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, the U.K., and other countries, that the outbreak may be slowing,” WHO’s Regional Director for Europe Dr […] Continue reading ->
Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic announced it has temporarily authorized the first bivalent Covid-19 booster vaccine in the country. That clears the way for an eagerly anticipated second round of booster vaccinations that should better target Omicron sub-variants. Moderna’s COVID-19 mRNA-1273.214 vaccine, Spikevax, is the first COVID-19 vaccine that contains messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) against two […] Continue reading ->
“Power has been increasingly centralised around the Director-General’s office under Tedros’ leadership. This strategy might be advantageous in a crisis that demands a commander-in-control. But a lack of depth in wider leadership leaves shortcomings in the organisation. Thus states the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, in an editorial marking the start of WHO Director General Dr Tedros […] Continue reading ->
Non-nutritive artificial sweeteners duplicate the taste of sugar but have fewer calories. As such, sugar alternatives like saccharin, sucralose, aspartame and stevia are often consumed in large quantities by people looking to watch their weight or shed a few pounds. But a team of researchers from Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science said these alternative sugars […] Continue reading ->
Kenyan manufacturer Universal Corporation LTD (UCL) has become the first African manufacturer to be issued a World Health Organization quality certification of a key antimalarial drug used to prevent infection in pregnant women and children.  This certification, known as prequalification, will enable UCL to support regional efforts to combat malaria through local production of high-quality […] Continue reading ->
A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s eastern province of North Kivu, prompting health authorities to declare a resurgence of the deadly virus, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said on Tuesday. WHO announced that health authorities confirmed a 46-year-old woman died of the disease on 15 August […] Continue reading ->
To mark World Mosquito Day, 20 August, the Global Health Priority Box has been launched to provide free access to 240 compounds to stimulate research into new drugs and insecticides.  The initiative, launched by the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and the Innovative Vector Control Consortium (IVCC), provides scientists with starting points to advance the […] Continue reading ->
In its first guidelines ever for Ebola treatment, the World Health Organization (WHO) advises using two monoclonal antibodies — mAb114 (Ansuvimab®, also known as Ebanga®) and REGN-EB3 (Inmazeb®) — that were first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use against the Zaire ebolavirus species in 2020. WHO says its “strong recommendations” for […] Continue reading ->
An expert panel of advisers to the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that countries consider a second COVID-19 booster dose for older, at-risk and immunocompromised people, echoing guidance provided by European and U.S. regulators months earlier. WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization released its updated recommendations on Thursday, a week after […] Continue reading ->