The World Health Organization (WHO) has added the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine to its list of ‘prequalified’ vaccines, paving the way for bulk procurement and mass deployment of the new vaccine across malaria-endemic countries by UNICEF and other global health agencies. The prequalification of the world’s second malaria vaccine, developed by Oxford University and manufactured by […] Continue reading ->
The court challenge to Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, one of the harshest anti-LGBTQ laws in the world, began in Kampala on Monday before five Constitutional Court judges. The Act, which was passed by an overwhelming majority of Members of Parliament in May, includes penalties such as a life sentence for same-sex acts between consenting adults, 10 […] Continue reading ->
Zambia is experiencing its worst anthrax outbreak in a decade, while four neighbouring countries – Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Zimbabwe – have also reported outbreaks, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Africa region. By 20 November, four Zambians had died, with 684 suspected and 37 confirmed cases from nine of the country’s 10 provinces. […] Continue reading ->
The Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has approved the establishment of a new African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), a financing instrument that is to make more than $1 billion available to support sustainable vaccine manufacturing in Africa. The board decision marks a historic reversal of past efforts which saw the agency’s massive budget for […] Continue reading ->
As donors withdraw from HIV, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has chosen to focus on the importance of community-led interventions to end the AIDS pandemic for World AIDS Day on 1 December. “There has been an unprecedented backsliding in financial commitments to community-led organisations, and it is costing lives,” according to UNAIDS […] Continue reading ->