Associated Press: UNAIDS head to quit post early following scathing report “The head of the U.N. agency focusing on AIDS said he would leave the job six months early, bowing to apparent pressure just a week after independent experts looking into sexual harassment blasted the ‘defective leadership’ at UNAIDS. At…

The Guardian: Sweden suspends funding for U.N. AIDS agency as Britain urged to follow suit “The Swedish government has announced it is to withhold funding to a U.N. agency until its director resigns in a row over his ‘dysfunctional leadership.’ UNAIDS, which spearheads the global fight against AIDS and HIV,…

Washington Post: Italy’s right wing is waging a dangerous attack on vaccinations Michael Gerson, columnist for the Washington Post “…Italy’s right-wing coalition government … has provided a political home for the anti-vaccination movement. … The arguments of the Italian anti-vaccination movement are the same as elsewhere. Its members believe vaccinations…

WHO: WHO certifies that Uzbekistan has eliminated malaria “…After enduring a decades-long return of the malaria parasite, Uzbekistan eliminated malaria for a second time, in 2010. Now, the country has gone one step further, securing the official WHO certification of malaria-free status. … Uzbekistan’s malaria-free certification brings to 19 the…

Devex: DFID launches its first disability inclusion strategy “The United Kingdom’s Department for International Development launched its first disability strategy Monday, which disability champions hailed as ‘ambitious’ but in need of dedicated financing to implement. The plans cover disability inclusion both in DFID’s external programs and within the department, fulfilling…

FT Health: Climate change and the threat to health The latest issue of the Financial Times’ weekly global health newsletter highlights results from two reports released last week: the 2018 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change and the Fourth National Climate Assessment. The newsletter also features an…

BMJ Opinion: Instrumentalizing women’s reproductive vulnerability for political gain: where in the world does it stop? Sandy Goldbeck-Wood, editor in chief of BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health, and colleagues discuss Norway’s abortion law and the debate surrounding potentially restricting abortion in the second trimester. The authors write, “The threat ……

WHO: Bulletin of the World Health Organization The December 2018 WHO Bulletin features articles on various topics, including an editorial on global health governance and the Sustainable Development Goals, an article discussing hepatitis in Europe, and research examining oral cholera vaccination in hard-to-reach communities (December 2018).

The Guardian: U.K. meets U.N. target in drive to end HIV epidemic “The U.K. has hit a significant U.N. target on the way to ending the HIV epidemic by succeeding in diagnosing and effectively treating more than 90 percent of people with the virus. Public Health England said there were…

Devex: DFID will defend its budget, top U.K. civil servant tells MPs “…DFID Permanent Secretary Matthew Rycroft told members of the International Development Committee on Wednesday that he was keen to ensure his department spends at least 75 percent of the U.K.’s official development assistance and that he will make…