Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has pared down its staff in its Geneva headquarters, Washington DC and New York by 33% – from 643 to 440 people, the agency confirmed today, following a June replenishment drive that fell about $2 billion short of a $11.9 billion fundraising goal for 2026-2030. Beginning in 2026, the agency will […] Continue reading ->
The global childhood vaccination rate in 2024 held steady with 85% of infants and children receiving three doses of the vaccine for diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT), used as a global benchmark for immunization rates overall. However large, continued gaps in coverage are propelling outbreaks, including the highest rate of measles cases since 2019. “In […] Continue reading ->
Samira Asma, assistant director of Data, Analytics and Delivery since 2020, is reportedly leaving WHO in the first of an expected departure of five senior leadership team members as the Organisation sets out to dramatically shrinks its Geneva footprint and staffing. Of the existing 11-member team, only six would remain, if a plan shared by […] Continue reading ->
CAPE TOWN – A coalition of South African civil society groups have urged South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to “step up” and lead a coordinated national and regional response to prevent “mass healthcare disruptions, preventable deaths, and surges in new HIV infections and drug resistance,” in the wake of the US President Donald Trump’s cut off […] Continue reading ->
WASHINGTON, DC – Robert F Kennedy (RFK) Jr’s Senate confirmation as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary faced fresh obstacles on Thursday after Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) said he “wasn’t sure “ he could vote for someone “who spent decades criticizing vaccines, and who’s financially vested in […] Continue reading ->
For the first time ever, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that pregnant women be vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), or that their newborns receive a dose of monoclonal antibodies to protect them against severe RSV disease, which has seen a global resurgence as the COVID-19 pandemic waned. In 2022-2023, RSV was the […] Continue reading ->
UNAIDS expressed “deep concern” Wednesday over Georgia’s newly adopted anti-LGBTQ+ law, saying that it could threaten progress made over the past decade to end AIDS in the former Soviet republic of 3.7 million people at the crossroads between Europe and Asia. The new legislation exacerbates stigma and hinders “LGBTQ+ people’s access to essential health services” […] Continue reading ->
Bavarian Nordic has no plans to sell or manufacture its vaccines directly to African countries, the company’s Vice President of Investor Relations told Health Policy Watch, saying that donations from rich countries will likely be the main source of supplies. WHO’s announcement of a global mpox health emergency may have sent a wake-up call to […] Continue reading ->
By the time they turn 20 years old, nearly a quarter (24%) of adolescent girls who have been in a relationship will have experienced physical or sexual violence from their intimate partner, according to a report from the World Health Organization (WHO) published Monday found. Even though the prevalence of violence among teenagers largely parallels […] Continue reading ->
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, announced last week that it will offer high risk countries the option of obtaining preventative Ebola vaccines, particularly for health workers, as part of the rollout of new vaccine offerings, which also include meningitis, rabies and hepatitis B vaccines. Plans to add the vaccines to the basket of available products were […] Continue reading ->