Air Pollution Linked to Nearly Half of all Stillbirths

01/12/2022 Stefan Anderson

In 2020, UNICEF estimated that “a stillbirth occurs every 16 seconds somewhere in the world.” A new study has linked air pollution to nearly half of them. The study of 137 countries is the first global analysis to assess the number of fetal deaths, putting into numbers the already documented link between fine particulate matter […] Continue reading ->

South Korea Becomes First Country to Achieve Highest Level in WHO’s Medicine And Vaccine Regulatory Assessment

01/12/2022 Megha Kaveri

South Korea became the first country in the world to achieve the highest level, “maturity level 4” (ML4), in regulating medicines and vaccines. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) in the Republic of Korea is the only national regulatory authority to be recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) to have advanced oversight […] Continue reading ->

WHO’s Director General Announces Five New Appointments to WHO Senior Team

30/11/2022 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has announced the “interim” appointment of five new senior leaders to replace outgoing members of his senior team, whose departure was announced internally just last week, Health Policy Watch has learned. The new appointments were also revealed in a second internal email sent by Tedros to WHO staff […] Continue reading ->

Patriarchy, Stigma and Inequality Are Slowing Down AIDS Response

29/11/2022 Megha Kaveri

The world is not on track to end AIDS by 2030 due to patriarchy, stigma against vulnerable communities and inequality, according to UNAIDS in its 2022 World AIDS Report. The report, titled “Dangerous Inequalities”, points out that unequal power dynamics between men and women and norms that prevent girls and women from exercising their bodily […] Continue reading ->

Three New Leaders Appointed to WHO Senior Team – But Unlikely to be Permanent

29/11/2022 Kerry Cullinan

Professor Hanan Balkhy will step into the shoes of Dr Mariângela Simão, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Assistant Director-General for access to medicines and health products, when she leaves on Thursday, according to WHO sources. Currently WHO Assistant Director-General of antimicrobial resistance, Balkhy served as executive director of infection prevention and control in Saudia Arabia […] Continue reading ->

Uganda Extends Lockdowns in Bid to End Ebola Outbreak

28/11/2022 Stefan Anderson

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has extended quarantine measures in the two districts at the epicentre of the country’s Ebola epidemic for another 21 days, citing the need to protect gains in the fight against the virus. This marks the third renewal of lockdowns in Kassanda and Mubende, and authorities are hopeful it will be the […] Continue reading ->

More Than Five Women Killed Every Hour by Intimate Partners or Family: UN Women, UNODC report

25/11/2022 Megha Kaveri

Women and girls are more at risk of getting killed at home by intimate partners or family. A new report by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) said that more than five women or girls are killed every hour across the world by their partners or families. The report, released […] Continue reading ->

COP27: Diplomatic Baby Steps amid Mounting Humanitarian Crises

24/11/2022 Paula Dupraz-Dobias

(SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt via The New Humanitarian) – Climate justice played a central role at COP27, where the snail’s pace of progress on addressing the climate emergency once again stood in stark contrast to the realities on disaster front lines. Negotiators and policymakers emerged from the annual summit in Egypt hailing a breakthrough on so-called […] Continue reading ->

What Role Should the WHO Play in Regulating Digital Health Access and Information?

23/11/2022 Maayan Hoffman

Should the World Health Organization (WHO) intervene on social networks and other organic platforms that are providing health information? And, if so, how? These were pressing questions raised on Tuesday during a webinar presented by the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute Geneva in coordination with the Digital Health and Rights Project. Project researchers […] Continue reading ->

Oral Health Neglect: The Overlooked Crisis Affecting 3.5 Billion People

22/11/2022 Stefan Anderson

Oral diseases are the most common form of noncommunicable disease (NCD) in the world. Globally, these conditions affect almost 3.5 billion people – almost half of the world’s population. Long a neglected subject in global health circles, oral diseases affect about 1 billion more people than all five main NCDs – mental disorders, cardiovascular disease, […] Continue reading ->