The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new network, CoViNet, aimed at identifying, monitoring, and evaluating SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and emerging coronaviruses that pose significant public health risks. The program expands on the WHO COVID-19 reference laboratory network, established in January 2020, in the early days of the pandemic. Originally, the network’s primary goal was […] Continue reading ->
What actions and strategies are required for countries and communities to have more agency in their health? This is the topic of the latest episode of the Global Health Matters “Dialogues” podcast series, in which host Dr. Garry Aslanyan tries to “blow up some of the echo chambers that exist in global health.” In this […] Continue reading ->
Pharmaceutical giants could support a formula whereby companies are guaranteed free and immediate access to pathogens with pandemic potential in exchange for binding equity agreements as part of a proposed World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic agreement, says a leading industry figure. The statement by Thomas Cueni, director-general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers […] Continue reading ->
A much higher percentage of the population has experienced “persistent” COVID-19 infections lasting more than 30 days than initially assumed, according to new research by the University of Oxford. The study, published on February 21 in Nature, found that one to three of every 100 infections may last a month or longer. The scientists, using […] Continue reading ->
There is a global lack of preparedness and reactive responses when confronted with emerging epidemic threats, a concerning lack of investment in the R&D vaccine and therapeutics pipeline, and signs of waning focus on pandemic preparedness, according to a new report by the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS). The IPPS launched its third annual report on […] Continue reading ->
COVID-19 vaccines reduced deaths due to the pandemic by at least 57%, saving more than 1.4 million lives in the WHO European Region between December 2020 and March 2023, according to a report published in medRxiv, a pre-print platform for health sciences, on Tuesday. Most of the lives saved were those of people aged 60 […] Continue reading ->
The JN.1 COVID-19 variant is completing its global takeover, with the number of new cases having increased by 52% during the 28 days leading up to the end of the year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In the United States, JN.1 accounts for more than 60% of COVID-19 cases, according to the Centers […] Continue reading ->
The rising number of US citizens declining vaccinations is threatening population immunity to certain diseases, according to two US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) leaders. “The situation has now deteriorated to the point that population immunity against some vaccine-preventable infectious diseases is at risk, and thousands of excess deaths are likely to occur this season […] Continue reading ->
A spike in COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia has prompted Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia to reintroduce screening for travellers at airports. In the past week, Indonesia has installed thermal body scanners at Jakarta International Airport and the main ferry line. The Bali Port Health Office has also implemented thermal checks at three border entry points: […] Continue reading ->
LUSAKA, Zambia – Ensuring that Africa can manufacture its own vaccines will represent “the second independence of Africa”, Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said at the start of the Conference for Public Health in Africa 2023 (CPHIA) on Monday. “Many African countries got their […] Continue reading ->