“There is a risk that the hard-earned gains of the AIDS response will be sacrificed to the fight against COVID-19, but the right to health means that no one disease should be fought at the expense of the other”, said Winnie Byanyima, the head of UNAIDS, the UN agency dedicated to tackling the disease, and eradicating it by 2030.  Projections… Read More

The Latin American response Several Latin American municipalities have been taking action to minimise the consequences of lockdown measures, and ensure that food systems do not break down, as work dries up.  In Quito, Ecuador, for example, authorities are using municipal buses as mobile food hubs, following the example of the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the pandemic is believed… Read More

Kai Bussant was interviewed by UN News in December 2019 as part of an International Labour Organization (ILO) photography project called “Dignity at Work: the American Experience”. She has since left her job as a milliner to launch her own fashion brand. UN News caught up with Kai Bussant during the ongoing lockdown to ask how the fallout from the… Read More

#OnThisDay 40 years ago, #smallpox was made history. It’s the only human disease to be eradicated so far. A lesson we must take is: when the ? unites behind science and public health measures we can defeat diseases and protect lives and livelihoods. pic.twitter.com/9GgNwtI0wg — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 8, 2020 The eradication “stands as the greatest public… Read More

Since the respiratory disease emerged in central China in late December, health officials have raced to locate where and how the virus was first transmitted from its animal host to humans. “It would be of great help if we could get hold of the #virus before it adapted to humans because then we would better understand how it evolved &… Read More

They are creating public service announcements, songs and music videos as part of an online campaign called #DontGoViral which has already reached more than 90 million people in the past week alone. “The success of the DontGoViral campaign underlines the resilience and creativity of women and men on the African Continent to harness the power of cultural diversity to effectively… Read More

“Health is the new wealth,” António Vitorino insisted, citing proposals by some countries to introduce so-called immunity passports and use mobile phone apps that are designed to prevent the spread of new coronavirus. The IOM Director General also warned that in future, even more onerous health-related travel restrictions might discriminate disproportionately against migrant workers. “In lots of countries in the… Read More

The updated Global Humanitarian Response Plan, launched on Thursday, provides help and protection that prioritize the most vulnerable in society, such as older people, people with disabilities, and women and girls. From establishing supply chains to spreading info on how to stay healthy, learn more about how the @UN & NGO’s are driving a global humanitarian response to #COVID19 in… Read More

New mothers and their babies are facing systems in crisis, including overwhelmed health centres; supply and equipment shortages; and a lack of skilled birth attendants, including midwives.  “Millions of mothers all over the world embarked on a journey of parenthood in the world as it was”, said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.  “They now must prepare to bring a life… Read More

“But these are not just numbers – every single case is a mother, a father, a son, a daughter, a brother, sister or friend”, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General. The global caseload for COVID-19 has surpassed 3.5 million, with nearly 250,000 deaths. “As more & more countries consider how to ease so-called lockdown restrictions, I want to reiterate… Read More