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The UK government has promised to overhaul the youth gender care system, after it was deemed inadequate by England’s regulator of health and social care. They described a deeply flawed system that is now hobbled by a toxic political climate around gender care. The letter said a decision would be made at some point from early 2022 on whether the child “is likely to meet the access criteria” for gender care. The family has received no NHS gender care or mental health support since the referral, she said. These recommended supporting “identity exploration” and mental health treatment as the first steps to ensure that any psychological issues are addressed.

South Africa, Pakistan and India were among countries that made formal requests, during an initial three days of talks that ended on Wednesday, to ensure the process is inclusive. "The advanced countries have the requisite resources and can afford to have it covered and we cannot," he said. In parallel, country teams are discussing setting up a G20 pandemic fund and revamping the WHO's existing health emergency rules. Many poorer countries lack technical specialists to advise on WHO matters within the Geneva diplomatic mission, where the U.N. agency is based. South Africa's Precious Matsoso, co-chair of the pandemic treaty talks, told Reuters countries could hire experts to help, or band together for regional representation.

☆ Measles now an imminent global threat due to pandemic, say WHO and CDC
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A vial of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine is pictured at the International Community Health Services clinic in Seattle, Washington, U.S., March 20, 2019. Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses and is almost entirely preventable through vaccination. However, it requires 95% vaccine coverage to prevent outbreaks among populations. A record high of nearly 40 million children missed a measles vaccine dose in 2021 due to hurdles created by the COVID pandemic, the WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a joint report. While measles cases have not yet gone up dramatically compared to previous years, now is the time to act, the WHO's measles lead, Patrick O'Connor, told Reuters.

LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Pharmaceutical companies could be made to disclose prices and deals agreed for any products they make to fight future pandemics, under new rules being drawn up by the World Health Organization and reviewed by Reuters. During the pandemic, many deals that governments made with pharmaceutical companies have been kept confidential, giving them little scope to hold drugmakers accountable. A spokesperson for the WHO said it was member states that were driving the current process towards a new agreement. "The process is open, transparent, and with the input from other stakeholders, including any interested stakeholders and public, able to submit comments at public consultations." The draft will be presented to them in full in a meeting on Friday, after being circulated earlier in the week.

LONDON/GENEVA, Nov 15 (Reuters) - The chief scientist of the World Health Organization said on Tuesday she was leaving the agency, the first of a series of high-profile departures expected at the global health body as it prepares for a post-pandemic future. The exit of Soumya Swaminathan, an Indian pediatrician, announced on Twitter, comes as Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus's second term as leader of the 74-year-old U.N. agency gets underway. Tedros, who began his second term in August, has given no reasons for any broader reshuffle, and some of the staff are retiring. Diplomats say that some donors have also privately suggested reforms to streamline Tedros' 18-member leadership team based in the Geneva headquarters. It is leading efforts to battle two other global health emergencies - monkeypox and polio - and seeking to advance an ambitious reform agenda to update global health rules.

☆ Less and late: UK gives $1 bln to global disease fight
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The British government said on Monday it would contribute 1 billion pounds ($1.18 billion) to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, more than six weeks after other countries made their commitments. The total, which covers 2023-25, is 30% less than Britain pledged during the previous funding round in 2019, and below the 1.8 billion pounds requested this time. Its absence had generated surprise in global health circles when other leaders committed $14.25 billion on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in September. Other G7 countries increased their donations given the unprecedented need after the pandemic disrupted efforts to tackle other urgent health needs. The Global Fund welcomed the funding, but advocacy organisations said it was not enough.

☆ Fungal infection list launched by WHO flags global health threat
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization has drawn up the first ever list of fungal pathogens posing the greatest threat to human health, warning that some strains are increasingly drug-resistant and becoming more widespread. The U.N. body, which has similar lists for viruses and bacteria, said fungal infections and their increasing resistance to treatment were a growing risk. Fungal infections often strike people who are already severely ill, like cancer or tuberculosis patients, and rates jumped among hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the pandemic. The list divides the pathogens into three categories based on their potential impact and data on their resistance risk: critical, high and medium priority. The medium group lists a number of other fungi, including Coccidioides spp and Cryptococcus gattii.

Dozens of measles cases have cropped up in Gambia this year, a spike over previous years. The measles campaign was rescheduled for 2021, but in July of that year polio was detected in a water sample. Over the years, the success of the measles vaccine has numbed many to these risks, health experts say. At the time, 86% of children had at least the first dose of the measles vaccine worldwide, according to WHO estimates. FUNDS REJECTEDThe U.S. CDC has identified 12 African countries as having no clear plans or secured resources for their next measles vaccination drive.

☆ WHO says COVID-19 is still a global health emergency
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Nancy Lapid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 19 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that COVID-19 remains a global emergency, nearly three years after it was first declared as one. The WHO's emergency committee first made the declaration for COVID-19 on Jan 30, 2020. Such a determination can help accelerate research, funding and international public health measures to contain a disease. "This pandemic has surprised us before and very well may again," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru and Jennifer Rigby in London; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ WHO: 'Concerned' about Ebola spread as latest eight cases not contacts of others infected
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The eight most recent Ebola cases reported during the outbreak in Uganda have no known links with current patients, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, raising concerns over the spread of the deadly disease. In a briefing, the WHO said initial investigations into the cases by Uganda's Ministry of Health had shown they were not contacts of people already known to have Ebola. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThere have been 60 confirmed and 20 probable cases since the outbreak began last month, and 44 deaths, the WHO said. The strain spreading in Uganda is the Sudan strain, and the existing vaccines and therapies do not work against it. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Jennifer Rigby Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. sends experimental antibody, antiviral drug to Uganda for Ebola outbreak
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | Nancy Lapid | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

There are currently no proven vaccines or treatments for the Sudan species of Ebola, one of four known Ebola viruses to cause hemorrhagic fever in humans. The outbreak confirmed by the Ugandan health ministry on Sept. 20 is the largest of the Sudan species since 2000. "If healthcare workers start to fall ill and die, it's going to negatively impact the response," said Montgomery, who had just returned from a trip to Uganda. For instance, healthcare workers may be reluctant to assist in the response, he said in a phone interview. A large outbreak of the Zaire species of Ebola in West Africa from 2014-2016 led to effective vaccines and treatment, but there are no proven treatments or vaccines for the Sudan species.

☆ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledge $1.2 billion to eradicate polio
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Oct 16 (Reuters) - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said on Sunday that it will commit $1.2 billion to support efforts to end all forms of polio globally. Polio is a highly infectious disease spread mainly through contamination by faecal matter, used to kill and paralyse thousands of children annually. Governments and foundations aim to end polio in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the last two countries where the virus continues to circulate. But our foundation remains dedicated to a polio-free future, and we're optimistic that we will see it soon," said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is run by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) co-founder Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates. The Gates Foundation is part of the GPEI, a major project between governments and international organisations.

☆ Exclusive: NHS drafts stricter oversight of trans youth care
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The guidelines are part of a wide-ranging review of treatment for young transgender people seeking NHS care. It was briefly uploaded to the NHS England website at the end of September, with plans for a 45-day public comment period, but later removed. "No-one should be purchasing illegal, unknown and potentially life-threatening drugs online," said NHS England medical director Dr Stephen Powis in a statement earlier this week. The drugs used in the UK are prescribed "off-label," which means they are not licensed for gender care. A lack of long-term scientific evidence around how to help transgender youth has contributed to a highly politicised fight in many countries.

☆ 'Blood on your hands' if world steps back on tackling COVID now, WHO official says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Jennifer Rigby | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Bruce Aylward, Senior Advisor to the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks during a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, December 20, 2021. REUTERS/Denis BalibouseLONDON, Sept 23 (Reuters) - If rich nations think the pandemic is over, they should help lower-income countries reach that point too, a senior World Health Organization official told Reuters. "If you go to sleep right now and this wave hits us in three months... God - blood on your hands," he said. He also stressed that Biden had a point domestically as the United States has good access to all COVID tools. Aylward co-ordinates the ACT-Accelerator, a partnership between WHO and other global health bodies to help poorer countries access COVID-19 tools.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment Conference in New York, U.S., September 21, 2022. REUTERS/Leah MillisUNITED NATIONS/NEW YORK, Sept 21 (Reuters) - The Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria on Wednesday reached $14.25 billion pledged as world leaders seek to fight the killer diseases after progress was knocked off course by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Global Fund said the $14.25 billion figure is likely to increase as more donations are expected. We will end AIDS, we will end tuberculosis, we will end malaria – once and for all," she said. Nigeria pledged $13.2 million, the Netherlands pledged 180 million euros and Indonesia pledged $15.5 million, alongside private sector pledges.

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