Amidst a flurry of allegations of nepotism and political corruption, Saima Wazed, daughter of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has emerged victorious in the race for the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia (WHO-SEARO) regional director. Wazed’s limited international public health experience and expertise, confined to the narrow field of autism, have raised concerns among experts […] Continue reading ->
The drug regulatory authorities of Switzerland, the Republic of Korea and Singapore have become the first three countries to be listed as WHO-Listed Authorities (WLA) that can be used as a point of reference for other countries’ deliberations on approval of new drugs and vaccines. The WHO’s recently established WLA framework is intended to create […] Continue reading ->
Bangladesh has become the first country globally to be validated by the World Health Organization for the elimination of visceral leishmaniasis or kala azar, as a public health problem. VL, a life-threatening neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by a parasite transmitted by sandflies, affects some one million people worldwide every year, mostly in Southeast Asia […] Continue reading ->
Tackling inequities in food, nutrition and health outcomes needs a rights-based approach to food and nutrition, based on equality and centred on historically marginalised individuals and communities, according to Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health. “The intersection of the right to health and right to food is […] Continue reading ->
The WHO and the International Red Cross both issued weekend appeals to Israel to rescind its evacuation order on Al Quds Hospital, a major healthcare facility in the northern Gaza Strip. Israel has said that Al Quds, along with Al Shifa Hospital, are both being used as command and control centers by Hamas militants. But […] Continue reading ->
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country has introduced the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine into its routine immunization system, aiming to reach 7.7 million girls – in the continent’s largest-ever vaccination drive against the virus that causes nearly all cases of cervical cancer. Girls aged 9–14 years will receive a single dose of the vaccine, which is […] Continue reading ->
A third convoy of 20 aid trucks with food, water and medical aid entered Gaza on Monday via Egypt’s Rafah crossing, in line with a reported US-Israeli deal Sunday evening to keep desperately needed humanitarian aid flowing to the war-torn enclave. But no fuel has been allowed into the territory, and hospital generators are expected […] Continue reading ->
World Health Organization (WHO) member states should include personal-use glucose monitoring devices in their vitro diagnostics (IVD) lists to help people with diabetes, according to the global body’s 2023 Essential Diagnostics List (EDL) released this week. Diabetes caused 1.5 million deaths in 2019, and including personal glucose testing devices “could lead to better disease management […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) is poised to begin the transfers of medical supplies to the embattled Gaza Strip on Friday as part of a humanitarian convoy of 20 trucks, said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Thursday. But he and other senior WHO officials said the corridor needs to remain open permanently in order […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a technical advisory group that will advise it on pricing policies for medicines, particularly the prices of medicines on the essential medicine list (EML).The 17-member Technical Advisory Group on Pricing Policies for Medicines (TAG-PPM) will support WHO to help strengthen policies, improve transparency about prices and improve access […] Continue reading ->