At least 22 children have died in India this month after consuming a contaminated cough syrup found to contain nearly 45% diethylene glycol (DEG), a toxic industrial solvent used in brake fluid and antifreeze. The concentration is hundreds of times above the permissible limit of 0.1% set by pharmacopeial safety standards. The syrup, branded Coldrif, […] Continue reading ->
Global carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in the atmosphere reached record levels in 2024 due to a combination of wildfires and weakening carbon sinks, according to the latest report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released on Wednesday. The rise in CO2 will intensify the impact of temperature increases, including by worsening extreme weather events. “The […] Continue reading ->
Where is the accountability for those who produce health misinformation that harms the health of children, asked Benjamin Schreiber, a senior adviser to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), at the World Health Summit in Berlin on Tuesday. “We are now living in a situation where the information environment in which we live has become […] Continue reading ->
There is an urgent need for a more comprehensive pandemic risk monitoring system that tracks threats and preparedness in real time, according to the WHO-hosted Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, in a report launched at the World Health Summit. This followed the release of a new World Health Organization data documenting the sharp global rise in […] Continue reading ->
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 ->
Malaria affects millions worldwide, and progress against the disease is stalling. Emerging drug resistance threatens to reverse hard-won gains, putting many more lives at risk. Public–private partnerships are racing to close the treatment gap before the current drugs begin to fail. “We believe that the eradication of malaria is in sight, but it’s an ongoing […] Continue reading ->
CAPE TOWN – More and more health workers are performing female genital mutilation (FGM) in South and South East Asia – although the process is internationally recognised as a serious human rights violation with no medical justification. Health professional associations mulled over how to ensure that health workers stop performing this harmful practice at the […] Continue reading ->
Development funding for fossil fuel-based energy projects jumped 80 per cent in 2023 to $9.5bn, up from $5.3bn in 2022, even as toxic air causes more than 8m premature deaths annually, according to a new report. Governments continue to channel billions more in international aid into projects that prolong fossil fuel use than into tackling […] Continue reading ->
Ghana is the first country in the world to roll out a malaria treatment specially formulated for newborn babies. The new treatment, known as Coartem <5 kg Baby, uses a new ratio and dose of artemether-lumefantrine to account for metabolic differences in babies under 5kg. Small babies handle drugs differently due to the immaturity of their […] Continue reading ->
There has been a significant global reduction in smoking, but use remains stubbornly high in some countries and groups – while the tobacco industry is aggressively marketing new nicotine products to young people. This is according to the World Health Organization (WHO) tobacco trends report, which was released on Monday. “In 2000, one in three adults […] Continue reading ->