United Nations

Government confirms first case of ‘clade Ib’ mpox virus detected in the UK

The UK Health Security Agency says that despite this being the first confirmed case in the UK, “the risk for the general population is very low and remains so for this incident”.…

UK government announces mpox vaccination programme

The government has ordered 150,000 additional doses of mpox vaccine in preparation for any clade I cases that may enter the UK.…

Pharmacy teams should be integral to humanitarian organisations

Why humanitarian pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are crucial for the global management of medicines and health technologies.…

Monkeypox: a visual guide

As the monkeypox outbreak in the UK continues to spread and the World Health Organization declares it a public health emergency, we take a closer look at the infection, how it is transmitted and what steps are being taken to contain it.…

Pharmacists should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine as frontline workers

In the December 2020 issue of The Pharmaceutical Journal, there was a fitting tribute to the pharmacy staff in the UK who lost their lives to COVID-19. The deaths happened before face coverings were compulsory, personal protective equipment was available and protective screens were put in…

Sponsoring pharmacy students in sub-Saharan Africa

While the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed weaknesses in public health policies and healthcare services, it has also demonstrated how pharmacists can have an increased role in delivering healthcare. This is true for both developed and developing countries, but for the latter, a shortage of healthcare p…

World Health Organization resumes hydroxychloroquine arm of COVID-19 SOLIDARITY trial

Data monitoring experts have given the World Health Organization the all-clear to continue using hydroxychloroquine in its clinical trials to find a treatment for COVID-19, after concerns were raised about the drug’s safety.…

WHO retracts opioid guidance following concerns of pharmaceutical industry influence

The World Health Organization has retracted guidance on opioid use, following concerns raised in the United States that the guidance had been influenced by opioid manufacturers.…

Marking the first World Patient Safety Day

Patient safety is a global challenge and, in May 2019, the 72nd World Health Assembly — through which World Health Organization (WHO) is governed by its member states — agreed that a World Patient Safety Day would be commemorated annually each year on 17 September, commencing in 2019. …

Cases of measles in Europe on track to double in 2019

The World Health Organization has recorded around 90,000 cases of measles in Europe in the first six months of 2019 — a higher figure than the 84,462 cases identified in the whole of 2018.…