The earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria this week is now the deadliest the world has seen in over a decade. By Wednesday evening, 11,600 people had been confirmed dead. Tens of thousands more are injured. As deaths continue to mount, search and rescue teams from across the world are in a race against the […] Continue reading ->
Successful intervention is urgently needed – and entirely possible. Cancer kills nearly 10 million people a year, but the risk of dying from cancer varies greatly depending on where in the world you live. About 70% of these deaths are in low- and middle-income countries – and the disparity is worsening. A Lancet Oncology Commission […] Continue reading ->
Twenty years ago, 16-year-old Mulikat Okanlawan embarked on a 1000-kilometer journey from her home in the Nigerian capital of Lagos to the Northwestern city of Sokoto in a bid to change her life. She is a survivor of noma, a little-known bacterial disease that attacks cells in facial tissue and bones. On paper, Okanlawan had […] Continue reading ->
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania – Twelve African nations pledged on Wednesday to end AIDS in children by 2030, focusing on ensuring that life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) medication reaches children. The pledge – known as the Dar es Salaam Declaration – was adopted at the first ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance to end AIDS in Children. […] Continue reading ->
Israeli and international public health professionals have published a letter in the Lancet expressing deep concern over an Israeli government decision to cancel the country’s sweetened beverage tax, which was only passed in November 2021. These senior scholars said the decision to revoke the tax sends a message that the government lacks respect for science […] Continue reading ->
The first three weeks of 2023 were encouraging for the African continent’s fight against COVID-19. With cases down 97% year-on-year since the same period in 2022, hospitalizations for severe illness and deaths from the virus decreased significantly, the World Health Organization’s African Regional Office said. “For the first time since COVID-19 shook our lives, January […] Continue reading ->
IFAKARA, Tanzania – When you think of malaria, a swarm of mosquitoes flying against an orange sunset is a dangerous sight. As part of their mating ritual, the dreaded bloodsuckers brazenly hover for 30 minutes, males adroitly flapping their slender wings to produce a sound that lures female partners to join them. The mosquito proliferation […] Continue reading ->
Five billion people around the world have no protection against industrially produced trans fats (ITFAs), putting them at risk of heart disease and death, the World Health Organization said. ITFAs are responsible for over 500,000 premature deaths from coronary heart disease every year. Commonly found in baked goods, cooking oils, and packaged foods, ITFAs are […] Continue reading ->
At least 300,000 people lose their lives to air pollution each year across the European Union, and the bloc is pushing to tighten air quality regulations as part of its Green New Deal legislative package. The new rules aim to reduce the number of premature deaths and illness caused by air pollution, as well as […] Continue reading ->
Nearly one billion people in low- and middle-income countries lack access to health facilities with reliable electricity, a joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO), World Bank, and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) found. Electricity is essential for the functioning of medical equipment like ventilators, incubators, and cold-chain storage for vaccines, as well as […] Continue reading ->