Page 3 - World Health Organisation

TB infects around 8 mn people in 2023, highest ever seen, says WHO

More than 8 million people were diagnosed with tuberculosis last year, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, the highest number recorded since the U.N. health agency began keeping track. About 1.25 million people died of TB last year, the new report said, adding that TB likely returned to being the world's top infectious disease killer after being replaced by COVID-19 during the pandemic. The deaths are almost double the number of people killed by HIV in 2023. WHO said TB continues to mostly affect people in Southeast Asia, Africa and the Western Pacific; India, Indonesia, China, the Philippines and Pakistan account for more than half of the world's cases. The fact that TB still kills and sickens so many people is an outrage, when we have the tools to prevent it, detect it and treat it, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. TB deaths continue to fall globally, however, and the number of people being newly infected is beginning to stabilize. The

WHO secures $1 billion for 2025-28, with $700 million in new funding

Germany pledged nearly $400 million over four years, with $260 million in new voluntary funding

Nadda elected as Chairperson of 77th Session of WHO Regional Committee

Ministers of Health and delegates from the region's member states have flown to Delhi to deliberate upon key priorities

WHO approves Abbott's Mpox test for emergency use in outbreak zones

Cases of the clade Ib strain of the virus have been confirmed in Sweden, Thailand, and India, outside of Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring nations

Kerala reports second Mpox case, third in India; strain being analysed

The first Mpox case in India this year involved a man from Haryana, with a less concerning strain. The second case, detected in Kerala, was the first instance of the more concerning clade 1b strain

Govt issues new advisory to states, UTs after first Mpox Clade 1b case

The advisory asks states and UTs to continue undertaking appropriate activities to make communities aware of the disease, its modes of spread, and the need for timely reporting and preventive measures

Unsafe food causes 600 mn illnesses, 420K deaths annually: WHO chief

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday highlighted the critical role of food regulators in combating unsafe food, which causes 600 million cases of foodborne diseases and 4,20,000 deaths annually. In a video message to the second Global Food Regulators Summit in Delhi, Ghebreyesus said, "Our food systems are facing increasing challenges due to climate change, population growth, new technologies, globalisation and industrialisation." He revealed that 70 per cent of fatalities from unsafe food occur among children under five. "The food regulator community has a critical role to play in addressing these global challenges," the WHO Chief said, emphasising the need for coordinated efforts as over 3 million people cannot afford a nutritious diet. Ghebreyesus stressed that collaboration is essential to ensure safe and accessible food for all, as food systems cross borders and continents. Union Health Minister J P Nadda, Food Minister Prahlad Joshi, Health Secretary and

WHO grants first mpox vaccine approval to enhance response in Africa

The World Health Organisation on Friday said it has granted its first authorisation for use of a vaccine against mpox in adults, calling it an important step toward fighting the disease in Africa and beyond. The pre-qualification of the vaccine by Bavarian Nordic A/S means that donors like GAVI the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF can buy it. But supplies are limited because there's only a single manufacturer. This first pre-qualification of a vaccine against mpox is an important step in our fight against the disease, both in the context of the current outbreaks in Africa, and in future, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The UN health agency chief called for urgent scale-up of procurement, donations and rollout to get the vaccine where it is needed most, along with other response measures. Under the WHO authorisation, the vaccine can be administered in people aged 18 or above in a two-dose regimen. The approval says that while the vaccine is not currently licensed fo

Ukraine faces dramatic health crisis ahead of its third winter at war: WHO

The World Health Organisation issued a stark warning on Thursday about a potential health crisis in Ukraine as the country faces its third winter of war since Russia's full-scale invasion. Ongoing Russian airstrikes have severely damaged the nation's energy and health care infrastructure, leaving millions vulnerable as temperatures drop, officials from the United Nations agency said. Ukraine is approaching its third winter amid a full-scale war likely its most challenging yet. The renewed focus on health is more critical than ever, Hans Kluge, the WHO's regional director for Europe, told reporters in Kyiv. Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, the UN agency has recorded nearly 2,000 attacks on Ukraine's health care infrastructure, which it said is having a severe impact on the largely public health system. Targeted attacks have damaged Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Frequent power outages are already taking a toll with danger signs for the winter, Klu

