Providing community-based mental health care that is respectful of human rights and recovery-focused has proven successful and cost-effective, according to a new report released by the World Health Organization.  WHO’s new “Guidance on community mental health service: promoting person-centered and rights-based approaches”, released today, includes examples from countries including Brazil, India, Kenya, Myanmar, New Zealand, […] Continue reading ->
A draft “Rome Declaration” to be issued at next Friday’s G-20’s Global Health Summit, co-hosted by Italy and the European Commission (21 May), makes a series of 10 sweeping commitments to ensure equitable access to vaccines; expand medicines manufacturing capacity; assure WHO access to sites posing an outbreak risk; and invest in global health systems.  […] Continue reading ->
CAPE TOWN – South Africans are consuming fewer sugary drinks since their government introduced a tax on these in 2018 – but powerful multinational food and beverage companies are inhibiting neighbouring countries from following suit, according to research published on Tuesday. South Africa was the first African country to impose a tax of approximately 10% […] Continue reading ->
A new study published by the journal Lancet Psychiatry estimates that one in three COVID-19 survivors received a neurological or psychiatric diagnosis within six months of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.  The study, conducted with researchers from both the United States and United Kingdom, analyzed the electronic health records of 236,379 COVID-19 patients primarily from […] Continue reading ->
NAIROBI – The Kenyan government issued a directive in mid-February this year requiring the tobacco industry to register all nicotine products as tobacco products – but the industry has yet to comply.  This follows the decision by the Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Mutahi Kagwe, to declare “nicotine pouches” illegal, thus overturning a […] Continue reading ->