For the first time ever, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that pregnant women be vaccinated against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), or that their newborns receive a dose of monoclonal antibodies to protect them against severe RSV disease, which has seen a global resurgence as the COVID-19 pandemic waned.  In 2022-2023, RSV was the […] Continue reading ->
Governments and donors have pledged around $1 billion to combat Africa’s mpox outbreak in the past few weeks, with the US pledging $500 million this week, said Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. But the continent’s response is confounded by poor surveillance, problems with testingm virtually non-existant contact […] Continue reading ->
Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN vaccine, has become the first mpox vaccine to be added to the World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification (PQ) list, enabling its use globally. The WHO has also recommended that single doses be given in supply-constrained outbreak situations instead of the usual two doses, and “off label” use for children as the vaccine […] Continue reading ->
As Russian missiles rain down on hospitals and critical energy infrastructure keeping their lights on, Ukraine’s health system faces what could be its most challenging season yet in its third winter of full-scale war, the World Health Organization’s top European official warned Thursday. “This will likely be the toughest winter of the three that Ukraine […] Continue reading ->
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is planning to launch its mpox vaccination campaign in early October, marking a critical step in the fight against the ongoing outbreak across Africa, said Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the African Centres for Disease Control and Protection (Africa CDC), on Thursday.  Kaseya spoke at a press briefing following […] Continue reading ->
The mpox outbreak – characterised by the all-too-familiar lack of vaccines for Africa – provided added impetus to the global negotiations for a pandemic agreement, which resumed at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva on Monday.  Ethiopia, speaking for Africa, said that mpox, recently declared a public health emergency of international concern, “calls […] Continue reading ->
When policymakers, advocates, diplomats, and practitioners come together this month at the UN General Assembly, drug-resistant superbugs will be on everyone’s mind. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), the phenomenon where bacteria and other infectious agents no longer respond to treatments, will be the topic of a UN High-Level Meeting on 26 September to discuss this serious and […] Continue reading ->