A new UN report showing that half of the world’s health care facilities fail to meet the basic standard for providing hygiene services like soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub highlights the widespread global risk of disease spread and infections to patients and health care providers. About two-thirds of all health care facilities […] Continue reading ->
Recently, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness (CEPI) launched a $3.5 billion plan of investment in ground-breaking R&D, linked to equitable access commitments, which aims to transform the world’s ability to respond to new epidemic and pandemic threats and catalyze cooperation across a coalition of public and private sector partners. As parliamentarians from across the European […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization’s top official in Europe says the monkeypox outbreak appears to be slowing in the region, and could be eliminated through universal effort. “There are encouraging early signs, as evidenced in France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, the U.K., and other countries, that the outbreak may be slowing,” WHO’s Regional Director for Europe Dr […] Continue reading ->
Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic announced it has temporarily authorized the first bivalent Covid-19 booster vaccine in the country. That clears the way for an eagerly anticipated second round of booster vaccinations that should better target Omicron sub-variants. Moderna’s COVID-19 mRNA-1273.214 vaccine, Spikevax, is the first COVID-19 vaccine that contains messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) against two […] Continue reading ->
For emerging global health professionals from the world’s “south,” choosing whether to focus their energy on local issues or on international challenges is always a dilemma, Chief Planetary Health Scientist of Sunway Centre for Planetary Health in Malaysia Renzo Guinto argues. “One important crossroad that I’ve encountered is tension on whether I stay in the […] Continue reading ->
“Power has been increasingly centralised around the Director-General’s office under Tedros’ leadership. This strategy might be advantageous in a crisis that demands a commander-in-control. But a lack of depth in wider leadership leaves shortcomings in the organisation. Thus states the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, in an editorial marking the start of WHO Director General Dr Tedros […] Continue reading ->
Non-nutritive artificial sweeteners duplicate the taste of sugar but have fewer calories. As such, sugar alternatives like saccharin, sucralose, aspartame and stevia are often consumed in large quantities by people looking to watch their weight or shed a few pounds. But a team of researchers from Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science said these alternative sugars […] Continue reading ->
Kenyan manufacturer Universal Corporation LTD (UCL) has become the first African manufacturer to be issued a World Health Organization quality certification of a key antimalarial drug used to prevent infection in pregnant women and children.  This certification, known as prequalification, will enable UCL to support regional efforts to combat malaria through local production of high-quality […] Continue reading ->