Page 8 - World Health Organization

WHO Chief Tedros warns of next pandemic, urge nations to be prepared

The warning comes weeks after the WHO head announced that the Covid-19 pandemic is no longer a public health emergency as the cases started stabilising across the world

It may not help: WHO on use of artificial sweeteners for weight loss

Artificial sweeteners were also linked with higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as of dying, according to the WHO

Covid-19 no longer represents a global health emergency, says WHO

The WHO's emergency committee first declared that Covid represented its highest level of alert more than three years ago, on Jan. 30 2020

Time to deliver on promise of zero malaria: WHO on World Malaria Day

On the eve of World Malaria Day, the WHO has urged the countries affected by the disease globally to accelerate the reach of high-impact tools and strategies to prevent, detect and treat malaria, with a focus on reaching the most vulnerable, ensuring that no person is left behind. In the shadow of the COVID-19 crisis, the world is not on track to reach the two critical targets of the WHO Global Technical Strategy (GTS) for malaria 2016-2030: reducing global case incidence and mortality by 90 per cent or more by 2030, based on 2015 levels, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for South-East Asia, said. In 2021, an estimated 619,000 people globally died of malaria compared to 625,000 in 2020. There were an estimated 247 million new cases of malaria, compared to 245 million in 2020, Singh said. By the end of 2020, the South-East Asia Region was the only WHO region to achieve a 40 per cent reduction in malaria case incidence and mortality compared

XBB.1.16 now Covid 'variant of interest' due to its sustained increase: WHO

So far, 3,648 sequences of the Omicron XBB.1.16 variant have been reported from 33 countries, including India, on open research platform GISAID, the global health body, said

Covid variant XBB.1.16 driving up cases in India, know its symptoms

Amid the spike in cases, the Union Health Ministry has alerted all the state governments to be prepared for rise in Covid cases

Chinese health officials lash out at WHO, defend Covid-19 virus search

Chinese health officials defended their search for the source of the COVID-19 virus and lashed out Saturday at the World Health Organisation after its leader said Beijing should have shared genetic information earlier. The WHO comments were offensive and disrespectful," said the director of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shen Hongbing. He accused the WHO of attempting to smear China and said it should avoid helping others "politicize COVID-19. The global health body's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said March 17 that newly disclosed genetic material gathered in Wuhan in central China, where the first cases were detected in late 2019, should have been shared three years ago. As a responsible country and as scientists, we have always actively shared research results with scientists from around the world, Shen said at a news conference. The origins of COVID-19 are still debated and the focus of bitter political dispute. Many scientists believe it

Lack of Wuhan data disclosure by China is simply inexcusable: WHO

The World Health Organisation has slammed China once again, saying the country should have shared viral samples from Wuhan which was the epicentre of the pandemic, immediately, and not 3 years later

Rajasthan Right to Health Act: The provisions and why doctors protested

The Right to Health Bill passed by the Rajasthan Assembly gives residents the right to free consultation, drugs, diagnostics and emergency care at all public hospitals

WHO calls for urgent efforts to bridge gaps accentuated by Covid-19

On the eve of World Health Day, WHO on Thursday called for concerted and urgent efforts to bridge gaps accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic and achieving health for all through universal health coverage. WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said the world health body is fully committed to achieving health for all through universal health coverage (UHC) and facilitating access to essential health services for all without financial hardship. On the World Health Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) celebrates 75 years of improving public health and well-being globally. For decades, and even before the 1978 Declaration of Alma-Ata, leaders and policy makers from across the region have recognised the critical role that access for all to quality, affordable and comprehensive primary health care (PHC) can play in achieving UHC and therefore, health for all, she said. This has been well reflected in the region's renewed and decade-long push to achieve UHC

One in six people globally are affected by infertility, says WHO report

An estimated one in six people globally are affected by infertility, according to a new report from the World Health Organization published on Tuesday. The global health body noted that around 17.5 per cent of the adult population experience infertility, showing the urgent need to increase access to affordable, high-quality fertility care for those in need. The new estimates show limited variation in the prevalence of infertility between regions. The rates are comparable for high-, middle- and low-income countries, indicating that this is a major health challenge globally. Lifetime prevalence was 17.8 per cent in high-income countries and 16.5 per cent in low- and middle-income countries. WHO said. "The report reveals an important truth: infertility does not discriminate," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General at WHO. "The sheer proportion of people affected show the need to widen access to fertility care and ensure this issue is no longer sidelined in health research

Healthy kids, adolescents may no longer need Covid shots, says WHO

Older people and higher-risk groups - including those with underlying conditions - should get Covid boosters between six and 12 months after their last injections

WHO's group of experts on immunisation updates Covid vaccination guidance

The guidance newly considers the cost-effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccination for those at lower risk like healthy children and adolescents compared to other health interventions

WHO rebukes Chinese officials of withholding data on Coronavirus' origin

The World Health Organisation rebuked Chinese officials for withholding scientific research that may reveal the origin of the coronavirus, The New York Times reported

Covid could settle down this year, may pose similar threat to flu: WHO

"I think we're coming to that point where we can look at Covid-19 in the same way we look at seasonal influenza," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a press conference

The complex health challenge of AMR and the need for One Health Approach

Often referred as a silent pandemic, AMR is one of the top 10 global health threats facing humanity according to WHO

World off-track to cut 30% sodium intake to achieve global target: WHO

The world is off-track to achieve its global target of reducing sodium intake by 30 per cent by 2025, which is essential to save millions of lives globally, according to a first-of-its-kind report by the World Health Organization (WHO). Sodium, an essential nutrient, increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and premature death when consumed in excess. The main source of sodium is table salt (sodium chloride), but it is also a part of other condiments such as sodium glutamate which is naturally found in some foods and is also used as a flavour enhancer. The global average salt intake is estimated to be 10.8 grams per day, more than double the WHO recommendation of less than 5 grams of salt per day (one teaspoon). The report shows that only 5 per cent of WHO member states are protected by mandatory and comprehensive sodium reduction policies and 73 per cent of members lack full range of implementation of such policies. India has mandatory declaration of sodium on pre-packaged foo

WHO fires director in Asia accused of racist misconduct, abusive behaviour

The World Health Organisation has fired its top official in the Western Pacific after the Associated Press reported last year that dozens of staff members accused him of racist, abusive and unethical behaviour that may have compromised the U.N. health agency's response to the coronavirus pandemic. In an email sent to employees on Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Dr. Takeshi Kasai's appointment had been terminated after an internal investigation resulted in findings of misconduct. Tedros did not refer to Kasai by name, referencing only his title as regional director in the Western Pacific. It is the first time in WHO's history that a regional director has been dismissed. This has been an unprecedented and challenging journey for all of us, Tedros wrote. He said that the process of naming a new regional director for the Western Pacific would begin next month, with the election to be held in October. The Japanese government, which supported Kasai's ...

World Hearing Day: Awareness as important as treatments to fix impairment

4 in 1,000 children in India suffer from hearing loss, according to WHO

WHO chief Ghebreyesus vows to push for answers on coronavirus origins

Solving the mystery of where the SARS-CoV-2 virus came from and how it began spreading among humans is considered vital for averting future pandemics