Ending the neglect to attain the Sustainable Development Goals: a road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030 sets out global targets and actions to align and re-focus the work of countries, partners and stakeholders during the next decade, including cross-cutting targets aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals. Several countries and non-state actors spoke of the importance of tackling NTDs, strengthening… Read More

Measles surged worldwide in 2019 reaching highest number of reported cases in 23 years. Highlighted in a publication by WHO and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), measles cases worldwide increased to 869 770 in 2019, the highest number reported since 1996 with increases in all WHO regions. Global measles deaths climbed nearly 50 percent since 2016, claiming… Read More

WHO today listed the nOPV2 vaccine (Bio Farma, Indonesia) for emergency use to address the rising cases of a vaccine-derived polio strain in a number of African and East Mediterranean countries. Countries in WHO’s Western Pacific and South-East Asia regions are also affected by these outbreaks. The emergency use listing, or EUL, is the first of its kind for a vaccine and… Read More

On the occasion of the launch of the Global Strategy for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer,  adopted by the World Health Assembly in November 2020, PAHO/WHO is organizing a regional event to present this global strategy, and review progress with the Regional Action Plan on the Prevention and Control of Cervical Cancer. This event will also be an opportunity to exchange… Read More

The family of Henrietta Lacks is celebrating the 100 year anniversary of her birth.  As part of their Centennial celebration, they are supporting the global movement to eliminate cervical cancer and hosting exciting events in the United States to mark the launch of the global strategy. Watch Henrietta Lacks Centennial conversation with Dr Princess Nothemba Simelea on HELA100 website Source… Read More

Today as WHO launches the Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, the first estimates of the contribution of HIV to the global cervical cancer burden are also being released.  Women living with HIV have a six-fold increased risk of cervical cancer when compared to women without HIV. This higher risk is manifested throughout the lifecycle starting with… Read More

More than one year on across the pilot countries of Ghana, Kenya and Malawi, more than 1 million doses of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine have been administered, and an estimated 480,000 children have received their first dose of vaccine in childhood vaccination and should benefit from this additional malaria prevention. Kenya marked its 1st anniversary of the launch of the… Read More

WHO‘s Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, launched today, outlines three key steps: vaccination, screening and treatment. Successful implementation of all three could reduce more than 40% of new cases of the disease and 5 million related deaths by 2050. Today’s development represents a historic milestone because it marks the first time that 194 countries commit to… Read More

A new WHO Certification Programme for Trans Fat Elimination aims to recognize countries that have eliminated industrially produced trans-fatty acids (TFA) from their national food supplies. This is the first-ever certification programme that will recognize countries for their efforts to eliminate one of the main risk factors for noncommunicable diseases and protect their populations from premature death. Increased TFA intake… Read More