NAIROBI – Neonatal sepsis is one of the leading causes of newborn deaths globally, and increasing pathogen resistance to available first-line treatments is a prime example of rising antimicrobial resistance. That is why the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) – a non-profit research organisation that develops new or improved antibiotic treatments – is […] Continue reading ->
WHO’s declaration of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern has been shadowed by growing questions over vaccine strategy in a crisis that has dragged on for over a year, and now threatens to spread across borders. Until now, a ring vaccination strategy focusing […] Continue reading ->
A United States congressional committee met today to vote on whether or not to recommend Andrew Bremberg for confirmation as Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. Bremberg is a controversial pick due to his extreme stance against abortion and his pledge to vote against any UN resolution that includes the right to abortion where […] Continue reading ->
There is no shortage of Merck’s life-saving Ebola vaccine on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and more doses will be produced, sufficient to immunise 1.3 million people over the next 6-18 months, a spokesman for Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, told Health Policy Watch on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Merck, producer of the V920 investigational […] Continue reading ->
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Health Minister, Oly Iluga, resigned Monday, following his removal Saturday as the head of the country’s Ebola response – after the country’s President Felix Tshisekedi placed management of the crisis under direct presidential supervision. “As a result of your decision to place the response to the Ebola outbreak under […] Continue reading ->
A new BMJ study by French researchers has reinforced the link between consumption of sugar-laced sodas & fruit juices and cancer incidence, in particular breast cancer. The study – the largest ever of its kind – is significant because while the link between sugar consumption and diabetes, obesity, and hypertension has been well documented, there […] Continue reading ->
Disclosure of costs for drug research and development (R&D) and “alternative financing mechanisms” for new health products remain outstanding points to be resolved by countries in finalising a draft United Nations General Assembly political declaration on universal health coverage (UHC). A final draft of the declaration had been expected this week, but as of Friday […] Continue reading ->
Hypertension, which has been called a silent killer because it often goes unnoticed, is one of the world’s leading causes of death – potentially leading to heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure, as well as blindness. Now, a new study in The Lancet has found that two-thirds of people in low- and middle-income countries, where […] Continue reading ->
Against the background of increased cross-border infection risks, the World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) – a decision that may help increase aid flows to the disease epicentre but also threaten free-wheeling patterns of […] Continue reading ->
A new UNAIDS report found that while new HIV infections have declined globally since 2010, the rate of progress has slowed, with some regions showing increases in new infections. Available resources for HIV have also dropped by US$ 1 billion in 2018, marking the first time global HIV funding declined since 2000. UNAIDS’ Global AIDS […] Continue reading ->