World Enters New Era of Water Crisis, UN Says 28/01/2026 Stefan Anderson The world has entered the era of “global water bankruptcy” as water systems relied on by six billion people, and half of the world’s food production, are pushed beyond the point of recovery, a United Nations (UN) report has found. The report marks the first time UN scientists have declared water systems “bankrupt” rather than […] Continue reading -> Stars and Stripes No Longer Flying at WHO – But US Can’t Really Leave Until Dues are Paid, Agency Says 23/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The United States said Thursday that it had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). But WHO member states are not obliged to accept the US departure as legally binding until it pays up on some $260.6 million in dues owed for 2024- and 2025, WHO’s Director General contends in a report […] Continue reading -> EU Parliament Backs Critical Medicines Act, Sparking Supply Concerns in Africa 21/01/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen STRASBOURG – The European Parliament backed the EU’s Critical Medicines Act (CMA) on Tuesday in a decisive move to secure Europe’s pharmaceutical supply chains from geopolitical shocks. With an overwhelming majority of 503 votes in favour, 57 against, and 108 abstentions, MEPs endorsed a sweeping industrial policy designed to re-shore the production of active ingredients […] Continue reading -> 2025: A Brutal Year for Global Health 28/12/2025 Editorial team This has been a brutal year for global health, with shock cuts in development aid to countries most in need; a knock-on budget crisis for United Nations (UN) agencies; widespread humanitarian crises, extensive disease outbreaks, and mounting climate-related health challenges. Health Policy Watch (HPW) has provided daily coverage of developments, and our reporters were often […] Continue reading -> CDC Committee Delays Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns in Critical Guidelines Shift 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy A United States vaccine advisory panel, recently reformed to include known vaccine skeptics, voted to eliminate a three-decade-long recommendation that all newborns in the US receive a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B (Hep B) at birth – a change that was denounced immediately by medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the […] Continue reading -> South Africa May Be Excluded From Future US Grants for HIV Amid Political Row 21/11/2025 Kerry Cullinan The United States (US) government has not sought a meeting with South Africa to discuss the resumption of its HIV grant, and it won’t supply the country with the long-acting HIV prevention medication, lenacapavir, amid a deepening political row between the two countries. While US Ambassadors throughout the continent have initiated meetings with African Health […] Continue reading -> African Public Health Conference Calls for ‘Health Sovereignty’ and Prioritizing Primary Care Ahead of G20 27/10/2025 Matthew Hattingh DURBAN, South Africa — The “Durban Promise”, the ambitious outcome document of the Conference of Public Health In Africa 2025 (CPHIA) will be on the menu when global leaders meet at various Group of 20 (G20) meetings, starting with the health working group meeting on 6 November. That was the message from the conference, […] Continue reading -> Global Health Leaders Urge Fewer Agencies Amid Funding Crisis 16/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BERLIN — Leaders of the world’s major global health institutions called for a fundamental restructuring of an aid system they described as too fragmented, duplicative and confusing, with several stating that the number of agencies must be reduced as cuts from the US and other donors force a reckoning with the labyrinthine architecture of global […] Continue reading -> Global Life Expectancy Sees Post-COVID Rebound – But Deaths Among Youths In North America and Latin America Rise 13/10/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher BERLIN – Global life expectancy rose again in 2023 after a decline during the COVID pandemic with overall life expectancy 20 years higher as compared to 1950. But North America and Latin America are seeing higher death rates among adolescents and young adults due to a crisis in mental health – reflected in higher rates […] Continue reading -> AI Poses ‘Existential’ Threat to Europe’s Health Systems, Summit Chief Warns 02/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BAD HOFGASTEIN, Austria — Artificial intelligence poses an “existential” threat to Europe’s health and social security systems through its potential to “completely replace” human work and eliminate the income tax funding base on which they depend, a leading health policy figure has warned. Clemens Marten Auer, president of the European Health Forum Gastein, used the […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Stars and Stripes No Longer Flying at WHO – But US Can’t Really Leave Until Dues are Paid, Agency Says 23/01/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The United States said Thursday that it had officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). But WHO member states are not obliged to accept the US departure as legally binding until it pays up on some $260.6 million in dues owed for 2024- and 2025, WHO’s Director General contends in a report […] Continue reading -> EU Parliament Backs Critical Medicines Act, Sparking Supply Concerns in Africa 21/01/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen