Gavi

The women-only Facebook group boosting cancer prevention in Zambia 136,000 Zambian women have banded together online to help drive down the country’s sky-high rates of cervical cancer.

In Zambia, 136,000 women have banded together online to help drive down the country’s sky-high rates of cervical cancer.

Here’s how a women-only Facebook group is making a real difference in boosting cancer prevention: bit.ly/47cyKGW

7 ways gender inequality still blocks access to life-saving vaccines Ahead of International Women’s Day, we look at the structural inequalities that still prevent women and girls – and those they care for – from accessing immunisation.

For many children, access to life-saving vaccines isn’t just a matter of supply, but whether the women in their lives have the time, money and freedom to reach them.

Here are 7 ways gender inequality still blocks access to vaccines: bit.ly/4ufY60E

When floods hit, the risk of malaria follows: how disaster systems can prepare better Flooding alters the environment in ways that favour malaria transmission.

After floods, communities struggle with destroyed homes and livelihoods, disrupted health systems & displacement. But a slower-moving crisis often follows a flood: Increased risk of malaria.

Here’s how disaster systems can better prepare for this threat: bit.ly/40EkS4C via @uk.theconversation.com

Every two minutes, a woman dies from cervical cancer – a disease that is both devastating and largely preventable. Since 2012, our #HPV vaccine programme has protected ~86 million girls against the leading cause of cervical cancer and prevented ~1.4 million future deaths.

The HPV vaccine landed in the US in 2006. Since then, cervical cancer in young American women is down 27%. But in some states it's fallen by more than half, while other states have barely seen an improvement.

This International HPV Awareness Day, read the full story: bit.ly/4cs6LXs

From measles complications to desert vaccinators and a rapid Ebola response in the DRC, this week’s Global Health Notes newsletter looks at how health systems hold the line against infectious disease. bit.ly/3N2vS8O

Over a quarter of all malaria cases worldwide happen in one single country: Nigeria.

Kebbi State introduced the malaria vaccine a year ago.

The result, according to local authorities: 50% fewer malaria hospitalisations and under-five mortality nearly halved.

🔗: bit.ly/46DVEqy

A virus hiding inside bacteria may help explain colorectal cancer Scientists found an unexpected viral hitchhiker lurking inside a common gut bacterium – and it was twice as prevalent in people with colorectal cancer.

We’ve known for years that a common gut bacterium is linked to colorectal cancer. Unfortunately, that same bacteria is found in most healthy people, too, making this an unreliable marker.

But new evidence shows that there might be a virus lurking inside the bacterium: bit.ly/4aKWOTE

Preparing for AI-Enabled Bioweapons Sania Nishtar sees an urgent need for global coordination and financing to confront new pathogens with pandemic potential.

AI-enabled gene editing has radically lowered the barrier to developing genetically engineered bioweapons. How do we strengthen the world’s defences against bioterrorism threats? Dr Sania Nishtar explains for Project Syndicate: bit.ly/4l910A6

We studied primary care in 6 rich countries – it’s under unprecedented strain everywhere Like other high-income countries, Australia and New Zealand are leaning on GPs to solve increasingly complex health needs – without the necessary investment.

Primary care is the backbone of every health system. Yet across six high-income countries, it’s under unprecedented strain with rising demand and shrinking GP workforces.

Here’s what this means for long term sustainability: bit.ly/4rJSwSp

New research reveals huge impact of measles outbreaks on schools and hospitals Two studies of measles outbreaks in Birmingham, UK, and Texas, USA, show the intense pressure measles outbreaks put on both health systems and school attendance.

Measles outbreaks do more than make children sick.

In Texas, for example, 141 confirmed measles cases should have meant around 564 missed school days. Instead, absences surged to 5,822 days, roughly 10x higher than expected.

A new study shows how measles outbreaks hit education: bit.ly/4b3Ugio

Proximity to a clinic is not the same as access to care. Here’s how one family slipped through the cracks due to poverty in Lesotho, and how local nurses came together to protect not just the family's health, but their dignity too.

Read the full story: bit.ly/4rMuGFQ

From conflict-fuelled cholera outbreaks and climate-driven dengue surges, to shrinking health budgets and the risk of Disease X, global health is already in the midst of a complex year.

Here are the 6 top health threats experts are watching this year: bit.ly/4cenmOa

As mosquito populations grow, Nigeria confronts a swelling dengue threat Often mistaken for malaria or other febrile illnesses, dengue may be flying under the radar – but cases are increasing across the country.

Dengue was first isolated in Nigeria in 1960. Today, cases are rising again, often mistaken for malaria or typhoid and missed in routine diagnosis.

Here’s why health officials are paying closer attention and what’s being done to keep Nigeria’s dengue cases in check: bit.ly/4cbXhPT

Will AI help or hinder scientific publishing? On one hand, AI could reshape both the creation and evaluation of research. But experts warn of risks.

The full story: bit.ly/3OOLEo9 via Undark.

When people say, “We all had chickenpox and we were fine,” they often assume measles is similar.

It isn’t. While they both are highly contagious with itchy red spots, measles can cause lifelong complications and kills nearly 100,000 people – mainly young children – a year.

bit.ly/46LeX10

Three months to halt Ebola: how the DRC contained the virus In a remote part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, people are breathing easy again, after vaccines from the global stockpile helped squash a potentially catastrophic outbreak.

