On the occasion of World Immunization Week, influential global health figures share lessons learned in the global fight against two age-old diseases, malaria and polio – and more recently, COVID-19 – and how we should tackle existing and future pandemics. While COVID-19 surprised and shocked the world, it should not have. For decades, infectious […] Continue reading ->
In a highly symbolic visit to Lviv, Ukraine, World Health Organization Regional Director Hans Kluge reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to rebuilding the country’s war-torn health system. Speaking in a press briefing staged directly from Lviv, Kluge said, “We are committed to work through a decentralized footprint [in Ukraine], both during the current humanitarian response but also […] Continue reading ->
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the scientific community to start to implement a ‘One Health’ approach – encompassing people, animals, plants and the environment – to ensure the early identification of infectious diseases and make the world a healthier place. The issues that “One Health” may tackle are diverse. They can range from curbing deforestation […] Continue reading ->
WHO on Thursday launched a new global initiative that aims to tackle a group of fast-growing and poorly understood viral diseases that are carried by insects – and which have future pandemic potential. The Global Arbovirus Initiative aims to tackle diseases such as Dengue, Yellow fever, Chikungunya and Zika – which have few effective treatments, […] Continue reading ->
The world remains fixated on getting new TB vaccines. But expanding the circle of progress on shorter TB regimes, and more early detection, may be more important to overcoming setbacks of the COVID pandemic, says one expert on World TB Day. IBADAN, Nigeria – The Government Chest Hospital in the city’s Jericho neighborhood is regarded […] Continue reading ->
Children and adolescents diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB) will benefit from a set of new guidelines that aim to shorten the treatment plan, expand preventative care, and introduce better diagnostic testing and treatments. The World Health Organisation (WHO) today released a new set of ‘game-changer’ guidelines where children and adolescents with non-severe forms of drug-susceptible TB […] Continue reading ->
Malawi is launching a mass vaccination campaign against wild poliovirus type 1, which is to extend to 23 million children across five southern African countries, WHO said on Friday. The campaign, to kick off Sunday, follows Malawi’s declaration of a polio outbreak on 17 February – three months after the first polio virus case in […] Continue reading ->
In a village in eastern Ghana where Comfort Tetteh grew up, many people thought it was normal for a child to urinate blood. But after studying public health, Tetteh recognized this as a sign of schistosomiasis, one of the many neglected tropical diseases that affect her community. “In the districts that I’ve worked in, everything […] Continue reading ->
Following reports of an unusually large number of cases in January 2022 across some 12 states, Nigeria is stepping up its surveillance of Lassa fever, the deadly viral hemorrhagic illness transmitted by infected rodents, or through other infected people or tainted food. This year marks the fourth year in a row in which large outbreaks […] Continue reading ->
Despite the strains of COVID-19, global funding for poverty-related infectious diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria, remains virtually unchanged at US $3.937 billion, with investment dropping only 4% in 2020, according to the fourteenth annual G-FINDER Report. The report, released by Australia-based Policy Cures Research group on Thursday, showed a drop of only US […] Continue reading ->