Wenn die Brandmauern gegen Falschinformationen fallen

"Tuberkulose (TB) ist weltweit die häufigste Infektionskrankheit, wobei die multiresistente TB (MDR-TB) eine besondere Bedrohung für die globale Gesundheit darstellt. Eine vom Schweizerischen Tropen- und Public Health-Institut (Swiss TPH) geleitete Studie zeigt nun, dass sich Resistenzen gegen das kürzlich von der Weltgesundheitsorganisation empfohlene neue Behandlungsschema für MDR-TB bereits zwischen Patient*innen ausbreitet. Die Ergebnisse, die gestern im renommierten New England Journal of Medicine veröffentlicht wurden, unterstreichen die Dringlichkeit, die Überwachung und Kontrolle von TB zu verbessern, um der antimikrobiellen Resistenz entgegenzuwirken."

• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

"Das Schweizerische Tropen- und Public Health-Institut (Swiss TPH) hat in Zusammenarbeit mit der Weltgesundheitsorganisation (WHO) und weiteren Partnern eine umfassende Untersuchung zur Chagas-Krankheit in der Schweiz durchgeführt. Obwohl die Chagas-Krankheit typischerweise in Lateinamerika auftritt, sind in der Schweiz zwischen 2000 und 4000 Personen betroffen. Die Studie, die gestern in der Zeitschrift «Swiss Medical Weekly» veröffentlicht wurde, unterstreicht die Notwendigkeit verbesserter Früherkennungs- und Gesundheitsstrategien, um die Chagas-Krankheit in der Schweiz zu eliminieren."

• Swiss Tropical and Health Institute

"Menschen mit Behinderungen sind von humanitären Krisen, seien es bewaffnete Konflikte oder Klimakatastrophen, besonders betroffen. Sie können sich schlechter schützen und werden bei der humanitären Hilfe oft übersehen. Im Jahr 2023 haben wir in 15 Krisen, darunter Gaza und die Ukraine, dafür gesorgt, dass Menschen mit Behinderungen in unsere Hilfe einbezogen wurden."

• handicap international

"Die achtjährige Lara wurde mit einer zerebralen Lähmung geboren. Sie erlebt die verheerenden Auswirkungen des Krieges in Gaza. Seit der Eskalation der Gewalt zwischen Israel und der Hamas wurden in Gaza mindestens 41’615 Palästinenser:innen durch die anhaltenden Bombardements der israelischen Streitkräfte getötet und rund 96’359 verletzt. Die israelische Offensive folgte auf den massiven Angriff der Hamas am 7. Oktober, bei dem 1200 Israel:innen getötet und 240 Israel:innen und Ausländer:innen als Geiseln genommen wurden."

• handicap international

"En Novembre 2024, le ministère de la Santé du Burkina Faso, en collaboration avec le ministère de la Transition numérique, des Postes et Communications numériques, a officiellement lancé une nouvelle application mobile en faveur de la santé infantile intitulée « Mon enfant grandit ». Développée avec le soutien d’Enfants du Monde et ses partenaires, l’application renforce l'autonomie des parents en proposant des conseils adaptés sur la nutrition, l’éveil, la sécurité, ainsi que des informations sur les soins de santé courants et d’urgence. Accessible en téléchargement sur Google Play, elle est simple d’utilisation, gratuite, sans publicité, et disponible en plusieurs langues locales avec une option vocale. Dans un pays où 48 % des enfants de moins de cinq ans sont exposés à un risque de développement insuffisant, cette application a le potentiel de contribuer à la survie, la croissance et au développement de 1,7 million de jeunes enfants au Burkina Faso."

• Enfants du Monde : Infos sur nos applications mobiles
• Présentation de l’application
• Video : Infos sur notre programme santé au Burkina Faso

"Le 12 janvier 2010, un séisme d’une magnitude de 7.3 tue plus de 280'000 personnes, en blesse 300'000 et détruit des millions de maisons ainsi que près de 60 % des infrastructures de santé. Médecins du Monde rend hommage à toutes les personnes affectées de près ou de loin par la catastrophe, revient sur ses actions et alerte sur une crise humanitaire aussi violente que le séisme et en constante aggravation. Quinze ans après le séisme, Haïti fait face à une spirale de violence continue qui s’ajoute aux multiples défis sanitaires, humanitaires et sécuritaires qui sévissent dans le pays."

