According to the United Nations heath agency, since the approval of new medicines for hepatitis C – offering a cure rate of over 95 per cent, fewer side effects and complete cure within three months – about two years back, more than one million patients in low- and middle-income countries have been treated.

West Africa is at risk of a large meningitis outbreak unless drug manufacturers increase vaccine production by 5 million doses before the 2016 meningitis season starts in January, the United Nations and leading public health organizations warned today.

There is an urgent need to improve vaccination supplies and to better communicate the health benefits provided by vaccines, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today ahead of World Immunization Week, noting that up to 22 million children are not being immunized against preventable diseases.

The United Nations health agency is calling on all Afghans to vaccinate their children after a recent measles outbreak that has been made worse by severe weather that hampers access to immediate treatment as well as low immunization coverage.