Constitutional rights shape public health policy

Members discussed review processes, monitoring and the fund’s administrative arrangements.

The 28 January meeting established processes rather than documenting completed disease elimination.

The Constitutional Court held that restrictions on nevirapine for preventing mother-to-child transmission were unreasonable.

The case backed demands that public facilities provide treatment where medically indicated.

The ruling addressed government limits on providing nevirapine to pregnant women with HIV.

An international consortium announced completion of the original project goals.

The essentially completed genome gave researchers a foundation for studying human variation and disease.

The announcement followed large-scale cooperation among publicly funded sequencing centers.

Completion was a scientific milestone, not a claim that all genes or diseases had been fully understood.

Member states unanimously adopted the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.