covid

Congo to receive first mpox vaccines to address outbreak; The latest health stories from around the world

Article by Lalita Panicker, Consulting Editor, Views and Editor, Insight, Hindustan Times, New Delhi  Congo will receive the first vaccine doses to address its mpox outbreak this week from the United States, the country’s health minister said last week, days after the World Health Organization declared mpox outbreaks in Africa a global emergency. https://apnews.com/article/congo-mpox-vaccine-united-states-emergency-8490a15ed4937bfab9477529302f0469  Mpox cases have been […]

Congo to receive first mpox vaccines to address outbreak; The latest health stories from around the world Read More »

France Hosts AVMA in hopes of driving African vaccine production; The latest health stories from around the world

Article by Lalita Panicker, Consulting Editor, Views and Editor, Insight, Hindustan Times, New Delhi In June, France hosted the launch of African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA), an approximately US$1 billion project geared towards making vaccines more available in Africa – away from African soil. www.independent.co.ug/africa-races-to-increase-vaccine-manufacturing-capacity-concerns-rise-over-europes-control/  Only 2% of vaccines in Africa are made on the

France Hosts AVMA in hopes of driving African vaccine production; The latest health stories from around the world Read More »

Counterfeit Ozempic found in multiple countries; The latest health stories from around the world

Article by Lalita Panicker, Consulting Editor, Views and Editor, Insight, Hindustan Times, New Delhi  The World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported on three counterfeit batches of Ozempic that were discovered in late 2023 in Brazil, the United Kingdom, and the United States, with an unknown number of unreported cases. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/who-warns-against-counterfeit-ozempic-europe-and-united-2024a1000caq?  Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer, has

Counterfeit Ozempic found in multiple countries; The latest health stories from around the world Read More »

US FDA announces autumn COVID-19 strategy; The latest health stories from around the world

Article by Lalita Panicker, Consulting Editor, Views and Editor, Insight, Hindustan Times, New Delhi The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week endorsed a strategy for a COVID-19 vaccine to be used this autumn that favours a composition different from one recently recommended by an agency advisory committee. The continuing evolution of SARS-CoV-2 makes

US FDA announces autumn COVID-19 strategy; The latest health stories from around the world Read More »

Polio’s last strongholds continue to cause issue; The latest health stories from around the world

Article by Lalita Panicker, Consulting Editor, Views and Editor, Insight, Hindustan Times, New Delhi The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has been struggling in Africa with large outbreaks spawned by the polio vaccine itself, which is made of live but weakened poliovirus. But the program at least had the wild virus on the run, driving

Polio’s last strongholds continue to cause issue; The latest health stories from around the world Read More »

COVID-19 continues to evolve, vaccines must keep up the pace; The latest health stories from around the world

Article by Lalita Panicker, Consulting Editor, Views and Editor, Insight, Hindustan Times, New Delhi SARS-CoV-2 keeps evolving, and it’s time for COVID-19 vaccines to again follow suit, advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agreed early last week. The panel voted unanimously in favour of updating the shots to more closely match virus

COVID-19 continues to evolve, vaccines must keep up the pace; The latest health stories from around the world Read More »

Africa aspires toward more medical independence; The latest health stories from around the world

Article by Lalita Panicker, Consulting Editor, Views and Editor, Insight, Hindustan Times, New Delhi https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/how-africa-moving-towards-future-proofing-its-response-health-emergencies  Africa has for years been heavily dependent on importing medicines, diagnostics and vaccines to respond to the health needs of the 1.2 billion people on the continent.  When international trade was blocked during the COVID-19 pandemic, this extreme reliance on

Africa aspires toward more medical independence; The latest health stories from around the world Read More »

USDA delves into flu vaccines for cattle; The latest health stories from around the world

Article by Lalita Panicker, Consulting Editor, Views and Editor, Insight, Hindustan Times, New Delhi  On 3 May, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a “request for information” from companies that have the capability to develop and produce cow vaccines against H5N1. Jamie Jonker, chief science officer at the National Milk Producers Federation, says he

USDA delves into flu vaccines for cattle; The latest health stories from around the world Read More »

WHO to vote on formalising a legally binding pandemic agreement; The latest health stories from around the world

Article by Lalita Panicker, Consulting Editor, Views and Editor, Insight, Hindustan Times, New Delhi  At the end of May, 194 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) will meet for the World Health Assembly. Negotiations underway now will determine whether they vote then to adopt a pandemic agreement. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq1055?utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email&utm_content=alert&utm_campaign=SCIeToc&et_rid=785235729&et_cid=5199970  For the past 2 years,

WHO to vote on formalising a legally binding pandemic agreement; The latest health stories from around the world Read More »

Africa intensifies its efforts to control mpox; The latest health stories from around the world

Article by Lalita Panicker, Consulting Editor, Views and Editor, Insight, Hindustan Times, New Delhi Researchers and public health officials in Africa are intensifying their battle against mpox, a neglected infectious disease that has circulated for a long time on the continent and suddenly gained notoriety in 2022 when it started to spread rapidly in Europe

Africa intensifies its efforts to control mpox; The latest health stories from around the world Read More »