World Health Organization

Lessons from a pandemic: Honest reckoning can prepare India for next crisis

An honest reckoning can prepare India for the next crisis

Malaria remains Africa's deadliest disease as US aid cuts hurt fight

Malaria season begins this month in a large part of Africa. No disease is deadlier on the continent, especially for children. But the Trump administration's decision to terminate 90 per cent of USAID's foreign aid contracts has local health officials warning of catastrophe in some of the world's poorest communities. Dr. Jimmy Opigo, who runs Uganda's malaria control programme, told The Associated Press that USAID stop-work orders issued in late January left him and others focusing on disaster preparedness. The US is the top bilateral funder of anti-malaria efforts in Africa. Anti-malarial medicines and insecticide-treated bed nets to help control the mosquito-borne disease are like our groceries, Opigo said. There's got to be continuous supply. As those dwindle with the US-terminated contracts, he expects a rise in cases later this year of severe malaria, which includes problems like organ failure. There is no cure. Vaccines being rolled out in parts of Africa are imperfect but are

'Listen to your body': Ex-WHO scientist Swaminathan on long workweeks

People should listen to their bodies and recognise when they need rest as prolonged overwork can lead to burnout and reduced efficiency, former WHO chief scientist and health ministry advisor Soumya Swaminathan has said. While intense work for short periods is possible, as seen during COVID-19, it is not sustainable in the long run, she told PTI in an interview. Swaminathan stressed that productivity depends more on work quality than hours spent. Asked about the impact of long working hours on human health, the former director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) told PTI: "I know a lot of people who work very hard. So, I think it is an individual thing and your body tells you when you are tired, so then you also have to listen to your body. You can really work hard, let's say for a few months. During COVID, we all did that, right? But could we have continued that for years together? I am not sure." "For those two-three years, we did it. We did not sleep much. W

WHO emphasises on rights, equality, empowerment on Intl Women's Day

Saima Wazed, Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia, emphasised that the South-East Asia's growth and development is "inextricably linked" to the health and wellness of women

UNICEF, WHO to continue mass polio vaccination campaign in Gaza Strip

In a joint statement, the two world organisations said that the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) will be administered to over 591,000 children under 10 years of age to protect them from polio

Argentina's President Milei orders withdrawal from WHO, echoing Trump

Argentina's president has ordered the country's withdrawal from the World Health Organization due to profound differences with the U.N. agency, a presidential spokesperson said Wednesday. President Javier Milei 's decision echoes that of his ally, U.S. President Donald Trump, who began the process of pulling the United States out of WHO with an executive order on his first day back in office on January 21. The loss of another member country will further fracture cooperation in global health, though Argentina was expected to provide only about USD 8 million to WHO for the agency's estimated $6.9 billion 2024-2025 budget. Argentina's decision is based on profound differences in health management, especially during the (COVID-19) pandemic, spokesperson Manuel Adorni told a news conference in Buenos Aires. He said WHO guidelines at the time led to the largest shutdown in the history of mankind. Argentina will not allow an international organization to intervene in its sovereignty and m

Rise in cancer cases in South East Asia Region, WHO calls for joint efforts

The South-East Asia Region reported the highest number of cancers of lips and oral cavity, uterine cervix, and childhood cancers among all World Health Organisation regions in 2022, regional director of the WHO SEAR Saima Wazed said on Monday. She said it is estimated that by 2050, there will be 85 per cent increase in the number of new cancer cases and deaths in the region. Wazed, who is the regional director of World Health Organisation South East Asian Region (WHO-SEAR) called for joint efforts led by governments, supported by WHO and partners, and through collaboration that will make the region better equipped to tackle the rising cancer burden. Ahead of World Cancer Day on February 4, she said, "On this year's World Cancer Day themed 'United by Unique', which is a reminder of the collective commitment against cancer, WHO acknowledges every patient's unique experiences and the value of people-centred care delivered jointly by healthcare providers, families, friends and ...

WHO chief asks countries to push Trump to reconsider its withdrawal

The World Health Organisation chief asked global leaders to lean on Washington to reverse President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the UN health agency, insisting in a closed-door meeting with diplomats last week that the US will miss out on critical information about global disease outbreaks. But countries also pressed WHO at a key budget meeting last Wednesday about how it might cope with the exit of its biggest donor, according to internal meeting materials obtained by The Associated Press. A German envoy, Bjorn Kummel, warned: The roof is on fire, and we need to stop the fire as soon as possible. For 2024-2025, the US is WHO's biggest donor by far, putting in an estimated $988 million, roughly 14% of WHO's $6.9 billion budget. A budget document presented at the meeting showed WHO's health emergencies program has a heavy reliance on American cash. Readiness functions in WHO's Europe office were more than 80% reliant on the $154 million the US contributes. The document

