UK Scientists Launch Genomic Surveillance System for Respiratory Viruses 12/01/2023 Stefan Anderson British scientists have launched a new initiative to expand the sequencing of common seasonal respiratory viruses with the aim of developing an early warning system for new viral threats and help prevent future pandemics. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, labs around the world were sequencing tens of thousands of Sars-CoV-2 genomes a day. […] Continue reading -> Any Restrictions on Chinese Travellers Should be ‘Rooted in Science’ 10/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan European countries that plan to introduce “precautionary measures” in light of the huge COVID-19 surge in China should ensure these are “rooted in science, proportionate and non-discriminatory”, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Europe director has urged. However, Dr Hans Kluge added that, based on information available to WHO, “the SARS-CoV-2 virus variants circulating in China […] Continue reading -> WHO Proposes High-Level Global Council to Guide Future Health Emergencies 09/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan A high-level council to govern global health emergencies, made up of heads of state and other international leaders, is one of the proposals to be discussed by the World Health Organization (WHO) this year. It is the first of 10 proposals to strengthen the WHO’s response to health emergencies put forward by WHO Director General, […] Continue reading -> Tanzania Deploys ‘HeroRats’ to Improve Tuberculosis Diagnosis 06/01/2023 Kizito Makoye For months, Sharifa Shomale suffered in silence from tuberculosis, not knowing what was wrong with her. Doctors suspected a viral infection. Then an unlikely hero made a life-saving discovery: a mischievous rat named Hamisi. DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania—Every evening, as the call to prayer from the mosque echoes in the twilight from Manzese—a tangled Dar […] Continue reading -> The Two Largest US Pharmacies Will Carry Abortion Pill After FDA Rule Change 05/01/2023 Stefan Anderson CVS and Walgreens, the two largest pharmacy chains in the United States, totaling nearly 18,000 locations nationwide, announced plans on Wednesday to carry the abortion medication mifepristone after the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) relaxed rules for distributing the pill earlier this week. The new rule updates FDA labeling to allow any pharmacy that undergoes […] Continue reading -> US National Institutes of Health and Israel To Kick-off Joint Research Into Regional Emerging Disease Threats 05/01/2023 Maayan Hoffman In the wake of the COVID pandemic, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Israel’s largest medical center, Sheba Medical Center, are launching a scientific collaboration aimed at identifying emerging disease threats in the region. One of the first projects planned will be a study examining the impacts on antibody defenses amongst travelers from […] Continue reading -> China CDC Contends Omicron BA.5.2 and BF.7 are Main SARS-CoV2 Variants Circulating – But WHO Pressures for More Genome Sharing 04/01/2023 John Heilprin & Elaine Ruth Fletcher As nations clamp down on travellers from China during an Omicron surge there Chinese health experts have told the World Health Organization that two known Omicron lineages are dominating the current Chinese surge, with BA.5.2 and BF.7 together accounting for 97.5% of all locally-acquired infections. The data was contained in a report by WHO’s Technical Advisory […] Continue reading -> WHO Urges ‘Under-Vaccinated’ China to Include mRNA Vaccines as it Battles Omicron Surge 21/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan China should make full use of all available COVID-19 vaccines to combat its current Omicron surge, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – including mRNA vaccines that are more effective than China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. “Vaccination is the exit strategy from the impact [of Omicron],” Dr Mike Ryan, WHO head of health emergencies, […] Continue reading -> Sweeping New Global Biodiversity Deal Sets Out Plan for Sharing Gene Sequences 20/12/2022 Stefan Anderson Along with a pledge to conserve 30% of the world’s biodiversity, the sweeping new deal reached in Montreal on Monday also etches a way forward to create an open-access platform for sharing gene sequences (digital sequence information) as part of new benefit-sharing arrangements. But some observers worry these policy advances still aren’t keeping up with […] Continue reading -> Will China Allow mRNA Vaccines to Boost Vulnerable Population? 