Social media will be banned for children under 13 across the European Union according to the newly proposed “EU Kids Act”, announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today (16 September) in Brussels. The sweeping digital health initiative mandates strict parental oversight for young teenagers aged 13 to under 15 across all 27 […] Continue reading ->
Countries supported by the Global Fund put over a million more people on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, sustained tuberculosis treatment and distributed 34 million more insecticide-treated mosquito nets in 2025 than the previous year. In 2025, some 26.9 million people were on ARVs (compared to 25.6 million), 7.4 million people were treated for TB, and 196 […] Continue reading ->
Contracts, contracts, contracts. Virtually all the regional blocs that addressed the start of the eighth round of the pandemic agreement talks on Monday stressed that any pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS) system needs to include standard contracts with pharmaceutical manufacturers. These would set out the terms of accessing dangerous pathogens, as well as how to […] Continue reading ->
EU negotiator Americo Zampetti warns that ideological polarisation over pathogen access threatens to derail the WHO Pandemic Agreement. On the eve of the eighth round of talks on an annex to the Pandemic Agreement, the European Union’s (EU) chief negotiator has warned that “ideology” is blocking consensus. Negotiators meet at the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) […] Continue reading ->
A new CDC research center aims to better understand the possible health effects of those 21 years or younger at the time of their 9/11 exposure. For the past two decades, the World Trade Center (WTC) health program has pioneered research exploring the health effects of people exposed to the toxic dust and trauma of […] Continue reading ->
Record heat in August this year has made it the joint warmest month alongside July 2023. It was also the first month since November 2025 when global temperatures were 1.65°C higher than the pre-industrial level baseline, shooting the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C yet again. In its latest update, Copernicus, the […] Continue reading ->
A new three-dose vial presentation of the maternal RSV vaccine received prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday, unlocking large-scale distribution across lower-income countries. The decision enables global health alliances to introduce affordable immunisation during pregnancy, protecting newborns from severe respiratory disease. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remains the second leading cause of infant […] Continue reading ->
HIV services, mental health and harm reduction programmes have been severely affected by the huge funding cuts to organisations providing services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people over the past 18 months. Perversely, organisations in countries with the most repressive conditions for LGBTIQ people have been worst affected by cuts, according […] Continue reading ->
Saima Wazed, WHO’s Regional Director (RD) for South-East Asia (SEARO) and daughter of ousted Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, resigned Wednesday, just a day after South-East Asian member states recommended her termination, WHO confirmed to Health Policy Watch. “The previous day, 8 September 2026, the Regional Committee had recommended that Wazed’s appointment as Regional Director […] Continue reading ->
Outgoing WHO Assistant Director-General Dr Jeremy Farrar will lead PATH’s regional division for Asia, the Middle East, and Europe starting in October, the organisation announced in a press release on Wednesday (9 September). Based in Geneva, he joins the executive leadership team to accelerate the delivery of health technologies across these regions. “Dr Farrar joins […] Continue reading ->