HPV vaccines have transformed cervical cancer prevention, but the next generation of vaccines must better reflect regional disease patterns, including the HPV35 genotype prevalent in Africa.   The recent WHO Global Status Report on Cancer paints a sobering picture. Among the many challenges, human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the world’s most serious infectious causes of […] Continue reading ->
The dramatic global health budget cutbacks in services for maternal and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have produced 17 million unintended pregnancies, and more than 34,000 preventable maternal deaths in just the first year since cuts were made.  That recent assessment by French and Washington DC-based analyses, was cited by Guyana’s UN Ambassador […] Continue reading ->
A return on investment of 16:1 should be irresistible. So why does midwifery keep losing the budget fight, and what would make funders and finance ministers finally move? When a young mother in Mtendere, Lusaka, began bleeding heavily hours after delivering her baby, her life was in grave danger. Three midwives assessed her immediately, recognised […] Continue reading ->
The Commonwealth’s new strategic framework accelerates the elimination of cervical cancer, a highly preventable disease that claims hundreds of thousands of lives yearly. However, shifting global funding and major prevention gaps threaten to derail progress, forcing states to double down on shared digital resources, regional cooperation, and community engagement. Inside the wood-panelled executive boardroom at […] Continue reading ->
STRASBOURG – Amid a global backlash against sexual and reproductive rights, the European Parliament has taken a decisive stand by voting for a unified, human rights-based standard for sexual offences. This Europe-wide legislative push aims to overhaul the fragmented national laws that currently leave many survivors without access to justice or essential health support. The […] Continue reading ->
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) recognises comprehensive abortion care as an essential health service, countries all over the world are tightening access, inspired by the United States. But all this means is worse outcomes for women’s health There is a persistent myth that restricting abortion stops it from happening.  What restrictions really do – […] Continue reading ->