The current COVID-19 vaccines are effective enough against severe disease in the general population that boosters are “not appropriate” even for the Delta variant, according to an expert review by an international group of scientists from the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and international universities. The review, which looked […] Continue reading ->
Imagine you run a country and someone comes to you and says, “I have an idea for how you can make people healthier, reduce cancer by 20%, protect women and children, and even put money in your coffers for COVID-19 response, vaccines and recovery efforts.” It sounds implausible, even absurd. And yet, there is one […] Continue reading ->
The leading international organization for suicide prevention has called for the decriminalization of suicide – as well as greater investment by countries in suicide prevention, including greater restrictions on access to common suicide tools such as toxic pesticides and firearms. The appeals, by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and endorsed by the World […] Continue reading ->
Health services in low and middle-income countries have yet to adapt to their growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and still prioritise infectious diseases, according to a new report launched on Thursday by the NCD Alliance. Treatment “silos” for HIV and tuberculosis need to be transformed into integrated universal healthcare services to better serve people […] Continue reading ->
“The greatest threat to global public health is the continued failure of world leaders to keep the global temperature rise below 1·5°C, and to restore nature. Urgent, society-wide changes must be made and will lead to a fairer and healthier world,” according to an editorial published simultaneously in 200 journals world-wide. The aim of […] Continue reading ->
G20 health ministers have agreed to share COVID-19 vaccine doses with low and middle-income countries (LMIC) and to support their capacity to produce their own vaccines, but failed to commit to numbers or a time frame. The two-day meeting of G20 health ministers ended on Monday with the adoption of a health declaration that reiterated […] Continue reading ->
While a “pandemic treaty” could take years to establish, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) could be revised more rapidly to significantly improve global disease outbreak response, top US officials are saying. The statements coincided with a 3-day working group meeting of WHO member states to discuss ways to strengthen the global […] Continue reading ->
European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen has agreed to return to Africa millions of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines that were imported from a South African manufacturer following a meeting with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa last week. This was revealed by African Union envoy Strive Masiyiwa said at an Africa Centres for […] Continue reading ->
As some 32 countries worldwide, including seven African nations, face “code red” oxygen shortages, WHO and its partners are in the midst of a major effort to recruit sufficient supplies to meet countries’ urgent needs for life-saving oxygen. But while over US$500 million is now available in funds and finance for oxygen through the Access […] Continue reading ->
Most people die at home in Gadchiroli, a remote, heavily forested district in central India that is among the country’s least developed areas and reaching the nearest clinic can take several hours on foot. After a death, relatives often bury or cremate their loved ones in the fields. When the first COVID-19 wave arrived in […] Continue reading ->