Global levels of hunger remain stagnant at the highest rates seen in over a decade, as one in 11 people worldwide (8.9%) faced hunger, or undernourishment, in 2023, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition (SOFI) report, released on Wednesday. The report, a collaboration between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International […] Continue reading ->
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 ->
As delegates at this week’s Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) worked to nail down a day-by-day agenda for negotiating a pandemic agreement for the next few months, it appears increasingly unlikely that the talks will be concluded by year-end. The detailed work plan – an indication that the Bureau has heard criticism that it has given […] Continue reading ->
By 2035, nearly three quarters of the 40 million people living with HIV worldwide will be living with one or more chronic disease, also referred to as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). While there are encouraging examples of integrated HIV and NCD healthcare delivery, this is yet to become the norm in low- and middle-income countries. As stakeholders […] Continue reading ->
Anne-Claire Amprou, French Ambassador for Global Health, has replaced Roland Driece of the Netherlands as the co-chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) that is hammering out the pandemic agreement. However, Amprou, who coordinated the French response to COVID-19 and was a member of the international Ebola task force, is interim […] Continue reading ->
Childhood immunisation has stalled in the past year, mainly due to increased global conflict, with the number of children receiving no vaccines increasing to 14.5 million in 2023 – up from 13.9 million in 2022. There has also been an almost threefold increase in measles cases in the past year – a sign of inadequate […] Continue reading ->
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, cyberattacks, genetic engineering, and amateur-led biology experiments could all pose threats to a country, according to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) updated guidance on lab biosecurity. The guidance aims to help national regulatory bodies and other institutions “establish or strengthen frameworks for handling high-consequence pathogens”. It features a comprehensive set of […] Continue reading ->
A day during the week of 16 December has been suggested for a World Health Assembly (WHA) special session to consider the pandemic agreement – but that is to remain strictly in pencil until there is clarity about the progress made in negotiations. After two years of talks, including weeks of late-night meetings in the […] Continue reading ->
Dengue virus cases have reached an all-time high since January in the US territory of Puerto Rico, with 1,729 people infected so far – a more than 300% increase compared to last year. The uptick in the mosquito-borne disease, which causes mild to severe illness, follows a trend across the Caribbean region. The total number of […] Continue reading ->
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 ->