Category: Health Advice

Remarks by Dr Ibrahima Socé Fall, World Health Organization Assistant Director-General, Emergency Response Good afternoon.  I hope that your busy week was interrupted, like mine, with a moment of joy on Tuesday. That moment was the celebration of a woman being discharged from an Ebola treatment centre in Beni. Her name is Masika. She was the last person in the… Read More

Today, the World Health Organization announced that a new pathogen, a member of the coronavirus family never before seen in humans, is the cause of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The speed at which this virus was identified is the result of the close international collaboration of 13 laboratories from 10 countries. While many lines of evidence have found strong… Read More

Today, the World Health Organization is removing Taiwan, China, from the list of areas with recent local transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Taiwan is the last area to be removed from the list. It has been 20 days, or two consecutive 10-day incubation periods, since the last case on June 15. Based on country surveillance reports, the human… Read More

A statue commemorating the 30th anniversary of the eradication of smallpox is being unveiled today in front of the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters by the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr Margaret Chan. Prior to eradication, smallpox epidemics were common in many countries, leaving death, blindness and disfigurement behind. The eradication of this devastating, infectious disease has been… Read More

The people of Iraq are in urgent need of better health care and their situation is deteriorating by the day. The UN has today appealed for at least $325 million in emergency funds to meet the immediate health, nutrition, water and sanitation needs of the most vulnerable populations. Out of this amount, the World Health Organization urgently appeals for $185… Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic is straining health systems worldwide. The rapidly increasing demand on health facilities and health care workers threatens to leave some health systems overstretched and unable to operate effectively. Previous outbreaks have demonstrated that when health systems are overwhelmed, mortality from vaccine-preventable and other treatable conditions can also increase dramatically. During the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak, the increased number… Read More

FIFA has joined forces with the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in supporting the #BeActive campaign launched on the UN International Day of Sport for Development and Peace to encourage people to be #HealthyAtHome as the world comes together in the fight against COVID-19, today and every day. WHO recommends all healthy adults do at least… Read More

‘One World: Together At Home’ global special to air on Saturday, 18 April 2020 in celebration and support of healthcare workers, broadcast to feature real experiences from doctors, nurses and families around the world. Powered by commitments from supporters and corporate partners in benefit of the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, Broadcast special to also benefit local and regional charities that… Read More

The Covid-19 pandemic underscores the urgent need to strengthen the global health workforce. A new report, The State of the World’s Nursing 2020, provides an in-depth look at the largest component of the health workforce. Findings identify important gaps in the nursing workforce and priority areas for investment in nursing education, jobs, and leadership to strengthen nursing around the world and improve… Read More

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact across the world. Efforts to contain the coronavirus are vital to the health of the world’s population, but they are also exposing children to increased risk of violence – including maltreatment, gender-based violence and sexual exploitation. As leaders of organisations committed to ending violence against children, we come together in solidarity to… Read More