Poor access to safe water fuels cholera outbreak in Syria
Damascus, SyriaReuters Poor access to safe water has exacerbated a cholera outbreak rampaging across Syria’s war-battered provinces, where local authorities are struggling to contain the spread with chlorine tablets and vaccines. More than 35,000 suspected cases of cholera have been reported across the country, according to the United Nations’ children’s agency. UNICEF said only approximately […]
Battling cholera, Lebanon gets first vaccines, and sharp words, from France
Beirut, LebanonReuters Lebanon took delivery on Monday of its first vaccines to combat a worsening cholera outbreak – together with sharply worded criticism of the crisis-hit country’s crumbling public health infrastructure from donor nation France. By Sunday, cases of cholera – a disease typically spread through contaminated water, food or sewage – stood at 1,447, […]
“History repeats itself”: In Africa’s monkeypox outbreak, sickness and death go undetected
DJAFFAR AL KATANTY and EDWARD MCALLISTER, of Reuters, report on the impact of monkeypox virus outbreaks in poorer African countries where many people do not have quick access to health facilities – or are not aware of the dangers…
Ethiopia’s Tigray runs out of medical supplies amid health crisis: WHO
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters Ethiopia’s Tigray region has run out of medical supplies such as vaccines, antibiotics and insulin, World Health Organization officials said on Friday, warning that many deaths were probably going unrecorded from preventable and treatable diseases. The conflict that has pitted Ethiopia’s army against forces from the country’s northern region of Tigray has killed […]
“Saving lives”: Secret vaccinations help Zimbabwe mothers protect children
FARAI MUTSAKA, of Associated Press, reports on efforts to vaccine children against a deadly measles outbreak amid opposition from some religious groups…
Rotavirus childhood vaccine shortage hits four African countries
London, UKReuters Supplies of a vaccine to prevent the deadly rotavirus infection in children have either run out in Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal and Cameroon or are close to doing so, officials close to the roll-out told Reuters, after disruptions at drugmaker GSK. The World Health Organization estimates that up to 200,000 children die each year […]
As COVID patent war rages on, pharma group seeks fairer future access
London, UK Reuters An alliance of companies has pledged to ensure equitable access to vaccines and treatments for pandemics, as the friction around intellectual property rights for COVID-19 interventions between the pharmaceutical industry and developing nations endures. At the heart of the plan is a commitment to set aside part of the production of vaccines […]
The Long Read: Why world’s first malaria shot won’t reach millions of children who need it
JENNIFER RIGBY, NATALIE GROVER and MAGGIE FICK, of Reuters, report on how efforts to roll-out the world’s first malaria vaccine are being thwarted…
Pandemic behind “largest backslide in childhood vaccination in a generation” – UN
London, UKReuters Around 25 million children around the world missed out on routine vaccinations that protect against life-threatening diseases last year, as the knock-on effects of the pandemic continue to disrupt health care globally. That is two million more children than in 2020, when COVID-19 caused lockdowns around the world, and six million more than […]
First vaccine
Edward Jenner was the 18th century scientist who invented the first real vaccine – for smallpox. A student in Indonesia is being injected with a vaccine. PICTURE: Ed Us/Unsplash It really was a remarkably big deal. Smallpox killed 10 to 20 per cent of the population at the time. Many people have stated that because of his […]