Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

A study of 60,000 women confirms that COVID-19 vaccines have no impact on fertility or pregnancy outcomes. Dig into the findings: https://bit.ly/4aoYUXH

A new Lancet study tracking 540,000+ people found that people with obesity are ~70% more likely to be hospitalised or die from infections. This goes beyond COVID to include but flu, stomach bugs, UTIs and skin infections. The full story: https://bit.ly/4qCViaT

Malawi’s mpox response has a new frontline, and it looks a lot like the communities it serves. In townships like Lunzu and Chirimba, young peer educators are taking to livestock markets, churches, beerhalls and sports fields to help their peers understand both the risks of mpox and the protection vaccines offer. Twenty-three-year-old Nathan Chikondi loves the nightlife in Lunzu township, but understands that partying comes with risks. “I am one of the revellers, I must admit. So, I said why don’t I become useful at least once to my community? Why don’t I become a peer educator?” He now educates other youths about the medical facts of mpox and dishing out condoms – but over beers and laughs. “I enjoy this task, to be honest,” he says. Writer Deogracious Kalima follows these youth activists on our VaccinesWork platform: https://bit.ly/405V1SQ

Measles once ravaged Uganda with such ferocity that communities wouldn't even speak its name. The disease killed children by the hundreds and left some survivors blind or brain-damaged, overwhelming hospitals that were already stretched thin. In the early 1990s, the tide began to shift as the country ran catch-up measles vaccination campaigns, making a huge impact in its communities. VaccinesWork writer John Agaba reports from Uganda on this hard-won victory, and the urgent work underway to protect it: https://bit.ly/4adrfBA

In public health, progress thrives when the public and private sectors work together.    Mary de Wysocki, Chief Sustainability Office at Cisco, reflects on how public-private collaboration helps build resilient communities, from building digital skills through education programmes to strengthening the essential health and food systems that people rely on.

While global vaccination rates have been on the rise, more than 14 million children remained unvaccinated in 2024. This means that while access is increasing for some, others are being left behind.     The majority of zero-dose children are in low and middle-income countries where there can be immense barriers to vaccine access. There, community health workers are uniquely positioned to reach the unreachable.     But Africa’s health workforce shortage is projected to reach 6.1 million by 2030. At the same time, newer vaccines like HPV and malaria are leading to increased demand for immunisation service delivery for under-reached communities.    Here’s how Last Mile Health and VillageReach are working to support community health workers at this critical moment in public health: https://bit.ly/400yaIj 

MERS is a rare but often deadly coronavirus infection that circulates in camels. It can spill over to humans in unpredictable outbreaks that causes severe respiratory issues and a fatality rate of up to 36%. While there is currently no licensed vaccine or specific treatment, prevention is key for global health preparedness. Read our report about an experimental vaccine for MERS with promising early trial results on VaccinesWork : https://bit.ly/4ttnP5k

In this week’s Global Health Notes, Pascal Barollier looks at why prevention remains one of the most powerful tools in global health, and what it actually takes to make it work in practice. Including: 🧬 New data from the World Health Organization showing how much of the global cancer burden could be avoided through prevention, including vaccination 🚲 How health workers in rural Zimbabwe are reaching the last mile by bicycle to protect girls despite extreme conditions 🎮 Why behavioural science, including unexpected tools like video games, may be key to pushing back against health misinformation The full edition is now live. 👇 

Australia is battling its biggest rise in whooping cough cases in 35 years. Also known as pertussis or the “100-day cough”, whooping cough is a potentially fatal respiratory illness which causes severe coughing episodes and is particularly deadly among infants. So why the surge? The Conversation UK explores:

Does wet hair give you a cold? Can you sweat out a fever? Will green snot tell you if you need antibiotics? Turns out, a lot of what we’ve heard about winter illness doesn't necessarily hold up under scientific scrutiny. Read the full breakdown of six winter health myths and some evidence-backed tips of what actually works to keep you healthy: https://bit.ly/4rxORGO