During the early ‘90s, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan successfully raised funds to get antiretroviral drugs to those affected by the HIV epidemic. Many of the children of those patients are still alive today thanks to her work. As part of the podcast series, Awake At Night, she shares her insights with the UN’s head of communications, Melissa Fleming. Getting vaccines to… Read More

After six weeks of decline in January and February, cases are now increasing in most regions of the world.  Meanwhile, deaths are falling, though at a slower rate.  “These are worrying trends as we continue to see the impact of variants, opening up of societies, and inequitable vaccine rollout”, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking during his regular briefing… Read More

In a new report, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlighted that infections rose in warm seasons in 2020 – the first year of the pandemic – and that “there is no evidence” that this could not happen again in 2021.  “At this stage, evidence does not support the use of meteorological and air quality factors as a basis for… Read More

In a virtual press conference from Geneva, SAGE hailed the one-dose Janssen shot – produced by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary – as a safe and lifesaving addition to the three other vaccines it has already approved for use: Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca. The expert panel also noted that clotting episodes – also known as hypercoagulable events – were a… Read More

In many countries, if COVID-19 infections are confirmed or suspected, newborn babies are being routinely separated from their mothers, putting them at higher risk of death and lifelong health complications, according to the agency.  Newborns need close contact with parents, especially mothers, after birth. However, in many countries, if #COVID19 infections are confirmed or suspected, newborn ? are separated from… Read More

Agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists that WHO’s Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety has been reviewing available data on the vaccine and will meet with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Tuesday. Germany, France Italy and Spain have become the latest countries to temporarily halt use of the shot, following reports of blood clots in people who received the… Read More

The development comes after several European countries suspended the rollout of the jab as a precaution. “As of 9 March, there have been over 268 million doses of vaccine delivered since the start of the pandemic, and based on data reported – that’s data reported to WHO by national governments – no causes of death have been found or been… Read More

According to new estimates from the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and Avenir Health, this has led to around 1.4 million unintended pregnancies.   These latest figures come as many countries, particularly high-income nations, show early signs of steeply declining birth rates.   Together, the findings demonstrate how the pandemic has severely impacted women’s control over their own reproductive health, and undermined family planning.  Contraceptives out… Read More