Waiswa noted that the study revealed higher health worker satisfaction in districts where cashless payments were used, with benefits such as timeliness in payments and easier accountability, which significantly reduced financial losses.
The report highlights that patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have up to 20 times higher risk of acquiring infections during health care delivery than in high-income countries (HICs).
Teddy Lanyero, the chairperson of the clients’ health insurance scheme at TASO Gulu, explained that the initiative was born out of necessity due to declining donor funding. “When members fall sick, they come to the facility, are tested, and provided with medication on time. Research has shown that the immunity of people living with HIV is weakened by opportunistic infections,” Lanyero said.
LC16m8 is a vaccine developed and manufactured by KM Biologics in Japan. The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for EUL of vaccines convened to discuss the outcome of the vaccine review, including the product and programmatic suitability assessments and they recommended the vaccine for use in individuals over one year of age as a single dose vaccine, via a multiple puncture technique using a bifurcated needle.
The study reports that global diabetes prevalence in adults rose from 7% to 14% between 1990 and 2022. Low developing countries experienced the largest increases, where diabetes rates have soared while treatment access remains persistently low.
These commitments were made at a landmark event in Bogotá, Colombia, where delegations are set to agree on a new global declaration aimed at protecting children from all kinds of violence, exploitation and abuse which are thought to be affecting 3 out of every 5 children regularly in their homes.
The study also identifies organisms such as Group A streptococcus which causes throat and skin infections in addition to Klebsiella pneumonia that causes pneumonia as top disease control priorities in all regions, highlighting the urgency to develop new vaccines for pathogens increasingly resistant to antimicrobials.
Other pathogens listed for which vaccine research is needed include Hepatitis C virus and HIV-1
The new real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) , which detects viral DNA, is considered the gold standard for diagnosing mpox infection and has been manufactured by an American diagnostics company called Cepheid.
WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2024 highlights that while the number of TB-related deaths decreased from 1.32 million in 2022 to 1.25 million in 2023, the total number of people falling ill with TB rose slightly to an estimated 10.8 million in 2023.
According to the World Health Organization Mpox situational update dated 28th October 2024, Uganda has registered 222 cases since the first case was reported in July,2024.
Egypt is the third country to be awarded a malaria-free certification in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region following the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, and the first since 2010. Globally, a total of 44 countries and 1 territory have reached this milestone.
According to Dr Henry Kyobe, the Mpox Incident Commander, transmission is extending beyond the fishing community of Nakasongola which is the epicenter to the Lango sub region. Because of the growing epidemic he says they are refocusing the response to avoid disruptions in the health system noting that they currently have very poor understanding of the disease. He pointed out for instance that they don’t know yet if there is asymptomatic transmission.
Dr. Timothy Teko, the Napak District Health Officer, reported that the confirmed cases were registered in the sub-counties of Lopei, Matany, Ngoleriet, Iriiri, and Lokopo.
GPMB, an initiative by the World Health Organization and the World Bank tracks the drivers of pandemic risk and oversees global preparedness. It warns that the next pandemic may catch the world unaware and stresses the urgency of understanding the global vulnerability to threats and calls for a radical reset of the collective approach to pandemic preparedness.
The pledges came from both the private sector, governments and philanthropic organizations. Among those that have pledged include sixteen governments in Africa and according to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, every member state was encouraged to contribute as every dollar counts.
According to the Nakasongola District Situational report dated 10 October 2024, at least 28 people have been confirmed with the Mpox virus in the district, up from 21 cases reported on 7 October. The latest cases were confirmed from samples of suspects isolated at Lwampanga Health Center 111.
In the new report, it’s estimated that vaccines already in use against pneumococcal pneumonia, Haemophilus influenzae type B, a bacteria causing pneumonia and meningitis and typhoid could avert up to 106 000 of the deaths associated with AMR each year. An additional 543 000 deaths associated with AMR could be averted annually when new vaccines for tuberculosis (TB) and pneumonia are developed and rolled out globally.
According to a press statement released on Friday, the decision was based on new data on the product that fulfilled the criteria set out in the WHO’s 2022 recommendations for alternative, off-label use of HPV vaccines in single-dose schedules.
Dr Diana Atwine the Permanent Secretary in Uganda’s Ministry of Health called for urgent integration of innovations geared towards solving AMR noting that countries should quickly turn these speeches into action.
In 2022, there were 27,133 trials taking place in the world’s 86 rich countries compared to 24,791 in 131 poor countries. However, there have been concerns that developing countries have been targeted for inclusion in clinical trials, only for the resulting data to be used in getting health interventions authorized in high-income countries, sidelining the participating low-income countries.
