A worker of the Salvadorean Ministry of Health fumigates to reduce the presence of mosquitos (Source: Keystone).

🦟 El Salvador declared malaria free. As the country receives its certification from the World Health Organization, the global malaria map decreases. Even with the coronavirus adversely affecting countries’ health systems worldwide, El Salvador did not succumb to the challenges resulting in no malaria cases for three consecutive years.

💉Distributing Covid-19 vaccines worldwide. The global equitable platform, Covax led by the WHO, GAVI and CEPI said it aims to distribute 237 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines to 142 countries by the end of May. It comes as eleven million doses are delivered this week alone.

📜WTO intellectual property waivers. The organisation’s new chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala hit the ground running on Monday as she started engaging in discussions regarding intellectual property on Covid-19 vaccines. As support grows for last year’s proposal made by South Africa and India, pressure mounts to move discussions on patents and IP before the WTO’s General Council session in May.

A woman presents the Golden Ear, a Phonak AG hearing aid, at the 43rd Mustermesse in Basel, taken in April 1959( Keystone)

Actions for hearing care. One in four people will have a hearing problem by 2050, according to a new report released on Wednesday to coincide with World Hearing Day. The report, published by the World Health Organization presents “a global call for action” to tackle hearing loss and ear disease.

📍 4 March | Book launch: The Security Sector and Health Crises The book launch of The Security Sector and Health Crises draws lessons from experts on the West African Ebola crisis to highlight opportunities for cooperation between health and security sectors to better address global health emergencies.

📍 9 March | Tech4Growth Health As the first in the “TFV – Networking Events Series 2021-2024,” this event will highlight the importance of partnerships between technology startups and corporations in the health sector.