Last September, the DRC suffered from its 16th outbreak of Ebola. Rapid international coordination, including shipment of vaccines from the global stockpile, helped bring the epidemic under control before it swelled to epidemic proportions: bit.ly/3OwTC5j

Major study suggests transparent communication is key to vaccine uptake A Lancet study of 1.1 million people suggests that most COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy reflected concrete concerns that faded over time, underscoring the importance of good information and transparent…

A study in The Lancet tracking 1.1 million people found that COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy was often rooted in concrete concerns about safety and novelty. But, notably, as evidence accumulated many changed their minds.

Why transparent communication matters: bit.ly/4rCF5Ue

7 reasons why measles is more dangerous than you think From hidden immune damage to delayed brain disease, measles carries risks that extend far beyond a childhood rash.

Measles is much more than just a harmless childhood rash.

Cases are rising again, and the risks go far beyond what many people realise.

Here are 7 things worth knowing about measles: bit.ly/3OrjP5p

Mauritania: how “desert vaccinators” track outbreaks among the dunes In Mauritania’s Adrar region, vaccination teams travel hundreds of kilometres across dunes and rocky plains to reach nomadic families constantly on the move.

In the past, outbreaks of measles and meningitis have hit Mauritania’s nomadic communities especially hard. But with renewed dedication from the country’s health services, mobile vaccination teams are now traveling across the desert to bring vaccines directly to children on the move. bit.ly/3MNehl9

There Are Health Threats on the Horizon. Have We Learned from COVID-19? | Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance There are health threats on the horizon, but are we listening? Pascal Barollier explores in this week's Global Health Notes: 🌍 Six major health threats experts are watching this year 🧭 Why early…

Pandemic lessons fade fast. In the newest Global Health Notes, Gavi’s Pascal Barollier examines the health threats shaping 2026, how warnings can fall on deaf ears, and how microscopes are strengthening vaccine confidence in Pakistan. 👉 bit.ly/4qSp3oc

In Zimbabwe, a band of these workers travel by bicycle amid incredibly difficult conditions – including perilous encounters with elephants – to help ensure 22,000 girls are immunised against HPV.

Read more about their dedication to protect their community: bit.ly/4bAhDSz

Community-driven care cuts risk of child deaths in Togo by nearly a third For just US$ 10 a year per person, an integrated primary health care approach led by community health workers has proven to be highly effective at saving lives.

A five-year study in Northern Togo demonstrated how an integrated primary health care approach cut the risk of death before age five by 29% for just US$ 10 a year per person. Here’s what you need to know: bit.ly/4qL4t9i

“My work as a community health worker starts before I even leave the house at 07:30” Community Health Worker Madeleine Biniwe Teou works as part of an Integrate Health programme to deliver integrated primary care in Kozah district, northern Togo.

Community Health Worker Madeleine Biniwe Teou has devoted more than ten years of service to deliver integrated primary care in Kozah district, Togo. Her hard work and determination has transformed health outcomes and “children no longer fall ill like before”: bit.ly/4c5stAa Via Integrate Health

How a peep through a microscope changed health-seeking behaviours in Pakistan In Sargodha, Pakistan, 1,200 people got a close-up look at the microbial world around them. That telling glimpse has changed their lives in measurable ways – and looks set to change their health in…

In Pakistan, around 53,000 children under five die of diarrhoeal disease each year and millions still lack safe water and sanitation.

A microbe literacy trial in Sargodha linked hygiene awareness with vaccine confidence, reporting measurable gains in both: bit.ly/4tRhroL

Conflict, climate change, misinformation and funding cuts are intensifying the risk of global health threats. From Marburg virus to ‘Disease X’, here’s what experts are closely watching: bit.ly/4slNOKL

Book Review: How Sickness Has Transformed Civilization “The Great Shadow,” by Susan Wise Bauer, is a sweeping survey of humanity’s relationship to illness over the centuries.

How has our relationship with illness shaped modern society?

From ancient superstitions to modern-day lockdowns, author Susan Wise Bauer explores how sickness has shaped the way we think, believe and live: bit.ly/4kJbJRz via Undark Magazine

Before vaccines, measles once killed millions of people each year. Diphtheria suffocated children. Polio paralysed tens of thousands annually.

As the polio vaccine marks 70 years, it’s worth revisiting what sustained immunisation has achieved, and why it's crucial we don’t forget: bit.ly/3O7neWN

This Ugandan hill village shows why investing in community health workers is investing in protection A grassroots vaccination strategy is only as strong as the Village Health Team (VHT) member’s bond with her community.

“We were overwhelmed. Even if you know someone was missed, it becomes hard to follow up.”

That’s the reality for many health workers in remote Uganda serving mountainous, hard-to-reach villages. But a grassroots vaccination strategy is aiming to change that. bit.ly/46z2SMD via PATH

Have we already forgotten the lessons of COVID-19? We asked an expert in anticipating crises Bureaucracy, politics and fraying trust in institutions could mean that warnings about the next health crisis fall on deaf ears, says a leading expert.

Have we already forgotten the lessons of COVID-19? We asked an expert in anticipating crises and about what complacency could mean for the next health crisis.

Here’s what she had to say: bit.ly/4aVIRlH