Xiamen, China | Xinhua | China’s first self-developed HPV vaccine Cecolin has gained prequalification from the World Health Organization (WHO), its developer said. The move indicates that the WHO has given the vaccine its stamp of approval in safety and efficacy, and United Nations procuring agencies may now source it, according …
Read More »Despite COVID-19, hand washing still a problem for 3 in 10 people
In Uganda, access to hand washing with soap at household level stands at 38% in rural areas Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Around three in 10 people still do not have hand washing facilities with water and soap available at home although hand washing with soap is critical in the …
Read More »Safe access to water, sanitation and hygiene needed more than ever in Africa
Time has come to highlight that adequate water, sanitation and hygiene are essential components of basic preventive health services as these are primary drivers of public health COMMENT | By Fatima Maada Bio | Access to handwashing with soap is a foundational component of healthy schools. Good hygiene practices help ensure …
Read More »Groundbreaking malaria vaccine
Historic RTS,S/AS01 recommendation can reinvigorate the fight against malaria | THE INDEPENDENT | The World Health Organisation (WHO) is recommending widespread use of the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission. The P. falciparum is the …
Read More »WHO experts back booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine for immunocompromised
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Monday that booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines should be offered to moderately and severely immunocompromised people. After four days of talks last week, the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) recommended that such people …
Read More »Worldwide failure to invest in mental health during pandemic: WHO
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) points to a global failure to provide people with the mental health services they need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Published on Friday, the triennial WHO Mental Health Atlas shows data from 171 countries, and highlights that despite …
Read More »WHO set to vaccinate 40 pct population of every country against COVID-19 by end 2021
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday an initiative to vaccinate 40 percent of the population of every country against COVID-19 by the end of 2021 and 70 percent by mid-2022, by prioritizing vaccine delivery to low-income countries, particularly those in Africa. “Today, WHO is …
Read More »Malaria vaccine could be available for Ugandans in 2 years – MOH
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization’s director general, said the long-awaited vaccine was a breakthrough for science and could save tens of thousands of young lives each year Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | It may take two years for Ugandans to access the malaria vaccine that was approved on …
Read More »WHO recommends broad use of world’s first malaria vaccine
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that it has recommended widespread use of the world’s first malaria vaccine called RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) for children in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the WHO, the vaccine is the result of 30 years of research and development by British …
Read More »Ending TB appears elusive amid COVID-19 pandemic, funding shortfall: experts
Tuberculosis target of diagnosing and treating 40 million people by 2022 could be a mirage due to bottlenecks created by the pandemic Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | The target of eliminating tuberculosis by 2030 appears elusive amid hiccups linked to COVID-19 pandemic and dwindling financial allocation by governments and multilateral lenders, …
Read More »