Global Health

Dear Global Health community, here is this week's press review:

What are the 5 most important things that the UN is doing to improve global health? (World Economic Forum, September 22, 2023)
> Some 4.5 billion people, more than half the global population, do not have enough access to essential health services, an issue that world leaders and ministers will tackle at a series of high-level meetings at the UN this week.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/09/un-improve-global-health-sdgs/

UN High Level Meeting Approves ‘Historic’ but Non-Binding Declaration on Pandemic Preparedness and Response (Health Policy Watch, September 20, 2023)
> A long-awaited political declaration by United Nations (UN) member states on more effective pandemic preparedness and response was approved at a High-Level Meeting (HLM) on Wednesday – without the anticipated political objections raised by 11 member states including Russia in a letter to the global body earlier in the week.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/world-leaders-agree-to-historic-but-non…

How climate change makes global health issues harder to solve (GAVI, September 21, 2023)
> Human health is deeply linked to planetary health. As climate change harms the planet, we too are harmed. But it is possible to break the link, experts say.
https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/how-climate-change-makes-global-healt…

‘From Vegetables to Potatoes to Shoes’: Experts Express Frustration at UN Declarations on Pandemics, Universal Health Coverage and Tuberculosis (Health Policy Watch, September 13, 2023)
> Leading global health experts and activists have expressed frustration and disappointment at the draft political declarations on pandemics, universal health coverage (UHC) and tuberculosis that world leaders are expected to adopt at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) next week.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/experts-express-frustration-at-un-decla…

New report highlights neglected health needs of children with developmental disabilities (WHO, September 15, 2023)
> A new report published today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF highlights the global prevalence of developmental disabilities among children and young people, shedding light on the urgent action needed to address disparities in their access to healthcare, health outcomes, and exposure to social determinants such as poverty.
https://www.who.int/news/item/15-09-2023-new-reports-highlights-neglect…

South Africa investigates Johnson & Johnson over ‘excessive pricing’ for its TB drug (STAT, September 15, 2023)
> South African authorities are investigating Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen subsidiary over “excessive pricing” of a lifesaving tuberculosis drug, the latest imbroglio to engulf the company over its medicine.
https://www.statnews.com/pharmalot/2023/09/15/johnson-johnson-tb-tuberc…

REPORT: Tracking Universal Health Coverage: 2023 Global monitoring report
> The world is off track to make significant progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) (SDG target 3.8) by 2030 as improvements to health services coverage have stagnated since 2015, and the proportion of the population that faced catastrophic levels of out-of-pocket (OOP) health spending has increased. 
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240080379

Dear Global Health community, here are some interesting news:

UN Draft Pandemic Declaration Offers ‘Little Hope’ for Strengthening Global Preparedness (Health Policy Watch, September 1, 2023)
> A draft political declaration on pandemics, due to be adopted by the United Nations General Assembly later this month, offers “little hope” that the UN process will make a difference in global pandemic preparedness, global health experts said on Friday.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/un-draft-pandemic-declaration-offers-li…

A mutated coronavirus has scientists on alert, and other health stories you need to read (WEF, August 30, 2023)
> Research is underway to determine the risks posed by a new form of coronavirus that has been found around the world. The variant has been detected by several laboratories and appears to be rare, but it is significantly different from other strains currently in circulation.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/08/mutated-coronavirus-has-scientis…

Dear Global Health community, here is this week’s press review:

New global fund ‘welcome boost’ to safeguarding biodiversity (UN News, August 25, 2023)
> A new global environmental fund marks a major step towards securing the wellbeing of biodiversity in developing countries and will help to ensure sustainable utilization of their natural resources, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Friday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/08/1140072

As Global Warming Surpasses Limits of Human Survival, Non-Communicable Diseases Need to be on COP28 Agenda (Health Policy Watch, August 25, 2023)
> The relentless, heat-related effects of climate change are more and more manifest – along with their human toll in terms of deaths and diseases from acute heat stroke to chronic kidney disease.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/global-warming-surpasses-the-limits-of-…

