Category: Development

The guidance provides a joined-up approach for responding to the threat or arrival of any respiratory pathogen such as flu or the range of coronaviruses, that have the ability to rapidly mutate into different variants. The new Preparedness and Resilience for Emerging Threats Initiative, or PRET, incorporates the latest tools and approaches for shared learning and collective action established during the COVID-19 pandemic, and… Read More

This is particularly vital during key life stages such as pregnancy and lactation, childhood, adolescence and older age, says the study, entitled  Contribution of terrestrial animal source food to healthy diets for improved nutrition and health outcomes. Comprehensive analysis It’s the most comprehensive analysis yet of the benefits and risks of consuming animal source foods and is based on data and evidence from more than 500 scientific papers and… Read More

“We have the tools to drive down malaria, a package of interventions that includes vector control, preventive medicines, testing, and treatment,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). Adopting as its theme for the day – “Time to deliver zero malaria: invest, innovate, implement” – WHO’s call to action encompasses preventing, diagnosing, and treating malaria, particularly… Read More

Under the banner of ‘The Big Catch-Up’, WHO – the World Health Organization – and partners will support countries to get back on track so that more children and adults are protected from preventable diseases.  The pandemic saw essential immunization levels decrease in over 100 countries, leading to rising outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, polio and yellow fever. An estimated 25… Read More

Hopes are running high of an end to the intense fighting between a Saudi-backed coalition standing alongside Government forces, and Houthi rebels and their allies, which since 2015 has led the near total collapse of the economy, with tens of thousands killed, and 21.6 million in need of humanitarian assistance and protection this year, according to the UN. “Nevertheless, the… Read More

In its State of the World’s Children 2023 report, UNICEF says that vaccination coverage levels decreased in 112 countries during the pandemic, “the largest sustained backslide in childhood immunization in 30 years”. According to the agency, a rise in misleading information on vaccines is one of the factors at play. UNICEF’s Executive Director Catherine Russell said that while at the… Read More

“The focus of the mission was to enhance the capacity of the early warning alert and response network (EWARN) and ensure rapid detection, verification and response to communicable diseases alerts and outbreaks”, the WHO office for the Eastern Mediterranean said in a statement issued on Thursday. They identified areas in preparedness and response that needed strengthening, said WHO, and carried out several… Read More

Instead of instituting these measures, policy and law makers must work to empower women to achieve their individual reproductive goals. Speaking to UN News, Marielle Sander, the Fund’s Resident Representative in Papua New Guinea, explained why the current global population of 8 billion marks an opportunity for a broader conversation on how to make reproductive choices simpler for families and… Read More

Marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by the blood-borne disease, which can cause serious liver damage and cancer when left untreated, according to Unitaid, a global health agency hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO).  The funding will support the integration of hepatitis C testing and treatment within harm reduction programmes in 10 countries and trial the use of two products… Read More

“UNITAID calls upon the global health community and governments to make Chagas disease a priority and support ongoing efforts to prevent mother-to-child transmission and improve access to tests and treatments,” said Herve Verhoosel, UNITAID’s head of communication. “Together, by integrating it into primary health care and systematically screening mothers and babies, we can make Chagas a disease of the past,”… Read More