Animal Source Most Likely Origin of SARS-CoV2 but Missing Chinese Data Leave Findings Inconclusive: WHO Expert Group

27/06/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher & Stefan Anderson

A four year WHO-sponsored investigation of the origins of the COVID pandemic by an international group of experts has concluded that “most scientific data and accessible published scientific evidence” support the hypothesis that the novel SARS-CoV2 virus first entered the human population either directly from virus-carrying bats, or from bats to humans via intermediate hosts. […] Continue reading ->

Mistrust, Trump and Multilateralism: Key Ingredients of the Pandemic Agreement ‘Recipe’

17/06/2025 Kerry Cullinan

Mistrust undermined the pandemic agreement talks – but, ironically, the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) galvanised member states to reach agreement, according to Ambassador Anne-Claire Amprou, co-chair of the talks. “There was a lack of trust. That means that when member states wanted to make a proposal, sometimes it created suspicion […] Continue reading ->

WHO Director General Appeals to Israel to End Deepening Food Crisis and Conflict in Gaza

22/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made an emotional appeal to Israel on Thursday to end its 80-day blockade of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid into Gaza, asking “if you can have mercy?” and adding: “the war is hurting Israel, and it will not bring a lasting solution.” Fighting back tears, the Director […] Continue reading ->

Immunisation Is the Future of Pandemic Survival

01/05/2025 Tian Johnson

African countries like Uganda and South Africa are rewriting the rules of emergency response. The rest of the world must follow – or fall behind. Every April, World Immunisation Week is observed with predictable rhetoric: health leaders celebrate progress, governments make declarations, and global agencies issue reports highlighting gains and gaps in vaccination. But as […] Continue reading ->

From Mpox to Influenza – USAID Collapse and CDC Blackout Upend WHO Response to Deadly Outbreaks

12/02/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

From the deadly mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo to the composition of the next seasonal flu vaccine, the collapse of USAID and the US CDC communications blackout are creating new challenges for WHO and its partners to respond in disease emergency hotspots – well beyond the direct loss of financial support. That […] Continue reading ->

Is ‘White Saviorism’ Blocking Progress in Global Health?

18/01/2025 Maayan Hoffman

How do you define “white saviorism?” According to Themrise Khan, white saviorism is “imprinted psychologically in the minds of anyone who wants to be a saviour, anyone who thinks that they are superior to others and thinks that it is only them who can bring betterment into the lives of others.” This phenomenon often manifests […] Continue reading ->

Sierra Leone Reports First Mpox Cases as DRC Accelerates Vaccine Drive

16/01/2025 Paul Adepoju

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 ->

Breaking Barriers: How Young People Are Shaping Global Health Policy

27/11/2024 Maayan Hoffman

With half of the global population now under the age of 30, the question of how to involve younger adults in global health decision-making is becoming increasingly urgent. In the latest episode of the Global Health Matters podcast, Dr. Garry Aslanyan invites three young leaders to discuss the role of youth in shaping health-related policies […] Continue reading ->

Human Behaviour Drives Pandemics – And Rebuilding Trust is Essential

14/10/2024 Kerry Cullinan

While the next pathogen with pandemic potential may be lurking in a faraway creature, human behaviour will drive it to become a pandemic, according to the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB), which issued its first comprehensive pandemic risk report on Monday. The four riskiest human behaviours involve our global mobility, agricultural and farming practices, mis- […] Continue reading ->

The Global Response to Mpox: A Feeling of Déjà Vu?

23/08/2024 Janeen Madan Keller & Javier Guzman

With the number of new mpox cases continuing to rise, and many more potentially undetected, African countries affected by the latest outbreak are racing to mobilize funds and urgently deploy medical countermeasures, including vaccines. But as the current epidemic unfolds, there is an undeniable feeling of déjà vu. Global efforts are falling short of what […] Continue reading ->