US CDC ordered to stop working with WHO immediately, to wait for orders

US public health officials have been told to stop working with the World Health Organisation, effective immediately. A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official, John Nkengasong, sent a memo to senior leaders at the agency on Sunday night telling them that all agency staff who work with the WHO must immediately stop their collaborations and await further guidance. Experts said the sudden stoppage was a surprise and would set back work on investigating and trying to stop outbreaks of Marburg virus and mpox in Africa, as well as brewing threats from around the world. It also comes as health authorities around the world are monitoring bird flu outbreaks among US livestock. The Associated Press viewed a copy of Nkengasong's memo, which said the stop-work policy applied to all CDC staff engaging with WHO through technical working groups, coordinating centres, advisory boards, cooperative agreements or other means in person or virtual. It also says CDC staff are not allowed

US opting out won't be good for anyone: WHO ex-chief scientist Swaminathan

Former chief scientist of the World Health Organisation, Soumya Swaminathan on Saturday said the US opting out of WHO would not be good for anyone including that country and contributions to the global health watchdog depends on the GDPs of respective countries. Hoping that the US, which has so much technical and scientific expertise, will reconsider its decision, she said if it opts out, the North American nation would also be unable to access data of WHO to be part of solutions. "The richer the country, the more you pay because you have to pay as a percentage of your GDP. The current system is very fair. You cannot expect a small country in the middle of Africa like Congo to pay the same amount as the United States," Swaminathan told PTI Videos, on the sidelines of the Hyderabad Literary Festival here. She was responding to US President Donald Trump's comments that his country with 325 million population paid USD 500 million to the WHO against China with 1.4 billion people paying

Withdrawal symptoms: US is ceding global leadership where it matters most

Both decisions represent expressions of Mr Trump's "America First" agenda

China expresses firm support for WHO after Trump announces to quit

China on Tuesday expressed its firm support for the World Health Organisation (WHO) after US President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the UN health body, accusing it of mishandling the Covid-19 crisis and failing to carry out reforms. Soon after his swearing-in on Monday, Trump signed an executive order beginning the process of withdrawing America from the WHO, the second time in less than five years that the US has ordered to withdraw from the world body. Reacting to Trump's move, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Tuesday that China will continue to support the world health body in fulfilling its duties. Guo said that as an authoritative international organisation in the field of global public health, WHO plays a central coordinating role in global health governance, and its role should be strengthened, not weakened. China will, as always, support WHO in fulfilling its duties, deepen international public health cooperation, strengthen global heal

Trump team revives 2020 plan for US exit from WHO on day one of new term

The United States is the largest single donor to the World Health Organization, contributing 16% of its funding in 2022-23

Pakistan's week-long polio eradication campaign begins amid tight security

A week-long polio eradication campaign across Pakistan began on Monday amid tight security to ensure its smooth sailing against the crippling disease that saw a surge this year with 63 cases reported so far. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where the paralysing virus is still rampant. During the campaign, more than 44.7 million children under the age of five will be vaccinated. The campaign has started across 143 districts of the country to prevent the resurgence of the polio virus. A target has been set to vaccinate 23.3 million children in Punjab's 36 districts, 7.2 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's 36 districts, 10.6 million in Sindh's 30 districts and 2.6 million in Balochistan's 36 districts. Additionally, more than 800,000 children will be vaccinated in Islamabad, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and five districts of Gilgit-Baltistan. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province alone, 54,000 security personnel, including police

Bavarian Nordic partners with Serum Institute for Mpox vaccine production

Bavarian Nordic has partnered with the Serum Institute of India to produce its Mpox vaccine for the Indian market and expand global capacity through contract manufacturing

'Disease X' outbreak spreads more as UN sends health team to Congo

Outbreak is centered in a remote rural area of Kwango province, where poor road conditions and heavy rains mean it takes nearly 48 hours to reach from Kinshasa

WHO calls for global commitment to fight against HIV on World AIDS Day

WHO also highlighted the situation of children and adolescents living with HIV. In the Southeast Asia Region, approximately 80,000 children and adolescents are living with HIV

WHO chief congratulates Okonjo on reappointment as WTO Director General

On her reappointment, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala thanked the members and highlighted the challenges she plans to address

WHO Africa director-elect dies while receiving treatment in India

The World Health Organisation's regional director-elect for Africa died while receiving medical treatment in India, Tanzania's parliament speaker said Wednesday. Plans to repatriate the body of Tanzania's Dr Faustine Ndugulile, 55, were underway, Speaker Tulia Ackson said, adding that funeral plans would be announced later. She didn't disclose Ndugulile's ailment. No other details were available. Ndugulile served as a member of parliament for Kigamboni Constituency in Tanzania's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. He was also the East African country's health assistant minister between 2017-2020 and the information and communication minister until 2021. He was elected as the WHO's African director in August and was set to start his new role in February 2025, following Dr Matshidiso Moeti who served in the role for two terms. In his acceptance speech, Ndugulile expressed a firm commitment to advancing the health and well-being of people in Africa. Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu .

WHO begins 16 Days of Activism against gender based violence ending Dec 10

Experiences of violence lead to long-lasting physical and mental health impacts on the survivors, including injury, unintended pregnancy and pregnancy related complications, WHO's Saima Wazed said