Tag: Health News

Product type: All in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDs) for detection of SARS-CoV-2 Date: 18 January 2021                                                                    WHO-identifier: 2021/01, version 1   Target audience: Laboratory professionals and users of IVDs.   Purpose of this notice: To request that IVD users monitor mutations of SARS-CoV-2 and their impact on diagnosis.  Description of the problem:  Following the detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants containing mutations, including SARS-CoV-2 VOC 202012/01, and SARS-CoV-2 501Y.V2, WHO reminds users of IVDs to monitor detection rates for SARS-CoV-2 at their site.   IVD users should routinely review test results to detect unexpected increases or decreases in… Read More

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General As people around the world celebrated New Year’s Eve 12 months ago, a new global threat emerged. Since that moment, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken so many lives and caused massive disruption to families, societies and economies all over the world. But it also triggered the fastest and most wide-reaching response to a… Read More

The Behavioural Insights Unit of the WHO released a meeting report of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on the special session on acceptance and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines, held on 15 October 2020. The meeting report outlines the factors that drive people’s behaviour in relation to vaccine acceptance and uptake: an enabling environment, social influences and motivation.  The image above… Read More

Global partners that are committed to ending paediatric AIDS have come together to call on countries to rapidly scale up access to optimal, child-friendly HIV treatment for infants and children. The partners include the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis… Read More

National bans on highly hazardous pesticides can be a cost-effective and affordable intervention for reducing suicide deaths in countries with a high burden of suicides attributable to pesticides, according to a new study published in The Lancet Global Health today. The exploratory economic analysis, one of the first to examine the cost-effectiveness of implementing a population-based, suicide prevention intervention in… Read More

COVAX now has agreements in place to access nearly two billion doses of several promising vaccine candidates, and laid the groundwork for further doses to be secured through contributions from donors These agreements mean that all COVAX’s 190 participating and eligible economies will be able to access doses to protect vulnerable groups in the first half of 2021. At least… Read More

17 December 2020 –  At least 14% of all people aged 60 years and over  ̶-  more than 142 million people  ̶- are currently unable to meet all their basic daily needs according to the Baseline report for the Decade of Healthy Ageing, released by the World Health Organization today.   The Baseline report brings together data available for measuring… Read More

The JRA OT provides a step-wise approach for joint qualitative risk assessment A multisectoral, One Health approach is necessary to address complex health threats at the human-animal-environment interface. Since 2017, the Tripartite (FAO-OIE-WHO) has led a technical area working group for the development and pilot of the Joint Risk Assessment Operational Tool (JRA OT), an implementation tool associated with the… Read More

We are pleased to announce that a new Tripartite operational tool is available to support countries in the implementation of joint risk assessments for zoonoses, complementing the existing Tripartite Zoonoses Guide. The Operational Tool on Joint Risk Assessment (JRA OT) has been developed by the Tripartite organisations (FAO, OIE and WHO) and technical experts to provide guidance on how to set up a joint risk assessment process at national level. While it describes step-by-step how to conduct each component of the… Read More

Healthcare workers in tropical and sub-tropical settings where strongyloidiasis is prevalent or caring for patients who have travelled to such areas, need to maintain a high level of awareness about the use of corticosteroids, including when this class of anti-inflammatories is given to patients suspected of infection with SARS-CoV-2. Strongyloidiasis – a parasitic worm infection – is estimated to affect… Read More