• Médecins du Monde Suisse

"Global health is fundamentally about shared, universal values—the human rights-based framework. These values underpin the very concept of the ‘global’ of global health, distinguishing it from the technical, disease-control focus of the old “international health.” Technical solutions, while vital, are merely tools to realise the foundational rights that ensure equity and dignity in health. Without this the normative values-based approach of equity and rights, decisions about who receives care risk being driven by wealth, political alignment, or cultural affinity. It will destroy global health.(...) The challenge ahead is monumental. Defenders of global health must rally around its core principle: universal human rights support wellbeing."

• Papyrus Walk

"Icebergs melt slowly, deceiving us with their appearance of stability. Dial-up internet, with all its whirring and beeping, was a melting iceberg: Even after the advent of broadband, it took more than a decade before this clearly inferior technology effectively disappeared. “Old Aid,” as I termed it in my 2019 book “The Business of Changing the World,” is much the same. Even the fiercest defenders of international cooperation have long been frustrated with the project-based, risk-averse, bureaucratic approach endemic to development and humanitarian institutions."

• Devex

"Our editors have identified some of the key trends likely to drive up levels of humanitarian need in 2025 – a year in which UN agencies and the world’s largest aid organisations have pared back their ambitions due to funding shortfalls. This list draws on our extensive in-depth reporting, which features interviews with researchers, aid workers, and policymakers, as well as with people and communities working to rebuild their lives in the midst of conflicts and disasters."

• The New Humanitarian

"Here we are, on the cusp of the midway point in a decade that has been, in global health and infectious diseases terms, a lot. The 2020s started with the most severe pandemic since the 1918 Spanish flu. Just as the worst of Covid-19 was starting to ease, the world was introduced to mpox, a cousin of smallpox that went from occasionally infecting people who had contact with infected rodents in forested parts of West and Central Africa to spreading from person to person in Europe, the Americas, and beyond, mainly via sex. In 2024, bird flu became cow flu, or moo flu, as some researchers like to refer to it. Between outbreaks in dairy cows, outbreaks in poultry operations, and outbreaks in wild birds, the amount of H5N1 virus in the environment has reached unsettling levels."

• State News

"At the beginning of December, as the new European Commission began its tenure, a meeting was held in Valle d’Aosta, Italy, organised by the publication Le Grand Continent, which focuses on Europe and its future. This gathering offered an opportunity to evaluate the main challenges facing the continent as 2025 approaches. The mood, however, was decidedly grim. (...) In a world shaped by Trump and Putin, the European Union has no future unless it rebuilds its relationships with the ‘global South’. Unlike the United States, which can afford an inward-looking approach due to its vast resources and relatively few neighbouring countries, the EU cannot isolate itself."

• Social Europe

"In 2023, a disturbing milestone was reached: six out of nine planetary boundaries were crossed, signalling an unprecedented threat to Earth's stability. Simultaneously, the world grappled with a relentless series of disease outbreaks—Ebola, dengue, Zika, covid-19, Mpox, and Nipah. This convergence of crises is not coincidental. As Tulio de Oliveira, a leading genomics expert, warns, “Over half of known pathogen outbreaks will increase due to climate change.” The message is clear: our planet's health and human health are inextricably linked, demanding an urgent, integrated response."

• BMJ Group

"In Global Health 2050, the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health concludes that dramatic improvements in human welfare are achievable by mid-century with focused health investments. By 2050, countries that choose to do so could reduce by 50% the probability of premature death in their populations—ie, the probability of dying before age 70 years—from the levels in 2019. We call this goal 50 by 50. The interventions that enable achieving the goal of 50 by 50 should also reduce morbidity and disability at all ages. (...) To achieve the 50-by-50 goal, action focusing on 15 priority conditions is required. In countries that have a high probability of premature death, infectious diseases and maternal conditions are the highest priority. Seven clusters of non-communicable diseases and injuries among the 15 priority conditions are important in all countries, and addressing them will be central to achieving 50 by 50 in most countries with a low probability of premature death."

