Many Ways for Governments to Improve ‘Deeply Unhealthy’ Food Environment

20/10/2022 Megha Kaveri

“The bottom line is that our food environment is deeply unhealthy. And unless we change that, millions of people will suffer from avoidable illness and die early from preventable death,” Dr Tom Frieden, CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, told the World Health Summit in Berlin. “Voluntary changes are much less likely to result in […] Continue reading ->

Increased Self-Care Could Save $179b in Healthcare Costs

20/10/2022 Maayan Hoffman

For “Nundy,” a mother of two living in South Africa’s Khayelitsha township, going to the doctor more than once a year is not an option. She would have to pay 50% of her total household income in a month in order to see a doctor, so she saves up all of her medical questions and […] Continue reading ->

Parliamentarians Unite Forces Globally to Advance Pandemic Treaty

18/10/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

BERLIN – If a new treaty that rewrites the global rules for pandemic response is really approved by the World Health Assembly by May 2024, as planned, that will still only be the beginning of the journey. The new international accord will still have to be ratified by a critical mass of WHO´s 194 member […] Continue reading ->

Exposure to Air Pollution May be a Factor in Obesity in Women

17/10/2022 Stefan Anderson

New evidence that exposure to air pollution can potentially contribute to obesity in women has emerged from a study by the University of Michigan “Women in their late 40s and early 50s exposed long-term to air pollution—specifically, higher levels of fine particles, nitrogen dioxide and ozone—saw increases in their body size and composition measures,” said […] Continue reading ->

Climate Protests Grab Center Stage at Opening of Berlin´s World Health Summit

17/10/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

BERLIN – The first World Health Summit co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) started off with a siren call to climate action – literally – as activists disrupted the ceremonial plenary attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz by repeatedly setting off fire alarms Outside the posh Hotel Berlin venue, activists plastered the doors with […] Continue reading ->

Indian Government Halts Production at Pharma Firm that WHO Says Produced Tainted Cough Medicines

13/10/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

The Indian government has halted the Maiden Pharmaceuticals plant that produced the cough and cold syrups that WHO says were tainted with toxic chemicals – possibly linked to the recent deaths of some 66 children in The Gambia. A senior WHO official confirmed that Indian government health authorities had shut down the plant after WHO […] Continue reading ->

A Nature-based Strategy to Combat Dengue: Among Futuristic Health Solutions at GESDA’s 2022 Summit

13/10/2022 Megha Kaveri

A nature-based solution that could help reduce the rising global burden of disease from dengue fever is looming on the research horizon. But more studies are needed before the World Health Organization could recommend a broad scale-up of the approach, WHO’s chief scientist said on Wednesday. WHO Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan summed up her conclusions […] Continue reading ->

Cholera Outbreak in Haiti, Ebola in Uganda’s Capital Stir WHO Concerns

12/10/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

The spread of a cholera outbreak to an overcrowded Haitian prison, of Ebola virus to Uganda’s capital city of Kampala, and increased incidence of malaria, dengue, measles and cholera in flood-swamped Pakistan were among the long list of health emergencies needing urgent attention and investments – as compared to the trillions being invested right now […] Continue reading ->

Gaping Hole in Global Funding for Hunger

12/10/2022 Paul Adepoju

Over 90% of appeals for urgent hunger-related funding made through the United Nations humanitarian system were not fully funded in 2021, according to a report produced by Action Against Hunger. While global funding has increased by 233% over the past decade, overall humanitarian needs are up 500%. “This means that 42% fewer UN appeals are […] Continue reading ->

mRNA Technology is ‘The Answer’ to Sustainable Local Vaccine Production

11/10/2022 Kerry Cullinan

If sustainability of vaccine production is the question, then mRNA technology is the answer, Martin Friede, co-ordinator for vaccine research at the World Health Organization (WHO), told a panel convened by the Global Health Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute on Monday. “The big advantage of mRNA is that, in theory, you can make many […] Continue reading ->