The newly identified strain of the coronavirus, which could be more transmissible than the previously dominant delta variant, has global health officials worried about a possible new surge in cases.
At a special session this week, the World Health Organization hopes to start sketching out a new world order. "We don't have rules of the game," says WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The World Health Organization advisory group will include scientists from the U.S., China and two dozen other countries and will study various hypotheses, including the possibility of a lab leak.
It's also the first vaccine against a parasitic disease in humans. But there are issues to consider, from its rate of effectiveness to the dosage schedule.
The New Humanitarian first reported on the scandal from the Ebola crisis in 2020. Now the WHO has issued its own report, citing 83 allegations. And it's drawing criticism for investigating itself.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus suggested that giving out booster shots in countries with high vaccination rates could lead to more dangerous coronavirus variants across the globe.
A World Health Organization representative just advised wearing masks after vaccination. The CDC has a different perspective. We asked public health specialists to weigh in.
In the wake of heated debate over the unproven lab leak theory, the world is calling on China to cooperate with investigations. But efforts to delve into this matter seem to be stalling.
It was a decision that appalled and angered Syrian opposition groups and international medical organizations. On May 28 Syria was appointed to the World Health Organization's Executive Board.
The new names won't replace the scientific names already assigned to new variants, but the WHO said it's making the change to help avoid fueling stigma toward nations where new variants arise.
The coronavirus found a world vulnerable to the worst effects of a pandemic despite warnings from experts and a string of recent global health threats. The system, the report said, remains "unfit."
That's when a vaccine for plague was invented — and authorities began to consider requiring proof of vaccination before visiting pilgrimage sites in India. The debate has raged ever since.
Some scientists worry the possibility the coronavirus escaped from research facilities hasn't gotten enough scrutiny. Others say it appears far more likely to have emerged naturally.