20/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan Schools in Shanghai closed on Monday, as did the US Embassy in Beijing while the streets of major Chinese cities are reportedly deserted as residents retreated from a wave of COVID-19 cases. In the past week, the country has officially reported over 148,000 new cases – but this is likely to be much higher as […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Any Restrictions on Chinese Travellers Should be ‘Rooted in Science’ 10/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan European countries that plan to introduce “precautionary measures” in light of the huge COVID-19 surge in China should ensure these are “rooted in science, proportionate and non-discriminatory”, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Europe director has urged. However, Dr Hans Kluge added that, based on information available to WHO, “the SARS-CoV-2 virus variants circulating in China […] Continue reading -> WHO Proposes High-Level Global Council to Guide Future Health Emergencies 09/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan A high-level council to govern global health emergencies, made up of heads of state and other international leaders, is one of the proposals to be discussed by the World Health Organization (WHO) this year. It is the first of 10 proposals to strengthen the WHO’s response to health emergencies put forward by WHO Director General, […] Continue reading -> Tanzania Deploys ‘HeroRats’ to Improve Tuberculosis Diagnosis 06/01/2023 Kizito Makoye For months, Sharifa Shomale suffered in silence from tuberculosis, not knowing what was wrong with her. Doctors suspected a viral infection. Then an unlikely hero made a life-saving discovery: a mischievous rat named Hamisi. DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania—Every evening, as the call to prayer from the mosque echoes in the twilight from Manzese—a tangled Dar […] Continue reading -> The Two Largest US Pharmacies Will Carry Abortion Pill After FDA Rule Change 05/01/2023 Stefan Anderson CVS and Walgreens, the two largest pharmacy chains in the United States, totaling nearly 18,000 locations nationwide, announced plans on Wednesday to carry the abortion medication mifepristone after the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) relaxed rules for distributing the pill earlier this week. The new rule updates FDA labeling to allow any pharmacy that undergoes […] Continue reading -> US National Institutes of Health and Israel To Kick-off Joint Research Into Regional Emerging Disease Threats 05/01/2023 Maayan Hoffman In the wake of the COVID pandemic, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Israel’s largest medical center, Sheba Medical Center, are launching a scientific collaboration aimed at identifying emerging disease threats in the region. One of the first projects planned will be a study examining the impacts on antibody defenses amongst travelers from […] Continue reading -> China CDC Contends Omicron BA.5.2 and BF.7 are Main SARS-CoV2 Variants Circulating – But WHO Pressures for More Genome Sharing 04/01/2023 John Heilprin & Elaine Ruth Fletcher As nations clamp down on travellers from China during an Omicron surge there Chinese health experts have told the World Health Organization that two known Omicron lineages are dominating the current Chinese surge, with BA.5.2 and BF.7 together accounting for 97.5% of all locally-acquired infections. The data was contained in a report by WHO’s Technical Advisory […] Continue reading -> WHO Urges ‘Under-Vaccinated’ China to Include mRNA Vaccines as it Battles Omicron Surge 21/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan China should make full use of all available COVID-19 vaccines to combat its current Omicron surge, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – including mRNA vaccines that are more effective than China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. “Vaccination is the exit strategy from the impact [of Omicron],” Dr Mike Ryan, WHO head of health emergencies, […] Continue reading -> Sweeping New Global Biodiversity Deal Sets Out Plan for Sharing Gene Sequences 20/12/2022 Stefan Anderson Along with a pledge to conserve 30% of the world’s biodiversity, the sweeping new deal reached in Montreal on Monday also etches a way forward to create an open-access platform for sharing gene sequences (digital sequence information) as part of new benefit-sharing arrangements. But some observers worry these policy advances still aren’t keeping up with […] Continue reading -> Will China Allow mRNA Vaccines to Boost Vulnerable Population? 20/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan Schools in Shanghai closed on Monday, as did the US Embassy in Beijing while the streets of major Chinese cities are reportedly deserted as residents retreated from a wave of COVID-19 cases. In the past week, the country has officially reported over 148,000 new cases – but this is likely to be much higher as […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