STRASBOURG – The European Parliament backed the EU’s Critical Medicines Act (CMA) on Tuesday in a decisive move to secure Europe’s pharmaceutical supply chains from geopolitical shocks. With an overwhelming majority of 503 votes in favour, 57 against, and 108 abstentions, MEPs endorsed a sweeping industrial policy designed to re-shore the production of active ingredients […] Continue reading -> 2025: A Brutal Year for Global Health 28/12/2025 Editorial team This has been a brutal year for global health, with shock cuts in development aid to countries most in need; a knock-on budget crisis for United Nations (UN) agencies; widespread humanitarian crises, extensive disease outbreaks, and mounting climate-related health challenges. Health Policy Watch (HPW) has provided daily coverage of developments, and our reporters were often […] Continue reading -> CDC Committee Delays Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns in Critical Guidelines Shift 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy A United States vaccine advisory panel, recently reformed to include known vaccine skeptics, voted to eliminate a three-decade-long recommendation that all newborns in the US receive a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B (Hep B) at birth – a change that was denounced immediately by medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the […] Continue reading -> South Africa May Be Excluded From Future US Grants for HIV Amid Political Row 21/11/2025 Kerry Cullinan The United States (US) government has not sought a meeting with South Africa to discuss the resumption of its HIV grant, and it won’t supply the country with the long-acting HIV prevention medication, lenacapavir, amid a deepening political row between the two countries. While US Ambassadors throughout the continent have initiated meetings with African Health […] Continue reading -> African Public Health Conference Calls for ‘Health Sovereignty’ and Prioritizing Primary Care Ahead of G20 27/10/2025 Matthew Hattingh DURBAN, South Africa — The “Durban Promise”, the ambitious outcome document of the Conference of Public Health In Africa 2025 (CPHIA) will be on the menu when global leaders meet at various Group of 20 (G20) meetings, starting with the health working group meeting on 6 November. That was the message from the conference, […] Continue reading -> Global Health Leaders Urge Fewer Agencies Amid Funding Crisis 16/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BERLIN — Leaders of the world’s major global health institutions called for a fundamental restructuring of an aid system they described as too fragmented, duplicative and confusing, with several stating that the number of agencies must be reduced as cuts from the US and other donors force a reckoning with the labyrinthine architecture of global […] Continue reading -> Global Life Expectancy Sees Post-COVID Rebound – But Deaths Among Youths In North America and Latin America Rise 13/10/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher BERLIN – Global life expectancy rose again in 2023 after a decline during the COVID pandemic with overall life expectancy 20 years higher as compared to 1950. But North America and Latin America are seeing higher death rates among adolescents and young adults due to a crisis in mental health – reflected in higher rates […] Continue reading -> AI Poses ‘Existential’ Threat to Europe’s Health Systems, Summit Chief Warns 02/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BAD HOFGASTEIN, Austria — Artificial intelligence poses an “existential” threat to Europe’s health and social security systems through its potential to “completely replace” human work and eliminate the income tax funding base on which they depend, a leading health policy figure has warned. Clemens Marten Auer, president of the European Health Forum Gastein, used the […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
EU Parliament Backs Critical Medicines Act, Sparking Supply Concerns in Africa 21/01/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen STRASBOURG – The European Parliament backed the EU’s Critical Medicines Act (CMA) on Tuesday in a decisive move to secure Europe’s pharmaceutical supply chains from geopolitical shocks. With an overwhelming majority of 503 votes in favour, 57 against, and 108 abstentions, MEPs endorsed a sweeping industrial policy designed to re-shore the production of active ingredients […] Continue reading -> 2025: A Brutal Year for Global Health 28/12/2025 Editorial team This has been a brutal year for global health, with shock cuts in development aid to countries most in need; a knock-on budget crisis for United Nations (UN) agencies; widespread humanitarian crises, extensive disease outbreaks, and mounting climate-related health challenges. Health Policy Watch (HPW) has provided daily coverage of developments, and our reporters were often […] Continue reading -> CDC Committee Delays Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns in Critical Guidelines Shift 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy A United States vaccine advisory panel, recently reformed to include known vaccine skeptics, voted to eliminate a three-decade-long recommendation that all newborns in the US receive a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B (Hep B) at birth – a change that was denounced immediately by medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the […] Continue reading -> South Africa May Be Excluded From Future US Grants for HIV Amid Political