Tag: Health News

On 26 January 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) validated Saudi Arabia for having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem1, making it the fourth country in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region to achieve this milestone. “This is a remarkable achievement that has saved people from preventable visual impairment or blindness. It is about improving quality of life and well-being,” said… Read More

As part of its on-going work to track variants, WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) met yesterday to discuss the latest evidence on the Omicron variant of concern, including its sublineages BA.1 and BA.2. Based on available data of transmission, severity, reinfection, diagnostics, therapeutics and impacts of vaccines, the group reinforced that the BA.2 sublineage should continue… Read More

The World Health Organization (WHO), the Republic of Korea and the WHO Academy today announced the establishment of a global biomanufacturing training hub that will serve all low- and middle-income countries wishing to produce biologicals, such as vaccines, insulin, monoclonal antibodies and cancer treatments. The move comes after the successful establishment of a global mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in… Read More

During the crisis in Ukraine, health must remain a priority pillar of the humanitarian response, with health systems and facilities remaining protected, functional, safe and accessible to all who need essential medical services, and health workers protected so they can continue to save lives. This must include the safe and reliable provision of essential medical supplies, including life-saving medicinal oxygen… Read More

Geneva, 25 February 2022 – On the occasion of the Human Rights Council, Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, Honourable Nanaia Mahuta, met for the first time with Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. The objective of the meeting, which took place at the WHO headquarters, was to discuss New Zealand’s continued strategic, technical and financial support to the… Read More

In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%, according to a scientific brief released by the World Health Organization (WHO) today. The brief also highlights who has been most affected and summarizes the effect of the pandemic on the availability of mental health services and how this has changed… Read More

World leaders and experts today called for global action to reduce antimicrobial pollution recognising this as critical to combatting rising levels of drug resistance and protecting the environment. The Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance today called on all countries to reduce the amount of antimicrobial waste entering the environment. This includes researching and implementing measures to safely dispose of antimicrobial… Read More

The World Health Organization (WHO) is deeply concerned for the health of the people of Ukraine in the escalating crisis. The health system must continue to function to deliver essential care to people for all health issues, from COVID-19 to cancer, diabetes and tuberculosis, to mental health issues, especially for vulnerable groups such as older persons and migrants. Maximum care… Read More

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the recommendations for the viral composition of influenza vaccines for the 2022-2023 influenza season in the northern hemisphere. The announcement was made at an information session at the end of a 4-day Information Meeting on the Composition of Influenza Virus Vaccines, a meeting that is held twice annually. The WHO organizes these consultations… Read More

On 15 January 2022, a shipment of 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Rwanda included the billionth dose supplied via COVAX. Together with our partners, COVAX is leading the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history, with deliveries to 144 countries to date. But the work that has gone into this milestone is only a reminder of the work that… Read More