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Jan272023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

With rise of new coronavirus variants, FDA halts authorization of Evusheld

COVID19

The US Food and Drug Administration on Thursday halted the emergency use authorization of Evusheld because it does not appear to protect against Covid-19 from viral variants currently circulating in the United States. Evusheld is a monoclonal antibody therapy used to prevent Covid-19 in immunocompromised people, who are less likely to generate an immune response from Covid-19 vaccination. US officials have warned for months that the antibody therapy was not working against certain emerging variants, but it was still available. CNN had previously reported that many patients who used the medication weren’t aware the medication was no longer as effective as it once was, and continued to rely on it for protection against Covid-19. On Thursday, the FDA revised Evush...

Jan272023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO urges ‘immediate action’ after cough syrup deaths

Global Health

GHealth News - The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for “immediate and concerted action” to protect children from contaminated medicines after a spate of child deaths linked to cough syrups last year. In 2022, more than 300 children – mainly aged under 5 – in Gambia, Indonesia and Uzbekistan died of acute kidney injury, in deaths that were associated with contaminated medicines, the WHO said in a statement on Monday. The medicines, over-the-counter cough syrups, had high levels of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol. “These contaminants are toxic chemicals used as industrial solvents and antifreeze agents that can be fatal even taken in small amounts, and should never be found in medicines,” the WHO said. As well as the countries above, the ...

Jan212023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO says it backs global health agenda of Indian presidency set at G20 meet

Global Health

GHealth News - The WHO on Thursday said it was a strong supporter of the Global Health Agenda being set by the Indian presidency at the G20 Health Working Group meeting here as it was focused, well-articulated and takes into account priorities of the day. Stephanie Seydoux, WHO envoy for Multilateral Affairs at the G20 India Health Working Group Meet here, further said on the sidelines that the agenda being set by the Indian presidency was ambitious and well supported by G20 members and participants. "The World Health Organisation (WHO) is a very strong supporter of the Global Health Agenda being set by the Indian presidency. It is indeed an ambitious agenda, but it is focused, well-articulated and it certainly speaks of the priorities of the day," she said. The first Health Working ...

Jan142023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO updates COVID-19 guidelines on masks, treatments and patient care

COVID19

GHealth News - WHO has updated its guidelines on mask wearing in community settings, COVID-19 treatments, and clinical management. This is part of a continuous process of reviewing such materials, working with guideline development groups composed of independent, international experts who consider the latest available evidence and the changing epidemiology. Masks continue to be a key tool against COVID-19 WHO continues to recommend the use of masks by the public in specific situations, and this update recommends their use irrespective of the local epidemiological situation, given the current spread of the COVID-19 globally. Masks are recommended following a recent exposure to COVID-19, when someone has or suspects they have COVID-19, when someone is at high-risk of severe COVID-19, a...

Jan72023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Advancing health and health equity across the globe

Global Health

Prof. Beate Kampmann © Charité l Artur Krutsch A new platform for global health is being created within Berlin’s university medicine landscape in the form of the Charité Center for Global Health (CCGH). At its center is the Institute of International Health of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, formerly known as the Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health, which has been headed since the beginning of this year by Einstein Professor for Global Health, Prof. Beate Kampmann. The renowned expert in international child health will lead the CCGH with Prof. Christian Drosten, who heads Charité’s Institute of Virology, with both of them working together to sharpen its scientific focus and leverage the enormous potential in Berlin and beyond. The CCGH will be support...

Jan32023 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

NCDs kill more people than infectious diseases and should get a Global Fund

NCDs

By Kaushik Ramaiya Noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular conditions account for 41 million deaths each year. That’s more than 70% of all deaths globally. Most of these deaths (77%) are in low-income and middle-income countries – including those in Africa. These conditions are currently more prevalent than infectious diseases. Sixty-seven percent occur before the age of 40. Besides being the leading causes of death worldwide, noncommunicable diseases carry a huge cost to individuals. These also undermine workforce productivity and threaten economic prosperity. Healthcare provision in much of Africa still relies on external donors. There’s insufficient funding to help low-income and middle-income countries c...

Dec302022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

2022 ends with looming risk of a new coronavirus variant, health experts warn

COVID19

By Jacqueline Howard As the world enters a new year, many public health and infectious disease experts predict that monitoring for new coronavirus variants will be an increasingly important part of Covid-19 mitigation efforts – and some are turning their attention to a surge in cases in China. Subvariants of the Omicron coronavirus variant continue to circulate globally, and “we’re seeing Omicron do what viruses do, which is it picks up mutations along the way that helps it evade a little bit of immunity that’s induced by previous infection or vaccination,” said Andrew Pekosz, a microbiologist and immunologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. “We haven’t seen any major jumps in terms of Omicron evolution in some time,” he said. But “it’s ge...

Dec242022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Germany supports implementing One Health Joint Plan of Action

Global Health

GHealth News - At the October 2022 launch of the One Health Joint Plan of Action (OH JPA) at the World Health Summit, the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze reminded the audience that our ecosystems’ foundations are at stake: “It is no secret that our biodiversity is under threat. We need ecosystems for our food security and for our health, for safe drinking water, fertile soils, clean air, and protection of the global climate.” The One Health approach aims to achieve an equilibrium between the health of humans, animals, and the environment and to prevent threats to global health. The ambitious One Health Joint Action Plan uses cross-disciplinary thinking and recommends preventive actions to strengthen health systems. It was developed by the Quadripa...

Dec202022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

China Covid: Health expert predicts three winter waves

COVID19

People queue at a Covid testing station in Beijing. The capital is one of several Chinese cities where cases are rising rapidly © Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images GHealth News - A top Chinese health official says he believes China is experiencing the first of three expected waves of Covid infections this winter. The country is seeing a surge in cases since the lifting of its most severe restrictions earlier this month. The latest official figures appear to show a relatively low number of new daily cases. However, there are concerns that these numbers are an underestimate due to a recent reduction in Covid testing. The government reported only 2,097 new daily cases on Sunday. Epidemiologist Wu Zunyou has said he believes the current spike in infections would run until mid-...

Dec182022 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Argentina win incredible World Cup final in shootout

Global Health

Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Final - Argentina v France - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar GHealth News - Argentina won their third World Cup in an extraordinary final on Sunday as they beat France 4-2 on penalties after Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-3 draw and Kylian Mbappe grabbed a hat-trick to bring the holders back from 2-0 and 3-2 down. It was an incredible night of drama, high emotion and fluctuating fortunes, delivering one of the all-time great finals to cap a wonderful tournament as its two star players delivered command performances on the biggest stage of all. Congratulations, Argentina! Congratulations, Messi! Source: Reuters