DR Congo to Launch Mpox Vaccine Drive in Early October; UNHCR seeks over $21 Million to Support Refugees in Outbreak Hotspots

12/09/2024 Paul Adepoju

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is planning to launch its mpox vaccination campaign in early October, marking a critical step in the fight against the ongoing outbreak across Africa, said Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the African Centres for Disease Control and Protection (Africa CDC), on Thursday. Kaseya spoke at a press briefing following […] Continue reading ->

Over Half Million Gaza Children Vaccinated Against Polio; New WHO Report Cites Massive Rehab Needs for Injured

12/09/2024 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

Over half a million Gazan children have been vaccinated against the deadly polio virus over the past 12 days, WHO said on Thursday, on the final day of a campaign that began 1 September, and which officials said appears to have attained the goal of reaching over 90% of the population of children under 10 […] Continue reading ->

Sudan Battling New Cholera Outbreak at 60 Cases per Day, WHO Reveals

23/08/2024 Sophia Samantaroy

United Nations officials are expressing concern that a new cholera outbreak in conflict-ridden Sudan, declared 10 days ago, could widen dramatically in the wake of increased rainfall and flooding. Some 658 cases of cholera have been reported since 12 August, with 28 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed in its latest situation report, published […] Continue reading ->

Three Gaza Children with Suspected Polio Symptoms as WHO Appeals for ‘Humanitarian Pauses’ for Vaccine Campaign

16/08/2024 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

The World Health Organization and UNICEF have appealed for ‘humanitarian pauses’ in the grinding Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip in August and September to facilitate a massive polio booster campaign – as three suspected polio cases were being investigated by a Jordanian laboratory. The appeal came as the entire region see-saws between the possibility […] Continue reading ->

‘Tens of Thousands’ of Sudanese Children Could Die of Famine, UN officials Warn

13/08/2024 Zuzanna Stawiska

Without urgent humanitarian assistance, tens of thousands of people in Sudan may die of famine in coming weeks, UN officials warned during a Geneva press briefing Tuesday. Their calls for a ceasefire to enable humanitarian assistance to flow more freely came on the eve of peace talks scheduled to take place in Geneva with the […] Continue reading ->

WHO Aims to Launch Massive Polio Booster Campaign in Gaza Next Week with Dispatch of 1.2 Million Vaccines

08/08/2024 Sophia Samantaroy

The World Health Organization (WHO) aims to begin a major polio booster vaccination campaign in Gaza next week with the dispatch of over 1.2 million vaccines to the war-torn Palestinian enclave – against a backdrop of spiralling regional tensions. WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned again on Wednesday that the presence of polio virus […] Continue reading ->

WHO Evacuates 85 Sick and Injured Gazans to UAE via Israeli Airfield Amidst Regional Flareup in Tensions

30/07/2024 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

Updated: The World Health Organization confirmed Tuesday evening that it had evacuated 85 severely ill and wounded Gazans to the United Arab Emirates for advanced treatment via Israel’s Ramon airfield. The complex operation occurred as tensions escalated in the region following the deaths of 12 children in a Golan Heights Druze community – apparently from […] Continue reading ->

WHO Raises Alarm Over Polio Virus Detected in Gaza Sewage Water Samples

19/07/2024 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

Variant type 2 poliovirus (VDPV) has been isolated from six environmental (sewage) samples in the Gaza Strip – collected from two different collection sites in the southern city of Khan Younis as well as Deir al Balah, further north, WHO confirmed Friday. The variant poliovirus strains detected in all six wastewater samples, collected in late […] Continue reading ->

Russia’s Bombing of Ukraine Children Hospital is ‘Abominable’

08/07/2024 Kerry Cullinan

Russia’s bombing of a children’s hospital and women’s health centre in Ukraine’s capital Kiev on Monday is “abominable”, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. “Civilians must be protected, and the laws of war strictly adhered to,” added Türk. “There must be prompt, thorough and independent investigations into these latest grave attacks on […] Continue reading ->

Sudan Conflict Leaves 25.6 Million People in Acute Food Insecurity

30/06/2024 Sophia Samantaroy

Fourteen months into its devastating civil war, one-half of Sudan’s 25.6 million population faces levels of food security ranked as “crisis,” emergency, or “catastrophic,” according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis. The IPC analysis of Gaza also found that a “high and sustained risk” of famine persists across the entire occupied […] Continue reading ->