The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is planning to launch its mpox vaccination campaign in early October, marking a critical step in the fight against the ongoing outbreak across Africa, said Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the African Centres for Disease Control and Protection (Africa CDC), on Thursday. Kaseya spoke at a press briefing following […] Continue reading ->
Tens of millions of women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa will experience “catastrophic levels” of intimate partner violence because the world is failing to make progress on the climate crisis, according to new projections by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. The report, jointly produced by UNFPA, the International Institute for Applied Systems […] Continue reading ->
Manufacturers of antibiotics are dumping waste into waterways that is driving antimicrobial resistance (AMR), warns the first-ever guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) on waste water management and AMR. Antibiotic pollution is “largely unregulated” and a “neglected” issue, according to the WHO guidance, which explains how to mitigate liquid and solid waste during the formulation […] Continue reading ->
Fundamental policy changes aimed at fixing India’s seemingly intractable air pollution health crisis were suggested at the India Clean Air Summit (ICAS) held in Bengaluru recently. Among the dozens of presentations by air quality scientists and officials, five key elements emerged for policy action that can speed up the reduction of air pollutants. These involve: […] Continue reading ->
Climate change, wildfires and air pollution are locked in a deadly cycle threatening human health, ecosystems and agriculture worldwide, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Thursday. The WMO sounded the alarm in its latest bulletin on air quality and climate, the fourth such publication this year. With a special focus on wildfires, the report […] Continue reading ->
New Delhi’s decades-old regime to control vehicular pollution, including a heavy reliance by commercial vehicles on compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel, has been challenged by a new study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). The report upends the narrative the that CNG is a ‘clean’ fuel, pointing to its high level of health-damaging […] Continue reading ->
United Nations officials are expressing concern that a new cholera outbreak in conflict-ridden Sudan, declared 10 days ago, could widen dramatically in the wake of increased rainfall and flooding. Some 658 cases of cholera have been reported since 12 August, with 28 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed in its latest situation report, published […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization and UNICEF have appealed for ‘humanitarian pauses’ in the grinding Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip in August and September to facilitate a massive polio booster campaign – as three suspected polio cases were being investigated by a Jordanian laboratory. The appeal came as the entire region see-saws between the possibility […] Continue reading ->
One in five children now live in parts of the world that are experiencing double the number of extremely heat days per year, as compared to six decades ago, according to a new analysis by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The analysis comparing average temperatures during the 1960s to the period 2020-2024, highlights a […] Continue reading ->
Humans are ingesting and inhaling more microplastics than at any time in recorded history, a Cornell University study revealed. The research shows microplastic consumption has risen sixfold globally since 1990, with Asian, African, and American countries all experiencing increases. People in China and the United States are among those consuming record levels of tiny plastic […] Continue reading ->