New mRNA vaccine hub launched in Cape Town
21/4/2023: The World Health Organization's new mRNA vaccine technology facility in Cape Town plans to offer equitable access to COVID-19, malaria and HIV/AIDs vaccines in low- and middle-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted major disparities in access to health care in different parts of the world.
Source: DW
African countries embrace first malaria vaccine
23/3/2023: The new vaccine has been criticized for its relatively high costs and low efficacy but the World Health Organization reports a more than 10% drop in child deaths in three pilot countries. At least 28 further African countries are planning to introduce the vaccine this year.
Source: Devex
Covid vaccine doses stranded in East Africa
19/3/2023: Up to 40 million Covid-19 vaccines could go to waste in East Africa as the fight against the virus slows down due to apathy and logistical hitches. The region’s countries cannot dispense of the vaccines due to lack of support for their inoculation programmes.
Source: The East African
Why do 800 mothers die from preventable causes every day?
7/3/2023: New research from UN agencies reveals that progress on ending preventable deaths has slowed over the last five years, putting at risk the 2030 sustainable development goal for maternal health. Maternal deaths continue to be largely concentrated in the poorest parts of the world and in countries affected by conflict.
Source: Inter Press Service
Africa’s maternal deaths compel action to meet Global Goals
3/1/2023: The effects of COVID-19 on Africa’s health sector have disrupted antenatal and postnatal care for women and newborns. The shortage of health workers and equipment is undermining the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal for maternal mortality across the continent.
Source: Inter Press Service
Fall in child mortality rate slows
9/1/2023: An estimated 5 million children died before their fifth birthday and 1.9 million babies were stillborn during 2021. The UN reports that 54 countries will fall short of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals target for under-five mortality.
Source: Unicef
Why the world isn’t ready for the next pandemic
21/12/2022: Several initiatives to prepare the world for the next pandemic have been put in place over the past two years. But many of them remain a work in progress, leaving the world unprepared for another global health threat in 2023.
Source: Devex
Malaria cases and deaths remained stable in 2021
8/12/2022: According to this year’s World malaria report, the global tally of cases reached 247 million in 2021, a modest increase over the previous two years. Total funding in 2021 was $3.5 billion, well below the estimated $7.3 billion required globally to stay on track to defeat malaria.
Source: World Health Organization
Countries agree to develop legally binding pandemic accord
7/12/2022: Member States of the World Health Organization have agreed to prepare a legally binding agreement designed to protect the world from future pandemics. The move represents a milestone in the global process to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: World Health Organization
Proven solutions must be put in place to end AIDS by 2030
30/11/2022: The UN Secretary-General has warned that the world is off track to end AIDS by 2030. In 2021, more than 38 million people globally were living with HIV, 1.5 million people were newly infected and 650,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses.
Source: UN News