Row 21/11/2025 Kerry Cullinan The United States (US) government has not sought a meeting with South Africa to discuss the resumption of its HIV grant, and it won’t supply the country with the long-acting HIV prevention medication, lenacapavir, amid a deepening political row between the two countries. While US Ambassadors throughout the continent have initiated meetings with African Health […] Continue reading -> African Public Health Conference Calls for ‘Health Sovereignty’ and Prioritizing Primary Care Ahead of G20 27/10/2025 Matthew Hattingh DURBAN, South Africa — The “Durban Promise”, the ambitious outcome document of the Conference of Public Health In Africa 2025 (CPHIA) will be on the menu when global leaders meet at various Group of 20 (G20) meetings, starting with the health working group meeting on 6 November. That was the message from the conference, […] Continue reading -> Global Health Leaders Urge Fewer Agencies Amid Funding Crisis 16/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BERLIN — Leaders of the world’s major global health institutions called for a fundamental restructuring of an aid system they described as too fragmented, duplicative and confusing, with several stating that the number of agencies must be reduced as cuts from the US and other donors force a reckoning with the labyrinthine architecture of global […] Continue reading -> Global Life Expectancy Sees Post-COVID Rebound – But Deaths Among Youths In North America and Latin America Rise 13/10/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher BERLIN – Global life expectancy rose again in 2023 after a decline during the COVID pandemic with overall life expectancy 20 years higher as compared to 1950. But North America and Latin America are seeing higher death rates among adolescents and young adults due to a crisis in mental health – reflected in higher rates […] Continue reading -> AI Poses ‘Existential’ Threat to Europe’s Health Systems, Summit Chief Warns 02/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BAD HOFGASTEIN, Austria — Artificial intelligence poses an “existential” threat to Europe’s health and social security systems through its potential to “completely replace” human work and eliminate the income tax funding base on which they depend, a leading health policy figure has warned. Clemens Marten Auer, president of the European Health Forum Gastein, used the […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
2025: A Brutal Year for Global Health 28/12/2025 Editorial team This has been a brutal year for global health, with shock cuts in development aid to countries most in need; a knock-on budget crisis for United Nations (UN) agencies; widespread humanitarian crises, extensive disease outbreaks, and mounting climate-related health challenges. Health Policy Watch (HPW) has provided daily coverage of developments, and our reporters were often […] Continue reading -> CDC Committee Delays Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns in Critical Guidelines Shift 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy A United States vaccine advisory panel, recently reformed to include known vaccine skeptics, voted to eliminate a three-decade-long recommendation that all newborns in the US receive a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B (Hep B) at birth – a change that was denounced immediately by medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the […] Continue reading -> South Africa May Be Excluded From Future US Grants for HIV Amid Political Row 21/11/2025 Kerry Cullinan The United States (US) government has not sought a meeting with South Africa to discuss the resumption of its HIV grant, and it won’t supply the country with the long-acting HIV prevention medication, lenacapavir, amid a deepening political row between the two countries. While US Ambassadors throughout the continent have initiated meetings with African Health […] Continue reading -> African Public Health Conference Calls for ‘Health Sovereignty’ and Prioritizing Primary Care Ahead of G20 27/10/2025 Matthew Hattingh DURBAN, South Africa — The “Durban Promise”, the ambitious outcome document of the Conference of Public Health In Africa 2025 (CPHIA) will be on the menu when global leaders meet at various Group of 20 (G20) meetings, starting with the health working group meeting on 6 November. That was the message from the conference, […] Continue reading -> Global Health Leaders Urge Fewer Agencies Amid Funding Crisis 16/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BERLIN — Leaders of the world’s major global health institutions called for a fundamental restructuring of an aid system they described as too fragmented, duplicative and confusing, with several stating that the number of agencies must be reduced as cuts from the US and other donors force a reckoning with the labyrinthine architecture of global […] Continue reading -> Global Life Expectancy Sees Post-COVID Rebound – But Deaths Among Youths In North America and Latin America Rise 13/10/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher BERLIN – Global life expectancy rose again in 2023 after a decline during the COVID pandemic with overall life expectancy 20 years higher as compared to 1950. But North America and Latin America are seeing higher death rates among adolescents and young adults due to a crisis in mental health – reflected in higher rates […] Continue reading -> AI Poses ‘Existential’ Threat to Europe’s Health Systems, Summit Chief Warns 02/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BAD HOFGASTEIN, Austria — Artificial intelligence poses an “existential” threat to Europe’s health and social security systems through its potential to “completely replace” human work and eliminate the income tax funding base on which they depend, a leading health policy figure has warned. Clemens Marten Auer, president of the European Health Forum Gastein, used the […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
