Category: Health

From laboratories to battlefields, the United Nations specialised health agency has been dedicated to the wellbeing of all people since 1948. It is guided by science and supported by its 194 member nations, including the United States, a co-founder that on Monday announced plans to withdraw. What has WHO done for the world? The short […]

A Swedish national, aged 64, has tragically passed away in South Korea from complications related to necrosis after being denied urgent medical treatment at 21 hospitals across the capital, Seoul. His death, attributed to sepsis following an amputation, underscores the challenges faced by foreign nationals seeking healthcare in South Korea, particularly in emergency situations. In […]

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced the suspension of its operations in two South Sudanese counties following an attack on its staff by unidentified gunmen. The incident occurred on Wednesday when six MSF employees were traveling by boat in Upper Nile State, located in the northeastern region of the country. The staff were returning from a […]

16 January 2025  – Conflict, climate change, epidemics, and displacement are converging to create an unparalleled global health crisis, with 305 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in 2025. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for US$ 1.5 billion for its 2025 Health Emergency Appeal (HEA), to support life-saving health interventions worldwide. […]

In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for $1.5 billion through its 2025 Health Emergency Appeal, to deliver life-saving health interventions worldwide. The appeal, unveiled on Thursday by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, outlines the urgent priorities for addressing 42 ongoing health emergencies, including 17 requiring immediate and coordinated action. “Conflicts, outbreaks, climate-related disasters, and […]

Nigeria, like many other countries, is facing an escalating opioid crisis that is rapidly becoming a major public health challenge. Opioid misuse, particularly of drugs like tramadol, codeine, and pentazocine, has been increasing at an alarming rate, particularly among youth and vulnerable communities. The rising epidemic of opioid abuse poses significant threats not only to […]

“Allowing hate speech and harmful content online has real world consequences. Regulating this content is not censorship,” Volker Türk wrote on X. In a longer LinkedIn post on the same theme, Mr. Türk maintained that labelling efforts to create safe online spaces as “censorship…ignore[s] the fact that unregulated space means some people are silenced – […]

WHO spokesperson Dr. Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva that the H5N1 virus causing the disease is “not circulating in humans but jumping into humans” who are exposed to poultry or dairy cattle. “We’re not seeing sustained circulation,” she insisted. Underlying conditions The man who died of the disease in Louisiana was over 65 and […]

Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory virus first identified in 2001, is currently spreading in China, contributing to the wave of respiratory illnesses this winter. While HMPV is not new, its rise in cases has prompted concerns about its potential impact, particularly as it emerges alongside other respiratory viruses like influenza and COVID-19. What Is HMPV? […]

A group of international experts has undertaken a critique of the clinical trials conducted to date on the value of hallucinogens in treating psychiatric disorders. Milad Fakurian/Unsplash Once sidelined in the 1970s, psychedelic substances – ranging from esketamine (a ketamine derivative) and psilocybin (the active ingredient in hallucinogenic mushrooms) to MDMA – are being reintroduced […]