First WHO Regional Director Takes Leave To Run for Director-General 04/08/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen Eastern Mediterranean Regional Director Dr Hanan Balkhy will take immediate leave effective Tuesday to formally launch her campaign in the WHO Director-General Election, according to an internal notice from DG Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus seen by Health Policy Watch. Balkhy becomes the first serving regional director required to take leave after Tedros issued newly tightened […] Continue reading -> Scientists Warn Drug-Resistant Malaria Mutation Is Spreading Across Lake Victoria Basin 03/08/2026 Kizito Makoye KARAGWE, Tanzania – Maria Mwijage had barely reached the footpath home from the village well when mosquitoes began circling her legs. Overnight rain had filled roadside puddles and cattle hoof prints with stagnant water, turning them into breeding grounds. She brushed the insects away, balanced the yellow jerry can on her head and continued towards […] Continue reading -> Fear and Fatigue Grip Congo’s Health Workers as Ebola Response Crumbles 31/07/2026 Anicet Kimonyo BUNIA, Democratic Republic of Congo – Victorine Ngwobu Kasemi is the director of nursing at the Evangelical Medical Centre in Bunia, the epicentre of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s record-breaking Ebola epidemic. In recent weeks she’s had to watch colleagues succumb to the virus, and her children isolate themselves from her to keep safe. “I’m afraid […] Continue reading -> Fiji Has The World’s Fastest Growing HIV Epidemic – And it is Struggling 30/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – A graph showing the progression of HIV infections in Fiji resembles a cobra poised to strike. For years, the 330+ islands that make up Fiji had almost zero HIV cases, but the country’s 14-fold increase in infections over the past five years is represented by a near-vertical line rearing up over […] Continue reading -> Gavi Welcomes Restoration of US Funding – But No Clarity on How Agency will Phase out Thimerosal 30/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The United States has unlocked frozen Gavi funding, resolving a bitter political impasse in Washington while doubling down against the WHO. But can the alliance eliminate thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, from its stockpiles without leaving millions of vulnerable children unprotected? The United States will immediately release $600 million for fiscal years 2025–2026 in frozen Gavi […] Continue reading -> Sexual Violence Surges in Eastern DRC as Conflict and Ebola Overwhelm Health System 30/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Panzi Hospital, a facility in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a region overrun by a civil war that has displaced millions, recorded an 85% increase in newly reported survivors of sexual violence in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to a […] Continue reading -> Adjusting to a Post-PEPFAR World 30/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – Zambia is hopeful that it can reach an agreement with the United States to salvage funds for its HIV programme, but South Africa remains frozen out of any new US funding for its HIV programme, government officials told journalists at a media briefing at the International AIDS Conference on Wednesday. Last […] Continue reading -> ‘Fire-Breathing Dragon Clouds’: The Health Threat of Wildfire Smoke Choking Europe and the World 29/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Nine miles south of the picturesque French city of Bordeaux, firefighters are at war with a phenomenon straight out of an apocalyptic epic. Scientists call them pyrocumulonimbus, or PyroCbs. NASA calls them the “fire-breathing dragon of clouds”. The port capital of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, normally bustling with tourists at peak season, is instead drowned in smog, so […] Continue reading -> New HIV Frontier: The Fight to Access Long-Acting Prevention Drugs 29/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – News that an antiretroviral drug injected twice a year had prevented almost all HIV infection in trials electrified the HIV sector two years ago – but access to Gilead’s lenacapavir has been slow, particularly for countries in Latin America. Brazil, which faces significant HIV transmission in certain groups, has been routinely […] Continue reading -> EXCLUSIVE: WHO Regional Directors Running for Director-General Must Take Leave for Campaign 28/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen In a first, WHO Regional Directors must take a leave of absence to run for the top job, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to Health Policy Watch on Monday. This sweeping election reform closes a crucial loophole in the ongoing Director-General election process, aiming to curb shadow campaigns just as the first candidates officially […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Scientists Warn Drug-Resistant Malaria Mutation Is Spreading Across Lake Victoria Basin 03/08/2026 Kizito Makoye KARAGWE, Tanzania – Maria Mwijage had barely reached the footpath home from the village well when mosquitoes began circling her legs. Overnight rain had filled roadside puddles and cattle hoof prints with stagnant water, turning them into breeding grounds. She brushed the insects away, balanced the yellow jerry can on her head and continued towards […] Continue reading -> Fear and Fatigue Grip