In an era of big global health budget cuts that often demand tough choices, identifying vaccine needs and priorities at national level is increasingly important. As we observe World Immunization Week, it’s time to recognize the pivotal role that National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) can play in guiding effective, evidence-based decisions – alongside global […] Continue reading ->
Resistance to a key drug used to treat malaria in Africa is spreading. Experts warn action is now urgent and any delay will cost lives and create economic misery. Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) is the main first-line malaria treatment used in Africa and the best available option, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). ACT […] Continue reading ->
The African Union and the European Commission have concluded three agreements worth €100 million aimed at strengthening Africa’s health systems. The first initiative supports the national public health institutes of 10 African countries to enhance disease surveillance, early warning systems, emergency response, research and laboratory services. The second, announced at the One Health Summit in […] Continue reading ->
Less than 0.1% of all philanthropic funding has gone to the fight for clean air. Yet globally, nearly eight million deaths are attributed to the particles and gases that pollute the air – making air pollution the second biggest risk factor for premature death after high blood pressure. “Air pollution is one of the world’s […] Continue reading ->
Lack of access to clean cooking fuel and technologies has extensive impacts on health, environment, economy, and women’s equality, say experts at the World Bank Group Spring Meeting. WASHINGTON– Nearly a billion people lack access to clean cooking on the African continent. A heavy reliance on charcoal, firewood, and kerosene pollutes homes with toxic particulate […] Continue reading ->
The world’s darkest ongoing war – defined by sexual violence, extermination, famine and genocide – enters its fourth year today. With no end in sight, tens of millions of Sudanese people are facing a historic humanitarian crisis of “industrial proportions,” according to the United Nations (UN). Seven years after a new generation overthrew a three-decade […] Continue reading ->
The United States and the Global Fund will support three million people to get lenacapavir, the twice-a-year HIV injection that is almost 100% successful in preventing transmission of the virus – a million more than their previous commitment. Jeremy Lewin, US Under Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance, Humanitarian Affairs and Religious Freedom at the […] Continue reading ->
Each year, hundreds of thousands of women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth that are well understood and largely preventable. Most of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries, with sub-Saharan Africa carrying the greatest burden. At the same time, millions of families continue to face financial barriers to essential health services, […] Continue reading ->
Scientists working on new malaria drugs now have access to an open-access artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform aimed at accelerating drug discovery, thanks to a partnership between Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and deepmirror. Drug Design for Global Health (dd4gh) uses “both predictive and generative AI to give researchers, especially those in the most resource-limited settings, […] Continue reading ->
The Human papillomavirus (HPV35), globally associated with only 2% of invasive cervical cancers (ICC), has a disproportionately higher prevalence in sub‐Saharan Africa, reaching rates of 22-30% in some countries among women with ICC lesions, according to a new study. Recently, a high-level panel called for redoubled efforts in HPV vaccination, screening and treatment to meet […] Continue reading ->