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 ->
RIO DE JANEIRO – Donor funding for HIV dropped by 25% in 2025 – a staggering drop of $2.1 billion – driven by the United States slashing its funding, according to analyses by KFF and the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).  This is the largest single-year drop ever, reducing funds to 2007 levels, according […] Continue reading ->
France has adopted a strict youth social media ban for minors under 15, taking effect in September. But major enforcement hurdles remain, as lawmakers stripped the bill of direct platform sanctions to avoid clashing with European Union rules. The law also faces a constitutional review over the fundamental rights of children and parents. Minors under […] Continue reading ->
Two practical – and contrary – proposals were tabled at pandemic talks last week, detailing how information about dangerous pathogens should be shared. Health Policy Watch is sharing the two options – Africa’s Federated Model and the European Union’s Hybrid Model – to enable all interested parties to interrogate them before the next round of talks from 14-18 […] Continue reading ->
Unitaid is quietly searching for its next leader behind closed doors amidst growing demands for transparency. Whoever takes the helm of the market-shaping agency will inherit an organisation that faces acute financial shortfalls and mounting pressure for institutional reform. As Unitaid celebrates its 20th anniversary, severe cuts to the agency’s funding threaten to disrupt the […] Continue reading ->
As artificial intelligence drives rapid health innovations, global guardrails, equitable data, and local capacity are needed to ensure equitable progress. To address this, a landmark framework launched by three United Nations agencies lays out a strategic roadmap for innovators. Meanwhile, health leaders emphasise that lower-income regions must become co-creators of future innovations. New guidelines for […] Continue reading ->
The European Commission is preparing more robust youth social media restrictions to protect children from addictive algorithms, following urgent expert warnings and landmark court rulings. But unlike the blanket digital bans imposed in countries such as Australia on everyone under the age of 16, restrictions would be eased gradually as children grow older. As countries […] Continue reading ->
HPV vaccines have transformed cervical cancer prevention, but the next generation of vaccines must better reflect regional disease patterns, including the HPV35 genotype prevalent in Africa.   The recent WHO Global Status Report on Cancer paints a sobering picture. Among the many challenges, human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the world’s most serious infectious causes of […] Continue reading ->