Congo’s Health Workers as Ebola Response Crumbles 31/07/2026 Anicet Kimonyo BUNIA, Democratic Republic of Congo – Victorine Ngwobu Kasemi is the director of nursing at the Evangelical Medical Centre in Bunia, the epicentre of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s record-breaking Ebola epidemic. In recent weeks she’s had to watch colleagues succumb to the virus, and her children isolate themselves from her to keep safe. “I’m afraid […] Continue reading -> Fiji Has The World’s Fastest Growing HIV Epidemic – And it is Struggling 30/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – A graph showing the progression of HIV infections in Fiji resembles a cobra poised to strike. For years, the 330+ islands that make up Fiji had almost zero HIV cases, but the country’s 14-fold increase in infections over the past five years is represented by a near-vertical line rearing up over […] Continue reading -> Gavi Welcomes Restoration of US Funding – But No Clarity on How Agency will Phase out Thimerosal 30/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The United States has unlocked frozen Gavi funding, resolving a bitter political impasse in Washington while doubling down against the WHO. But can the alliance eliminate thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, from its stockpiles without leaving millions of vulnerable children unprotected? The United States will immediately release $600 million for fiscal years 2025–2026 in frozen Gavi […] Continue reading -> Sexual Violence Surges in Eastern DRC as Conflict and Ebola Overwhelm Health System 30/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Panzi Hospital, a facility in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a region overrun by a civil war that has displaced millions, recorded an 85% increase in newly reported survivors of sexual violence in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to a […] Continue reading -> Adjusting to a Post-PEPFAR World 30/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – Zambia is hopeful that it can reach an agreement with the United States to salvage funds for its HIV programme, but South Africa remains frozen out of any new US funding for its HIV programme, government officials told journalists at a media briefing at the International AIDS Conference on Wednesday. Last […] Continue reading -> ‘Fire-Breathing Dragon Clouds’: The Health Threat of Wildfire Smoke Choking Europe and the World 29/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Nine miles south of the picturesque French city of Bordeaux, firefighters are at war with a phenomenon straight out of an apocalyptic epic. Scientists call them pyrocumulonimbus, or PyroCbs. NASA calls them the “fire-breathing dragon of clouds”. The port capital of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, normally bustling with tourists at peak season, is instead drowned in smog, so […] Continue reading -> New HIV Frontier: The Fight to Access Long-Acting Prevention Drugs 29/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – News that an antiretroviral drug injected twice a year had prevented almost all HIV infection in trials electrified the HIV sector two years ago – but access to Gilead’s lenacapavir has been slow, particularly for countries in Latin America. Brazil, which faces significant HIV transmission in certain groups, has been routinely […] Continue reading -> EXCLUSIVE: WHO Regional Directors Running for Director-General Must Take Leave for Campaign 28/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen In a first, WHO Regional Directors must take a leave of absence to run for the top job, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to Health Policy Watch on Monday. This sweeping election reform closes a crucial loophole in the ongoing Director-General election process, aiming to curb shadow campaigns just as the first candidates officially […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Fear and Fatigue Grip Congo’s Health Workers as Ebola Response Crumbles 31/07/2026 Anicet Kimonyo BUNIA, Democratic Republic of Congo – Victorine Ngwobu Kasemi is the director of nursing at the Evangelical Medical Centre in Bunia, the epicentre of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s record-breaking Ebola epidemic. In recent weeks she’s had to watch colleagues succumb to the virus, and her children isolate themselves from her to keep safe. “I’m afraid […] Continue reading -> Fiji Has The World’s Fastest Growing HIV Epidemic – And it is Struggling 30/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – A graph showing the progression of HIV infections in Fiji resembles a cobra poised to strike. For years, the 330+ islands that make up Fiji had almost zero HIV cases, but the country’s 14-fold increase in infections over the past five years is represented by a near-vertical line rearing up over […] Continue reading -> Gavi Welcomes Restoration of US Funding – But No Clarity on How Agency will Phase out Thimerosal 30/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The United States has unlocked frozen Gavi funding, resolving a bitter political impasse in Washington while doubling down against the WHO. But can the alliance eliminate thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, from its stockpiles without leaving millions of vulnerable children unprotected? The United States will immediately release $600 million for fiscal years 2025–2026 in frozen Gavi […] Continue reading -> Sexual Violence Surges in Eastern DRC as Conflict and Ebola Overwhelm Health System 30/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Panzi Hospital, a facility in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a region overrun by a civil war that has displaced millions, recorded an 85% increase in newly reported survivors of sexual violence in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to a […] Continue reading -> Adjusting to a Post-PEPFAR World 30/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – Zambia is hopeful that it can reach an agreement with the United States to salvage funds for its HIV programme, but South Africa remains frozen out of any new US funding for its HIV programme, government officials told journalists at a media briefing at the International AIDS Conference on Wednesday. Last […] Continue reading -> ‘Fire-Breathing Dragon Clouds’: The Health Threat of Wildfire Smoke Choking Europe and the World 29/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Nine miles south of the picturesque French city of Bordeaux, firefighters are at war with a phenomenon straight out of an apocalyptic epic. Scientists call them pyrocumulonimbus, or PyroCbs. NASA calls them the “fire-breathing dragon of clouds”. The port capital of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, normally bustling with tourists at peak season, is instead drowned in smog, so […] Continue reading -> New HIV Frontier: The Fight to Access Long-Acting Prevention Drugs 29/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – News that an antiretroviral drug injected twice a year had prevented almost all HIV infection in trials electrified the HIV sector two years ago – but access to Gilead’s lenacapavir has been slow, particularly for countries in Latin America. Brazil, which faces significant HIV transmission in certain groups, has been routinely […] Continue reading -> EXCLUSIVE: WHO Regional Directors Running for Director-General Must Take Leave for Campaign 28/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen In a first, WHO Regional Directors must take a leave of absence to run for the top job, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to Health Policy Watch on Monday. This sweeping election reform closes a crucial loophole in the ongoing Director-General election process, aiming to curb shadow campaigns just as the first candidates officially […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Fiji Has The World’s Fastest Growing HIV Epidemic – And it is Struggling 30/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – A graph showing the progression of HIV infections in Fiji resembles a cobra poised to strike. For years, the 330+ islands that make up Fiji had almost zero HIV cases, but the country’s 14-fold increase in infections over the past five years is represented by a near-vertical line rearing up over […] Continue reading -> Gavi Welcomes Restoration of US Funding – But No Clarity on How Agency will Phase out Thimerosal 30/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The United States has unlocked frozen Gavi funding, resolving a bitter political impasse in Washington while doubling down against the WHO. But can the alliance eliminate thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, from its stockpiles without leaving millions of vulnerable children unprotected? The United States will immediately release $600 million for fiscal years 2025–2026 in frozen Gavi […] Continue reading -> Sexual Violence Surges in Eastern DRC as Conflict and Ebola Overwhelm Health System 30/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Panzi Hospital, a facility in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a region overrun by a civil war that has displaced millions, recorded an 85% increase in newly reported survivors of sexual violence in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to a […] Continue reading -> Adjusting to a Post-PEPFAR World 30/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – Zambia is hopeful that it can reach an agreement with the United States to salvage funds for its HIV programme, but South Africa remains frozen out of any new US funding for its HIV programme, government officials told journalists at a media briefing at the International AIDS Conference on Wednesday. Last […] Continue reading -> ‘Fire-Breathing Dragon Clouds’: The Health Threat of Wildfire Smoke Choking Europe and the World 29/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Nine miles south of the picturesque French city of Bordeaux, firefighters are at war with a phenomenon straight out of an apocalyptic epic. Scientists call them pyrocumulonimbus, or PyroCbs. NASA calls them the “fire-breathing dragon of clouds”. The port capital of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, normally bustling with tourists at peak season, is instead drowned in smog, so […] Continue reading -> New HIV Frontier: The Fight to Access Long-Acting Prevention Drugs 29/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – News that an antiretroviral drug injected twice a year had prevented almost all HIV infection in trials electrified the HIV sector two years ago – but access to Gilead’s lenacapavir has been slow, particularly for countries in Latin America. Brazil, which faces significant HIV transmission in certain groups, has been routinely […] Continue reading -> EXCLUSIVE: WHO Regional Directors Running for Director-General Must Take Leave for Campaign 28/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen In a first, WHO Regional Directors