DAMASCUS/JABLEH – One week on from last week’s massive earthquakes, ordinary people across Syria – including in the large parts controlled by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces – have been scrambling to marshal whatever help they can for survivors, offering up their homes, supplies, and skills. While many of the areas al-Assad controls are further from […] Continue reading ->
Following a first-ever outbreak of deadly Marburg virus disease in Equatorial Guinea, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday called an emergency meeting of the Marburg virus vaccine consortium (MARVAC) to receive an urgent update on possible vaccine candidates for the filovirus that can have an 80% fatality rate.   At the meeting, the agency received […] Continue reading ->
The world’s biggest multinational companies are failing to meet the bold climate change pledges they have made – and are obfuscating their failures through “ambiguous commitments, offsetting plans that lack credibility and emission scope exclusions”. This is according to the Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor 2023, which was released on Monday by Carbon Market Watch and […] Continue reading ->
As Malawi struggles with its biggest-ever cholera outbreak, its response is being hampered by the global shortage of vaccines, warned Dr Patrick Otim Ramadan, World Health Organization (WHO) Africa’s Incident Manager for Regional Cholera Response at a media briefing on Thursday. By Wednesday, Malawi had recorded 40,284 cases and 1,316 deaths, with a case fatality […] Continue reading ->
Infant formula companies have “pathologised” normal baby behaviour to promote their products, and there should be “an international, legal treaty” to prevent their marketing,  according to health experts. In addition, political lobbying by milk formula companies to influence public policy should be sharply curtailed.  These are some of the suggestions contained in a three-part series […] Continue reading ->
A new UN Environment report calls for more attention to be focused on the environmental factors fostering the development of strains of drug-resistant bacteria immune to all known antibiotics, known as “superbugs”. By 2050, the UN estimates that up to 10 million deaths could be caused by superbugs and associated forms of antimicrobial resistance, matching […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) triggered its “no regrets” policy at an emergency meeting on Tuesday in response to the earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria this week, while promising long-term aid to the affected regions after the period of emergency response ends. The policy – which says that in unpredictable crises, WHO should err […] Continue reading ->
As a second earthquake hit Turkey and Syria on Monday morning, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) member states offered their solidarity during an Executive Board (EB) session that presciently focused on refugees and migrants. The two earthquakes struck within 12 hours, and by Monday evening over 2,600 deaths had been reported, while thousands of people […] Continue reading ->
The Russian delegation to the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board (EB) called the report on the work of the UN health agency’s response to the Ukraine war “politicised,” prompting a spirited defense from the agency chief. Russia pressured the UN health agency to revise a report related to its emergency response in Ukraine, prompting […] Continue reading ->