There is only enough funding for around half the mpox vaccine doses that Africa needs, with Sierra Leone and Uganda particularly short of vaccines, according to Dr Ngashi Ngongo, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) mpox lead. The continent needs 6.4 million doses to address the multiple outbreaks, but money still […] Continue reading ->
The quest for new treatment options for newborns with drug-resistant sepsis took another step forward this week with the enrollment of the first baby in a trial of a combination of three older antibiotics. It is the second part of a clinical trial by the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership (GARDP) to evaluate various […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Assembly (WHA) adoption of the Pandemic Agreement sent a powerful message: Multilateralism remains alive and countries can still find common understandings on collective problems. Many steps still need to be completed, and thus the agreement will not be open for signature for at least another year, as negotiations continue on contentious issues […] Continue reading ->
The world is within striking distance of enforcing the first legally binding treaty to protect vast areas of waters beyond national jurisdictions that cover two-thirds of the planet’s surface, a historic step that would place biodiversity in the long-lawless high seas under international law for the first time. Nineteen countries ratified the High Seas Treaty […] Continue reading ->
Three days after removing all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory group, United States Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has made eight new appointments – at least half of whom have spoken out against the handling of COVID-19 and vaccines. The new appointees to the Advisory Committee […] Continue reading ->
In Mongolia, where extreme winter cold spells, known as “Dzud”, are becoming more frequent due to climate change, these can spell death to people and animals. But in recent years, herders in remote regions can get up-to-date advance warnings of pending extremes, as well as detailed advice prompting them, for instance, to stock up on […] Continue reading ->
The decision by United States Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr to fire all members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory group is “a dangerous and unprecedented action that makes our families less safe”, according to Dr Tom Frieden, CEO of Resolve to Save Lives. The Advisory Committee on Immunization […] Continue reading ->
Over 300 employees of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) have urged NIH director Dr Jay Bhattacharya to “restore grants delayed or terminated for political reasons so that life-saving science can continue”. They have also appealed to him to reinstate staff, enable global collaboration, and research to be published in peer-reviewed journals. “We dissent […] Continue reading ->
When Dr Biira* qualified as doctor in Uganda, she was hopeful about her future. Instead, she faced a common barrier: no job. Despite a huge shortage of doctors, no posts were available. Like many others, she left to work overseas. Across Africa, talented health workers overcome significant obstacles to train, only to be driven away […] Continue reading ->
Cholera in Africa is being driven by years of under-investment in water and sanitation, according to the Africa Centres of Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Four countries – Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Sudan and South Sudan – account for over 85% of the continent’s cholera cases and all have above-average death rates, […] Continue reading ->