The region of the Americas has seen eight times the number of yellow fever cases this year, compared to the same period in 2024. The vaccine-preventable, viral, mosquito-borne disease has surged as cases “spillover” from animals, according to a Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) rapid risk assessment. Dense jungles in Colombia and Brazil have seen […] Continue reading ->
The quest for new treatment options for newborns with drug-resistant sepsis took another step forward this week with the enrollment of the first baby in a trial of a combination of three older antibiotics. It is the second part of a clinical trial by the Global Antibiotic Research and  Development Partnership (GARDP) to evaluate various […] Continue reading ->
Three days after removing all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory group, United States Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has made eight new appointments – at least half of whom have spoken out against the handling of COVID-19 and vaccines. The new appointees to the Advisory Committee […] Continue reading ->
As the world observes ‘No Tobacco Day’, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called on governments to ban all flavours in tobacco and nicotine products, including cigarettes, pouches, hookahs and e-cigarettes – which are playing an increasing role in hooking young people to tobacco products. Over 50 countries have banned flavoured tobacco, but manufacturers are […] Continue reading ->
For the first time since the 1990s, the World Health Organization has been asked by member states to update its assessment on the health impacts of nuclear war, although not without significant resistance, led by Russia and North Korea, but also including many other major nuclear states.  The resolution calling for an updated assessment of […] Continue reading ->
In a region where war, displacement, and weak health systems fuel a deadly disease, nine African governments are trying a new approach: eliminate visceral leishmaniasis by working together. As neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) continue to strain underfunded health systems across Africa, a regional political coalition has formalised its intent to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis (VL) through […] Continue reading ->
Women’s groups and human rights organisations have raised the alarm about an African anti-rights conference taking place this weekend in Uganda, followed by another next week in Nairobi, featuring prominent US conservatives, aimed at developing “an African charter on family sovereignty and values”.  Previous conferences have been used to mobilise for anti-LGBTQ laws and promote […] Continue reading ->