The World Health Organization (WHO) has updated its list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that pose the greatest threat to human health, ranking the 15 families of bacteria that feature as “critical”, “high” and “medium” threats.  The Bacterial Priority Pathogens List (BPPL) 2024’s “critical” list features bacteria that are high burden, can resist treatment and spread resistance […] Continue reading ->
Pharmacogenomics research in Africa transcends mere regional healthcare improvements: it represents a pivotal step in addressing pressing global health challenges and propelling medical science forward for all.  A revolution is sweeping through the field of medicine, redefining how we approach the treatment of diseases. Africa must not be left behind in this transformative journey. Pharmacogenomics, […] Continue reading ->
As WHO unveils S.A.R.A.H. (Smart AI Resource Assistant for Health), its new digital health promoter prototype powered by generative artificial intelligence (AI), and available in eight languages 24 hours a day, WHO’s Regional Director for Europe writes about harnessing innovation in health to help meet critical public health challenges, both now and in the future.   […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new network, CoViNet, aimed at identifying, monitoring, and evaluating SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and emerging coronaviruses that pose significant public health risks. The program expands on the WHO COVID-19 reference laboratory network, established in January 2020, in the early days of the pandemic. Originally, the network’s primary goal was […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported drug resistance to the world’s gold-standard antiretroviral medicine, dolutegravir  “exceeding levels observed in clinical trials” – with resistance ranging from 3.9% to 19.6%. This was potentially very bad news as dolutegravir has been the recommended first- and second-line HIV treatment for all population groups since 2018 – but […] Continue reading ->
A new declaration by health ministers from African countries that have the highest malaria burden has reaffirmed the “unwavering commitment to the accelerated reduction of malaria mortality”. The declaration, issued Wednesday by ministers convening in Yaoundé, Cameroon at an African-wide WHO conference on malaria, aims to revitalise the campaign to drive deaths from malaria further […] Continue reading ->