Associated Press/ABC News: 8 die of measles in Ukraine this year as outbreak worsens “Eight people have died of measles in Ukraine since the start of the year, already half as many as died in the whole of 2018, authorities said on Wednesday. The Health Ministry said in a statement…

Al Jazeera: Philippines: Vaccine scare blamed for deadly measles outbreak “Health officials in the Philippines are racing to contain a deadly measles outbreak the government blames on a marked decline in immunisations after a scandal surrounding a dengue fever vaccine…” (Gotinga, 2/12). Bloomberg: Widening Anti-Vaccine Movement Paves the Way for…

Devex: Africa’s $66B health financing gap requires private sector power, experts say “Universal health care is vital to making sure Africa is not left behind in the quest to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Tuesday to a standing-room-only audience. It’s the private sector that…

Médecins Sans Frontières: TB activists challenge patent in India, in bid to prevent J&J from extending monopoly “Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is supporting a patent challenge filed in India this week by two tuberculosis survivors, to prevent pharmaceutical corporation Johnson & Johnson (J&J) from extending its monopoly on the tuberculosis…

CIDRAP News: Letter urges Congressional action to stimulate antibiotic development “A coalition of drug makers, infectious disease experts, and public health advocates [Tuesday] called on U.S. lawmakers to pass measures that could ‘jumpstart’ the development of critically needed antibiotics. In a letter sent to lawmakers in the Senate and the…

World Economic Forum: The world is too complacent about epidemics. Here’s how to change Julie Louise Gerberding, executive vice president and chief patient officer at MSD, discusses the importance of epidemic preparedness and the role the private sector plays in enhancing global health security. Gerberding writes, “Perhaps our biggest opportunity…

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Coke and CDC, Atlanta icons, share cozy relationship, emails show (Judd, 2/6). CIDRAP News: More Ebola reported from Katwa hot spot (Soucheray, 2/6). Devex: Q&A: Lessons from Australian aid’s disability inclusion program (Cornish, 2/7). IRIN: In rural Pakistan, ‘worst drought in years’ drives displacement and hunger (Shaikh/Tunio, 2/6).…

Bloomberg: Philip Morris Rebuffed by WHO as It Tries to Rewrite Narrative “Philip Morris International Inc. is trying to burnish its image, most recently among the international, socially conscientious elite at Davos. But even as its upcoming earnings are expected to underscore its migration away from cigarettes, the World Health…

FT Health: Is Big Food ripe for the Big Tobacco treatment? The latest issue of the Financial Times’ weekly global health newsletter discusses the food industry’s role in obesity, undernutrition, and climate change, highlighting the recently released Lancet Commission report on the topic. The newsletter also provides a round-up of…

Al Jazeera: Distrust of polio vaccine plagues Afghanistan (Birtley, 2/3). Bloomberg Quint: Malaysia Asks WHO to Pull ‘Biased’ Report on Palm Oil Industry (Raghu, 2/3). Devex: Traffic fatalities in Southeast Asia, Africa higher than reports say (Ravindran, 2/4). Devex: Solar power sales help women avoid food insecurity in Yemen (Welsh,…