Almost all international support came to a halt, and it seemed certain that for health workers in lifesaving facilities throughout the crisis-wracked nation, and the millions they serve, things would only get worse. But then, as one midwife* recalled, in testimony exclusively supplied to UN News, the support started coming, thanks to a groundbreaking new agreement led by the UN’s… Read More

Based on a scenario where around seven billion people need two doses of coronavirus vaccine between now and 2023, the UN health agency said that a shortage of at least one billion syringes “could occur”, if manufacturing does not pick up. Lisa Hedman, WHO Senior Advisor, from the Access to Medicines and Health Products division, warned that a generation of… Read More

The 2021 WHO health and climate change global survey report, which covers 95 countries, found only around a quarter have been able to fully implement national health and climate change plans or strategies.  Other major barriers to progress include the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as insufficient human resources.  Biggest threat to health  The report was launched at… Read More

The warning came from WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking to journalists in Geneva on Thursday.   More than 5 million deaths have now been reported, and WHO believes the real number is higher. More than 50,000 people are losing their lives every week.   In the last seven days, 56 countries, from all regions, reported an increase in deaths of more than 10 per cent.   Tedros highlighted… Read More

COVAXIN, made by Indian company Bharat Biotech, has received WHO emergency use listing (EUL), meaning it could soon be available to millions worldwide.  Glad to see one more vaccine, #Covaxin, being granted @WHO emergency use listing. The more products we have to fight #COVID19, the better, but we must keep up the pressure to deliver #VaccinEquity & prioritize access to… Read More

Group B streptococcus (GBS), which can be transmitted in the womb, is linked to around 150,000 deaths of babies each year, more than half a million preterm births and significant long-term disability.  The report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) updates estimates from 2017, revealing that the global burden of… Read More

In a statment to mark International Drug Users’ Day, UNAIDS said action is needed to address the negative effect criminalization has on HIV, viral hepatitis and other health issues.  The day, commemorated annually on 1 November, affirms the rights of this population.    “UNAIDS calls for the full involvement of communities of people who use drugs in achieving legal reform… Read More

In a statement issued to mark the crossing of this “painful threshold”, the UN chief said the “devastating milestone reminds us that we are failing much of the world. While wealthy countries are rolling out third doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, only about five per cent of the people in Africa are fully vaccinated.”   Our world has reached another… Read More

As a storyteller at the Minamata Disease Municipal Museum, Mr. Ogata helps to keep alive the memory of what is considered to be one of the most serious Japanese pollution incidents of the Twentieth Century. The incident was caused by the release of toxic chemicals from an industrial plant, which accumulated in shellfish and fish, and were then eaten by… Read More

The funding for the Access to COVID Tools (ACT) Accelerator – the UN-backed global initiative to end the pandemic – is critical to prevent some five million additional potential deaths, as well as $5.3 trillion in global economic losses.  “This weekend, the leaders of the @g20org countries will meet in Rome. Together, these countries have the ability to make the… Read More