WHA delegates spent over 10 hours in diplomatic maneuvers, debates and painful rollcount votes Friday, finally approving two measures that decried the humanitarian crisis in Gaza in sharply different, and sometimes  contradictory terms.   One motion co-sponsored by a coalition of Algeria, Russia, China, Cuba, Iran, Egypt and other Middle Eastern allies, condemns “indiscriminate attacks” by […] Continue reading ->
After two years of intensive negotiations – including long nights this week – the World Health Assembly (WHA) finally passed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR)  and committed to completing pandemic agreement talks within a year.  After failing to agree on the amendments before WHA opened on Monday, member states have been racing to […] Continue reading ->
The fight against malaria is facing a new and urgent challenge as climate change and extreme weather events threaten to undermine decades of progress, according to warnings from several countries at the 77th World Health Assembly this week. “Recent extreme weather events such as flooding in Malawi and other countries have intensified malaria transmission, disproportionately […] Continue reading ->
The tobacco industry is deliberately targeting children with nicotine products, using targeted marketing to lure the younger generation into smoking while publicly promoting e-cigarettes as a less harmful alternative for smokers, according to a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and STOP, a tobacco industry watchdog. The report, released ahead of World No-Tobacco […] Continue reading ->
At the 77th World Health Assembly, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, urged nations to prioritize vaccinating “zero-dose” children, particularly those in regions affected by humanitarian crises and complex emergencies. These children have not received any shots, putting them at a higher risk of preventable diseases. “We are scaling up routine immunization and reaching the estimated 14.3 […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA – Just six countries in the world are on track to meet global targets to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes.  At the World Health Assembly (WHA) this week, every country – rich and poor – lamented their struggles to contain rising NCDs, which now cause […] Continue reading ->