A sugar tax that generated R3-billion in revenue for South Africa in one year and a mandatory minimum unit price for alcohol products that contributed to a 10% decrease in alcohol-related deaths in Scotland are two examples of proven successful policies governments have adopted for products that negatively impact health and that have helped raise […] Continue reading ->
Africa’s delayed COVID-19 vaccine rollout could cost the continent close to $14-billion a month – and the situation could get worse. World Bank West and Central Africa Regional Director, Dena Ringold, said in addition to the severe impact of weak health systems, the pandemic was straining economies across Africa and has “exacerbated poverty” on the […] Continue reading ->
Though the COVID-19 pandemic has largely been a story of failure, strong preparedness of public health systems coupled with decisive responses have shown that it is possible to prevent and prepare for future disease threats, according to a new report. The report, conducted by Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, highlights eight […] Continue reading ->
The hostilities between Israel and Hamas over the past 10 days have caused significant damage to the health system in Gaza, putting the Palestinian population at risk of increased spread of COVID-19 – after six weeks in which new cases had been in sharp decline. The health system in Gaza is now facing severe shortages […] Continue reading ->
With an agenda that is more packed than ever – and razor sharp political crises from Gaza to Taiwan to Myanmar also coming to the fore – will the upcoming World Health Assembly prove to be the decisive moment that it should be for global health? Now, more than ever perhaps, huge tensions and inequalities […] Continue reading ->
A new international expert panel launched by four international organisations on Thursday aims to blunt the emergence and spread of zoonotic diseases through better understanding of human, animal, and environmental interactions that enable animal-borne diseases to break into human populations. The One Health High Level Expert Panel will advise the World Health Organization (WHO), […] Continue reading ->
Conquering the COVID-19 pandemic will inevitably be the main topic for discussion at the impending 74th session of the World Health Assembly, which begins Monday, 24 May. Global health experts weighed in this week at a series of briefings on what to expect from at the upcoming event. Geneva Solution’s Pokuaa Oduro Bonsrah reports: The […] Continue reading ->
Governments and pharmaceutical companies alike must work together in combating the ‘virus of intellectual property (IP) monopolies over COVID-19 vaccines – which further exacerbates inequality and lack of access to vaccines for vulnerable groups. That was the uptake of a group of experts speaking at a webinar Wednesday on “The Virus of IP Monopoly Capitalism”’ […] Continue reading ->
Malawi on Wednesday burned nearly 20,000 doses of expired AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines. The government move happened shortly after the Serum Institute of India (SII) announced that it would only resume its export of the precious vaccines to the rest of the world at the end of 2021 – due to the still burning pandemic crisis […] Continue reading ->
The European Union Council (EU) on Wednesday agreed to relax travel restrictions on entry by foreign tourists – clearing the way for countries in the bloc to open up their borders to COVID-19 vaccinated travellers after more than a year in which visits by most non-EU passport holders were refused. With the summer tourism season […] Continue reading ->