The World Health Summit, one of global health’s premier policy conferences got underway today in the shadow of an escalating COVID-19 case surge across Europe. The surge saw WHS sessions shift to an all-virtual platform – after organizers were forced to shelve initial plans for limited in-person participation in Berlin, where the annual conference co-hosted […] Continue reading ->
The COVID-19 pandemic will end at some point. But TB, tobacco use, air pollution and other lung diseases will continue to “steal the breath and life of millions of people every year”, unless we reimagine the future, said WHO’s director-general Dr Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus, appearing at the opening of the 51st Union World Conference On […] Continue reading ->
As the World Health Organization convened its Executive Board of 33 select member states last week for the first time since May, the United States appeared to be fully back inside the WHO boardroom – despite the fact that President Donald Trump had announced in July that he would leave the global health organisation due […] Continue reading ->
China has announced that it will join the WHO co-sponsored COVAX vaccine procurement pool, along with the Republic of Korea. WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros described it as a major boost to the global effort to manufacture and distribute 2 billion vaccines worldwide equitably by the end of 2021. “This week, China and the Republic […] Continue reading ->
One stillbirth occurs every 16 seconds worldwide with approximately 2 million stillborn babies a year, says the first UN-wide report to document the global scale of the issue. And COVID-19 related interruptions in maternal and child care services, particularly emergency obstetric care, could lead to an additional 60,000 to 200,000 stillbirths over the next 12 […] Continue reading ->
With fires from crop stubble burning spreading across northern India heralding the beginning of Delhi’s winter air pollution season, Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has pledged to take pre-emptive action – announcing a ‘war on pollution,’ led from a ‘war room’ that he will personally command. His arsenal includes a seven-point action plan that will […] Continue reading ->
A hail of criticism has followed US President Donald Trump’s drive-by to wave at supporters outside of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, including by a doctor at Walter Reed who said the president put the Secret Service at great risk. President Trump was hospitalized on Friday, after testing positive for SARS-CoV2 hours earlier. […] Continue reading ->