Seattle — Mark Suzman has warned that recent reversals in global health progress pose urgent moral choices but insisted the setback need not be permanent, outlining a 20-year roadmap to reclaim momentum and accelerate gains through 2045–even amid severe global financial constraints. In his 2026 Annual Letter, The Road to 2045, released on Tuesday, the…
The U.S. departure from the World Health Organization became official in late January 2026, according to the Trump administration – a year after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on inauguration day of his second term declaring that he was doing so. He first stated his intention to do so during his first term…
For the first time ever, the World Health Organization (WHO) is providing recommendations for healthy and nutritious food in schools around the world. The UN agency’s new global guidance on evidence-based policies and interventions shows that healthy food in schools can help children develop healthy dietary habits for life. “The food children eat at school,…
Gaborone — The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved the Botswana Health Emergency Preparedness, Response and Resilience (HEPRR) Project, which will support the strengthening of the country’s ability to withstand future pandemics, climate-related illnesses, and everyday health challenges. The project will help strengthen critical medicine supplies, accelerate detection of disease outbreaks, and make life-saving…
Between early 2025 and late 2025, suspected Mpox cases declined by 40 per cent, while confirmed cases dropped by 60 per cent. Africa has lifted Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) following recommendations from the Emergency Consultative Group of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The announcement…
Hours after Donald Trump began his second term as United States president on Jan. 20, 2024, he signed an executive order to end American membership in the World Health Organization (WHO) after one year. This restarted a process that the first Trump administration initiated in July 2020 but was reversed by Joe Biden. The withdrawal…
Today, Colgate-Palmolive announced a new multi-year collaboration with the WHO Foundation to support the World Health Organization’s work on oral health. The four-year funding commitment will help expand oral health education, support integration of oral health into national health systems, and raise awareness of oral health as a public health priority. This initiative builds on…
Kampala, Scidev.Net — A new wave of bilateral health deals with the United States is facing growing resistance across Africa, as courts, civil society groups and public-health experts question how the deals reconfigure control over health data, pathogen samples and national priorities. Fourteen African countries have signed agreements with Washington under the United States’ America…
Geneva — As we look back on 2025, the world experienced a year of both remarkable achievement and profound challenge in global health. Multilateralism, science and solidarity were tested as never before, underscoring a fundamental truth: international cooperation is not optional. It is essential if we are to protect and promote health for everyone, everywhere…
From the limited rollout of a new HIV prevention jab to developments with new weight loss medicines, to high-stakes court cases relating to National Health Insurance (NHI), 2026 is set to be another tumultuous year in healthcare. Here are nine stories that Spotlight will keep a close eye on. 1. How will things go with…
