NEW YORK – As heads of state and international organisations gather for the 74th United Nations General Assembly, Monday’s High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is one of the key events of this session. It aspires to elevate access to quality healthcare for the global population by 2030, and one billion more people by […] Continue reading ->
Kenya initiated a national pilot of the world’s first malaria vaccine today, joining Ghana and Malawi to introduce the landmark vaccine as a tool against a disease that remains a leading killer of children under the age of 5 years, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The vaccine, known as RTS,S, will be rolled out nationally in […] Continue reading ->
At a first-ever Global Vaccination Summit, health leaders worldwide ramped up efforts to tackle “vaccine hesitancy”, which has prompted the recent resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles. “After many years of progress, we are at a critical turning point. Measles is resurging, and 1 in 10 children continues to miss out on essential childhood […] Continue reading ->
Digital health holds the potential to transform health systems so that they become more proactive and responsive to patients, advocates said at Wednesday’s launch of a two-day international conference that brought together members of the global healthcare and artificial intelligence (AI) communities in Switzerland’s pharmaceutical industry hub, Basel. But using AI doesn’t inherently empower women […] Continue reading ->
Reducing pesticide self-poisonings is one of the most effective ways to reduce suicide deaths –the second leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years, after road injury, according to a new WHO report. Release of the WHO report, Preventing suicide, a resource for pesticide registrars and regulators, coincided with World Suicide Prevention Day […] Continue reading ->
Some 4.4% of the world’s climate emissions are from health care activities – meaning that if health care was a country, it would rank as the world’s fifth largest emitter in absolute terms – after the United States, China, India and Russia, but ahead of Japan and Brazil. This is the key finding from a […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization concluded that the current risk to human health of microplastics in drinking-water is low, according to a report released today. However, it says that further research is needed to more accurately assess the effects of exposure to microplastics. “We urgently need to know more about the health impact of microplastics because […] Continue reading ->
Most big cities around the world are above World Health Organization-recommended safe levels of particular matter in the air, with 42 percent at dangerously high levels, and only 8 percent within safe limits, a new study finds. At just 2.5 microns in size or smaller, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is “a leading environmental health risk” […] Continue reading ->
A transformation of global diets away from red meat consumption and towards healthier plant-based alternatives is critical for the world to combat climate change and land degradation that threatens food systems, while meeting the nutrition requirements of a growing population, says a new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report, Climate […] Continue reading ->
NEW YORK – Negotiations over a planned United Nations political declaration on universal health coverage (UHC) reopened last week after about a dozen countries reportedly objected to language in the final draft covering two sensitive issues – sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and the health needs of migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons and […] Continue reading ->