CDC Committee Delays Hepatitis B Vaccine for Newborns in Critical Guidelines Shift 05/12/2025 Sophia Samantaroy A United States vaccine advisory panel, recently reformed to include known vaccine skeptics, voted to eliminate a three-decade-long recommendation that all newborns in the US receive a vaccine to protect against hepatitis B (Hep B) at birth – a change that was denounced immediately by medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the […] Continue reading -> South Africa May Be Excluded From Future US Grants for HIV Amid Political Row 21/11/2025 Kerry Cullinan The United States (US) government has not sought a meeting with South Africa to discuss the resumption of its HIV grant, and it won’t supply the country with the long-acting HIV prevention medication, lenacapavir, amid a deepening political row between the two countries. While US Ambassadors throughout the continent have initiated meetings with African Health […] Continue reading -> African Public Health Conference Calls for ‘Health Sovereignty’ and Prioritizing Primary Care Ahead of G20 27/10/2025 Matthew Hattingh DURBAN, South Africa — The “Durban Promise”, the ambitious outcome document of the Conference of Public Health In Africa 2025 (CPHIA) will be on the menu when global leaders meet at various Group of 20 (G20) meetings, starting with the health working group meeting on 6 November. That was the message from the conference, […] Continue reading -> Global Health Leaders Urge Fewer Agencies Amid Funding Crisis 16/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BERLIN — Leaders of the world’s major global health institutions called for a fundamental restructuring of an aid system they described as too fragmented, duplicative and confusing, with several stating that the number of agencies must be reduced as cuts from the US and other donors force a reckoning with the labyrinthine architecture of global […] Continue reading -> Global Life Expectancy Sees Post-COVID Rebound – But Deaths Among Youths In North America and Latin America Rise 13/10/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher BERLIN – Global life expectancy rose again in 2023 after a decline during the COVID pandemic with overall life expectancy 20 years higher as compared to 1950. But North America and Latin America are seeing higher death rates among adolescents and young adults due to a crisis in mental health – reflected in higher rates […] Continue reading -> AI Poses ‘Existential’ Threat to Europe’s Health Systems, Summit Chief Warns 02/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BAD HOFGASTEIN, Austria — Artificial intelligence poses an “existential” threat to Europe’s health and social security systems through its potential to “completely replace” human work and eliminate the income tax funding base on which they depend, a leading health policy figure has warned. Clemens Marten Auer, president of the European Health Forum Gastein, used the […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
South Africa May Be Excluded From Future US Grants for HIV Amid Political Row 21/11/2025 Kerry Cullinan The United States (US) government has not sought a meeting with South Africa to discuss the resumption of its HIV grant, and it won’t supply the country with the long-acting HIV prevention medication, lenacapavir, amid a deepening political row between the two countries. While US Ambassadors throughout the continent have initiated meetings with African Health […] Continue reading -> African Public Health Conference Calls for ‘Health Sovereignty’ and Prioritizing Primary Care Ahead of G20 27/10/2025 Matthew Hattingh DURBAN, South Africa — The “Durban Promise”, the ambitious outcome document of the Conference of Public Health In Africa 2025 (CPHIA) will be on the menu when global leaders meet at various Group of 20 (G20) meetings, starting with the health working group meeting on 6 November. That was the message from the conference, […] Continue reading -> Global Health Leaders Urge Fewer Agencies Amid Funding Crisis 16/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BERLIN — Leaders of the world’s major global health institutions called for a fundamental restructuring of an aid system they described as too fragmented, duplicative and confusing, with several stating that the number of agencies must be reduced as cuts from the US and other donors force a reckoning with the labyrinthine architecture of global […] Continue reading -> Global Life Expectancy Sees Post-COVID Rebound – But Deaths Among Youths In North America and Latin America Rise 13/10/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher BERLIN – Global life expectancy rose again in 2023 after a decline during the COVID pandemic with overall life expectancy 20 years higher as compared to 1950. But North America and Latin America are seeing higher death rates among adolescents and young adults due to a crisis in mental health – reflected in higher rates […] Continue reading -> AI Poses ‘Existential’ Threat to Europe’s Health Systems, Summit Chief Warns 02/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BAD HOFGASTEIN, Austria — Artificial intelligence poses an “existential” threat to Europe’s health and social security systems through its potential to “completely replace” human work and eliminate the income tax funding base on which they depend, a leading health policy figure has warned. Clemens Marten Auer, president of the European Health Forum Gastein, used the […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
