The Argentina-based biotech firm, Sinergium Biotech, has agreed to share know-how on the production of an mRNA vaccine for Avian influenza (H5N1) with WHO’s Tecnology Transfer Hub so that an affordable vaccine could rapidly be produced for developing countries, WHO said Monday. The agreement marks the first time that a vaccine developer has actually volunteered […] Continue reading ->
After experiencing the distress of caring for a loved one with advanced cervical cancer, Edna Maloya vowed to take proactive measures to ensure that her family and friends would be protected. “I was my cousin’s caregiver. I can’t take chances with cervical cancer,” says Maloya, who lives in Blantyre, Malawi’s second largest city. She happily […] Continue reading ->
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 ->
Nearly half of the world’s population suffers from some form of neurological condition ranging from simple migraines to Alzheimers. And yet in low-income countries, more than 75% of people needing neurological treatment cannot access care, according to a new World Health Organization report released on Tuesday, World Brain Day. The treatment gap – the difference […] Continue reading ->
Food security and nutrition initiatives often fail due to fragmentation, a lack of consensus on priorities, and the prevalence of numerous actors delivering mostly small, short-term projects, according to this year’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report, due to be released next week. More targeted and less risk-averse finance, as […] Continue reading ->
Almost 15 years ago, when the University of Ghana established its Office of Research, Innovation, and Development, it did so with the goal of bolstering the West African nation’s research capacity. In the African region, where less than 0.5% of GDP is devoted to research, and a significant number of Africa’s educated is siphoned off […] Continue reading ->
While this week’s CARICOM summit in Grenada has been postponed due to Hurricane Beryl, when it does convenes, a key item on the agenda will be the new ‘HeDPAC’ initiative to deepen South-South partnerships to meet shared global health challenges – from pandemic threats to climate change. In remote communities of Guyana, the introduction of […] Continue reading ->
Fourteen months into its devastating civil war, one-half of Sudan’s 25.6 million population faces levels of food security ranked as “crisis,” emergency, or “catastrophic,” according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis. The IPC analysis of Gaza also found that a “high and sustained risk” of famine persists across the entire occupied […] Continue reading ->
WHO framework to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a deadly disease most prominent in East Africa, was launched Thursday. It can play an important role in eliminating VL as a public health problem by 2030: a goal key countries of the East African region committed to in last year’s Nairobi Declaration. “The VL elimination framework will offer […] Continue reading ->
Malaria has long been at the heart of public health efforts in Africa. As a preventable but potentially fatal disease, it is caused by a parasite transmitted by mosquitoes. In 2022, the WHO African Region accounted for about 94% of cases globally. WHO says 78% of deaths in the region are among children under 5 […] Continue reading ->