Sweeping UK aid cuts have drastically reduced direct bilateral funding to African countries, posing a severe threat to the continent’s most fragile health systems. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) officials recently confirmed a steep 31% multi-year reduction of the foreign aid budget, shrinking overall spending from £13.7 billion to an estimated £9.2 billion by […] Continue reading ->
Vaping is likely to cause oral and lung cancer, according to a comprehensive review of over 100 studies of the effects of nicotine-based e-cigarettes, published this week in the journal, Carcinogenesis. Carcinogenicity was evident in human studies that monitored biomarkers of harm, including DNA damage, oxidative stress, and “epigenetic change and inflammation in oral and […] Continue reading ->
The rapid withdrawal of international health aid by the United States (US) constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), according to Professor Matthew Herder and colleagues writing in the BMJ this week. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Health Regulations, a PHEIC is “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute […] Continue reading ->
The first vaccines to reach Sudan’s South Kordofan state in nearly three years were delivered this week, according to Save the Children. South Kordofan has not received any vaccines since July 2023 due to a siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF),which has blocked medical and humanitarian supplies.  “This left thousands of children without protection […] Continue reading ->
The European Commission intends to significantly cut its contributions to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, ending a decades-long trend of increasing contributions to the multilateral health organisation. According to research by Health Policy Watch, the Commission plans to pledge €700 million over a four-year span from 2026 to 2029 at the […] Continue reading ->