Pharmaceutical giants could support a formula whereby companies are guaranteed free and immediate access to pathogens with pandemic potential in exchange for binding equity agreements as part of a proposed World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic agreement, says a leading industry figure.    The statement by Thomas Cueni, director-general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers […] Continue reading ->
Over the last century, Europe – including  Northern, Western, Southern and Central European countries – made remarkable progress in the near elimination of tuberculosis (TB) due to improved socio-economic conditions and advancements in research and development.  However, a recent surge of TB in Europe, coupled with lack of structural preparedness within many European Union (EU) […] Continue reading ->
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus deplored renewed fighting Monday and Tuesday in and around northern Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, the largest medical compound in the besieged enclave, saying that “hospitals should never be battlegrounds.”  He also noted that the hospital, originally the largest and most advanced in Gaza, had only “recently restored minimal health […] Continue reading ->
Average concentrations of small and fine particulates (PM2.5 and PM10)  decreased across Europe between 2003-2019 – with the largest reductions in PM10,according to a new study published in Nature on trends over the past two decades. Despite air quality improvements, more than 98 of the European population lives in areas exceeding the WHO recommended annual […] Continue reading ->
The number of children who died before their fifth birthday has dropped to 2.9 million in 2022, reaching a historic low, according to the latest estimates of under-5 mortality released today by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).  And since 2000, the global under-five mortality rate has declined by more […] Continue reading ->
The atmosphere at the Sokoto Noma Hospital, named after the city and state in north-west Nigeria bordering the Republic of Niger, is serene. The buildings are modest structures painted in soft, earthy tones. Several large trees form lush green canopies, providing shade from the afternoon sun. Huddled under the shade trees, caregivers — mainly mothers […] Continue reading ->
A new declaration by health ministers from African countries that have the highest malaria burden has reaffirmed the “unwavering commitment to the accelerated reduction of malaria mortality”. The declaration, issued Wednesday by ministers convening in Yaoundé, Cameroon at an African-wide WHO conference on malaria, aims to revitalise the campaign to drive deaths from malaria further […] Continue reading ->