must take a leave of absence to run for the top job, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to Health Policy Watch on Monday. This sweeping election reform closes a crucial loophole in the ongoing Director-General election process, aiming to curb shadow campaigns just as the first candidates officially […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Gavi Welcomes Restoration of US Funding – But No Clarity on How Agency will Phase out Thimerosal 30/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen The United States has unlocked frozen Gavi funding, resolving a bitter political impasse in Washington while doubling down against the WHO. But can the alliance eliminate thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, from its stockpiles without leaving millions of vulnerable children unprotected? The United States will immediately release $600 million for fiscal years 2025–2026 in frozen Gavi […] Continue reading -> Sexual Violence Surges in Eastern DRC as Conflict and Ebola Overwhelm Health System 30/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Panzi Hospital, a facility in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a region overrun by a civil war that has displaced millions, recorded an 85% increase in newly reported survivors of sexual violence in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to a […] Continue reading -> Adjusting to a Post-PEPFAR World 30/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – Zambia is hopeful that it can reach an agreement with the United States to salvage funds for its HIV programme, but South Africa remains frozen out of any new US funding for its HIV programme, government officials told journalists at a media briefing at the International AIDS Conference on Wednesday. Last […] Continue reading -> ‘Fire-Breathing Dragon Clouds’: The Health Threat of Wildfire Smoke Choking Europe and the World 29/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Nine miles south of the picturesque French city of Bordeaux, firefighters are at war with a phenomenon straight out of an apocalyptic epic. Scientists call them pyrocumulonimbus, or PyroCbs. NASA calls them the “fire-breathing dragon of clouds”. The port capital of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, normally bustling with tourists at peak season, is instead drowned in smog, so […] Continue reading -> New HIV Frontier: The Fight to Access Long-Acting Prevention Drugs 29/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – News that an antiretroviral drug injected twice a year had prevented almost all HIV infection in trials electrified the HIV sector two years ago – but access to Gilead’s lenacapavir has been slow, particularly for countries in Latin America. Brazil, which faces significant HIV transmission in certain groups, has been routinely […] Continue reading -> EXCLUSIVE: WHO Regional Directors Running for Director-General Must Take Leave for Campaign 28/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen In a first, WHO Regional Directors must take a leave of absence to run for the top job, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to Health Policy Watch on Monday. This sweeping election reform closes a crucial loophole in the ongoing Director-General election process, aiming to curb shadow campaigns just as the first candidates officially […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Sexual Violence Surges in Eastern DRC as Conflict and Ebola Overwhelm Health System 30/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Panzi Hospital, a facility in South Kivu province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a region overrun by a civil war that has displaced millions, recorded an 85% increase in newly reported survivors of sexual violence in the first six months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to a […] Continue reading -> Adjusting to a Post-PEPFAR World 30/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – Zambia is hopeful that it can reach an agreement with the United States to salvage funds for its HIV programme, but South Africa remains frozen out of any new US funding for its HIV programme, government officials told journalists at a media briefing at the International AIDS Conference on Wednesday. Last […] Continue reading -> ‘Fire-Breathing Dragon Clouds’: The Health Threat of Wildfire Smoke Choking Europe and the World 29/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Nine miles south of the picturesque French city of Bordeaux, firefighters are at war with a phenomenon straight out of an apocalyptic epic. Scientists call them pyrocumulonimbus, or PyroCbs. NASA calls them the “fire-breathing dragon of clouds”. The port capital of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, normally bustling with tourists at peak season, is instead drowned in smog, so […] Continue reading -> New HIV Frontier: The Fight to Access Long-Acting Prevention Drugs 29/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – News that an antiretroviral drug injected twice a year had prevented almost all HIV infection in trials electrified the HIV sector two years ago – but access to Gilead’s lenacapavir has been slow, particularly for countries in Latin America. Brazil, which faces significant HIV transmission in certain groups, has been routinely […] Continue reading -> EXCLUSIVE: WHO Regional Directors Running for Director-General Must Take Leave for Campaign 28/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen In a first, WHO Regional