• The Lancet

"Vor 10 Jahren trat die Agenda 2030 in Kraft. Ein umfassendes Zielsystem, das nachhaltige Entwicklung gesamthaft versteht und ein gutes Leben innerhalb der planetaren Grenzen überall auf der Welt realisieren will. Bis 2030. Diese Deadline, die vor mehr als zwei Legislaturperioden noch eine politische Ewigkeit entfernt schien, rückt nun langsam in greifbare Nähe. Welche Schritte stehen 2025 im Kalender der Schweiz und der UNO?"

• Plattform Agenda 2030

"In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic many countries lack sufficient funds to attain the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3). Therefore, it is high time to revisit the financing goal for a solidarity-based international contribution for health set in 2001. A new calculation is needed. The COVID-19 pandemic not only triggered an unprecedented health crisis but also caused USD 13.8 trillion in economic damage, making it the most significant global economic crisis in a century. To address the health challenges and economic fallout, many countries incurred significant debt, compounding issues for those with already low incomes."

• International Health Policy

"Las Vegas während der Consumer Electronics Show 2025 – ein schillernder Ort, der so viele Eindrücke bietet, wie die Teppiche in den Casinos Muster haben. Von abstrakten Formen bis zu schreiend bunten Farben. Diese Eindrücke spiegelt auch die CES wider, die nicht nur die neuesten Technologien, sondern auch so manche Kuriositäten zur Schau stellt. (...) Die CES ist ein Ort der Extreme: von bahnbrechenden Technologien bis hin zu spielerischen Ideen, die vielleicht nie den Massenmarkt erreichen. Doch hinter all dem Glamour und der Innovation lauern auch Fragen nach der Zukunft. Welche Technologien werden unser Leben prägen? Und könnte eine Innovation, die auf den ersten Blick unscheinbar erscheint, wichtiger sein als die omnipräsente KI? Die Rede ist von GLP-1-Medikamenten."

• blick.ch

Die Alterung der Bevölkerung ist ein globaler Megatrend, der Herausforderungen aber auch Chancen beinhaltet. Von 2000 bis 2050 wird sich der Anteil der 60-Jährigen und Älteren an der Weltbevölkerung verdoppeln, während sich der Anteil der 80-Jährigen und Älteren fast vervierfachen wird. Im ersten Fortschrittsbericht zur UN-Dekade „Gesundes Altern“, der 2023 veröffentlicht wurde, haben die WHO und ihre UN-Partnerorganisationen festgestellt, dass weniger als ein Drittel der Länder über ausreichende Ressourcen verfügt, um die Ziele dieser UN-Dekade umzusetzen. In diesem MMS-Bulletin befassen wir uns mit dem Thema Altern und Gesundheit im internationalen Kontext und seinen Auswirkungen und Dimensionen.

• Medicus Mundi Schweiz

"Sugary drinks are responsible for more than 2.2m new cases of diabetes and 1.1m new cases of heart disease a year around the world, according to a new study. Global analysis published in Nature Medicine on Monday highlights growing health inequalities. In Latin America and the Caribbean, sugary drinks contributed to almost a quarter (24%) of new type 2 diabetes cases in 2020. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region that has seen the greatest percentage increase in cases from 1990 to 2020, sugary drinks led to more than one in five (21%) new diabetes cases and more than one in 10 (11%) new cases of heart disease."

• The Guardian

"As the first African country to lead the trillion-dollar G20 group, South Africa will spend 2025 pushing debt relief, climate change and international justice issues. This means there's a lot at stake for Brics and developing nations. "We will work towards solidarity, equality and sustainable development that will have an impact on many people around the world," President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his New Year address last night. "Every South African will be part of the journey towards a better future for all." Pretoria aims to put African development priorities firmly on the G20 agenda - and more broadly, those of the Global South."

