Updated: The World Health Organization confirmed Tuesday evening that it had evacuated 85 severely ill and wounded Gazans to the United Arab Emirates for advanced treatment via Israel’s Ramon airfield. The complex operation occurred as tensions escalated in the region following the deaths of 12 children in a Golan Heights Druze community – apparently from […] Continue reading ->
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 ->
Variant type 2 poliovirus (VDPV) has been isolated from six environmental (sewage) samples in the Gaza Strip – collected from two different collection sites in the southern city of Khan Younis as well as Deir al Balah, further north, WHO confirmed Friday. The variant poliovirus strains detected in all six wastewater samples, collected in late […] Continue reading ->
WHO’s Regional Director for Europe reflects on why we haven’t been able to end AIDS despite having the tools to do so – as Germany hosts the 25th International AIDS conference. Twenty-four years ago, Maria Godlevkskaya was in a coma in a hospital in Russia, her immune system having failed without treatment for her HIV. […] 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 ->
JAMBHALI, India – Farmer Kusum Gaikwad’s work start at 4 am daily. First, she burns the firewood and farm residue to heat water for 10 family members. By 7 am, she reaches the fields, manoeuvring through thousands of sugarcane plants, removing weeds, and checking for pests and diseases that could hamper their growth. This is […] Continue reading ->
Dengue virus cases have reached an all-time high since January in the US territory of Puerto Rico, with 1,729 people infected so far – a more than 300% increase compared to last year. The uptick in the mosquito-borne disease, which causes mild to severe illness, follows a trend across the Caribbean region. The total number of […] Continue reading ->