“We have never experienced such killings,” says an aid work as local health centres struggle to help survivors deal with mental health problems in the aftermath of increasingly brutal attacks by the Islamic rebel group, Allied Democratic Forces. Of the more than 100 armed groups active in DRC’s eastern provinces, one of the oldest and […] Continue reading ->
Just 66 days after the SARS-CoV2 genetic sequence was shared by a Chinese scientist online, the first COVID-19 vaccines went into production – in record time for R&D that yielded the first approved vaccines less than a year later. But there are looming concerns that the relatively open models of data and pathogen sharing that […] Continue reading ->
The draft pandemic accord needs more emphasis on preventing pandemics at their source – where animal pathogens “spill over” to people – according to a number of organisations participating in a consultation on the document’s “zero draft” on Wednesday. Negotiations between World Health Organization (WHO) member states on the draft are due to begin at the […] Continue reading ->
DAMASCUS/JABLEH – One week on from last week’s massive earthquakes, ordinary people across Syria – including in the large parts controlled by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces – have been scrambling to marshal whatever help they can for survivors, offering up their homes, supplies, and skills. While many of the areas al-Assad controls are further from […] Continue reading ->
Following a first-ever outbreak of deadly Marburg virus disease in Equatorial Guinea, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday called an emergency meeting of the Marburg virus vaccine consortium (MARVAC) to receive an urgent update on possible vaccine candidates for the filovirus that can have an 80% fatality rate. At the meeting, the agency received […] Continue reading ->
On 27 February, World Health Organization member states will meet to commence formal negotiations on a global pandemic preparedness agreement – unofficially turning the page from responding to COVID-19 to readying ourselves for future health emergencies. While the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) of member states have already held a series of meetings, as well as […] Continue reading ->
The earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria this week is now the deadliest the world has seen in over a decade. By Wednesday evening, 11,600 people had been confirmed dead. Tens of thousands more are injured. As deaths continue to mount, search and rescue teams from across the world are in a race against the […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) triggered its “no regrets” policy at an emergency meeting on Tuesday in response to the earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria this week, while promising long-term aid to the affected regions after the period of emergency response ends. The policy – which says that in unpredictable crises, WHO should err […] Continue reading ->
The Russian delegation to the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board (EB) called the report on the work of the UN health agency’s response to the Ukraine war “politicised,” prompting a spirited defense from the agency chief. Russia pressured the UN health agency to revise a report related to its emergency response in Ukraine, prompting […] Continue reading ->
Twenty years ago, 16-year-old Mulikat Okanlawan embarked on a 1000-kilometer journey from her home in the Nigerian capital of Lagos to the Northwestern city of Sokoto in a bid to change her life. She is a survivor of noma, a little-known bacterial disease that attacks cells in facial tissue and bones. On paper, Okanlawan had […] Continue reading ->