• All Africa

"The debt disaster is back. Indeed, the aid agency Cafod reports that developing countries today face “the most acute debt crisis in history”. At least 54 countries are in a debt crisis – more than double the number in 2010. A further 57 countries are at risk of debt crisis. In the past decade, interest payments for developing countries overall have risen by 64%, and for Africa by 132%. African countries are paying over 100 billion dollars a year to creditors. The share of African countries’ budgets going on debt payments is four times higher than in 2010."

• Inter Press Service

"Sudan’s war, which began in April 2023, is closing in on its second year. No one expects or becomes accustomed to war, but it is striking that the most common sentiment I hear among Sudanese people – and even some outside observers – is that they still can’t believe this is happening."

• The Guardian

"The destruction of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza has pushed healthcare to the brink of collapse, as freezing temperatures and ongoing Israeli attacks kill more Palestinians. “Kamal Adwan Hospital is no more,” stated Dr. Mustafa Barghouti during a webinar organized by the People’s Health Movement (PHM) on December 28, 2024. As he spoke, reports of the latest Israeli attacks on the hospital were still emerging. These included the near-total destruction of its laboratory, storage, surgical units, and other critical facilities, alongside the arbitrary detention of its director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya."

• People's Health Dispatch

"Effective global action against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) relies on the successful synthesis and translation of rigorous scientific evidence into policy and practice. Despite a call in 2019 by the Interagency Coordination Group on AMR to establish a policy-science interface, and the reaffirmation to establish a scientific panel in the 2024 Political Declaration on Antimicrobial Resistance, no authoritative entity currently exists that synthesizes the scientific evidence on AMR and outlines policy options based on the best scientific insight. A Scientific Panel on Evidence for Action against AMR (SPEA) could address this gap, as well as contribute to additional governance gaps in the space of AMR, by facilitating better global coordination and cooperation; establishing real-time evidence to guide policy actions; and monitoring progress towards any globally agreed upon AMR goals and targets."

• PLOS Global Public Health

"Health care is changing rapidly. Hospitals are, and will remain, an essential setting to deliver it. We discuss how to maximise the benefits of hospitals in the future in different geographic and health system settings, highlighting a series of cross-cutting issues. We do this by exploring the evolving roles of hospitals and the main factors that we must consider as they adapt. These include changing population and disease profiles, the impact of evolving technology, and new concepts in hospital design and planning."

• The International Journal of Health Planning and Management

"Medication shortages are a pressing concern throughout the world. To gain insight into this issue, WHO and Health Action International (HAI) have constructed a validated method to survey medicine prices, availability, and affordability in low-income and middle-income countries. This paper aims to present an updated analysis of medicine affordability, availability, and pricing across 54 countries using the WHO–HAI method, highlighting disparities between public and private sectors. (...) Access to essential medicines remains a global challenge. Medicines consistently display high prices, low affordability, and poor availability. Although there have been some advancements, the overall accessibility of essential medicines remains a substantial global concern. Innovative and targeted strategies are essential to enhance access, requiring a concerted effort from governments, health-care organisations, and international bodies to implement solutions that address both economic and logistical barriers."

• The Lancet

"Health care-associated infections (HAIs) affect patients and health systems every day, causing immense suffering, driving higher health-care costs and hampering efforts to achieve high-quality care for all. HAIs are often difficult to treat, are the major driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and cause premature deaths and disability. The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as outbreaks of Ebola, Marburg and mpox are the most dramatic demonstrations of how pathogens can spread rapidly and be amplified in health care settings. But HAIs are a daily threat in every hospital and clinic, not only during epidemics and pandemics"

• World Health Organization

“Eco-anxiety” is growing worldwide, especially among young people.1 Considerable anxiety about the climate crisis is rational, particularly for young people, for whom even 2100 is a tangible date. Deep concern for future human and ecological wellbeing is justified among all ages, not only because of the disturbing evidence of climate breakdown, but also because of the apparent climate change policy paralysis, especially in so-called developed countries—the global North."

