MMS News

Opinion: The upcoming World Health Assembly can accelerate the responsible use of artificial intelligence in health by grounding action in the ethical and responsible access and use of health data.

• devex

"The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched its 2026 global appeal to ensure that millions of people living in humanitarian crises and conflicts can access health care. In 2025, WHO and partners supported 30 million people funded through its annual emergency appeal. These resources helped deliver life-saving vaccination to 5.3 million children, enabled 53 million health consultations, supported more than 8000 health facilities, and facilitated the deployment of 1370 mobile clinics."

• World Health Organization

"Marking World Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that millions of people living with NTDs continue to face profound and often unseen suffering due to discrimination, social stigma and untreated mental health conditions. Under the rallying theme "Unite. Act. Eliminate.", WHO and partners urge governments to integrate mental health care into NTD elimination efforts, ensuring that no one is left behind in pain or isolation."

• World Health Organization

"De-mining organisations forced to cut staff, many of whom were women, despite landmines littering Zimbabwe-Mozambique border"

• The Guardian

"Health experts met in Davos to discuss challenges and opportunities for the future of global health. Here are the key takeaways. From artificial intelligence to mental health, and healthy lifestyles, global health experts discussed the future challenges at Davos 2026 amid the growing crises worldwide. Health remained a central pillar of the World Economic Forum’s agenda with leaders stressing prevention, accessibility, and technology’s role in strained systems. These are the health topics that dominated the conversation at Davos."

• euronews

"Shortage raises rates of maternity intervention, while improving access to care could potentially save 4.3m lives a year, say experts."

• The Guardian

"The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest report on acting early on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) signals more than urgency. It signals a shift in what counts. Beneath familiar calls for earlier action sits a quieter move: a re-ordering of NCD priorities themselves. Some diseases now sit firmly at the centre of the agenda. Others, no less prevalent or consequential, are absent or muted."

• Health Policy Watch

"Recent cuts to foreign aid have threatened to reverse decades of progress for Africa’s health sector, highlighting the urgent need for more sustainable, locally owned solutions. Digital public infrastructure, or DPI, could prove an essential component in this reimagining of health care across the continent — if done right, said experts. "Historically, many African countries have relied on external donors to fund digital health projects. But these were often discrete and lacked integration with other digital services, making them less effective than they could have been."an digital public infrastructure reshape donor-reliant health systems?

• devex

"The Gates Foundation and OpenAI announced a $50 million “pilot” on Wednesday to “advance AI capabilities for health” in Africa. Horizon 1000 promises “funding, technology, and technical support” to roll out AI solutions to 1,000 African primary healthcare clinics by 2028."

• Health Policy Watch

"Fears over the side effects of COVID-19 jabs, which led to initial vaccine hesitancy, mostly gave way to acceptance in the course of the pandemic, with only a small minority remaining unvaccinated due to deep-seated mistrust, a new major study published in The Lancet finds."

• Health Policy Watch

"The $9.4 billion package agreed to by the US Senate and House Appropriations Committees, is more than double the $3.7 billion requested by the Trump Administration, and signals bipartisan support for maintaining significant global health aid – although the package still must be approved by both Senate and House, and could also be vetoed by president following passage."

• Health Policy Watch

"Soaking fabrics in a commonly used insect repellent is a simple and effective tool as mosquito bites become more common during daytime, study shows"

• The Guardian

"Swiss TPH in partnership with MOMM Diagnostics, has been awarded a grant from the Gates Foundation to advance early and timely detection of preeclampsia – a leading cause of maternal and neonatal mortality worldwide."

• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

"In Rubavu, Rwanda, young people are taking the lead in improving community nutrition and health. Through the Nutrition in City Ecosystems (NICE) project, youth groups are helping families build kitchen gardens, promote healthy eating, and create new income opportunities. We spoke with Deo Ngoga Kalisa, Youth Coordinator for the Rubavu District, about how the NICE project inspires youth to take action and create real impact in their communities."

• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute

"New long-term data reveal that parents who sit less and move more have children who are more active – and this influence persists for years. The study provides evidence on how parental activity patterns shape children’s movement behaviour over time and how the roles of mothers and fathers differ. The research was conducted by Swiss TPH and partners in the frame of the SOPHYA cohort. Results were published today in the Journal of Activity, Sedentary and Sleep Behaviors. Together with an earlier SOPHYA publication, the findings highlight the value of long-term cohort research in guiding public health policy."

• Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute