Merck will appeal the recommendation by the Europe Union’s (EU) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) rejects its COVID-19 antiviral, Lagevrio (molnupiravir). The decision comes after months of deliberation by European regulators, who began looking at Lagevrio, in November 2021. The CHMP said there was a lack […] Continue reading ->
After five days of discussions last week on how to amend the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations to make them more able to combat future pandemics, the international working group has “agreed on a way forward”, according to the WHO. WHO member states have proposed 307 amendments, and much of last week’s meeting […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated its firm recommendation that wearing masks is an effective method to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in a media briefing on Wednesday. Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead for COVID-19, said that coronavirus is still in circulation and wearing appropriate face masks is one of the ways […] Continue reading ->
On the eve of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has approved an additional $10.32 million in emergency funding to maintain essential HIV and tuberculosis (TB) services in Ukraine. The funds are earmarked for HIV and TB treatment, prevention and care, including for internally […] Continue reading ->
New research published in The Lancet suggests that individuals who have previously been infected with COVID-19 have an 88% lower risk of hospitalization or death than those who have not. The study is the most comprehensive review of data on natural immunity to date, covering data from 65 studies across 19 countries published since January […] Continue reading ->
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is closely monitoring Equatorial Guinea’s first-ever Marburg virus disease outbreak, Africa CDC acting director Dr Ahmed Ogwell Ouma told a media briefing on Thursday “One big challenge we have are test kits and we are working around the clock to try and get test kits to […] Continue reading ->
A senior World Health Organization (WHO) official has emphatically denied that abandoned its investigation of the origins of the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic. The comment by Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, COVID-19 technical lead, was in response to a report published on Tuesday by Nature which stated that the agency has “quietly shelved” its […] Continue reading ->
The global vaccine alliance, Gavi, has appointed former Nigerian health minister, Dr Muhammad Ali Pate, as its new CEO. Pate was Minister of State for Health in Nigeria between 2011 and 2013, where he led a national campaign to “revive routine immunisation and primary health care, chaired a presidential taskforce to eradicate polio and introduced […] Continue reading ->
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 ->
A new study found COVID-19 has emerged as a leading cause of death in children and young people in the US, ranking eighth overall between August 2021 and July 2022. The Oxford University study determined that COVID-19 was the underlying cause of death for more than 940,000 people in the US, including over 1,300 deaths […] Continue reading ->