“You start with, as in my case, with the loss of three generations of my family to various forms of Alzheimer’s or dementia.” Those were the words of George Vradenburg. For him, brain health is not an abstract policy issue. It is a lived reality that mirrors a fast-growing global crisis. This issue was the […] Continue reading ->
Global health organisations have reacted with anger to the new US foreign aid policy, which prohibits all aid recipients, bar military, from performing or promoting abortion, “gender ideology”, or “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI). “Catastrophic”, “bullying”, “draconian” and “ideologically driven” – are some of their reactions to the Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance (PHFFA) […] Continue reading ->
A dispute over an American flag has become symbolic of the bitter public dispute between the US and the World Health Organization (WHO) after the US withdrew from the organization on 22 January. In a joint statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr on […] Continue reading ->
The United States said Thursday that it had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). But WHO member states are not obliged to accept the US departure as legally binding until it pays up on some $260.6 million in dues owed for 2024- and 2025, WHO’s Director General contends in a report […] Continue reading ->
A controversial trial to examine various impacts of the hepatitis B vaccine on newborn babies in Guinea-Bissau has been “suspended or cancelled”, the country’s Health Minister, Quinhim Nanthote, told a media briefing convened by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday. This is despite recent assertions by the US Health […] Continue reading ->
STRASBOURG – The European Parliament backed the EU’s Critical Medicines Act (CMA) on Tuesday in a decisive move to secure Europe’s pharmaceutical supply chains from geopolitical shocks. With an overwhelming majority of 503 votes in favour, 57 against, and 108 abstentions, MEPs endorsed a sweeping industrial policy designed to re-shore the production of active ingredients […] Continue reading ->
The Gates Foundation and OpenAI announced a $50 million “pilot” on Wednesday to “advance AI capabilities for health” in Africa. Horizon 1000 promises “funding, technology, and technical support” to roll out AI solutions to 1,000 African primary healthcare clinics by 2028. “AI is going to be a scientific marvel no matter what, but for it […] Continue reading ->
DELHI – India’s Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has identified the main sources of Delhi’s severe air pollution and admitted that there are critical gaps in current control measures, in response to a deadline set by the Supreme Court. The report, completed in a fortnight, synthesises findings from multiple research institutions to create the […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) negotiations on the world’s first Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system resumed in Geneva on Tuesday – with only two more weeks of formal negotiations left before the May deadline. Symbolically, this week’s talks resumed on the first anniversary of US President Donald Trump’s announcement that his country would […] Continue reading ->
One year ago today (20 January), the Trump administration exploded the global health sector by immediately “pausing” all aid for 90 days – and dispensing with 83% of US Agency for International Development (USAID) projects six weeks later. Trillionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “chainsawed” at USAID projects and contracts, folding […] Continue reading ->