A historic window of opportunity to eradicate polio could be slipping away, World Health Organization (WHO) Europe leaders warned at a press conference marking World Polio Day on Monday. Since the 1980s, global polio cases have fallen by 99.9% and if polio were to be eradicated, it would join smallpox as only the second disease […] Continue reading ->
With more cholera outbreaks overstretching the world’s limited vaccine supply, WHO recommends temporarily suspending the standard two-dose regimen to vaccinate more people. Meanwhile, Africa aims to re-energize its COVID-19 vaccine rollout, despite steady decline in public turnout for vaccination. A shortage in the global supply of cholera vaccines has forced the World Health Organization to […] Continue reading ->
A shortage of cholera vaccines and a number of outbreaks have prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to advise countries to administer single doses of the vaccine instead of the usual two doses. So far, 29 countries have reported cholera outbreaks, with Haiti, Syria and Malawi dealing with large outbreaks. The standard preventive approach to […] Continue reading ->
New evidence that exposure to air pollution can potentially contribute to obesity in women has emerged from a study by the University of Michigan “Women in their late 40s and early 50s exposed long-term to air pollution—specifically, higher levels of fine particles, nitrogen dioxide and ozone—saw increases in their body size and composition measures,” said […] Continue reading ->
The Indian government has halted the Maiden Pharmaceuticals plant that produced the cough and cold syrups that WHO says were tainted with toxic chemicals – possibly linked to the recent deaths of some 66 children in The Gambia. A senior WHO official confirmed that Indian government health authorities had shut down the plant after WHO […] Continue reading ->
Over 90% of appeals for urgent hunger-related funding made through the United Nations humanitarian system were not fully funded in 2021, according to a report produced by Action Against Hunger. While global funding has increased by 233% over the past decade, overall humanitarian needs are up 500%. “This means that 42% fewer UN appeals are […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has pushed the deadline to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease from 2025 to 2030. The earlier deadline had been decided on at the 2013 G8 Dementia Summit. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia and makes up 60-70% of the global dementia cases. WHO’s A Blueprint for […] Continue reading ->
Global vaccine purchasing mechanisms including Gavi and the United Nations have been urged to purchase a minimum of 30% of their vaccines from African manufacturers, according to a resolution, Call to Action: Africa’s new public health order adopted by African member states on the sidelines of the recent United Nations general assembly (UNGA). The resolution, […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new initiative to counter the added malaria threat posed by the rapid expansion on the African continent of the mosquito Anopheles stephensi — native to parts of South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, the organization said this week. The initiative comes just as the world struggles to […] Continue reading ->
Routine childhood immunisation across 57 low income countries declined slightly for the second consecutive year in 2021, following massive pandemic-related interruptions in vaccine coverage in 2020, according to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Vaccine coverage stood at 77%, one percent less than in 2020. Preliminary data between January and May 2022, however, shows signs of improvement […] Continue reading ->