African Public Health Conference Calls for ‘Health Sovereignty’ and Prioritizing Primary Care Ahead of G20 27/10/2025 Matthew Hattingh DURBAN, South Africa — The “Durban Promise”, the ambitious outcome document of the Conference of Public Health In Africa 2025 (CPHIA) will be on the menu when global leaders meet at various Group of 20 (G20) meetings, starting with the health working group meeting on 6 November. That was the message from the conference, […] Continue reading -> Global Health Leaders Urge Fewer Agencies Amid Funding Crisis 16/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BERLIN — Leaders of the world’s major global health institutions called for a fundamental restructuring of an aid system they described as too fragmented, duplicative and confusing, with several stating that the number of agencies must be reduced as cuts from the US and other donors force a reckoning with the labyrinthine architecture of global […] Continue reading -> Global Life Expectancy Sees Post-COVID Rebound – But Deaths Among Youths In North America and Latin America Rise 13/10/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher BERLIN – Global life expectancy rose again in 2023 after a decline during the COVID pandemic with overall life expectancy 20 years higher as compared to 1950. But North America and Latin America are seeing higher death rates among adolescents and young adults due to a crisis in mental health – reflected in higher rates […] Continue reading -> AI Poses ‘Existential’ Threat to Europe’s Health Systems, Summit Chief Warns 02/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BAD HOFGASTEIN, Austria — Artificial intelligence poses an “existential” threat to Europe’s health and social security systems through its potential to “completely replace” human work and eliminate the income tax funding base on which they depend, a leading health policy figure has warned. Clemens Marten Auer, president of the European Health Forum Gastein, used the […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Global Health Leaders Urge Fewer Agencies Amid Funding Crisis 16/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BERLIN — Leaders of the world’s major global health institutions called for a fundamental restructuring of an aid system they described as too fragmented, duplicative and confusing, with several stating that the number of agencies must be reduced as cuts from the US and other donors force a reckoning with the labyrinthine architecture of global […] Continue reading -> Global Life Expectancy Sees Post-COVID Rebound – But Deaths Among Youths In North America and Latin America Rise 13/10/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher BERLIN – Global life expectancy rose again in 2023 after a decline during the COVID pandemic with overall life expectancy 20 years higher as compared to 1950. But North America and Latin America are seeing higher death rates among adolescents and young adults due to a crisis in mental health – reflected in higher rates […] Continue reading -> AI Poses ‘Existential’ Threat to Europe’s Health Systems, Summit Chief Warns 02/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BAD HOFGASTEIN, Austria — Artificial intelligence poses an “existential” threat to Europe’s health and social security systems through its potential to “completely replace” human work and eliminate the income tax funding base on which they depend, a leading health policy figure has warned. Clemens Marten Auer, president of the European Health Forum Gastein, used the […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Global Life Expectancy Sees Post-COVID Rebound – But Deaths Among Youths In North America and Latin America Rise 13/10/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher BERLIN – Global life expectancy rose again in 2023 after a decline during the COVID pandemic with overall life expectancy 20 years higher as compared to 1950. But North America and Latin America are seeing higher death rates among adolescents and young adults due to a crisis in mental health – reflected in higher rates […] Continue reading -> AI Poses ‘Existential’ Threat to Europe’s Health Systems, Summit Chief Warns 02/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BAD HOFGASTEIN, Austria — Artificial intelligence poses an “existential” threat to Europe’s health and social security systems through its potential to “completely replace” human work and eliminate the income tax funding base on which they depend, a leading health policy figure has warned. Clemens Marten Auer, president of the European Health Forum Gastein, used the […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
AI Poses ‘Existential’ Threat to Europe’s Health Systems, Summit Chief Warns 02/10/2025 Stefan Anderson BAD HOFGASTEIN, Austria — Artificial intelligence poses an “existential” threat to Europe’s health and social security systems through its potential to “completely replace” human work and eliminate the income tax funding base on which they depend, a leading health policy figure has warned. Clemens Marten Auer, president of the European Health Forum Gastein, used the […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts