Nearly ten years of air pollution data for dozens of Indian cities – among the most polluted in the world – was deleted from the latest World Health Organization Air Quality database just before WHO published the report on 4 April 2022, Health Policy Watch has learned. The Indian air quality data, spanning the years […] Continue reading ->
The second season of the Global Health Matters podcast series kicks off with a close-up look at South Africa’s health equity initiatives and champions. Health Policy Watch will be featuring episodes from the series throughout the coming year as part of a TDR-supported series. As the world commits to equitable access to medicines and vaccines, […] Continue reading ->
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the scientific community to start to implement a ‘One Health’ approach – encompassing people, animals, plants and the environment – to ensure the early identification of infectious diseases and make the world a healthier place. The issues that “One Health” may tackle are diverse. They can range from curbing deforestation […] Continue reading ->
The flu shots that are being administered in the United States, as well as elsewhere in the northern hemisphere, are not reducing the risk of catching the dominant strain of the influenza virus (H3N2) that is circulating this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a March edition of its Morbidity and […] Continue reading ->
The Ukrainian refugees are crossing the border with only their coats on their backs. The women are holding their children’s hands. The children’s eyes are wide and their jaws clenched in fear. “They come here exhausted and cold,” said Dr Dorit Nitzan, former Health Emergencies Coordinator for the World Health Organization´s European region. Nitzan only […] Continue reading ->
Researchers make the argument for increasing vitamin D supplementation in low- and middle-income countries, where vaccines and other methods of COVID prevention may be less available. Maintaining adequate vitamin D levels could play a critical role in protecting against serious illness or death from COVID-19, according to new Israeli research. The study, published last week […] Continue reading ->
Researchers find two antibodies in common in people with long-COVID, the lingering post-infection condition that was recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) last October. But scientists say symptoms and how many people develop the virus are still unclear. By Maayan Hoffman A sizable portion of the 370 million people infected with SARS-COV2 experience Post-Acute […] Continue reading ->
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, monitoring sewage for evidence of disease – in this case COVID-19 – may be on the verge of becoming mainstream. At least that is what some trend-setting researchers are hoping to detect rising SARS-CoV2 infections early and set policies based on data even before swab testing can provide it. […] Continue reading ->
Some two-thirds of deaths of women from cervical cancer are happening in low- and middle-income countries that have not yet included human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for girls and young women into their immunization regimes, said WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Gheybresus on Wednesday. He was speaking at a high level event that saw First […] Continue reading ->
For a long time, the World Health Organization (WHO) has experienced immense financial stress resulting in numerous debates on how to remedy its economic woes. A working group set up earlier this year has been tasked with finding long-term solutions. Each year the representatives of some 194 countries make demands on what work should be […] Continue reading ->