The pandemic saw essential immunization levels decrease in over 100 countries, leading to rising outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, polio and yellow fever. ‘The Big Catch-up’ is an extended effort to lift vaccination levels among children to at least pre-pandemic levels and endeavours to exceed those. Led by a broad range of national and global health
Read MoreToday, WHO is launching the Health Inequality Data Repository, the most comprehensive global collection of publicly available disaggregated data and evidence on population health and its determinants. The repository allows for tracking health inequalities across population groups and over time, by breaking down data according to group characteristics, ranging from education level to ethnicity. The
Read MoreTHE Fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health which kicked yesterday in Geneva, Switzerland, amplified calls for increased investment towards developing and recruiting more healthcare workers in the face of an impending global human resource catastrophe. By Michael Gwarisa According to World Health Organization (WHO) Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, severe disruptions to
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Large numbers of people are affected by infertility in their lifetime, according to a new report published today by WHO. Around 17.5% of the adult population – roughly 1 in 6 worldwide – experience infertility, showing the urgent need to increase access to affordable, high-quality fertility care for those in need. By Own Correspondent The new
Read MoreA total of 42 countries or territories have reached the malaria-free milestone The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Azerbaijan and Tajikistan for achieving elimination of malaria in their territories. The certification follows a sustained, century-long effort to stamp out the disease by the two countries. “The people and governments of Azerbaijan and Tajikistan have
Read MoreA first-of-its-kind World Health Organization (WHO) Global report on sodium intake reduction shows that the world is off-track to achieve its global target of reducing sodium intake by 30% by 2025. Sodium, an essential nutrient, increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and premature death when eaten in excess. The main source of sodium is
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THE World Health Organisation (WHO) is currently working on developing alternative or second-line treatments, or combination therapies of existing Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) medicines, following indications that some NTDs were developing resistance to the different antimicrobials used to treat Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), a new report has announced. By Michael Gwarisa The emergence of treatment
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The verdict is in: The COVID-19 pandemic is still a global health emergency, the World Health Organization has concluded. But it might not be for much longer. The decision from the WHO — exactly three years after COVID-19 was first declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) — comes after a meeting of
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By Michael Gwarisa THE number of COVID-19 sequences being shared by countries has dropped by more than 90% while the number of countries sharing sequences has fallen by a third since the onset of the Omicron variant in 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. Speaking during a media briefing, WHO Director General, Dr
Read MoreThe World Health Organisation (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) which was recently in China to investigate the surge in new COVID-19 cases, has reported that Omicron still accounts for majority of infections together with its sub-variants BA.5.2 AND BF.7. By Michael Gwarisa The TAG-VE meets regularly to review the latest scientific evidence
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