Directors must take a leave of absence to run for the top job, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to Health Policy Watch on Monday. This sweeping election reform closes a crucial loophole in the ongoing Director-General election process, aiming to curb shadow campaigns just as the first candidates officially […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Adjusting to a Post-PEPFAR World 30/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – Zambia is hopeful that it can reach an agreement with the United States to salvage funds for its HIV programme, but South Africa remains frozen out of any new US funding for its HIV programme, government officials told journalists at a media briefing at the International AIDS Conference on Wednesday. Last […] Continue reading -> ‘Fire-Breathing Dragon Clouds’: The Health Threat of Wildfire Smoke Choking Europe and the World 29/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Nine miles south of the picturesque French city of Bordeaux, firefighters are at war with a phenomenon straight out of an apocalyptic epic. Scientists call them pyrocumulonimbus, or PyroCbs. NASA calls them the “fire-breathing dragon of clouds”. The port capital of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, normally bustling with tourists at peak season, is instead drowned in smog, so […] Continue reading -> New HIV Frontier: The Fight to Access Long-Acting Prevention Drugs 29/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – News that an antiretroviral drug injected twice a year had prevented almost all HIV infection in trials electrified the HIV sector two years ago – but access to Gilead’s lenacapavir has been slow, particularly for countries in Latin America. Brazil, which faces significant HIV transmission in certain groups, has been routinely […] Continue reading -> EXCLUSIVE: WHO Regional Directors Running for Director-General Must Take Leave for Campaign 28/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen In a first, WHO Regional Directors must take a leave of absence to run for the top job, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to Health Policy Watch on Monday. This sweeping election reform closes a crucial loophole in the ongoing Director-General election process, aiming to curb shadow campaigns just as the first candidates officially […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
‘Fire-Breathing Dragon Clouds’: The Health Threat of Wildfire Smoke Choking Europe and the World 29/07/2026 Stefan Anderson Nine miles south of the picturesque French city of Bordeaux, firefighters are at war with a phenomenon straight out of an apocalyptic epic. Scientists call them pyrocumulonimbus, or PyroCbs. NASA calls them the “fire-breathing dragon of clouds”. The port capital of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, normally bustling with tourists at peak season, is instead drowned in smog, so […] Continue reading -> New HIV Frontier: The Fight to Access Long-Acting Prevention Drugs 29/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – News that an antiretroviral drug injected twice a year had prevented almost all HIV infection in trials electrified the HIV sector two years ago – but access to Gilead’s lenacapavir has been slow, particularly for countries in Latin America. Brazil, which faces significant HIV transmission in certain groups, has been routinely […] Continue reading -> EXCLUSIVE: WHO Regional Directors Running for Director-General Must Take Leave for Campaign 28/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen In a first, WHO Regional Directors must take a leave of absence to run for the top job, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to Health Policy Watch on Monday. This sweeping election reform closes a crucial loophole in the ongoing Director-General election process, aiming to curb shadow campaigns just as the first candidates officially […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
New HIV Frontier: The Fight to Access Long-Acting Prevention Drugs 29/07/2026 Kerry Cullinan RIO DE JANEIRO – News that an antiretroviral drug injected twice a year had prevented almost all HIV infection in trials electrified the HIV sector two years ago – but access to Gilead’s lenacapavir has been slow, particularly for countries in Latin America. Brazil, which faces significant HIV transmission in certain groups, has been routinely […] Continue reading -> EXCLUSIVE: WHO Regional Directors Running for Director-General Must Take Leave for Campaign 28/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen In a first, WHO Regional Directors must take a leave of absence to run for the top job, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to Health Policy Watch on Monday. This sweeping election reform closes a crucial loophole in the ongoing Director-General election process, aiming to curb shadow campaigns just as the first candidates officially […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
EXCLUSIVE: WHO Regional Directors Running for Director-General Must Take Leave for Campaign 28/07/2026 Felix Sassmannshausen In a first, WHO Regional Directors must take a leave of absence to run for the top job, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed to Health Policy Watch on Monday. This sweeping election reform closes a crucial loophole in the ongoing Director-General election process, aiming to curb shadow campaigns just as the first candidates officially […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts