Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 5d

📢 As the World Health Summit begins, one question is front and center: how should global health architecture adapt? With SDG deadlines looming and funding cuts deepening, reform is no longer optional. 🧵

bit.ly/GHarchitecture

1 3 3

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 5d

⏳ Global health architecture is at a crossroad. Reform debates are moving beyond donor-driven fixes toward equity, sovereignty, sustainability, and coordination. The key question is what remains global and what shifts to national and regional levels.
🔗Read more

bit.ly/GHarchitecture

bit.ly

3

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 5d

⚖️ The scope of reform varies. Some proposals seek modest adjustments within existing institutions. Others call for a complete redesign. This shows both momentum for change and raises questions over what belongs at the global level versus the national or regional level.

1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 5d

🌍 Together they capture different pathways to organize, govern, and finance global health.
Despite their differences, these proposals overlap on key principles:
✔️ Equity
✔️ Sovereignty and country ownership
✔️ Sustainability
✔️ Coordination

1 1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 5d

💡 Our new paper with @claragreiner.bsky.social and @sulehti.bsky.social, we summarize five reform initiatives: the Lusaka Agenda, the @wellcometrust.bsky.social initiative, a @nature.com Medicine commentary, the Gavi Leap, and the Accra Initiative.

1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 5d

📢 As the World Health Summit begins, one question is front and center: how should global health architecture adapt? With SDG deadlines looming and funding cuts deepening, reform is no longer optional. 🧵

bit.ly/GHarchitecture

1 3 3

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 5d

Odds rate. Love it.

1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 8d

Small correction - Stakeholders CAN listen on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 8d

how they are responding to the suspected case of chikungunya in New York

1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 9d

🔒The remaining 4 informal meeting days will be open for Member States and experts only.

🚪Relevant stakeholders are not invited to listen.

➡️IGWG3 will take place from 3 to 7 November, resuming discussions and negotiations for PABS Annex.

1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 9d

They also discussed PABS Sequence Information and Databases, providing insights on

⚖️WHO principles for ethical human genomic data collection and sharing
💻WHO and other databases
🧩Interoperability
✏️Digital identifiers
🎟️Different data use cases and users

1 1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 9d

The following session focused on PABS Materials and Laboratory Networks

🔬WHO explained their global and regional lab networks for range of pathogens

🌍Discussions covered national capacities, global & regional collaboration, & related WHO support.

1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 9d

The day began with a discussion on Public Health Events and Risk Assessment. WHO provided an excellent process overview of how its works with Member States to:
🔍Detect and verify public health events
💻Assess risk
🚨Alert other states and public
🚒Support response

1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 9d

The aim of the week is to build a common vision and knowledge of PABS elements by:
💡Linking Member States to relevant experts for questions
🗨️Exchanging views among Member States on PABS outline
🚦Testing different approaches
🪜Preparing for IGWG3

1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 9d

📢Today, the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG2) for the #pandemictreaty kicked off a week of informal meetings in Geneva to develop a Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing (PABS) Annex.

A brief recap of the day below!

🧵

2 1 5

Reposted by Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 11d

🚨US funding cuts to vaccine programmes have imperiled vaccine coverage around the world.

💉In our new Georgetown Center for Global Health Law and Policy Working Paper, we unpack these decisions/

🎱The US dropped the ball, leaving a mess for others to fix.

🧵

1 4 6

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 11d

By April 2025, data collected by WHO indicated that 80% of countries were already reporting disruptions to vaccine equity due to funding cuts.

The damage is done – and will be lasting.

🔗 You can read our full analysis here
repository.digital.georgetown.edu/handle/10822...

Global Health Equity Considerations of Political Decisions Trump, The US, and Immunization

repository.digital.georgetown.edu

2

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 11d

🚨US funding cuts to vaccine programmes have imperiled vaccine coverage around the world.

💉In our new Georgetown Center for Global Health Law and Policy Working Paper, we unpack these decisions/

🎱The US dropped the ball, leaving a mess for others to fix.

🧵

1 4 6

Reposted by Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 17d

🦟 We may have a case of Chikungunya in New York.
Story still unfolding.

Notably our US CDC is absent on this one. It is being handled by the State.

Chikungunya virus infection can cause an illness with fever and joint pain. It is carried by a type of mosquito not previously found in the US.

Mosquito-Borne Illness Rarely Seen in U.S. Is Suspected on Long Island

www.nytimes.com

2 1 4

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 17d

Thank you, Kristof! Would add you as well to that list!

1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 17d

Thanks to Joe Goldstein for breaking this story. It (and Joe) are definitely worth following as if confirmed, the type of mosquitos that carry Chikungunya also carry other diseases as well not widely seen in the US.

Mosquito-Borne Illness Rarely Seen in U.S. Is Suspected on Long Island

www.nytimes.com

1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 17d

Paracetamol or acetaminophen (aka Tylenol) are recommended for pain relief and reducing fever until dengue infections are ruled out, as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can increase the risk of bleeding.

Two preventive traveller's vaccines are available but not widely used.

1 1

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 17d

🦟 We may have a case of Chikungunya in New York.
Story still unfolding.

Notably our US CDC is absent on this one. It is being handled by the State.

Chikungunya virus infection can cause an illness with fever and joint pain. It is carried by a type of mosquito not previously found in the US.

Mosquito-Borne Illness Rarely Seen in U.S. Is Suspected on Long Island

www.nytimes.com

2 1 4

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 20d

Civil society in the US is getting crushed.

Case in point below.

wtaf.

7

Nina Schwalbe, MPH, PhD @nschwalbe.bsky.social · 24d

America has a new Global Health Strategy that is anything but a Global Health Strategy.

Its main idea: America First.

Check out this report by @npr.org and my Substack on the same (which is considerably more scathing a review).

bit.ly/47PpZnv

3 5