Mayors and other municipal officials should develop “urban heat maps” to identify and protect those most vulnerable to high temperatures, World Health Organization (WHO) official Maria Neira urged on Wednesday. Many people in urban areas stifling under heat waves cannot afford cooling systems while conditions for outdoor workers not protected by legislation have become dangerous, […] Continue reading ->
African leaders must take the lead in the fight against Neglected Tropical Diseases, invest in their control and elimination, and foster cross-border collaboration to achieve the goal of eliminating NTDs as public health concerns by 2030. Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) continue to pose a significant threat to the health and well-being of millions of people […] Continue reading ->
For years, malaria has ruled mercilessly in certain regions of the world. Especially in Africa. Yet over the past decade, despite the absence of a malaria vaccine, one anti-malarial strategy sought to make a difference: more than 700 million doses of Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) were distributed to young children, globally.  The evidence is now […] Continue reading ->
The momentum from last week’s World Malaria Day needs to translate into more resources to address the global funding shortfall to achieve 2030 malaria targets. Since the turn of the century, global partnership and sustained investment have completely transformed the fight against malaria – preventing two billion malaria cases, saving 11.7 million lives, and putting […] Continue reading ->
IBADAN, Nigeria – There are high hopes that the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine recently approved by Ghana and Nigeria will be manufactured in Africa in the not-to-distant future – a brighter-than-usual prospect for this World Malaria Day (25 April). Earlier this month, Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) approved the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine manufactured by the […] Continue reading ->
The number of people requiring treatment for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) decreased from 2.19 to 1.65 billion between 2010 and 2021 – an impressive 25 percent decline. However, interlinked challenges, including the COVID pandemic and, now, accelerating patterns of climate change are putting this progress at risk.  On World NTD Day, we need to recognise […] Continue reading ->