Millions more children to benefit from malaria vaccine
16/8/2022: UNICEF has awarded a contract to GSK for 18 million doses of the first ever supply of a malaria vaccine. In 2020, nearly half a million children died from malaria in Africa alone.
Source: UNICEF
Healthy life expectancy in Africa up by nearly 10 years
4/8/2022: Life-expectancy on the African continent increased from 46 to 56 years between 2000 and 2019, a rise greater than any other region in the world. The World Health Organization warned that the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could undermine the improvement.
Source: UN News
Punitive laws perpetuate the AIDS pandemic
2/8/2022: In countries that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual activity, the evidence is clear that the risk of acquiring HIV is higher. Removal of such laws is essential to ending AIDS as a public health crisis by 2030.
Source: Inter Press Service
WHO updates global COVID-19 vaccination strategy
22/7/2022: Only 28% of older people and 37% of health care workers in low-income countries have received their primary course of Covid vaccine. The World Health Organization's latest strategy will seek greater priority for these at-risk groups within its overall 70% coverage target.
Source: World Health Organization
South Africa to develop first African-owned Covid-19 vaccine
23/6/2022: A South African biotech company has teamed up with a Belgium-based firm to develop an African Covid-19 vaccine. The partners said they will seek to develop vaccines that are cheaper to produce and easier to store and distribute in rural and remote locations.
Source: The East African
World Health Organization improves financial independence
24/5/2022: Member states of the World Health Organization have agreed to a gradual increase of membership subscriptions from 16% to 50% of the core budget. This will reduce the WHO’s over-reliance on voluntary contributions, often earmarked for specific areas of work.
Source: World Health Organization
World health statistics to 2020
20/5/2022: Latest statistics published by the World Health Organization reveal the extent to which the Covid-19 pandemic has set back global progress on both life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. The two decades prior to the pandemic saw a doubling in global spending on health, of which approximately 80% occurred in high-income countries.
Source: World Health Organization
COVAX calls for urgent action to close vaccine equity gap
20/5/2022: Nearly 18 months after the first administration of a COVID-19 vaccine, only 16% of people in low-income countries have received a single dose – compared to 80% in high-income countries. Vaccine inequality continues to cost lives and increase the threat posed by potentially more dangerous variants of the virus.
Source: The Vaccine Alliance
New medicines can end AIDS – if the price is fair
18/5/2022: In too many communities new HIV infections are rising - 1.5 million in 2020 against a global target of 500,000. New breakthrough treatments to prevent and control HIV are becoming available but there is concern that high prices and monopolies will keep people in low- and middle-income countries locked out.
Source: Inter Press Service
The Global COVID-19 Summit must tackle the demand gap
6/5/2022: Low-income countries remain only 12% vaccinated, well behind the 70% target. Yet demand for vaccines — especially in African countries - is waning. These are just some of challenges for the second Global COVID-19 Summit of wealthy countries on May 12.
Source: Devex