Global_Health - GHealth News

May192025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

WHO at World Health Assembly: Nations Spend on War, But Not on Health

Global Health

GHealth News - At the opening of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that millions are losing access to essential healthcare due to deep funding cuts affecting over 70 countries. Clinics are closing, health workers are being laid off, and patients are facing rising out-of-pocket costs. The WHO itself is facing a $600 million budget shortfall and expects a 21% funding reduction over the next two years. With the United States scaling back support, China is set to become the organization’s largest financial contributor. Dr. Tedros called on nations to realign their priorities, stressing that defense spending continues to eclipse investment in global health security. "Countries spend vast sums protecting themselves against attac...

May152025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Germany Reaffirms Commitment to Global Health at Parliamentary Breakfast

Global Health

GHealth News - A new legislative period has begun, bringing with it both challenges and opportunities for Germany’s global health leadership. Against this backdrop, Global Health Hub Germany hosted a morning Parliamentary Breakfast on May 15, where parliamentarians and representatives from eight diverse stakeholder groups came together in Berlin. The goal: to discuss how Germany can actively shape and strengthen its role in global health governance. During the discussion, a central theme emerged, the value of sustained investment in global health. Over the past five decades, global health efforts have led to tangible improvements, including increased life expectancy and a decline in maternal and child mortality. One striking example: every dollar spent on vaccination yields an estimated...

Feb152025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

Global Health at Risk: WHO Director-General Sounds Alarm on US Funding Cuts

Global Health

GHealth News - During a media briefing on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus discussed the impact of funding suspensions, pointing out disruptions to HIV treatment, delays in polio eradication, and limited resources for tackling mpox outbreaks in Africa. Tedros explained, "The suspension of funding to PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, resulted in an immediate halt to HIV treatment, testing, and prevention services across 50 countries." He emphasized that while life-saving services were granted a waiver, prevention programs for at-risk populations are still excluded, clinics have closed, and health workers have been furloughed. Tedros called on the US Government to rethink its funding strategy, at least until alternative solutions are f...

Jan292025 by GHealth NewsNo Comments

China Rejects CIA Claim of COVID-19 Lab Leak

COVID19

GHealth News - China stated on Monday that a laboratory origin of COVID-19 was "extremely unlikely," following the CIA's assertion that the virus was more likely to have originated from a lab than through natural transmission. "The conclusion that a laboratory leak is extremely unlikely was reached by the China-WHO joint expert team based on field visits to relevant laboratories in Wuhan," said foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning. "This conclusion has been widely recognized by both the international and scientific communities," she added. On Saturday, the CIA reported that the virus was "more likely" to have leaked from a Chinese lab rather than being transmitted through animals.