Showing posts with label disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disease. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Global response to malaria at crossroads - WHO report shows gains are levelling off

World Health Organization

After unprecedented global success in malaria control, progress has stalled, according to the World malaria report 2017.  There were an estimated 5 million more malaria cases in 2016 than in 2015. Malaria deaths stood at around 445 000, a similar number to the previous year.
A female malaria mosquito (Anopheles albimanus), feeding on a human host. 
Photo Credit: James Gathany, Centers for Disease Control

“In recent years, we have made major gains in the fight against malaria,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “We are now at a turning point. Without urgent action, we risk going backwards, and missing the global malaria targets for 2020 and beyond.”

The WHO Global Technical Strategy for Malaria[ii] calls for reductions of at least 40% in malaria case incidence and mortality rates by the year 2020. According to WHO’s latest malaria report, the world is not on track to reach these critical milestones.

A major problem is insufficient funding at both domestic and international levels,  resulting in major gaps in coverage of insecticide-treated nets, medicines, and other life-saving tools.

RELATED: Malaria response at ‘crossroads,’ risks backward slide – UN

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Lyme disease is set to explode and we still don’t have a vaccine

New Scientist
A new prediction says 2017 and 2018 will see major Lyme 
disease outbreaks in new areas. This could lead to lifelong 
consequencesso where's the vaccine?  Story here.


Tuesday, December 27, 2016

El Niño on a warming planet may have sparked the Zika epidemic, scientists report

The Washington Post

In a world characterized by rising temperatures, deforestation and other human influences on the environment, the spread of infectious disease is a hot topic. Many recent studies suggest that environmental changes can affect the transmission of everything from malaria to the Zika virus — and it’s increasingly important to understand these links, scientists say. Story here.

On Carney's agenda, climate is nowhere and everywhere

Canada's National Observer Throughout Mark Carney’s whirlwind first months on the job, two words have remained conspicuously absent from...