WHO Proposes High-Level Global Council to Guide Future Health Emergencies 09/01/2023 Kerry Cullinan A high-level council to govern global health emergencies, made up of heads of state and other international leaders, is one of the proposals to be discussed by the World Health Organization (WHO) this year. It is the first of 10 proposals to strengthen the WHO’s response to health emergencies put forward by WHO Director General, […] Continue reading -> Tanzania Deploys ‘HeroRats’ to Improve Tuberculosis Diagnosis 06/01/2023 Kizito Makoye For months, Sharifa Shomale suffered in silence from tuberculosis, not knowing what was wrong with her. Doctors suspected a viral infection. Then an unlikely hero made a life-saving discovery: a mischievous rat named Hamisi. DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania—Every evening, as the call to prayer from the mosque echoes in the twilight from Manzese—a tangled Dar […] Continue reading -> The Two Largest US Pharmacies Will Carry Abortion Pill After FDA Rule Change 05/01/2023 Stefan Anderson CVS and Walgreens, the two largest pharmacy chains in the United States, totaling nearly 18,000 locations nationwide, announced plans on Wednesday to carry the abortion medication mifepristone after the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) relaxed rules for distributing the pill earlier this week. The new rule updates FDA labeling to allow any pharmacy that undergoes […] Continue reading -> US National Institutes of Health and Israel To Kick-off Joint Research Into Regional Emerging Disease Threats 05/01/2023 Maayan Hoffman In the wake of the COVID pandemic, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Israel’s largest medical center, Sheba Medical Center, are launching a scientific collaboration aimed at identifying emerging disease threats in the region. One of the first projects planned will be a study examining the impacts on antibody defenses amongst travelers from […] Continue reading -> China CDC Contends Omicron BA.5.2 and BF.7 are Main SARS-CoV2 Variants Circulating – But WHO Pressures for More Genome Sharing 04/01/2023 John Heilprin & Elaine Ruth Fletcher As nations clamp down on travellers from China during an Omicron surge there Chinese health experts have told the World Health Organization that two known Omicron lineages are dominating the current Chinese surge, with BA.5.2 and BF.7 together accounting for 97.5% of all locally-acquired infections. The data was contained in a report by WHO’s Technical Advisory […] Continue reading -> WHO Urges ‘Under-Vaccinated’ China to Include mRNA Vaccines as it Battles Omicron Surge 21/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan China should make full use of all available COVID-19 vaccines to combat its current Omicron surge, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – including mRNA vaccines that are more effective than China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. “Vaccination is the exit strategy from the impact [of Omicron],” Dr Mike Ryan, WHO head of health emergencies, […] Continue reading -> Sweeping New Global Biodiversity Deal Sets Out Plan for Sharing Gene Sequences 20/12/2022 Stefan Anderson Along with a pledge to conserve 30% of the world’s biodiversity, the sweeping new deal reached in Montreal on Monday also etches a way forward to create an open-access platform for sharing gene sequences (digital sequence information) as part of new benefit-sharing arrangements. But some observers worry these policy advances still aren’t keeping up with […] Continue reading -> Will China Allow mRNA Vaccines to Boost Vulnerable Population? 20/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan Schools in Shanghai closed on Monday, as did the US Embassy in Beijing while the streets of major Chinese cities are reportedly deserted as residents retreated from a wave of COVID-19 cases. In the past week, the country has officially reported over 148,000 new cases – but this is likely to be much higher as […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Tanzania Deploys ‘HeroRats’ to Improve Tuberculosis Diagnosis 06/01/2023 Kizito Makoye For months, Sharifa Shomale suffered in silence from tuberculosis, not knowing what was wrong with her. Doctors suspected a viral infection. Then an unlikely hero made a life-saving discovery: a mischievous rat named Hamisi. DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania—Every evening, as the call to prayer from the mosque echoes in the twilight from Manzese—a tangled Dar […] Continue reading -> The Two Largest US Pharmacies Will Carry Abortion Pill After FDA Rule Change 05/01/2023 Stefan Anderson CVS and Walgreens, the two largest pharmacy chains in the United States, totaling nearly 18,000 locations nationwide, announced plans on Wednesday to carry the abortion medication mifepristone after the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) relaxed rules for distributing the pill earlier this week. The new rule updates FDA labeling to allow any pharmacy that undergoes […] Continue reading -> US National Institutes of Health and Israel To Kick-off Joint Research Into Regional Emerging Disease Threats 05/01/2023 Maayan Hoffman In the wake of the COVID pandemic, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Israel’s largest medical center, Sheba Medical Center, are launching a scientific collaboration aimed at identifying emerging disease threats in the region. One of the first projects planned will be a study examining the impacts on antibody defenses amongst travelers from […] Continue reading -> China CDC Contends Omicron BA.5.2 and BF.7 are Main SARS-CoV2 Variants Circulating – But WHO Pressures for More Genome Sharing 04/01/2023 John Heilprin & Elaine Ruth Fletcher As nations clamp down on travellers from China during an Omicron surge there Chinese health experts have told the World Health Organization that two known Omicron lineages are dominating the current Chinese surge, with BA.5.2 and BF.7 together accounting for 97.5% of all locally-acquired infections. The data was contained in a report by WHO’s Technical Advisory […] Continue reading -> WHO Urges ‘Under-Vaccinated’ China to Include mRNA Vaccines as it Battles Omicron Surge 21/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan China should make full use of all available COVID-19 vaccines to combat its current Omicron surge, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – including mRNA vaccines that are more effective than China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. “Vaccination is the exit strategy from the impact [of Omicron],” Dr Mike Ryan, WHO head of health emergencies, […] Continue reading -> Sweeping New Global Biodiversity Deal Sets Out Plan for Sharing Gene Sequences 20/12/2022 Stefan Anderson Along with a pledge to conserve 30% of the world’s biodiversity, the sweeping new deal reached in Montreal on Monday also etches a way forward to create an open-access platform for sharing gene sequences (digital sequence information) as part of new benefit-sharing arrangements. But some observers worry these policy advances still aren’t keeping up with […] Continue reading -> Will China Allow mRNA Vaccines to Boost Vulnerable Population? 20/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan Schools in Shanghai closed on Monday, as did the US Embassy in Beijing while the streets of major Chinese cities are reportedly deserted as residents retreated from a wave of COVID-19 cases. In the past week, the country has officially reported over 148,000 new cases – but this is likely to be much higher as […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
The Two Largest US Pharmacies Will Carry Abortion Pill After FDA Rule Change 05/01/2023 Stefan Anderson CVS and Walgreens, the two largest pharmacy chains in the United States, totaling nearly 18,000 locations nationwide, announced plans on Wednesday to carry the abortion medication mifepristone after the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) relaxed rules for distributing the pill earlier this week. The new rule updates FDA labeling to allow any pharmacy that undergoes […] Continue reading -> US National Institutes of Health and Israel To Kick-off Joint Research Into Regional Emerging Disease Threats 05/01/2023 Maayan Hoffman In the wake of the COVID pandemic, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Israel’s largest medical center, Sheba Medical Center, are launching a scientific collaboration aimed at identifying emerging disease threats in the region. One of the first projects planned will be a study examining the impacts on antibody defenses amongst travelers from […] Continue reading -> China CDC Contends Omicron BA.5.2 and BF.7 are Main SARS-CoV2 Variants Circulating – But WHO Pressures for More Genome Sharing 04/01/2023 John Heilprin & Elaine Ruth Fletcher As nations clamp down on travellers from China during an Omicron surge there Chinese health experts have told the World Health Organization that two known Omicron lineages are dominating the current Chinese surge, with BA.5.2 and BF.7 together accounting for 97.5% of all locally-acquired infections. The data was contained in a report by WHO’s Technical Advisory […] Continue reading -> WHO Urges ‘Under-Vaccinated’ China to Include mRNA Vaccines as it Battles Omicron Surge 21/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan China should make full use of all available COVID-19 vaccines to combat its current Omicron surge, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – including mRNA vaccines that are more effective than China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. “Vaccination is the exit strategy from the impact [of Omicron],” Dr Mike Ryan, WHO head of health emergencies, […] Continue reading -> Sweeping New Global Biodiversity Deal Sets Out Plan for Sharing Gene Sequences 20/12/2022 Stefan Anderson Along with a pledge to conserve 30% of the world’s biodiversity, the sweeping new deal reached in Montreal on Monday also etches a way forward to create an open-access platform for sharing gene sequences (digital sequence information) as part of new benefit-sharing arrangements. But some observers worry these policy advances still aren’t keeping up with […] Continue reading -> Will China Allow mRNA Vaccines to Boost Vulnerable Population? 20/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan Schools in Shanghai closed on Monday, as did the US Embassy in Beijing while the streets of major Chinese cities are reportedly deserted as residents retreated from a wave of COVID-19 cases. In the past week, the country has officially reported over 148,000 new cases – but this is likely to be much higher as […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
US National Institutes of Health and Israel To Kick-off Joint Research Into Regional Emerging Disease Threats 05/01/2023 Maayan Hoffman In the wake of the COVID pandemic, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Israel’s largest medical center, Sheba Medical Center, are launching a scientific collaboration aimed at identifying emerging disease threats in the region. One of the first projects planned will be a study examining the impacts on antibody defenses amongst travelers from […] Continue reading -> China CDC Contends Omicron BA.5.2 and BF.7 are Main SARS-CoV2 Variants Circulating – But WHO Pressures for More Genome Sharing 04/01/2023 John Heilprin & Elaine Ruth Fletcher As nations clamp down on travellers from China during an Omicron surge there Chinese health experts have told the World Health Organization that two known Omicron lineages are dominating the current Chinese surge, with BA.5.2 and BF.7 together accounting for 97.5% of all locally-acquired infections. The data was contained in a report by WHO’s Technical Advisory […] Continue reading -> WHO Urges ‘Under-Vaccinated’ China to Include mRNA Vaccines as it Battles Omicron Surge 21/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan China should make full use of all available COVID-19 vaccines to combat its current Omicron surge, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – including mRNA vaccines that are more effective than China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. “Vaccination is the exit strategy from the impact [of Omicron],” Dr Mike Ryan, WHO head of health emergencies, […] Continue reading -> Sweeping New Global Biodiversity Deal Sets Out Plan for Sharing Gene Sequences 20/12/2022 Stefan Anderson Along with a pledge to conserve 30% of the world’s biodiversity, the sweeping new deal reached in Montreal on Monday also etches a way forward to create an open-access platform for sharing gene sequences (digital sequence information) as part of new benefit-sharing arrangements. But some observers worry these policy advances still aren’t keeping up with […] Continue reading -> Will China Allow mRNA Vaccines to Boost Vulnerable Population? 20/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan Schools in Shanghai closed on Monday, as did the US Embassy in Beijing while the streets of major Chinese cities are reportedly deserted as residents retreated from a wave of COVID-19 cases. In the past week, the country has officially reported over 148,000 new cases – but this is likely to be much higher as […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
