As many as 65 million people in over a dozen Southern and Eastern African countries from Mozambique to Ethiopia are facing unprecedented challenges with food security, extreme weather events and conflict, UN officials say. The crises disproportionately affect women, who are already in a more vulnerable situation due to their gender, said Lydia Zigomo, UN […] Continue reading ->
A wave of record-setting heat waves, beginning in March, have led to new Government guidelines for emergency cooling including measures like heat stroke rooms. Even so, public health  experts are only beginning to grapple with the multiple ways in which heatwaves can kill – and map out mitigating measures for both healthy people as well […] Continue reading ->
While the World Health Organization’s International Negotiating Body (INB) continues to negotiate a global Pandemic Agreement, the US has issued its own vision for global health security and expanded its bilateral partnerships with countries across the world. Following the release of this revamped US global health security strategy, Health Policy Watch spoke with Stephanie Psaki, […] Continue reading ->
A  bitter debate over proposed WHO recognition of a non-profit center for reproductive health rights, erupted in full force at the WHO Executive Board on Monday – after a tumultuous week of the World Health Assembly where member states largely skirted the increasingly contentious issue of sexual and reproductive health rights. The proposal by the […] Continue reading ->
WHA delegates spent over 10 hours in diplomatic maneuvers, debates and painful rollcount votes Friday, finally approving two measures that decried the humanitarian crisis in Gaza in sharply different, and sometimes  contradictory terms.   One motion co-sponsored by a coalition of Algeria, Russia, China, Cuba, Iran, Egypt and other Middle Eastern allies, condemns “indiscriminate attacks” by […] Continue reading ->
CAPE TOWN – Moderna tried to extract a huge price for its COVID-19 vaccine from the South African government at the height of the pandemic, according to the local NGO, Health Justice Initiative (HJI), in revelations made public this week. The US-based pharma company wanted to charge $42 per vaccine in mid-2021 when vaccines were […] Continue reading ->
WHO has expanded its list of trusted national regulatory authorities from three to 36 agencies – including the United States Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) as well as the European Medicines Regulatory Network (EMRN), composed of the European Commission, and thirty national regulatory agencies. The WHO Listed Authorities (WLAs) are […] Continue reading ->