Recent reforms to the World Health Organization “prequalification” program that certifies the safety and efficacy of health products procured in bulk by donors for low and middle-income countries have speeded up the process and thus accelerated access to lifesaving medicines and diagnostic tools in low- and middle-income countries. However, long lead times for product approvals, […] Continue reading ->
In the aftermath of a national health emergency declaration for Monkeypox, the United States has now decided to split the approved MVA-BN vaccine into five doses in an effort to stretch supply.  Some experts, however, have warned that the plan may backfire if health workers are not sufficiently trained in the intradermal skin-based jab technique […] Continue reading ->
Desperately ill patients died alone in hospitals, tended in their final hours by burnt-out health workers.  An avalanche of misinformation undermined care, and non-COVID patients and programmes faced cancelled appointments and treatment delays. These are some of the factors that undermined patient safety during COVID-19, according to a rapid review by the World Health Organization […] Continue reading ->
The United States is considering shifting to intradermal injections of Monkeypox vaccine that could potentially stretch one dose of the approved MVA-BN vaccine, available only in limited quantities, into five doses, said US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf on Thursday. He was speaking at a press briefing minutes after Xavier Becerra, US Secretary […] Continue reading ->
High income countries like the United States and Canada are casting a wide net in their vaccine strategy for monkeypox, vaccinating people exposed to an infected case and groups at risk of exposure while scrambling to study the results in terms of efficacy.  That was the upshot of a WHO-sponsored symposium on monkeypox research involving […] Continue reading ->
MONTREAL – People with mental health conditions are more likely to get HIV, while people with HIV often struggle with depression and other mental health issues – but few countries offer psychosocial support as part of their HIV services. “As a result of systemic inequalities, mental health issues keep coming up and you have to […] Continue reading ->
The manufacturer of the world’s only vaccine approved for monkeypox, Bavarian Nordic, faces a planned closure of its European production plant until late 2022. With only 16.4 million doses of the MVA-BN vaccine available worldwide, it is unclear how the company plans to meet rising demand for its monkeypox vaccine following the global health emergency […] Continue reading ->