African countries like Uganda and South Africa are rewriting the rules of emergency response. The rest of the world must follow – or fall behind. Every April, World Immunisation Week is observed with predictable rhetoric: health leaders celebrate progress, governments make declarations, and global agencies issue reports highlighting gains and gaps in vaccination. But as […] Continue reading ->
During this World Immunization Week (24-30 April), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), shares recommendations for how Gavi – which is developing its new five-year strategy amidst looming funding cuts – can strengthen collaboration between governments and humanitarian organisations to ensure that more children up until the age of at least five, especially those living in fragile […] Continue reading ->
After the World Malaria Report 2024 was published, the global community confronted an undeniable and uncomfortable truth: while malaria affects entire communities, its burden is not equally distributed. Women, particularly in malaria-endemic regions, are disproportionately impacted. Their physical, social and economic health suffers more than others’ as they bear the brunt of caregiving responsibilities, suffer […] Continue reading ->
World Health Organization (WHO) member states have entered their final week of scheduled negotiations on the pandemic agreement (PA), amid renewed urgency following the United States withdrawal from the organization and widespread aid cuts that carry serious implications for global health. With limited time before the May World Health Assembly, when a final version of […] Continue reading ->
The journey of the medicine, Caplacizumab – from a publicly funded scientific breakthrough to a high-cost pharmaceutical product controlled by a multinational corporation – illustrates the contradictions of the existing drug development system.  It is a story of public investment, private capital, industrial consolidation, and the persistent question: Who ultimately benefits from medical innovation? At […] Continue reading ->
The proposed pandemic agreement being negotiated at the World Health Organization (WHO) represents a critical opportunity for the global community to prevent future pandemics – including through coordinated multi-sectoral surveillance across human, animal, and environmental health data. As WHO member states gather in closed meetings over the next few week, three experts in wildlife health […] Continue reading ->
Europe has successfully controlled many livestock diseases over the years, but the threat of animal diseases is never truly over – and climate change is increasing this threat. In 2023, the continent saw an outbreak of bluetongue virus that cost the Netherlands alone an estimated €200 million. Earlier this year, Germany experienced its first foot-and-mouth […] Continue reading ->