WHO approves first mpox vaccine to boost access in Africa
The MVA-BN vaccine from the Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic was prequalified by the WHO on Friday and has already been approved in Europe and the United States, for use by adults. WHO approval will accelerate access for millions, to…
World News in Brief: UNICEF mpox response in DR Congo, ‘unprecedented’ threat to Sudan’s heritage, call to suspend Cambodia journalism charter
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recorded more than 21,000 suspected cases of the viral disease, including over 5,000 confirmed cases and 700 deaths. Over the past week, UNICEF received its first vaccine shipments totalling 215,000 doses,…
Botswana, US firm partner to conduct border pathogen monitoring
Gaborone, Botswana — Botswana and an American biotech firm, Ginkgo Bioworks, have partnered to conduct pathogen surveillance at the country’s entry points. Health officials say the proactive move is meant to safeguard public health as the world faces emerging disease…
Mpox: UNHCR launches appeal to support refugees in African countries
The funding will support critical response and prevention efforts for 9.9 million refugees and host communities in 35 countries across the continent. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that can be transmitted through physical contact with an…
Zimbabwe rolls out hefty fines for poor telecommunications services
Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe’s government has introduced hefty fines of up to $5,000 for poor service in the country’s telecommunications industry. In a statement Tuesday, Zimbabwe’s ICT Minister Tatenda Mavetera said the government will levy fines of between $200 and…
African nations boost gold reserves amid economic uncertainty
Nairobi, Kenya — Central banks in Africa are turning to gold to protect themselves from economic and geopolitical instability and to diversify their financial portfolios. In September 2023, the price of gold per ounce was $1,900. A year later, it…
First doses of mpox vaccine from US arrive in DR Congo
KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo — Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo said that 50,000 doses of mpox vaccine from the United States arrived in the country on Tuesday, a week after the first batch arrived from the European…
The world must ‘wake up and help Sudan out of the nightmare of conflict’ says WHO’s Tedros
“The scale of the emergency is shocking, as is the insufficient action being taken to curtail the conflict,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the UN World Health Organization (WHO). Speaking to reporters from the Red Sea City of Port…
Drought forces Kenya’s Maasai, other cattle herders to consider fish, camels
KAJIADO, Kenya — The blood, milk and meat of cattle have long been staple foods for Maasai pastoralists in Kenya, perhaps the country’s most recognizable community. But climate change is forcing the Maasai to contemplate a very different dish: fish….
New polio strain threatens setback to eradication in Nigeria
ABUJA, NIGERIA — Nigeria’s difficult victory over polio faces a challenge as the poliovirus type 2 variant reemerges and the nation considers new measures to tackle the outbreak. Nigeria eradicated wild polio in 2020, but more than 50 cases of…