Mpox case confirmed, strain not part of WHO's health emergency: Govt

Union Health Ministry asks states/UT's to review preparedness, increase screening

India reports first suspected mpox case; patient's condition stable

Samples from the patient, put under isolation, currently being tested to confirm presence of the virus

South-east asian nations must take steps to reduce road mishap deaths: WHO

The World Health Organization on Monday called on countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region to accelerate measures to reduce road traffic deaths, a leading cause of mortality among young people aged 15-29. "Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists and two or three-wheelers constitute 66 per cent of all reported road traffic deaths in our region," said Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, in her address at the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (Safety 2024) which began here today. She emphasised that the roads and their networks need to be designed prioritising those most at risk -- children and adolescents, people with disabilities, pedestrians and other vulnerable groups. The WHO South-East Asia Region accounted for 330,223 of the 1.19 million estimated global road traffic deaths in 2021, representing 28 pc of the global burden, the WHO said in a statement. With 70 per cent of the global population projected to live i

India's largest Chandipura outbreak in 20 years with 82 deaths, says WHO

The Ministry of Health recorded 245 AES cases with 82 deaths (33 per cent fatality) in 43 districts from June this year to August 15

Mpox alert: Govt tells airports to stay vigilant, assigns 3 nodal hospitals

Current assessment shows the risk of a large outbreak of the disease, with sustained transmission remains low in India, which has no detected cases of mpox so far

Mpox outbreak spreads in Africa with Burundi reporting 100 cases: WHO

The cases, 28 per cent of which were in children under five, have been reported since July in multiple districts

PM's principal secy holds meeting to review preparedness for Mpox

Prime Minister's Principal Secretary P K Mishra on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness for Mpox amid enhanced surveillance for prompt detection. A statement said there is no reported case of Mpox in the country as of now, and the risk of a large outbreak with sustained transmission is low, as per the current assessment. It may be noted the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in view of its prevalence and spread across many parts of Africa. Prime Minister Narendra Modi continues to monitor the situation, it said. It was briefed during the meeting that Mpox infections are generally self-limiting, lasting between two and four weeks, and its patients usually recover with supportive medical care and management. The Mpox transmission happens through prolonged and close contact with an infected patient. Among the steps taken so far, a meeting of experts was convened by the National Centre

Mpox triggers second global alert in 2 years as new variant spreads rapidly

A new mpox variant, clade Ib, detected in Sweden and Pakistan, spreads mainly through household contact and has a higher fatality rate, prompting increased global alert

Mpox emergency response hit by scarce financing amid WHO calls for support

WHO has released $1.45 mn from its contingency fund for emergencies, while African Union has approved $10.4 mn from its existing Covid funds for Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention

Mpox now a global health emergency; 'easily transmitting': Causes, symptoms

Monkeypox (or Mpox) is part of the same virus family as smallpox but typically causes milder symptoms, such as fever, chills, and body aches

Sweden reports case of more infectious form of mpox 1st identified in Congo

Swedish health officials said Thursday they have identified the first case of a person with the more infectious form of mpox first seen in eastern Congo, a day after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreaks there and elsewhere in Africa to be a global emergency. The Swedish public health agency said in a statement the patient recently sought health care in Stockholm. In this case a person has been infected during a stay in the part of Africa where there is a major outbreak of (the more infectious mpox), the agency said. Magnus Gisslen, a state epidemiologist with the Swedish health agency, said the person had been treated and given rules of conduct. The fact that a patient with mpox is treated in the country does not affect the risk to the general population," Swedish officials said, adding that experts estimate that risk to be very low. They said, however, that occasional imported cases may continue to occur. Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a n