The crisis we are currently experiencing is affecting every person on the planet. COVID-19 is impacting our lives, our local neighbourhoods, and the global community simultaneously. However, it has also inspired us to act — locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally — to support everyone in need and show that we are ready to look out for each other.
If COVID-19 is teaching us that viruses don’t respect borders, it’s also true that solidarity doesn’t either — and this is where...
Health
It’s no secret that water is vitally important; it is one of the absolute essentials for life. And its impact extends far into other important issues — including issues that impact poverty.
Here are four such issues where poverty and water intersect:
Health
Proper hygiene is one of the best ways we have to ward off preventable diseases. The current COVID-19 pandemic is driving this point home stronger than ever, as hand-washing is one of the best tools we have in slowing...
Dr. Richard Sezibera is the former Health and Foreign Minister of Rwanda.
Sub-Saharan Africa’s population is set to double by 2050. Already, 60% of the population is below the age of 25. This is a huge opportunity for our continent, but it can also be a ticking bomb if we don’t invest and harness the power of this demography.
What better ways are there than to start investing in them from an early age? Primary health care should remain our biggest...
Gender inequality affects women and girls in a multitude of ways, including access to health services. When it comes to vaccines, the overall news is positive: globally, boys and girls are immunised at similar rates. However, there are variations from region to region, and this doesn’t account for specific health needs based on sex.
HPV is one of the most pressing gender-specific diseases that can be prevented with a vaccine. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a key player in preventing...
Vaccines are one of the most crucial modern health tools. They save up to 3 million lives every year — equal to the population of Rome — and they have the potential to save an additional 1.5 million.
There’s no denying the importance of vaccines, but children worldwide are continuing to miss out on this vital tool. Vaccines can save an additional 1.5 million lives, thanks to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Here are five challenges that are preventing vaccination, and what...
This year our campaigners are fighting to raise awareness about the power of a tiny but mighty health intervention: vaccines.
Vaccines are a critical and cost-effective intervention that have the ability to promote good health, boost economies, and reduce poverty. That’s why it’s essential that we fully replenish Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — a global organisation fighting to make sure everyone, everywhere has access to life-saving vaccines — this coming June.
This February, our teams in the United Kingdom and the...
The rapid spread of the coronavirus has captured the world’s attention. Damaging as it may be, this tiny virus is an urgent reminder of our collective vulnerability to transnational threats — and of the urgency of common cause to protect the health of people everywhere.
National responses — factual public information, containment, testing, tracing, treatment — are critical. But so is an international response that seeks to respond to today’s emergency while also preparing the world to deal with the next...
Since the beginning of the year, the spread of coronavirus has dominated the news, and for good reason. So far, the virus has infected over 84,0000 people worldwide and killed about 2,900.
In a new development, Nigeria confirmed the first case of coronavirus in sub-Saharan Africa on 28 February. The virus was brought by an Italian citizen working in Nigeria, who is currently stable with no serious symptoms.
It comes as no surprise that coronavirus has now reached sub-Saharan Africa, but...
Globally, rates of extreme poverty are declining. But, that positive progress isn’t reflected when we examine poverty rates at a regional level. 70% of the world’s poorest live in Africa and forecasts indicate that “by 2030, nearly 9 in 10 extremely poor people will live in sub-Saharan Africa.”
So, how can we change this? One key way to stem poverty is to invest in key interventions that will enable people to live healthy and productive lives, like vaccines.
The power of...
Why do we need to invest in global health programmes?
Just look at what’s happening right now with coronavirus. 2020 has just started, and we have already seen the first major health alert of the new decade, following an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China. In a short amount of time coronavirus, a contagious respiratory infection that can be fatal, has already spread to nearly every province China, and across the world.
The speed that the virus has spread and the...