Millions of people in Southeast Asia are currently exposed to hazardous levels of air pollution as the large-scale haze caused by Indonesian wildfires crosses boundaries, leading to cancelled outdoor activities and school closures.   Indonesia alone has recorded 50,000 cases of respiratory infections linked to land and forest fires between July and August this year, according to […] Continue reading ->
A group of senior national security and health officials contend that cutting funding to the regional health organization will cripple the Western hemisphere’s ability to defend itself against disease threats. The oldest multilateral health organization in the world, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), is fighting many of the same health threats it did at […] Continue reading ->
BENGALURU – India’s flagship air pollution action plan, the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), has mostly failed to deliver, according to research presented at the eighth India Clean Air Summit.  Officials, scientists, and other experts highlighted the 2019 program’s severe shortcomings and red-flagged critical gaps. An “NCAP 2.0′ has been widely expected, but the central […] Continue reading ->
Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs.  This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading ->