Health Advice Lifestyle 

Childhood immunization begins recovery after COVID-19 backslide

Global immunization services reached 4 million more children in 2022 compared to the previous year, as countries stepped up efforts to address the historic backsliding in immunization caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data published today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, in 2022, 20.5 million children missed out on one or more vaccines delivered through routine… Read More
Health Advice Lifestyle 

Africa CDC, WHO and RKI Launch a Health Security Partnership to Strengthen Disease Surveillance in Africa

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) today launched a Health Security Partnership to Strengthen Disease Surveillance and Epidemic Intelligence in Africa. The partnership aims to strengthen Africa’s health security capabilities in the areas of biosecurity, integrated disease surveillance, event-based surveillance, genomic surveillance, and epidemic intelligence.… Read More
Development Health Advice 

Spike in dengue cases due to global warming, warns WHO

“About half of the world’s population is at risk of dengue, and dengue affects approximately 129 countries,” said Dr Raman Velayudhan, WHO’s Head of the Global Programme on control of Neglected Tropical Diseases. “We estimate that about 100 to 400 million cases are reported every year. This is basically an estimate and the American region alone has reported about 2.8 million… Read More
Development Health Advice 

Lies about pandemic accord endangering future generations: WHO chief

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
Health Advice Lifestyle 

122 million more people pushed into hunger since 2019 due to multiple crises, reveals UN report

Over 122 million more people are facing hunger in the world since 2019 due to the pandemic and repeated weather shocks and conflicts, including the war in Ukraine, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published today jointly by five United Nations specialized agencies.  If trends remain as they are, the Sustainable… Read More
Development Health Advice 

‘Low risk’ for humans, as cats in Poland test positive for avian influenza

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
Development Health Advice 

Global immunisation rates show sign of post-pandemic rebound

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
Health Advice Lifestyle 

Ongoing avian influenza outbreaks in animals pose risk to humans

The current outbreaks of avian influenza (also called “bird flu”) have caused devastation in animal populations, including poultry, wild birds, and some mammals, and harmed farmers’ livelihoods and the food trade. Although largely affecting animals, these outbreaks pose ongoing risks to humans.  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World… Read More
Health Advice Lifestyle 

Aspartame hazard and risk assessment results released

Assessments of the health impacts of the non-sugar sweetener aspartame are released today by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Citing “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans, IARC classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans (IARC Group 2B)… Read More
Development Health Advice 

Aspartame sweetener ‘possibly’ cancer-causing, WHO agency reports

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