From Death Valley to the Swiss Alps, extreme weather records hit new heights (UN News, August 22, 2023)
> As sweltering conditions continue to grip large parts of Europe, temperatures have “reached new heights” in Switzerland, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warned on Tuesday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/08/1139957

Global COVID-19 Data Gap Grows As Countries Stop Reporting to WHO (Health Policy Watch, August 25, 2023)
> Fewer than 20 countries worldwide still report COVID-19 hospitalization and ICU data to the World Health Organization (WHO), leaving the UN health body blind to the impact and evolution of the virus in most of the world, agency leaders said Friday.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/fewer-than-20-countries-report-covid-19…

Covid-19, a disease with tricks up its sleeve, hasn’t fallen into a seasonal pattern — yet (STAT, August 23, 2023)
> To most people on the planet, the Covid-19 pandemic is over. But for many scientists who have been tracking the largest global infectious disease event in the era of molecular biology, there is still a step that the virus that caused it, SARS-CoV-2, hasn’t yet taken. It has not fallen into a predictable seasonal pattern of the type most respiratory pathogens follow.
https://www.statnews.com/2023/08/23/covid-19-has-not-yet-fallen-into-a-…

Dear Global Health group, here is this week’s news selection:

WHO Europe Urges Countries to Maintain COVID-19 Surveillance as Cases Increase (Health Policy Watch, August 16, 2023)
> Dr Hans Kluge, regional director of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe, has warned member countries to maintain their COVID-19 infrastructure and genomic surveillance amid a “gradual increase in cases, including hospitalizations, in some European countries”.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/who-europe-urges-countries-to-maintain-…

Africa CDC Dismisses Controversy Around its Head as ‘Smear Campaign’ (Health Policy Watch, August 14, 2023)
> Controversy continues to surround Dr Jean Kaseya, the new Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), although the organisation described the allegations as “unverified and baseless” over the weekend.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/africa-cdc-dismisses-controversy-around…

WHO launches a new Global Initiative on Digital Health supported by the G20 Presidency (WHO, August 19, 2023)
> The World Health Organization (WHO) and the G20 India presidency announced a new Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) today at the Health Minister’s Meeting of the G20 Summit hosted by the Government of India.
https://www.who.int/news/item/19-08-2023-who-launches-a-new-global-init…

Deep dive: Is the global health architecture changing? (Devex, August 17, 2023)
> Devex offices are closed this week for an August break. Instead of our regular Newswire, we’re taking deep dives into some of this year's key development topics. Today, we dig into the evolving public health infrastructure at global and regional levels.
https://www.devex.com/news/deep-dive-is-the-global-health-architecture-…

Dear Global Health community, please find below this week’s news selection:

World Bank Suspension of New Loans to Uganda Over Anti-Homosexuality Law is a Warning to Other Countries (Health Policy Watch, August 9, 2023)
> The World Bank’s decision to suspend new public loans to Uganda after the country passed its Anti-Homosexuality Act in March should serve as a warning to other countries contemplating passing similar discriminatory laws, according to human rights activists.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/world-bank-suspension-of-new-loans-to-u…

WHO convenes first high-level global summit on traditional medicine to explore evidence base, opportunities to accelerate health for all (WHO, August 10, 2023)
> The World Health Organization (WHO) is convening the Traditional Medicine Global Summit on 17 and 18 August 2023​ in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India. Co-hosted by the Government of India, the Summit will explore the role of traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine in addressing pressing health challenges and driving progress in global health and sustainable development.
https://www.who.int/news/item/10-08-2023-who-convenes-first-high-level-…

The toughest plastic bag ban is failing: A tale of smugglers, dumps and dying goats (NPR, August 9, 2023)
> In 2017, Kenya passed a law banning single-use plastic bags — the kind that grocery stores and other vendors give you to hold your purchases. The law was inspired by the toll of plastic pollution. The bags used to package food and other products were exempted. But in 2023, the colorful, single-use plastic bags are piling up in the Dadach Boshe dump.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/08/09/1190211814/the-tou…