China CDC Contends Omicron BA.5.2 and BF.7 are Main SARS-CoV2 Variants Circulating – But WHO Pressures for More Genome Sharing 04/01/2023 John Heilprin & Elaine Ruth Fletcher As nations clamp down on travellers from China during an Omicron surge there Chinese health experts have told the World Health Organization that two known Omicron lineages are dominating the current Chinese surge, with BA.5.2 and BF.7 together accounting for 97.5% of all locally-acquired infections. The data was contained in a report by WHO’s Technical Advisory […] Continue reading -> WHO Urges ‘Under-Vaccinated’ China to Include mRNA Vaccines as it Battles Omicron Surge 21/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan China should make full use of all available COVID-19 vaccines to combat its current Omicron surge, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – including mRNA vaccines that are more effective than China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. “Vaccination is the exit strategy from the impact [of Omicron],” Dr Mike Ryan, WHO head of health emergencies, […] Continue reading -> Sweeping New Global Biodiversity Deal Sets Out Plan for Sharing Gene Sequences 20/12/2022 Stefan Anderson Along with a pledge to conserve 30% of the world’s biodiversity, the sweeping new deal reached in Montreal on Monday also etches a way forward to create an open-access platform for sharing gene sequences (digital sequence information) as part of new benefit-sharing arrangements. But some observers worry these policy advances still aren’t keeping up with […] Continue reading -> Will China Allow mRNA Vaccines to Boost Vulnerable Population? 20/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan Schools in Shanghai closed on Monday, as did the US Embassy in Beijing while the streets of major Chinese cities are reportedly deserted as residents retreated from a wave of COVID-19 cases. In the past week, the country has officially reported over 148,000 new cases – but this is likely to be much higher as […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
WHO Urges ‘Under-Vaccinated’ China to Include mRNA Vaccines as it Battles Omicron Surge 21/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan China should make full use of all available COVID-19 vaccines to combat its current Omicron surge, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – including mRNA vaccines that are more effective than China’s Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. “Vaccination is the exit strategy from the impact [of Omicron],” Dr Mike Ryan, WHO head of health emergencies, […] Continue reading -> Sweeping New Global Biodiversity Deal Sets Out Plan for Sharing Gene Sequences 20/12/2022 Stefan Anderson Along with a pledge to conserve 30% of the world’s biodiversity, the sweeping new deal reached in Montreal on Monday also etches a way forward to create an open-access platform for sharing gene sequences (digital sequence information) as part of new benefit-sharing arrangements. But some observers worry these policy advances still aren’t keeping up with […] Continue reading -> Will China Allow mRNA Vaccines to Boost Vulnerable Population? 20/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan Schools in Shanghai closed on Monday, as did the US Embassy in Beijing while the streets of major Chinese cities are reportedly deserted as residents retreated from a wave of COVID-19 cases. In the past week, the country has officially reported over 148,000 new cases – but this is likely to be much higher as […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Sweeping New Global Biodiversity Deal Sets Out Plan for Sharing Gene Sequences 20/12/2022 Stefan Anderson Along with a pledge to conserve 30% of the world’s biodiversity, the sweeping new deal reached in Montreal on Monday also etches a way forward to create an open-access platform for sharing gene sequences (digital sequence information) as part of new benefit-sharing arrangements. But some observers worry these policy advances still aren’t keeping up with […] Continue reading -> Will China Allow mRNA Vaccines to Boost Vulnerable Population? 20/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan Schools in Shanghai closed on Monday, as did the US Embassy in Beijing while the streets of major Chinese cities are reportedly deserted as residents retreated from a wave of COVID-19 cases. In the past week, the country has officially reported over 148,000 new cases – but this is likely to be much higher as […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Will China Allow mRNA Vaccines to Boost Vulnerable Population? 20/12/2022 Kerry Cullinan Schools in Shanghai closed on Monday, as did the US Embassy in Beijing while the streets of major Chinese cities are reportedly deserted as residents retreated from a wave of COVID-19 cases. In the past week, the country has officially reported over 148,000 new cases – but this is likely to be much higher as […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts