Bindeshwar Pathak →
Sociologist who built a national sanitation movement in India. Born on April 2, 1943, in Rampur Baghel, a village in Bihar, India, he died of cardiac arrest on Aug 15, 2023, in New Delhi, India. Read more.
Hoosen Mahomed Coovadia →
Pediatrician, HIV researcher, and anti-apartheid and health activist. Born on Aug 2, 1940, in Durban, South Africa, he died in Durban on Oct 4, 2023. Read more.
Funding woes slow efforts to eliminate hepatitis C →
Eliminating hepatitis C is inextricably linked to improving harm reduction programs for people who inject drugs. But both efforts are plagued by issues around barriers to accessing treatment, including a lack of funds. Read more.
New team to tackle viral spillover for pandemic prevention →
A new Lancet commission aims to help correct the imbalance between what’s being spent on pandemic response and prevention and try to help stop another pandemic from happening. Read more.
GFF raises more than half of $800M goal, but time is running out →
The Global Financing Facility announced Monday that it has raised $445 million during a replenishment event, falling short of the $800 million it needs to support the health of women, children, and adolescents through 2025. Read more.
Big Pharma slammed for executive payouts that nearly matched R&D budget →
Twenty of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies made payouts to their executives and shareholders that almost equaled the money they spent on research and development between 2020 and 2022, according to a new analysis that the People’s Vaccine Alliance released ahead of this week’s World Health Summit in Berlin.
At the same time, pharmaceutical companies and allied governments maintain that they cannot allow for waivers on the intellectual property and trade secrets for new vaccines and therapeutics during future pandemics because it will discourage innovation.
Activists argue that with profits large enough to afford these levels of payouts, which they estimate at $1 million every five minutes, there is room for more flexibility around IP, which they believe could ultimately spur broader production and accessibility in a future pandemic. They are hoping the figures will impact ongoing debates within the World Health Organization over a global pandemic treaty.
Read more.
Mary-Louise McLaws →
Epidemiologist and expert in hospital infection and infectious diseases control who excelled in public engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Born on March 17, 1953, in Ouse, Australia, she died of brain cancer in Sydney, Australia, on Aug 12, 2023. Read more
Soda industry playbook on display in South Africa's sugar tax battle →
Over the past decades, South Africa has experienced soaring rates of obesity and the non-communicable diseases it contributes to, including diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. Health experts blame that rise, in part, on an overconsumption of sugar. Sweetened beverages are a prime delivery mechanism.
Models show that in the long run, sugar taxes can bring down obesity rates.
While public health experts celebrated the adoption of the levy in South Africa, their enthusiasm was tempered by a fierce fight that led to a weaker law than they wanted, and are concerned by recent signs that the country’s powerful sweetened-beverage manufacturers are trying to undermine it.
The path to universal access →
South Africa is currently mired in a deeply inequitable two-tiered health system. An underregulated private sector serves a minority of the country but employs nearly 80 percent of its doctors and specialists. The rest of South Africa—roughly 50 million people—relies on an overstretched, understaffed public system.
As early as next year, a new law could refashion private health services and advance universal health care. So why is it so unpopular? Read more.
Kamran Rafiq →
Advocate for combating neglected tropical diseases. Born in Burnley, Lancashire, UK, on Feb 15, 1972 he died on June 28, 2023 in London, UK. Read more.
Bushra Mohammed Ibnauf Sulieman →
Gastroenterologist and co-founder of the Sudanese American Medical Association. Born on April 30, 1974, in Bethesda, MD, USA, he was killed on April 25, 2023, in Khartoum, Sudan. Read more.
Activists worry drug access may be sacrificed in trade deals →
Trade negotiations between the EU and India have been reignited — and with them the debates over intellectual property over medicines, which could affect global public health. Read more.
Development groups prepare to fight German budget cuts →
After months of debate, Germany’s ruling coalition has proposed to cut the 2024 aid budget, setting off alarm bells in development circles. Now, activists will attempt to persuade lawmakers to restore some of the funding. Read more.
Can the G20 actually deliver on global health? →
India has big health goals for its presidency of the Group of 20 leading economies. But there are questions about the effectiveness of the G20 as a forum for delivering useful global health outcomes. Read more.
Susan Love →
Surgeon and advocate for breast cancer care. Born in Long Branch, NJ, on Feb 9, 1948, she died of recurrent leukemia on July 2, 2023, in Los Angeles, CA. Read more.