The WHO-sponsored COVAX facility raised another US $2.4 billion on Wednesday from donors to fund more COVID vaccines for low- and middle-income countries – exceeding their total funding target and bringing the total pledged to the COVAX AMC to US $9.6 billion, following a GAVI COVAX AMC Summit “One World Protected” virtual event. But the […] Continue reading ->
A $50-billion plan to end the COVID-19 pandemic developed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), would generate an additional $9 trillion in global economic returns by 2025, said IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Tuesday. The plan is supported by the World Bank Group, World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), and […] Continue reading ->
Six low-and middle-income countries in the Pacific region are set to receive the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines donated by the government of New Zealand in response to global supply constraints. Fiji, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Tuvalu will in the coming months benefit from the dose-sharing agreement, signed on Tuesday […] Continue reading ->
“Mass trauma” from COVID-19 has worsened mental health worldwide, WHO officials said at the 74th World Health Assembly (WHA) on Monday. The long neglected issue received special attention on the Assembly’s closing day, with member states expressing broad support for more action – after a year that saw new mental health issues emerge even while […] Continue reading ->
ISLAMABAD – Despite the 18-month COVID-19 pandemic, Pakistan and Afghanistan have observed a sharp decline in polio cases which the health authorities attribute to their effective back-to-back anti-polio drives. Officials leading the polio eradication programme believe that the decline occurred due to uninterrupted polio vaccination campaigns, improved security and the polio field teams’ accessibility to […] Continue reading ->
A Friday session of the 74th World Health Assembly discussed a report on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and multi-sectoral approaches to address it. Speakers generally supported a One Health approach involving multiple agencies concerned with communicable diseases, environment, water and food. This approach recognises the interconnectedness of people with environments and other animals. The World Health […] Continue reading ->
With vaccine deliveries delayed by India’s decision to prioritise local vaccination over export requests, Africa’s leading disease control agency suggested COVID-19 could become endemic. John Nkengasong, director of Africa’s CDC, told reporters on Thursday that Africa needs to immunise population majorities quickly, but the vaccine delays make this unlikely. “With the rate of immunisation in […] Continue reading ->
The number of pandemic-related cases and deaths have rapidly accelerated in the first four months of 2021, said WHO officials on the second day of the 74th World Health Assembly – and despite sharp declines seen in almost every region over the four weeks, the situation remains “fragile.” The “highly unstable” global epidemiological situation, combined […] Continue reading ->
An unprecedented number of healthcare workers were seriously assaulted last year, even as health workers risked their lives on the front lines of the COVID-19 response. Over 412 COVID-related attacks on health workers, including kidnappings and murders, occurred between January and December 2020, experts reported at a World Health Assembly side event. The session Monday […] Continue reading ->
A sugar tax that generated R3-billion in revenue for South Africa in one year and a mandatory minimum unit price for alcohol products that contributed to a 10% decrease in alcohol-related deaths in Scotland are two examples of proven successful policies governments have adopted for products that negatively impact health and that have helped raise […] Continue reading ->