The World Health Organization’s (WHO) pandemic agreement negotiations begin their final two-week stretch on Monday (28 April) amid a gamble with the process, a show of unity from African member states – and more suggestions for the draft text. This final intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) meeting will focus on finding “common ground and consensus”, according […] Continue reading ->
The US plans to double the number of countries it supports to prevent infectious disease outbreaks, opting for bilateral agreements with at least 100 countries, according to its new Global Health Security Strategy (GHSS). “Recent outbreaks, from mpox to Marburg, cholera, and other diseases… are wake-up calls for anyone who thought COVID was a once-in-a-lifetime […] Continue reading ->
Pharmacogenomics research in Africa transcends mere regional healthcare improvements: it represents a pivotal step in addressing pressing global health challenges and propelling medical science forward for all. A revolution is sweeping through the field of medicine, redefining how we approach the treatment of diseases. Africa must not be left behind in this transformative journey. Pharmacogenomics, […] Continue reading ->
Immunisation has saved at least 154 million lives over the past 50 years, since the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in 1974. Of the lives saved, 146 million were children under five, and 101 million were babies. Global infant deaths have reduced by 40% and more than halved in […] Continue reading ->
The penultimate meeting of a World Health Organization (WHO) working group to amend the International Health Regulations (IHR) began in Geneva on Monday amid stakeholder praise and criticism for the latest 64-page draft. The IHR are legally binding and sets out countries’ rights and obligations in handling public health events and emergencies that have the […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a new technical report including updated terminology to describe pathogens that are transmitted through the air, following “an extensive, multi-year, collaborative effort”. It follows confusion and contestation between scientists during the COVID-19 pandemic because of the “varying terminologies” and “gaps in common understanding”, said the WHO. These “contributed […] Continue reading ->
“This is probably the most hopeful time in my professional life and the scariest time,” Dr Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization (WHO) Deputy Director General and head of Health Emergencies, told a high-level Geneva audience on Wednesday. “Hopeful” because there is the possibility of reaching a global agreement on how to tackle future pandemics […] Continue reading ->
The latest draft of the pandemic agreement, while deferring many operational issues, keeps equity hopes alive in many aspects – including by cementing in-principle agreements on a pathogen access and benefit-sharing (PABS) system, a global supply chain and logistics network and geographically diverse “capacities and institutions” for research and development. READ: WHO Pandemic Agreement draft_16 […] Continue reading ->
“Disappointed” is how the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention phrased its response to pharmaceutical company Moderna “pausing” its Kenyan mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility. Moderna’s decision is yet another example of how complex it is to kickstart vaccine manufacturing on the continent – an essential component to safeguard Africans against future pandemics on the […] Continue reading ->
Nestlé’s shareholders have a golden opportunity to call on the food giant to promote healthier lives in almost two hundred countries by backing a bold resolution at the multinational’s Annual General Meeting this week. Doing so can protect their profits in the long-haul. Backed by a coalition of five institutional investors with $ 1.68 trillion […] Continue reading ->