Nigeria has incorporated a cutting-edge meningitis vaccine into its immunization programmes, becoming the first country on the continent to roll it out. The vaccine provides immunity against as many as five strains of deadly meningococcus bacteria, WHO announced on Friday. “Meningitis is an old and deadly foe, but this new vaccine holds the potential to […] Continue reading ->
Health stories are not just about medical facts; they are intricate tapestries woven with economic, political, and social threads, according to two international health journalists. Stephanie Nolen, a global health reporter for The New York Times, and Paul Adepoju, a Nigeria-based freelance health journalist and scientist who writes for Health Policy Watch, were guests on […] Continue reading ->
PAUD, MAHARASHTRA STATE, INDIA – It is 11:15 on a Wednesday morning, and the March sun is hot but not yet punishing in this part of western India. Mathabai Jadhav, 65, waits patiently for her turn at the Paud Rural Hospital, some 30 kilometres from the city of Pune. At least two dozen patients like […] Continue reading ->
A European Court ruling Tuesday that Switzerland was violating human rights by not acting fast enough on climate change has been hailed by legal experts as a global precedent – and by WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as an important recognition of the links between climate change and health. The #ClimateCrisis is here […] Continue reading ->
As global cases of dengue are already close to last year’s record high of over four million, the Americas region is struggling to contain high transmission levels. Unplanned urbanization, heavier rainfall, warmer temperatures, and the El Nino effect create perfect conditions for the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary vector of dengue. The Southern Cone region […] Continue reading ->
A new programme aiming at providing 1.2 million rapid cholera diagnostic tests has been launched in 14 African and Asian countries. “Routine use of diagnostics will bolster cholera surveillance in impacted countries, and must be leveraged to better target vaccination efforts, which play a critical role in multisectoral cholera prevention and control programmes,” said Aurélia […] Continue reading ->
Speaking out on World Health Day, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus decried the destruction of Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital and blamed Israel for the devastation, saying that the “atrocity” of the Hamas attacks on Israeli communities 7 October, did not justify “the horrific ongoing bombardment, seige and health system demolition by Israel in Gaza.” […] Continue reading ->
Victims of conflict face a double or triple whammy when trying to cope with mental health challenges. Even the most resilient may begin to experience symptoms of anxiety, anger and sleeplessness during wartime that last decades. And those with pre-existing conditions are forced to cope with the acute trauma provoked by experiences of death, destruction […] Continue reading ->
The ‘forgotten crisis’ of Afghanistan has exposed more and more young Afghans to mental health problems and drug abuse amid dwindling donor support and crumbling healthcare under the Taliban regime, said experts at a high-level side event at the recent meeting of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna Austria. Since the Taliban imposed a […] Continue reading ->
Non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes have emerged as serious health crises in developing countries, as HIV was a decade ago. New models of primary health care that combine NCD and HIV care are catching on – and Tanzania is implementing this approach. DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – Lying on a neatly made bed at […] Continue reading ->