COVID-19: Rapid and affordable tests to be rolled out worldwide
One of the main challenges in slowing down the spread of the coronavirus pandemic has been the lack of adequate testing facilities and trained medical staff to carry out the lab testing of the virus. That problem may soon be mitigated, thanks to a global initiative that is preparing a massive Read More...
Africa to be officially declared free of wild polio
Just twenty-five years ago, thousands of children in Africa were left paralyzed due to the poliovirus. Now, Africa is to be declared free from wild polio by the independent body, the Africa Regional Certification Commission. Polio is a virus that spreads from person to person, usually through Read More...
How America can recover from the pandemic
As the pandemic continues to advance in the US, it is clear that better leadership and government action is needed, but what should that look like? The EU just passed a €1.82 trillion COVID relief package, but will the US do the same? Elizabeth Warren has ideas on how the US can most effectively Read More...
Researchers discover microbe that completely stops malaria
A team of researchers in Kenya and the UK say they have discovered a microbe that completely protects mosquitoes from being infected with malaria. The researchers say the finding has "enormous potential" to control the disease. After all, malaria is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, so Read More...
Scientists studying COVID-19 say a single vaccine could wipe out virus
The sudden arrival of the coronavirus had scientists scrambling to study and understand the virus as quickly as possible. The good news is their research tells us that when a vaccine for the virus does arrive, it will likely be wiped out for good. That’s because the novel virus, also known as Read More...
This bio-film could revolutionize immunization campaigns around the globe
While vaccination rates across the world have been on the rise over the past decade, they are still low — 13.5 million children were not vaccinated in 2018. One of the main challenges posed by global immunization campaigns is keeping the vaccines refrigerated during transportation, which is Read More...
Bill Gates has some optimistic predictions about the future of global health
Speaking to an audience at Cambridge University this week, billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates made some optimistic predictions about the future of global health. Gates says investing in scientific innovation will allow world health organizations to significantly reduce world hunger and eliminate Read More...
Algeria and Argentina hit important milestone in global fight against malaria
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially recognized Algeria and Argentina as malaria-free countries, a historic achievement in fighting the mosquito-borne disease, which has been making a comeback globally. Contracted through the bite of an infected mosquito, malaria remains one of the Read More...
James Maskalyk's experience as a doctor in Sudan
Canadian physician James Maskalyk on why he left a comfortable teaching job to work for Médecins Sans Frontières in Sudan. Marco Visscher | June/July 2009 issue James Maskalyk has been working to improve public health in developing countries ever since he was a medical student at the University Read More...
Book Excerpt: Six Months in Sudan
Ode presents an exclusive book excerpt from Six Months in Sudan: A Young Doctor in a War-Torn Village, by Dr. James Maskalyk. Ode Editors | June/July 2009 issue "What's his hemoglobin?" I ask. "Six," Mohamed says. "Six? Shit." I look down at Manut. His eyes are wide and worried. Today is the Read More...