WB approves 82 million USD loan for addressing zoonotic diseases in India

With India being home to the largest livestock population, the country faces unique challenges in mitigating these risks The World Bank recently approved an $82 million loan to bolster animal health management in India and combat zoonotic diseases globally. Zoonotic diseases, which originate in animals and can be transmitted to humans, pose significant risks to… Continue reading WB approves 82 million USD loan for addressing zoonotic diseases in India

The Silent Emergency: Urgent Action Needed to Address Preterm Birth Crisis

A medical practitioner uses a Mid Upper-Arm Circumference (MUAC) measuring tape on a boy being screened for malnutrition at Ma’abar Hospital, Dhamar governorate, Yemen, Monday 13 March 2017. As of March 2017, children in Yemen are living on the brink of famine and widespread malnutrition has drastically increased their risk of disease. More than half of Yemen’s medical facilities are no longer functional and the health system is on the verge of collapse. Families’ coping mechanisms in Yemen are being stretched to their limit as the war enters its third year risking a total collapse in resilience. The poorest country in the Middle East is facing an economic, social and humanitarian crisis as never before. Around one in three children (2.2 million individuals) under the age of five in Yemen are malnourished, of whom 1.7 million are suffering from moderate acute malnutrition and 462,000 are suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM). A child suffering from SAM is around ten times more at risk of death than a healthy child if not treated in time. UNICEF is scaling up its humanitarian response, including supporting the treatment of 323,000 children against severe acute malnutrition and providing basic healthcare services to one million children and over half a million pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

Immediate action is needed to address the silent emergency of preterm birth, as persistent rates and regional disparities threaten millions of babies worldwide, calling for increased investments, policy implementation, and support for affected families.” Preterm birth, a global crisis affecting millions of babies and their families, remains a silent emergency. According to a recent report… Continue reading The Silent Emergency: Urgent Action Needed to Address Preterm Birth Crisis

Tobacco the twin killer of health and environment, says WHO

WHO has revealed new information on the extent to which tobacco damages both the environment and human health, calling for steps to make the industry more accountable for the destruction it is causing. The WHO report “Tobacco: Poisoning our planet” highlights that the industry’s carbon footprint from production, processing and transporting tobacco is equivalent to one-fifth… Continue reading Tobacco the twin killer of health and environment, says WHO

World’s stateless at risk of not having COVID vaccine

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning that many of the world’s stateless people may miss out on vaccinations as a result of their lack of citizenship or proof of identity. “There are millions known to be stateless around the world, without the nationality of any state. This has hugely damaging impacts on their fundamental… Continue reading World’s stateless at risk of not having COVID vaccine

One stillbirth occurs every 16 seconds, according to first ever UN estimates

Almost 2 million babies are stillborn every year – or 1 every 16 seconds – according to the first ever joint stillbirth estimates released by UNICEF, WHO, the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.  The vast majority of stillbirths, 84 per cent, occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries, according to… Continue reading One stillbirth occurs every 16 seconds, according to first ever UN estimates

New global index shows catastrophic failure to tackle inequality across countries

Norway tops index, United States flails at 26, South Sudan ranks last, majority of world’s countries are woefully unprepared for COVID-19 Very low spending on public healthcare, weak social safety nets and poor labour rights meant the majority of the world’s countries were woefully ill-equipped to deal with COVID-19, reveals new analysis from Oxfam and… Continue reading New global index shows catastrophic failure to tackle inequality across countries

Boost for global response to COVID-19 as economies worldwide formally sign up to COVAX facility

(Photo credit Karolina Grabowska)

By allowing participating economies to pool financial and scientific resources, the COVAX facility will help secure successful vaccines faster and more cost-effectively, and allow them to be distributed them based on need and not wealth…

Hollowed-Out US Public Health System Faces More Cuts Amid Virus

Lauren Weber and Laura Ungar and Michelle R. Smith, The Associated Press and Hannah Recht and Anna Maria Barry-Jester The US public health system has been starved for decades and lacks the resources to confront the worst health crisis in a century. Marshaled against a virus that has sickened at least 2.6 million in the… Continue reading Hollowed-Out US Public Health System Faces More Cuts Amid Virus

Fracking: Scientific Evidence points towards public health crisis

Health professional groups raise alarm that build-out of drilling and fracking operations is creating a public health crisis.  As incontrovertible evidence of harm from fracking mounts and more health professionals raise the alarm, the fracking debate is taking place within an altered landscape. Today, as a growing body of scientific evidence confirms demonstrable health risks… Continue reading Fracking: Scientific Evidence points towards public health crisis

The Hidden Problem: Shadows of Mental Stress Over Urban Adolescents

Seama Mowri In urban slums of Dhaka, a research team encountered several stories of manipulative suicide threats and evidence of mental angst among both male and female adolescents and young people. “He had a bottle of poison in his hands and told me he would drink it if I didn’t agree to marry him.”  –… Continue reading The Hidden Problem: Shadows of Mental Stress Over Urban Adolescents