PRETORIA, South Africa – Multilateral agencies and funders urged African nations at last week’s Africa Clean Air Forum to speak the language of finance to attract investment in improving the continent’s air quality. Air pollution is the second leading risk for death in Africa after malnutrition. Four African countries feature in the top 10 most polluted […] Continue reading ->
Two largely opposing proposals for a pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS) system – the last outstanding piece of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Pandemic Agreement – were tabled during the seventh round of negotiations, which ended on Friday. Africa consolidated behind a “federated” model, while the European Union and its developed-country allies backed a “hybrid” […] Continue reading ->
Unitaid is quietly searching for its next leader behind closed doors amidst growing demands for transparency. Whoever takes the helm of the market-shaping agency will inherit an organisation that faces acute financial shortfalls and mounting pressure for institutional reform. As Unitaid celebrates its 20th anniversary, severe cuts to the agency’s funding threaten to disrupt the […] Continue reading ->
Editor’s note: As the Global Fund Executive Director nomination process progresses behind closed, reports by Health Policy Watch and The Lancet have revealed a few of the names said to be shortlisted, including high-profile candidates from the United States and Botswana. Meanwhile a German contender was reportedly sidelined. In this article, Sascha van Beek, a […] Continue reading ->
Two months after the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared an outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo, the outbreak is “continuing to outpace the response” – and with 2,073 people infected and 796 dead, this is the fastest outbreak ever, World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Dr Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus told a media briefing on Thursday. “Intense […] Continue reading ->
In the days that followed the earthquakes that struck Venezuela on 24 June, La Guaira, the worst-hit city, went silent. Any noise could be a sign of life, so people remained alert, listening carefully, even as entire communities took to the streets. “People took matters into their own hands and started looking for their friends […] Continue reading ->
Nearly 90% of infants globally received at least one dose of a diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine in 2025, while around one-third of girls globally received at least one dose of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer. This is according to the annual World Health Organization (WHO)-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization […] Continue reading ->
PRETORIA, South Africa – Participants from 47 African nations are meeting at the Africa Clean Air Forum this week as part of a continental drive to address the air pollution health crisis. The forum, convened by the Africa Clean Air Network (AfriCAN), is in its fourth year, and this is the first time it is being […] Continue reading ->
As artificial intelligence drives rapid health innovations, global guardrails, equitable data, and local capacity are needed to ensure equitable progress. To address this, a landmark framework launched by three United Nations agencies lays out a strategic roadmap for innovators. Meanwhile, health leaders emphasise that lower-income regions must become co-creators of future innovations. New guidelines for […] Continue reading ->
Conflict is reshaping the global trade map, and the collapse of Afghanistan’s opium production could, paradoxically, be pushing the world even faster toward more dangerous synthetics. Meanwhile, governments continue to prioritise punishment over care for people caught up in the cycle of drug use. Nearly half a million people died from drug use in 2023, […] Continue reading ->