Still No Clarity About Mystery Disease in DRC, But All Severe Cases Are Malnourished

09/12/2024 Kerry Cullinan

There is still no clarity about the cause of the mystery disease affecting people in the Panzi district of Kwango province in south-west Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), despite hopes that it would be diagnosed by the past weekend. Getting laboratory test results is proving more challenging than previously hoped as the district’s “limited laboratory […] Continue reading ->

Climate Change Now Responsible for Nearly One Fifth of Dengue Cases in the Americas and Asia

06/12/2024 Sophia Samantaroy

Nearly one fifth of dengue cases in Latin America and the Caribbean, or about 45 million infections a year, are attributable to climate change, in the past decade, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard and Stanford Universities. Rising temperatures combined with mosquito species uniquely suited to sprawling urbanization and deforestation are fueling […] Continue reading ->

UN Plastic Pollution Treaty Derailed as Fossil Fuel Nations Block Production Limits

03/12/2024 Stefan Anderson

Negotiations to produce a legally binding treaty to curb the global explosion of plastic pollution fell short on Sunday as efforts to limit the production of fossil fuel-based plastics supported by over 100 countries, including the European Union, met fierce opposition from oil-producing nations. A coalition of oil and gas producers led by Saudi Arabia […] Continue reading ->

World Needs Urgent Course Correction for How We Grow Food

02/12/2024 Disha Shetty

The world needs to urgently change the way food is grown and land is used in order to avoid irreparable harm to global food production capacity, according to a major new scientific report released Sunday. Currently seven out of nine ‘planetary boundaries’ have been negatively impacted by unsustainable land use, mostly related to unsustainable agriculture, […] Continue reading ->

Paving the Way for Universal Health Coverage in Asia-Pacific and Beyond with Self-Care Strategies

25/11/2024 Judy Stenmark

Last week, stakeholders gathered in Bangkok for the first-ever Regional Congress on Self-Care in the Asia-Pacific to discuss the importance of interventions and policies within the region. Throughout the proceedings, it was gratifying to see how increasing awareness and support for self-care is resonating regionally – as well as at national and global levels. WHO […] Continue reading ->

Campaign Aims to Expose Big Soda’s ‘Sportswashing;’ Petition Captures 255,000 Signatures

25/11/2024 Editorial team

The “Kick Big Soda Out!” campaign launched on July 8, 2024 ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics and ran through the end of the Paralympics. It’s all about holding sugary drinks companies – especially Coca-Cola – accountable for their impact on health and the environment. To discuss the campaign, Health Policy Watch spoke to Trish […] Continue reading ->

‘Betrayal’: Climate Finance Battle Ends in Defeat at COP29

25/11/2024 Stefan Anderson

Baku’s Olympic stadium was always an unlikely arena for the world to strike a landmark climate agreement. As the world’s first oil town, the Azerbaijani capital’s history is steeped in the fossil fuels driving the climate crisis. Its port launched the maiden voyage of the world’s first oil tanker, and Azerbaijan’s name, derived from ‘Azar,’ […] Continue reading ->

Post Pandemic: Wastewater-based Surveillance of Diseases Comes of Age

22/11/2024 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

A method that first developed around polio elimination and matured during the COVID pandemic, is now being tested and used to track a much wider array of emerging disease threats. A unique symposium of scientists and public health experts at the Paris Sorbonne University last week looked at its promise and potential. In April 2020, […] Continue reading ->

WHO Hits Halfway Mark in Budget ‘Ask’ After $1.7 Billion in New Pledges at G20 Summit

22/11/2024 Disha Shetty

The World Health Organization (WHO) received $1.7 billion in new pledges of financial support at the G20 meeting this week, taking the total of voluntary pledges so far to $3.8 billion for the coming four years. With this, the WHO has met 53% of its investment requirement for its 2025–2028 strategy, in WHO parlance, the 14th […] Continue reading ->

WHO Chief ‘Back to Work’ After Hospital Stay During Rio G20

22/11/2024 Stefan Anderson

The director-general of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is “back to work” following an overnight stay in a Rio hospital during his trip to the G20 summit, the WHO chief said Thursday. The reason for the hospital visit, first reported by the Brazilian paper O Globo, was not disclosed in a statement […] Continue reading ->