Category: Development

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, cautioned that just as mis- and disinformation undermined the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, they are undermining efforts “to keep the world safer from future pandemics.” He drew comparisons with the efforts by the tobacco industry to derail negotiations at the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. “The same thing is happening now. Groups… Read More

As of Wednesday, 12 July, no human contacts of A(H5N1) positive cats have reported any symptoms, the UN health agency said, adding that the surveillance period for all contacts has now complete. National first There have been previous “sporadic” cases of what is more commonly referred to as the bird flu virus, but the cases in Poland are the first… Read More

Global immunisation services reached four million more children in 2022, compared with the previous year as countries increase efforts meant to combat the historic backsliding in immunisation triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Millions missing out Data published by the UN agencies on Monday reveal that, in 2022, 20.5 million children failed to receive one or more diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis… Read More

The joint assessment from WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), which is part of WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization, represents the first public intervention by the UN health agency on the widely used sweetener. Aspartame has been used in multiple food and beverage products since the 1980s,… Read More

That’s the message from UNAIDS, the UN agency dedicated to ending the epidemic, which said on Thursday that truly eradicating it boils down to a “political and financial choice”.  The agency’s Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima, said that today’s leaders have the opportunity to save millions of lives and be “remembered by future generations” as those who put a stop to… Read More

The RTS,S vaccine has been administered to more than 1.6 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi since 2019 and has been shown to be safe and effective. It has resulted in a substantial reduction in severe malaria and a fall in child deaths. A top killer WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said malaria remains one of Africa’s deadliest diseases,… Read More

“Aggressive and pervasive marketing of foods and beverages high in fats, sugars, and salt to children is responsible for unhealthy dietary choices,” said Dr. Francesco Branca, Director of the UN health agency’s Department of Nutrition and Food Safety. “Calls to responsible marketing practices have not had a meaningful impact.” As such, he said governments should establish strong and comprehensive regulations.… Read More

“If we want a healthy world, then it needs to be a kind and welcoming one too,” said Benedict Phillips, the UNAIDS Director of Communications and Global Advocacy. That means ensuring all communities are included, especially marginalized groups, he said. However, in many countries, stigma, discrimination, and criminalization tend to make transgender people invisible, with extreme forms of discrimination leading to… Read More

Speaking from Kinshasa, Dr. Jorge Castilla, WHO’s Senior Emergency Officer, told journalists at the regular briefing in Geneva there had been a major increase in displacement due to ongoing violence fuelled by armed groups, leaving around 7.4 million in need of health assistance. Disease and displacement Since March 2022, almost three million people have been forced from their homes in… Read More

The report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and Children’s Fund UNICEF find that the first years of a child’s life provide “irreplicable opportunities to improve lifelong health, nutrition and well-being” according to a press release. It tracks progress against the global Nurturing care framework, which provides guidance on supporting the healthy physical, intellectual, and emotional development of young children. Protecting… Read More