Even while other parts of the world see upticks, or in the case of Asia, huge spikes in COVID-19 cases, an increasing number of African countries are scaling back COVID-19 surveillance and quarantine measures – a trend that the World Health Organization finds worrisome in the continent that still has the lowest rates of vaccination […] Continue reading ->
More than a million people could die of Omicron in China unless it takes action to boost its elderly population with a Western COVID-19 vaccine, according to a new analysis by Airfinity. The analysis shows that, although China vaccinated 80% of its population over the age of 60, Chinese people have low protection because its […] Continue reading ->
As global water experts meet at the World Water Forum in Senegal this week, large swathes of Africa are facing famine as severe droughts prevail in the Horn of Africa and large parts of southern Africa. “Harvests are ruined, livestock is dying and families are bearing the consequences of increasingly frequent climate extremes,” according to […] Continue reading ->
UN Environment has joined a three-way alliance with the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Animal Health Organization (OIE), and WHO to advance “One-Health” solutions to both ecosystem degradation and pandemic threats, leaders of the four agencies said on Friday. The statement followed a meeting this week of the Tripartite FAO, WHO and OIE partnership […] Continue reading ->
A Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) announcement Thursday that it has signed agreements with 35 companies to manufacture generic versions of Pfizer’s life-saving COVID-19 Paxlovid treatment for distribution in 95 low- and middle-income countries came fire almost immediately from medicines access groups as too little, too late. The MPP-brokered sublicences follow on from an agreement between […] Continue reading ->
The first session of the newly constituted Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft a “pandemic preparedness instrument” for the World Health Organization (WHO) began on Monday. The six-member body, representing all WHO regions, is made up of Precious Matsoso (South Africa), Roland Driece (the Netherlands), Ambassador Tovar da Silva Nunes (Brazil), Ahmed Salama Soliman (Egypt), […] Continue reading ->
In advance of critical biodiversity negotiations in Geneva, over twenty former headers of state, ministers, and environmental and indigenous leaders urgently called on governments – including their own – to back the protection of at least 30% of the planet by 2030. Led by former US Senator Russ Feingold and comprised of either former Heads […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) released new guidelines on abortion care on Wednesday, that include recommendations on telemedicine for the first time. Telemedicine has helped support access to abortion and family planning services during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is also being used in places where abortion access is limited. Over 25 million unsafe abortions occur […] Continue reading ->
Moderna has committed to permanently waiving its COVID-19 patents in 92 low- and middle-income countries, and is pursuing vaccines for 15 diseases identified as the world’s biggest public health risk, including ebola, tuberculosis and malaria. The company has also offered outside researchers access to its mRNA technology to pursue research on emerging and neglected infectious […] Continue reading ->
Countries need to prevent more SARS-CoV2 infections in wildlife, as this could result in the establishment of animal reservoirs, according to a joint statement by the World Health Organisation, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). So far domestic animals, free-ranging, captive or farmed wild animals such as big […] Continue reading ->