A 3-month long lockdown could lead to an additional 1.4 million TB deaths and an additional 6.3 million cases over the next five years – if existing tuberculosis services are put on a prolonged hold, reports a new study by the Stop TB Partnership, which estimated the global impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on TB. The […] Continue reading ->
Women’s and children’s health advocates have lauded a landmark move by Sudan to finally criminalize the practice of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) – punishing perpetrators for up to 3 years in prison to ward them off the crime. Last Thursday, Sudan’s National Council for Child Welfare endorsed a long-awaited amendment to Criminal Law […] Continue reading ->
Routine vaccine campaigns, suspended worldwide in the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns, must be resumed immediately or else some countries could face a big surge in deaths from other preventable diseases, said Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. Speaking at a press briefing Thursday, Berkley warned that routine immunizations for other infectious diseases such […] Continue reading ->
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, it continues to reveal and reinforce deep inequalities within and between countries, where low income and marginalized populations pay the highest price and suffer the most. On Tuesday 28 April, a Panel discussion on ‘COVID-19 And Global Inequality’ will zoom into the issues even more deeply, with featured speakers including […] Continue reading ->
WHO’s Legal Mandate Is Weak In Responding To COVID-19 Emergency; But Changes Are Up To Member States
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there could be “a window of opportunity… that would be suicidal to miss” to revise the International Health Regulations that govern countries’ behaviour during health emergencies, said Gian Luca Burci, former World Health Organization head legal counsel and now professor of international law, at a panel hosted by […] Continue reading ->
New Delhi, India – COVID-19 has posed unique challenges for healthcare providers across the globe, as the world has been grappling with the pandemic with no approved treatments or vaccines for the disease. Researchers are searching everywhere for drugs that may help treat or prevent the spread of the deadly virus. This has led to […] Continue reading ->
Progress On Universal Health Coverage Depends On Political Will – And Larger National Health Budgets
The elements are all in place for expanding universal health coverage – what’s missing is more action at the country level, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the WHO Executive Board on Wednesday. “All the political work is actually done now,” Dr. Tedros said. He was reporting on WHO action since the […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization’s Executive Board tackled two big issues today – primary health care, a cornerstone of WHO’s Universal Health Coverage platform, and cancer, the world’s second leading cause of premature deaths. In a comprehensive report released on World Cancer Day, WHO outlined an action plan that could save 7 million lives from cancer […] Continue reading ->
Make the ¨healthiest choices the easiest choices¨ to prevent many non-communicable diseases. This was a key message from an Independent High-Level Commission report on Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), released Tuesday at a WHO Global Meeting to Accelerate Progress NCDs and Mental Health in Muscat, Oman. The report, ¨It´s Time to Walk the Talk¨, released on the […] Continue reading ->
African leaders, scientists, and activists are mobilizing to address the scientific, political, and social challenges inherent to ending the HIV epidemic. That was the key message as the 20th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) kicked off on Monday in Kigali, Rwanda under the theme, “AIDS-free Africa: Innovation, Community and Political Leadership.” […] Continue reading ->