NEW DELHI – The theme was “Scaling Access to Ensure Health Equity”, but that hardly reflected the intense concerns raised at the first World Health Summit Regional Meeting with the storm of Trump Administration cutbacks and closures of global health programmes since January.   Traditional medicine, climate and health, data transparency, and the role of AI […] Continue reading ->
With plans underway for a new “Independent Panel” on Antimicrobial Resistance, endorsed at September’s UN High-Level AMR Meeting, the new body must become a strong scientific authority. It should have the power to “challenge” the agencies that create it and address both human and animal health factors driving drug-resistant pathogens. That was a key message […] Continue reading ->
Only 35 countries have submitted the national strategies required by the UN biodiversity treaty showing how they’ll meet its binding nature protection targets. While 33 of these plans recognise links between human health and biodiversity, they offer few specifics on implementation and policy, a Health Policy Watch analysis found.  Negotiators in Cali aim to bridge […] Continue reading ->
The Africa CDC has slammed the US government’s recent Level 3 travel advisory for Rwanda as unfair and baseless, arguing it undermines Rwanda’s proactive efforts to contain a Marburg outbreak. With rapid testing, vaccinations, and coordinated emergency response measures in place, Rwanda’s leaders insist the country poses no international threat and warn that travel restrictions […] Continue reading ->
For the first time ever, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that pregnant women be vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), or that their newborns receive a dose of monoclonal antibodies to protect them against severe RSV disease, which has seen a global resurgence as the COVID-19 pandemic waned.  In 2022-2023, RSV was the […] Continue reading ->
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the risks of over-reliance on global supply chains for essential health products. Disruptions led to severe delays and shortages of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, with low- and middle-income countries bearing the brunt. Vaccine inequality starkly highlighted Africa’s vulnerability. Yet this crisis unveiled a unique opportunity for the continent: a chance to […] Continue reading ->
The Argentina-based biotech firm,  Sinergium Biotech, has agreed to share know-how on the production of an mRNA vaccine for Avian influenza (H5N1) with WHO’s  Tecnology Transfer Hub so that an affordable vaccine could rapidly be produced for developing countries, WHO said Monday. The agreement marks the first time that a vaccine developer has actually volunteered […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA – Partnerships between industry, multilateral organizations, and other stakeholders are essential to overcoming challenges and improving access to innovations. This was the key message at an International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (IFPMA) event on Tuesday evening, held on the sidelines of the World Health Assembly in Geneva. The gathering brought together representatives from the […] Continue reading ->