World Health Organisation

Low risk of Nipah virus beyond India, no travel curbs as of now: WHO

WHO says risk of Nipah virus spreading from India is low and sees no need for travel or trade curbs after two reported infections

Updated On: 30 Jan 2026 | 4:57 PM IST

Antimicrobial sales growth set to temper in 2026 over govt's AMR push

Stricter rules to curb antimicrobial resistance may limit antibiotic sales growth in 2026, as India tightens OTC use and pushes prescription-led, responsible consumption

Updated On: 26 Jan 2026 | 10:49 PM IST

Reasons cited for US decision to withdraw are 'untrue': WHO chief

In a post on X, the WHO Chief hailed the contributions of the United States, a founding member of the WHO, which played a significant role in many of the WHO's greatest achievements

Updated On: 25 Jan 2026 | 10:33 AM IST

US walks away from WHO leaving behind $260 million in unpaid dues

The withdrawal notice left the health organisation without its top donor. Between 2022 and 2023, the US contributed nearly $1.3 billion to the WHO

Updated On: 23 Jan 2026 | 9:21 AM IST

How US withdrawal from WHO may affect global health powers, disease threats

The withdrawal is set to take effect this week, although WHO officials may not officially accept it because the US has unpaid dues from the last two years

Updated On: 21 Jan 2026 | 12:22 PM IST

Centre to restrict cough syrup sales by unlicensed village pharmacists

Draft amendments propose removing "syrup" from Schedule K exemptions, tightening over-the-counter sales in small villages after Madhya Pradesh cough syrup deaths

Updated On: 31 Dec 2025 | 10:12 PM IST

Explained: How India handles pollution and what WHO air guidelines say

The government says India sets its own air quality standards and does not follow WHO guidelines; cities are ranked under NCAP, with top performers rewarded annually

Updated On: 12 Dec 2025 | 11:45 AM IST

India sets own air standards, WHO guidelines not binding, says govt

The government on Thursday told Parliament that global air quality rankings cited by various organisations are not conducted by any official authority and that the World Health Organisation's (WHO) air quality guidelines serve only as advisory values, not binding standards. Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha on India's position in global indices such as IQAir's World Air Quality Ranking, the WHO Global Air Quality Database, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) and the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) metrics, the Environment Ministry said no official country-wise pollution ranking is carried out worldwide. Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said the WHO's guidelines are meant to help countries set their own standards, taking into account geography, environmental conditions, background levels and national circumstances. He said India has already notified its National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 12 pollutants to protect public health and ..

Updated On: 11 Dec 2025 | 2:28 PM IST

WHO issues first guidelines backing GLP-1 drugs for obesity management

WHO has issued its first guidelines recommending GLP-1 drugs for long-term obesity treatment in adults, while stressing equitable access, health system readiness and lifestyle support

Updated On: 02 Dec 2025 | 8:39 PM IST

TB-free India is a distant goal as national plan struggles to meet targets

Country's share in global TB burden narrowed from 27% in 2015 to 25% in 2024 but it still has the most cases in the world

Updated On: 21 Nov 2025 | 11:59 AM IST

India still has a long way to go in curbing toxic cough syrup, says WHO

The children died after taking the Coldrif cough medicine made by Sresan Pharma, which tests showed contained the toxin diethylene glycol in quantities nearly 500 times the permissible limit

Updated On: 21 Oct 2025 | 3:33 PM IST

WHO alert on cough syrups, Haryana IPS office suicide, Bihar assembly polls & more top

The World Health Organisation has issued an alert on three substandard cough syrups made in India- Coldrif, Respifresh TR, and ReLife. This comes after at least 22 children died in Madhya Pradesh

Updated On: 14 Oct 2025 | 7:25 PM IST
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Drug regulator begins pan-Indian inspection of cough syrup makers

The regulator has sought a list of cough syrup manufacturers from all states and UTs following reports of toxic contaminants linked to child deaths in Madhya Pradesh

Updated On: 09 Oct 2025 | 10:26 PM IST

WHO flags surge in drug-resistant bacteria, warns of innovation crisis

Beyond the lack of new and innovative drugs, significant gaps remain in the types of treatments available

Updated On: 05 Oct 2025 | 9:06 AM IST

WHO & UNICEF warn billions still lack basic services in health facilities

A UN report on progress in universal access to water, sanitation, hygiene and health care facilities shows that billions of people still visit health care facilities that lack the basics services

Updated On: 25 Sep 2025 | 3:18 PM IST

WHO, EU dismiss Trump's claim that Tylenol in pregnancy causes autism

After Donald Trump claimed that Tylenol (paracetamol) use in pregnancy may cause autism, WHO and the European Medicines Agency stressed that the evidence is inconsistent and the drug remains safe

Updated On: 23 Sep 2025 | 11:15 PM IST

ICMR study shows improved nutrition's impact in curbing TB; WHO agrees

A study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has demonstrated the impact of improved nutrition in reducing tuberculosis cases and fatalities, with the WHO incorporating the findings into updated global guidance on controlling the disease. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of nutritional supplementation on tuberculosis incidence in household contacts of adults with microbiologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis. Household contacts of 2,800 patients with microbiologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis across 28 units of the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme in four districts of Jharkhand were enrolled for this field-based, open-label, cluster-randomised controlled trial. The study, published by The Lancet, said that in India, tuberculosis and undernutrition are syndemic, with a high burden of TB coexisting with a high burden of undernutrition in patients and in the population. In a post on X on August 7, ICMR said the WHO has recogni

Updated On: 20 Aug 2025 | 7:38 AM IST

Canine concerns: Municipalities ignore cost-effective, structured solutions

The Supreme Court's order amplifies justifiable concerns. But it is likely to fail because it betrays a misunderstanding of municipal capabilities and the dynamics of dog population control

Updated On: 12 Aug 2025 | 10:28 PM IST

WHO approves injectable HIV drug lenacapavir for high-risk communities

Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis, has been recommended by the WHO to help protect high-risk groups, as global HIV prevention efforts face funding setbacks

Updated On: 15 Jul 2025 | 2:31 PM IST

14 million children did not receive a single vaccine in 2024, says UN

More than 14 million children did not receive a single vaccine last year about the same number as the year before according to UN health officials. Nine countries accounted for more than half of those unprotected children. In their annual estimate of global vaccine coverage, released Tuesday, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said about 89 per cent of children under one year old got a first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine in 2024, the same as in 2023. About 85 per cent completed the three-dose series, up from 84 per cent in 2023. Officials acknowledged, however, that the collapse of international aid this year will make it more difficult to reduce the number of unprotected children. In January, US President Trump withdrew the country from the WHO, froze nearly all humanitarian aid and later moved to close the US AID Agency. And last month, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said it was pulling the billions of dollars the US had previously ...

Updated On: 15 Jul 2025 | 7:24 AM IST