infectious diseases

President Joe Biden tests positive for COVID-19 a second time; The latest health stories from around the world

United States (US) President Joe Biden tested positive for the coronavirus again on Saturday morning, becoming the latest example of a rebound case after taking the Paxlovid treatment that has otherwise been credited with broadly impressive results in fighting the virus and suppressing its worst effects. “The President has experienced no re-emergence of symptoms, and […]

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Monkeypox officially declared a global emergency by WHO; The latest health stories from around the world

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global emergency for the second time in two years. This time the cause is monkeypox, which has spread in just a few weeks to 74 countries. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/23/health/monkeypox-pandemic-who.htmlDr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO’s director general, on Saturday overruled a panel of advisers, who could not come to a

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Omicron sub-variant now sweeping India; The latest health stories from around the world

An Omicron sub-variant that is spreading rapidly in India and has been detected in several European countries may be more effective than other coronavirus strains at overcoming immunity provided by prior infection and vaccines. BA.2.75, which has been nicknamed Centaurus, appeared to have mutated in a way that could indicate “major immune escape”, said the

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New COVID-19 strain poses serious reinfection risk; The latest health stories from around the world

Health experts across the globe are signalling alarm as they begin reporting that Omicron BA.5, the coronavirus strain that is currently outpacing other variants in infection and has become the dominant strain in the United States (US) and abroad, has the ability to reinfect people within weeks of contracting the virus. Andrew Robertson, the chief

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WHO’s monkeypox declaration receives criticism; The latest health stories from around the world

After a meeting behind closed doors, an expert panel of the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on 25 June that the rapidly growing monkeypox epidemic does not yet warrant the status of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)—a verdict the agency has accepted. (www.science.org/content/article/who-monkeypox-decision-renews-debate-about-global-alarm-system-outbreaks?) The panel’s conclusion was widely criticized by virologists, epidemiologists,

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Monkeypox declared public health emergency of international concern; The latest health stories from around the world

The World Health Organization (WHO) opted against calling the recent monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. The outbreak is “clearly an evolving threat,” the WHO said in a statement Saturday, though it doesn’t constitute an international public health emergency “at this moment.” An emergency committee convened on Thursday to discuss the outbreak.

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WTO waters down IP restrictions on COVID-19 vaccines; The latest health stories from around the world

The World Trade Organization (WTO) approved a politically important deal Friday to water down intellectual property restrictions for the manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines after an almost two-year effort involving scores of high-level meetings and much political arm twisting. During the early morning hours in Geneva, WTO ministers approved a package of agreements that included the

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Un déclin surprenant des chiffres de la vaccination des enfants en Afrique dans le contexte du COVID-19, encore une autre victime de la pandémie

Selon l’UNICEF, 23 millions d’enfants dans le monde n’ont pas reçu de vaccins essentiels dans le cadre des services de vaccination de routine à cause de la pandémie de COVID-19.

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China reiterates commitment to “zero-COVID”; The latest health stories from around the world

Xi Jinping reiterated China’s commitment to zero-COVID, declaring “persistence is victory”, as Shanghai and Beijing were hit with new lockdowns, shutdowns, and mass testing drives just a week after the cities celebrated the easing of restrictions. (www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/10/xi-jinping-says-persistence-is-victory-as-covid-restrictions-return-to-shanghai-and-beijing) In response to China’s worst outbreak of the pandemic, Shanghai spent months under an arduous and strict citywide

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An astonishing decline in child immunisation numbers in Africa amid the rage of COVID-19, yet another victim of the pandemic

UNICEF reports that a staggering 23 million children worldwide missed out on essential vaccines through routine immunisation services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On the Day of the African Child, 16th April 2022, we take an in-depth look into how African children were affected by this plight, as seen through the eyes of local communities.

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