• The BMJ

"Gender impacts exposure and vulnerability to tuberculosis (TB) evidenced by a higher prevalence of both TB disease and missed TB diagnoses among men, who significantly contribute to new TB infections. We present the formative research phase of a study, which used participatory methods to identify gender-specific interventions for systematic screening of TB among men in Uganda. Health facility-level data were collected at four Ugandan general hospitals (Kawolo, Gombe, Mityana and Nakaseke) among 70 TB stakeholders, including healthcare workers, TB survivors, policymakers and researchers. Using health-seeking pathways, they delineated and compared men’s ideal and actual step-by-step TB health-seeking processes to identify barriers to TB care."

• Health Policy and Planning

"A global workshop has taken place in Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (Macao SAR) involving health practitioners and policymakers from 11 countries and areas. The workshop aimed to help build critical skills for supporting access to safe, high quality traditional medicines through health-care systems. (...) The workshop addressed a wide range of topics including ensuring safety and quality, developing effective policy frameworks, strengthening education and training for practitioners, and enhancing service delivery. These discussions supported WHO’s objectives under the Fourteenth General Programme of Work and laid the groundwork for the upcoming WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034."

• World Health Organization (WHO)

"Two decades ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) formulated its working definition of sexual health as more than just the absence of disease, underscoring the need for a positive approach to sexuality that recognizes its link with human rights and power dynamics. This definition includes the notion that sexual health is fundamentally tied to empowerment, whereby individuals can make informed decisions related to their sexuality, including having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences. Yet, such an affirmative approach is far from true for many women and girls globally, as their sexuality remains a sociocultural and political battleground."

• Bulletin of the World Health Organization

"Contraceptive equity describes the ability of every person to make their own decisions about pregnancy prevention and have access to contraceptive care that consequently influences maternal and child health outcomes. In this context, reducing socioeconomic inequalities in contraceptive access is paramount. In The Lancet Global Health, Carolina Cardona and colleagues examined data from the Demographic Health Surveys of 48 countries to assess changes in socioeconomic inequalities in modern contraceptive prevalence (mCPR) and demand for family planning satisfied with modern methods (mDFPS)."

• The Lancet

"The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant weaknesses in global health governance, leading to urgent calls for reform. A key element of these reforms is negotiating a Pandemic Agreement under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO). Negotiations began in late 2021, with the initial goal of finalising the agreement by May 2024. However, this timeline proved too ambitious, and WHO Member States decided instead to extend the negotiations by up to one year. This outcome reflects the inherent challenges of crafting a new and far-reaching instrument covering the entire spectrum of pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR). The draft agreement includes diverse and complex provisions on prevention and surveillance, research and development, technology transfer for health products, regulatory enhancements, and a system for the timely sharing of pathogens and related benefits."

• Geneva Graduate Institute

"This is a statement on behalf of 32 CSOs across WHO regions, and with 8 or more participating in this meeting, either online or in person. As CSOs, we are usually delighted to see more text getting greened—indicating progress towards a meaningful instrument with effective measures to protect public health and avoid past tragedies. However, this time, there is no excitement. Many diplomats tell us this will be a hollow treaty, with the current text resembling a “green cloth with big holes.” We have several critical questions for Member States, and we expect their responses."

• Third World Network

"In 2019, world leaders committed to extend universal health coverage (UHC) to everyone by 2030. Whilst most countries have increased access to essential health services, the goal of UHC remains elusive for around half of the world’s population, particularly those living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Innovative approaches are urgently needed to accelerate countries’ progress towards achieving UHC goals. (...) In this special collection of Oxford Open Digital Health coordinated by Transform Health, we present papers that present new evidence and rigorous evaluations of the (positive or negative) impact of digital health interventions and approaches in expanding the accessibility, affordability and quality of health services in LMICs."

• Oxford Open Digital Health