Category: Development

The findings add to increasing evidence of the health consequences of air pollution from petroleum extraction and refining. Types of cancer risk The review identified an increased risk of mesothelioma, skin melanoma, multiple myeloma, and cancers of the prostate and urinary bladder, and conversely, decreased risk of cancers of the oesophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, and pancreas. Offshore petroleum work was… Read More

Nearly 5.7 million new cases were reported in the last seven-day period, above previous highs, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest coronavirus update published late Tuesday.  The number of deaths from the virus also increased – now for the sixth consecutive week – with more than 87,000 confirmed victims.  Southeast Asia spike  All parts of the world reported falling numbers of infections, apart from Southeast Asia and Western Pacific regions.  And… Read More

The world of work has been upended by COVID-19, and the effects are likely to be long-lasting. Before the pandemic, there were some 260 million home-based workers (not including domestic or care workers). The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that figure could have doubled, with as many as one in three workers remote working in North America and Europe, and one… Read More

A new report by the ILO, released to mark World Day for Safety and Health at Work, found that 7,000 health workers have died since the outbreak of the crisis, while 136 million health and social care workers are at risk of contracting COVID-19 through work. The document, Anticipate, prepare and respond to crises. Invest now in resilient OSH (Occupation… Read More

“Even before the pandemic, there were worrying signs that we were beginning to lose ground in the fight against preventable child illness, with 20 million children already missing out on critical vaccinations”, said Henrietta Fore, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director.  According to UNICEF, disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020 meant that vaccine deliveries fell from… Read More

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert offered her deepest condolences to the families of the scores of people who lost their lives during a blaze that erupted at the Ibn Khatib hospital on Saturday night and wished the 100-plus injured a full and speedy recovery. According to reports, the accident was caused by the explosion of an oxygen tank. Tragedy in the making  Iraq’s… Read More

“We commend all countries that have reached the ambitious target of zero malaria”, said Secretary-General António Guterres.   “Together, they are showing the world that a malaria-free future is possible”.  Tomorrow is #WorldMalariaDay. The world has made great progress in reducing malaria cases & deaths, but the pace has stalled in many high #malaria burden African countries. Professor Francis Omaswa?? shares… Read More

The study was released to mark the first anniversary of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, and was launched at a commemorative event held online.  “One year after the launch of the ACT Accelerator, world leaders face a choice: invest in saving lives by treating the cause of the pandemic everywhere, now, or continue to spend trillions on the… Read More

There are some signs of progress however: in 2020, countries surveyed reported that, on average, about half of essential health services were disrupted. In the first 3 months of 2021, that figure had dropped to just over one third of services. Overcoming disruptions Many countries have now stepped up efforts to mitigate disruptions. These include informing the public about changes to… Read More

The contribution from her foundation to the WHO Foundation will support the COVAX Facility to provide vaccines to people in need and comes as cases worldwide rose for an eighth consecutive week.  Speaking during WHO’s regular media briefing from Geneva, she urged the international community to address the “tragedy” of vaccine inequity, describing COVAX as the best path forward to… Read More