What began as a sore throat for Harimalala, a young woman from Madagascar’s east coast, slowly turned into a life-threatening neck mass that left her gasping for breath and hiding from the world. But thanks to a team of volunteer surgeons from the international charity Mercy Ships, her life has taken a dramatic and hopeful…
A small region of the brain, known as the ventral tegmental area (VTA), plays a key role in how we process rewards. It produces dopamine, a neuromodulator that helps predict future rewards based on contextual cues. A team from the universities of Geneva (UNIGE), Harvard, and McGill has shown that the VTA goes even further:…
INTRODUCTION The Media Science Café: On Tuesday, 13th May 2025, the Health Journalists Network in Uganda (HEJNU) hosted a one-day Health Café for media practitioners in Kampala. The event, presided over by HEJNU President Esther Nakkazi, ran from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. It brought together over 20 journalists from various media platforms—including online outlets,…
New research led by Geneva University Hospitals (HUG), the University of Geneva (UNIGE), and the Universitäre Psychiatrische Dienste Bern (UPD) at the University of Bern (UNIBE) suggests that sleep-wake perception and regulatory systems remain largely intact in people with insomnia disorder. The findings, published in Scientific Reportsunder the title “Preserved perception of sleep–wake states in…
Mauritania and Papua New Guinea have officially eliminated trachoma, the world’s leading cause of infectious blindness, as a public health problem. The announcement was made during the World Health Assembly (WHA78) in Geneva, where 11 countries were recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating at least one neglected tropical disease (NTD) since the…
Africa took a monumental leap toward healthcare sovereignty today with the official opening of the African Medical Centre of Excellence (AMCE) in Abuja, Nigeria. Developed by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in partnership with King’s College Hospital, London, the US$300 million tertiary care facility is the largest specialised private hospital in West Africa. It signals…
The global medical community is sounding the alarm over a silent epidemic: chronic liver disease. During the first meeting of the Global Think-Tank on Steatotic Liver Disease, held in Barcelona on 5–6 June, more than 100 international experts warned that millions worldwide—particularly those with obesity, diabetes, and other metabolic risks—are going undiagnosed and untreated until…
Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation, announced that the majority of his $200 billion personal pledge over the next 20 years will be directed toward Africa, with a focus on innovation, health, and partnerships with governments that prioritize the wellbeing of their citizens. Speaking at the African Union’s Nelson Mandela Hall, Gates addressed more…
Global health leaders gathered in Geneva last week for the 78th World Health Assembly, with a strong call to prioritize women’s, children’s, and adolescents’ health (WCAH) amid growing resource constraints. Amid discussions on streamlining aid and maximizing impact, a unifying message emerged: WCAH must move higher on regional political agendas to address glaring inequalities. At…
At a pivotal side event during the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, non-governmental organizations Mercy Ships and Operation Smile marked ten years of leadership in advancing equitable surgical care. The gathering brought together health ministers, global leaders, and experts to celebrate progress—and confront the urgent gaps that remain in delivering safe, affordable surgical…