WHO urges swift action as dengue cases surge in Bangladesh (UN News, August 11, 2023)
> A significant surge in dengue fever cases has gripped Bangladesh, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Friday, calling for efforts to control the mosquito vector population and minimize individual exposure such as using mosquito repellents and wearing long-sleeved clothes.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/08/1139692

Dear Global Health community, here is this week’s selected news, read on:

Are The Three Pandemic Negotiations Bringing a Safer World Closer? (Health Policy Watch, July 31, 2023)
> While July saw a crush of global pandemic-related meetings – some joint and some clashing – to accommodate tight schedules and northern summer holidays, achieving a pandemic-proof world is still a long way off.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/are-the-three-pandemic-negotiations-bri…

Governments hold fourth round of discussions on proposed amendments to International Health Regulations (WHO News, August 3, 2023)
> Governments last week continued their detailed examination of a significant number of the over 300 proposed amendments to the WHO International Health Regulations 2005 (IHR).
https://www.who.int/news/item/31-07-2023-governments-hold-fourth-round-…-(2005)

Dengue Cases Soar in Americas as Mosquitoes Find New Habitats (Health Policy Watch, August 2, 2023)
> The number of dengue cases in the Americas has surpassed 3 million this year, as climate change makes people more vulnerable to the disease and the world more hospitable to the mosquitoes that carry it.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/dengue-cases-soar-in-americas-as-climat…

Hi Global Health Community 👋,
Here is an event that might be of interest to some of you:
On 20 September 2023, the First WHO/Europe Indoor Air Conference will take place. It can be followed in person in Bern or online.
Here is the link to register:
https://site.genevahealthforum.com/index.php/en/?option=com_content&vie…

Dear Global Health Community, here is this week’s news recap, a bit longer than usual:

Sudan health crisis reaches ‘gravely serious levels’: WHO (UN News, July 27, 2023)
> The conflict in Sudan has sparked a health crisis for the 3.4 million people forced to flee to safety, whether within the country or across its borders, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/07/1139192

Pandemic Fund Awards Over $330m in First Resilience-Building Grants (Health Policy Watch, July 25, 2023)
> Thirty-seven countries have received grants worth $338 million from the Pandemic Fund to boost their resilience to pandemics in the first round of the fund’s disbursements.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/pandemic-fund-awards-over-330m-in-first…

EXCLUSIVE: UN Draft Declaration on Pandemics Is Aspirational Rather Than Action-Oriented (Health Policy Watch, July 24, 2023)
> The final reading of the Political Declaration for the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPPR) is scheduled for Tuesday in New York – and while the revised text has a few more practical clauses than the bland zero-draft, it remains more aspirational than actionable.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/un-draft-declaration-on-pandemics-is-as…

Contradictions: The ‘Worst Outcome’ of Pandemic Accord and International Health Regulation Negotiations (Health Policy Watch, July 21, 2023)
> The worst outcome of the two World Health Organization (WHO) pandemic negotiations currently underway would be the adoption of contradictory definitions and processes, warned Dr Mike Ryan, the head of health emergencies at the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/worst-outcome-of-accord-and-internation…

Hottest July ever signals ‘era of global boiling has arrived’ says UN chief (UN News, July 27, 2023)
> As wildfires raged across Southern Europe and North Africa, top UN climate scientists said on Thursday that it was “virtually certain” that July 2023 will be the warmest on record.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/07/1139162

Climate Change Lawsuits Surge as Global Temperatures Hurtle Towards Levels Far Above 1.5°C (Health Policy Watch, July 27, 2023)
> The number of climate cases taken to court has more than doubled in the last five years, as people and communities turn to the legal system to hold governments and corporations accountable for their inaction on climate change, according to a new Global Climate Litigation Report, published Thursday by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia University.
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/climate-change-lawsuits-surge-as-world-…

How to move from prescribed techniques to co-created care? 🙃
20 pioneer stories – from mental to planetary health, from narrative medicine to art therapy.
🇩🇪 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7833406
🇨🇵 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7833396
🇬🇧 https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7833388