WHO’s Science Council launches report calling for equitable expansion of genomics
WHO’s Science Council of experts has issued its first report, on accelerating access to genomics for global health. The report argues that it is not justifiable ethically or scientifically for less-resourced countries to gain access to such technologies long after rich countries do. The field of genomics uses methods from biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology
Read MoreGovernments announce increased financial support to the global AIDS response
Geneva, 22 June 2022—Addressing the UNAIDS Programme Coordination Board, governments have begun to pledge new investments to advance the end of AIDS. The United Kingdom and Germany were among those pledging increased resources to support the work of UNAIDS, the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS. The UK will increase funding to UNAIDS to £8
Read MoreUNAIDS warns that stigmatizing language on Monkeypox jeopardises public health
UNAIDS has expressed concern that some public reporting and commentary on Monkeypox has used language and imagery, particularly portrayals of LGBTI and African people, that reinforce homophobic and racist stereotypes and exacerbate stigma. Lessons from the AIDS response show that stigma and blame directed at certain groups of people can rapidly undermine outbreak response. Since May
Read MoreWHO highlights glaring gaps in regulation of alcohol marketing across borders
A new report from the World Health Organization highlights the increasing use of sophisticated online marketing techniques for alcohol and the need for more effective regulation. It shows that young people and heavy drinkers are increasingly targeted by alcohol advertising, often to the detriment of their health. Reducing the harm from alcohol – by regulating
Read More14.9 Excess Deaths Associated With The COVID-19 Pandemic In 2020-2021, Europe, America and South-East Asia Account For Majority Of Deaths
New estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that the full death toll associated directly or indirectly with the COVID-19 pandemic (described as “excess mortality”) between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021 was approximately 14.9 million (range 13.3 million to 16.6 million). “These sobering data not only point to the impact of the
Read More99 Percent Breathing Unhealthy air: WHO
THE World Health Organisation (WHO) says almost the whole world is breathing unhealthy air calling on leaders to address climate change and environment crisis. HealthTimes Reporter This year on April 7, the world commemorates World Health Day running under the theme, “Our Planet, our health.” On this World Health Day (April 7, 2022), WHO is
Read More5000 Young Women Aged 15–24 Become infected With HIV Every Week
YOUNG women and girls still constitute the largest proportion of new HIV infections with indications that every week, around 5000 young women aged 15–24 years become infected with HIV, according to the UNAIDS Global AIDS Statistics Fact Sheet. By Staff Reporter According to the report, in sub-Saharan Africa, six in seven new HIV infections among
Read MoreUkraian’s Medicinal Oxygen Supplies Hits Record Low…Stocks May Run Out Within 24 Hours
THE deteriorating political situation in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion last week has led to massive depletion of Oxygen stocks, raising fears of a health catastrophe in the midst of the prevailing war. By Michael Gwarisa In a joint statement, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and WHO Regional Director for Europe,
Read MoreWHO Advises CountriesTo Be Wary of Omicron’s BA.2 Sublineage
EVEN though there is still a reported decline in overall cases globally, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) has cautioned that countries should remain vigilant and continue monitoring and reporting sequences, as well as conducting independent and comparative analyses of the different Omicron sublineages. By Michael Gwarisa According
Read MoreMalin Grape Appointed AMR Ambassador For Sweden
When Sweden’s Statement of Foreign Policy was presented this week, it included a new Swedish initiative of appointing an AMR Ambassador. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global health security and claims the lives of more than one million people each year, according to a study recently published in The Lancet. By Own
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