To reach the 2025 global target on reducing the prevalence of low birthweight, a condition that impacts lifelong health and disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries, the world needs to double its current rate of progress, a new study finds. Image Credits: UNICEF. Continue reading ->
Health care workers in conflict zones are frequent targets of crisis-related violence, and the dangers they face are on the rise. At least 973 attacks on health workers, health facilities, health transport vehicles and patients took place in 23 conflict-ridden countries during 2018. Continue reading ->
A new open-access study on quality of life among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) individuals has been launched by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDs (UNAIDS) and the LGBT Foundation – and members of those communities are being invited to complete a 12-minute survey. Continue reading ->
WHO has released a set of draft “guiding principles” on front-of-label food packaging that would provide stronger indications to consumers of the healthy or unhealthy components in packaged and processed foods. Continue reading ->
People can reduce their risk of dementia by getting regular exercise, not smoking, avoiding harmful use of alcohol, controlling their weight, eating a healthy diet, and maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, according to new guidelines on this widespread condition, issued by the World Health Organization today. Continue reading ->
Thomas Cueni, director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, shared his view on fair pricing with Health Policy Watch: “Most of us can probably agree that innovation is meaningless if it does not reach patients. At the same time, a Fair Price must strike a balance between a price that is […] Continue reading ->
More than 100 civil society organisations and health experts signed on to an open letter yesterday calling out Germany, Sweden, Denmark, the UK and Australia, along with Austria and the United States, as wanting to “derail” and “weaken” the transparency resolution on drug prices and R&D costs. Image Credits: CDDEP. Continue reading ->
This year’s World Health Assembly will provide perhaps the best measure to date of the World Health Organization director-general’s policies since taking office nearly two years ago. But it will also reflect changing times for country relationships and for the state of global health. Image Credits: Photo: WHO/Antoine Tardy, WHO/Antoine Tardy, WHO, WHO/J. D. Kannah. Continue reading ->
A number of developed countries are working to delay a landmark proposal at the World Health Organization by Italy to increase transparency of drug prices and R&D costs in an effort to make medicines more affordable, according to sources. The Italian proposal has garnered a number of supporters, including within Europe; but at an informal WHO consultation today and last week at the European Union, countries such as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom have begun pushing for postponement of discussions, sources said. [Now updated with new version of proposal!] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization says it has secured a commitment from the International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA) to phase out industrially-processed trans fat from the global food supply by 2023. Image Credits: WHO. Continue reading ->