Parents in Papua refuse vaccine drive
18 SEP - Parents in Papua are reportedly refusing to let their children be immunised, as the government rolls out a vaccine programme in schools.
Scientists warn of global crisis over failure to tackle tuberculosis
16 SEP - With 10 million new cases each year, outcome of UN summit in New York could prove crucial
Indonesia's quake-hit Lombok declares health emergency over malaria
15 SEP - Indonesia’s tourist island of Lombok is battling malaria, authorities said on Saturday, declaring a health emergency after a series of earthquakes in July and August forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.
'A lurking beast': polio casts shadow over Papua New Guinea independence day
15 SEP - At a waiting room in Port Moresby’s Gerehu general hospital red, gold and black balloons – the colours of the country’s flag – deck the walls in the build-up to independence day.
Around the back in the stifling heat, nurses are administering vaccine drops from cool boxes. About 30 adults and children are queuing under a canvas tent, awaiting their dose to protect against polio, a disease Donald Lippert, a Catholic bishop from the Southern Highlands, characterised as “a beast lurking in the darkness, ready to spring forth”.
Dozens of high fever deaths cause panic in northern India
14 SEP - Indian health authorities are rushing medical supplies to north Indian towns and villages where at least 50 people have died from fever over the past two weeks, topping the number of fever-related deaths over a three-month period last year.
World must prepare for return of Zika, scientists warn
13 SEP - Hot weather and drought could spark the return of the Zika virus, scientists have warned.
European Parliament representatives adopt One Health AMR action plan
13 SEP - The growing threat posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria can only be tackled through a “One Health” approach, MEPs said on Wednesday.
In the non-binding resolution, adopted with 589 votes to 12 and 36 abstentions, MEPs stress that the correct and prudent use of antimicrobials is essential to limit antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from emerging in human healthcare, animal husbandry and aquaculture.
PNG get Australian support to fight polio outbreak
13 SEP - Australia will provide $US7million to help Papua New Guinea fight infectious diseases including polio. Canberra said the funds would assist in a major vaccination campagn against polio, measles and whooping cough.
India bans 328 combination drugs in setback for pharma companies
13 SEP - The Indian government has banned 328 combination drugs in a blow to both domestic and foreign pharmaceutical firms, but the ban has been cheered by health activists worried about growing antibiotic resistance due to the misuse of medicines.
Ebola infects 5 more in DRC, lifting total to 137
13 SEP - The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in updates yesterday and today, reported five more confirmed Ebola cases, including two from the urban hub of Butembo, one of which involves a health worker from a clinic where the city's first case had been treated.
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