Life expectancy has increased, particularly in low income countries, but COVID-19 threatens to throw progress off track, according to the World Health Organization’s annual roundup of worldwide disease and mortality trends. “The good news is that people around the world are living longer and healthier lives. The bad news is the rate of progress is […] Continue reading ->
Like the delicate mesh of grandma’s crochet, the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 is intricately intertwined with air pollution, the two knitted together in a secret code, which research from Italy, Germany and the United States is beginning to unveil. More than ever before, the clear blue skies are telling us that it is time […] Continue reading ->
Over a dozen World Health Organization Member States have proposed inviting Taiwan as an observer to the upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA), taking place virtually on May 18 and 19. The US-inspired move is formally led by a number of small countries and island states in Africa, central America, the Caribbean, and the Western Pacific. […] Continue reading ->
Some 13 Member States have now submitted a formal proposal to the World Health Assembly (WHA) to extend an invitation to Taiwan to attend the Assembly as an observer – a status that it has not held since 2016, according to WHO documents. The move, while initiated by the Central American state of Belize, essentially […] Continue reading ->
As reports of COVID-19 patients presenting with cardiovascular symptoms continue to surface, World Health Organization experts say more research is needed to understand all of the clinical presentations of the new disease. Still, they underlined that the new coronavirus primarily causes respiratory disease. “It is clear that in a proportion of patients, [COVID-19] is causing […] Continue reading ->
As the 73rd World Health Assembly approaches, the European Union-sponsored draft resolution on the COVID-19 response is gathering steam and storm as it rolls closer to the planned opening of the Assembly on 18 May – with far less clarity about how it might actually hit the shores of the public debate. The resolution aims […] Continue reading ->
A rare, severe inflammatory illness – largely believed to be associated with COVID-19 – is putting children in ICUs in the United Kingdom and the United States. The children present with symptoms similar to toxic shock syndrome or Kawasaki’s disease – a pediatric heart disease that causes inflammation or swelling of the blood vessels, according […] Continue reading ->
A 3-month long lockdown could lead to an additional 1.4 million TB deaths and an additional 6.3 million cases over the next five years – if existing tuberculosis services are put on a prolonged hold, reports a new study by the Stop TB Partnership, which estimated the global impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on TB. The […] Continue reading ->
A new report published Wednesday provides guidance to African governments on how to use data to chart a way out of COVID-19 lockdowns. Concerns that the economic impact of stringent stay-at-home orders may become too tough to bear for families has some African countries considering adapting or easing public health restrictions. Some 69% of people […] Continue reading ->
Countries from around the world committed 7.36 billion Euro for the global coronavirus pandemic response Monday, nearly reaching the ambitious 7.5 billion Euro initial goal that had been set out only a week ago in a press conference with heads of state from Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and the World Health Organization. The United […] Continue reading ->