Category: Health Advice

While welcoming recent successes in eliminating common conditions such as trachoma in eight countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted evidence indicating that eye problems are increasingly linked to lifestyle choices, including screen time. Youngsters are among those at risk, WHO’s Dr Alarcos Cieza told journalists in Geneva: “In children, one of the factors that may influence the increased number… Read More

With 18 countries and the European Union now having ratified the amended treaty, from a total of 51 who have signed, including many of the countries which are part of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the official entry into force marks an important step to curb pollutants closely-linked to climate change, ecosystem degeneration, and potentially life-threatening human health.   The Gothenburg Protocol, established back in 1999, sets forth legally-binding emissions reduction commitments for 2020 and beyond, for major… Read More

Major organizations from the world of sport are joining an increasing number of private sector businesses in the race to beat global warming. At the United Nations’ COP24 conference in Poland on Wednesday, 17 major players representing sporting bodies, athletes and fans, added their names to the collective scoreboard, with the launch of the Sports Climate Action Framework. Read More

The outbreak began in August 2018 and is the largest and longest running that the DRC has experienced, with more than 3,000 cases and  2,137 deaths.  The latest figures released by WHO on Friday for the week ending 1 October, showed  20 new confirmed cases reported in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, versus 29 in the previous week. The agency said this… Read More

Under FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme, the project will work to fight the spread of Fusarium wilt, a fungal plant disease that can wipe out plantations of banana crops, upon which millions of people depend for their livelihoods.   FAO assistant chief and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Julio Berdegué, stressed that “the role of bananas in providing food and household income in this region cannot be understated.”  … Read More

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), made the appeal on Tuesday upon completion of a visit to the island nation. “It breaks my heart to see the devastation to communities and families who have lost friends and loved ones as well as their homes, possessions and access to crucial services,” he said. “Hurricane Dorian is another… Read More

So far, there have been 215 confirmed cases, including eight deaths, since an outbreak was declared in Blue Nile state on 8 September. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN children’s fund, UNICEF, will support an oral cholera vaccination campaign aimed at covering 1.6 million people there and in neighbouring Sinnar state. The first round is expected to start… Read More

“It’s not over, until it’s over” said Tedros Adhanom Gheybreyesus, speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, after a meeting co-hosted by WHO and the DRC Government, on the margins of the UN General Assembly, bringing together regional ministers for health, on Ebola preparedness and response. Huge thanks to my brother @SecAzar & the government of the ??… Read More

In the wake of Monday’s universal health commitments, WHO chief Tedros Adhammom Ghebryesus said the document would serve as “a new milestone in our journey towards a healthier, safer and fairer world”, dovetailing with the launch of the agency’s own pledge to boost healthier living.  “World leaders have unified around a shared vision of the world we want”, he said. “ Today, the international health community is doing the same”, introducing the WHO Global Action Plan for health.  Speaking to health… Read More

During a meeting of heads of State, ministers, health leaders, policy-makers, and universal health coverage champions, the UN chief called UHC “the most comprehensive agreement ever reached on global health – a vision for Universal Health Coverage by 2030”. World leaders made the public commitment during the meeting at the beginning of the high level week of the UN General… Read More