The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa resolved to reopen nominations for a regional director at a special session last week. This follows the unexpected passing of director-elect Dr Faustine Ndugulile in November 2024. He was due to assume the post in February once his election had been confirmed by the WHO Executive Board. […] Continue reading ->
As Bangladesh presses for its former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, to be extradited to face charges of human rights abuses, her daughter, the World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for South East Asia (SEARO), is also under scrutiny. Saima Wazed was elected to the WHO position by regional leaders in November 2023 amid allegations that […] Continue reading ->
A new mpox outbreak in Sierra Leone and a rising case toll across Africa are fueling urgent calls for stronger containment efforts, even as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) finally speeds up its mpox vaccine drive and Rwanda’s swift response to Marburg suggests a model for epidemic control. Health authorities in Sierra Leone have […] Continue reading ->
Armed conflict, mis- and disinformation and environmental risk dominate the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Risks Report, released on Wednesday. The report, released on the eve of WEF’s annual meeting in Davos next week, is based on a Global Risks Perception Survey (GRPS) of over 900 global leaders in academia, business, government and civil society […] Continue reading ->
If the United States withdraws from the World Health Organization (WHO) when Donald Trump assumes the presidency next week (20 January), will other member states – particularly China – step up to safeguard global health? “The signs coming out of Trump’s transition team paint a bleak picture for the WHO. Trump tried to pull out […] Continue reading ->
WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was back in Geneva this week, after surviving a near miss from an Israeli Air Force strike on Sana’a International Airport, Thursday. Airport TV footage aired Monday by the DG on X showed his entourage fleeing the VIP departures hall, where they had been waiting to board a […] Continue reading ->
In April 2022, amidst the continuing uproar of the COVID pandemic, four deans of schools of public health from the USA, China, Switzerland and Singapore, first got on a call with each other to see how they could ramp up cooperation – remotely. Barred by lockdowns from the usual academic meetings and conferences, the urge […] Continue reading ->
After an early surge of spending during the COVID pandemic, public health layouts by countries at all income levels declined in 2022, on average, as compared to 2021. Meanwhile, there was a 60% increase overall in per-capita health expenditures between 2000 and 2022 – but in low income countries this was largely driven by a […] Continue reading ->
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebryesus urged a ‘wait and see’ attitude Tuesday in his first public comments on US President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr as Secretary of Health and Human Services – despite a flurry of fresh criticism by 77 Nobel Laureates over the controversial appointment. “It’s a transition […] Continue reading ->
Despite having the second biggest mpox outbreak in Africa, Burundi has no immediate plans to vaccinate those at risk. Donated vaccine doses are available to Burundi for free but “vaccine hesitancy” might be playing a part in the government’s reluctance to vaccinate people, according to Dr Ngashi Ngongo, mpox lead for the Africa Centres for […] Continue reading ->