A report by a number of international organisations has set out the price tag of ending the acute stage of the COVID-19 pandemic: US$35 billion. Institutions including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI); the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics; GAVI; the Global Fund; Unitaid; the Wellcome Trust; the […]
World Health Organization
HIV/AIDS medicines: COVID hits access
Lost access to HIV/AIDS medicines is no less than a matter of life and death for those affected – but the COVID-19 pandemic has imperilled access to such drugs and, in turn, the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS. This week marks the 23rd bi-annual International AIDS Conference. The event “provides a platform for discussing […]
Trump draws condemnation from Lancet over WHO letter
U.S. President Donald Trump has been criticised in a statement from The Lancet concerning a four-page letter he sent to World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, concerning the agency’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis. Trump shared the four-page letter on Twitter and described it as “self-explanatory.” Trump had earlier announced his decision […]
COVID-19 vaccine: UN endorses resolution
Member states of the United Nations (UN) have endorsed a resolution addressing the COVID-19 pandemic – including addressing accessibility of a COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 outbreak mushroomed into a pandemic earlier this year, with more than two million people at the time of writing having become infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). […]
Tedros speaks out on US funding halt
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has responded to the decision by United States President Donald Trump to withdraw US funding to the agency at the time of the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump announced his decision earlier this week, stating “I’m instructing my administration to halt funding of the WHO while […]
The measles vaccine and why it matters
When it comes to health issues, it is unsurprising the pandemic of COVID-19 dominates the conversation. Yet, as we appraise the gravity of COVID-19, it is important to remember that the world grapples with a plethora of public health concerns. Among them is measles – and it is deeply concerning that the line of defence […]
WHO funding from US to be stopped: Trump
World Health Organization (WHO) funding from the United States is to be halted, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced. The decision has been made against the backdrop of the public health crisis caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-12), which causes the disease COVID-19. The WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak to be a […]
Nursing: Healthcare’s front line
The pandemic of coronavirus has highlighted to health systems the world over why health systems are important – and emphasised in particular the vital role of nursing on the front line. It is fitting, therefore, that 2020 marks the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. The World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled earlier this […]
Pandemic: India steps up coronavirus fight
The Union Government has elected to effectively shut India off from the rest of the world, coming on the heels of the declaration of the World Health Organization (WHO) that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has reached pandemic proportions. The global scope of the coronavirus pandemic Speaking yesterday, World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom […]
Coronavirus pandemic a ‘very real’ threat
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the threat of a full-blown novel coronavirus pandemic is ‘very real’ – lending further credence to fears that a coronavirus pandemic could manifest as the foretold ‘Disease X.’ In light of the continued coronavirus outbreak in India, the Union Government is urging a number of ministries to […]