Containing an explosion of COVID-19 cases in Korea and Iran have become top priorities for global health officials battling to prevent the epidemic from growing into a worldwide pandemic. While new lab-confirmed cases in China on Friday numbered 896, more than double the day before, that was still part of an generally downward trend as […] Continue reading ->
[WHO Africa Regional Office] In a strong move for the African state, the Ethiopian Parliament has passed landmark excise tax legislation on tobacco with the express aim of curbing smoking in the country – resulting in some of the strongest taxes on tobacco products on the continent. As a result of the legislation, Ethiopia has […] Continue reading ->
Experts were closely watching the development of Japan’s COVID-19 outbreak for signs of whether the virus might escape further out of control, moving closer to the tipping point of a pandemic – the worldwide spread of a new disease. Meanwhile, a new study in The Lancet  found that in Africa, Egypt, Algeria and South Africa […] Continue reading ->
Ecological degradation, climate change, and exploitative marketing practices are the greatest emerging threats to children’s health, says a new report from a WHO-UNICEF-Lancet Commission on the future of child health. Despite dramatic improvements in survival, education and nutrition for children over the past five decades, the report, titled A Future for the World’s Children?, found […] Continue reading ->
Amidst reports of an even tougher crackdown in China, including door to door visits by Wuhan public health authorities to identify people infected with the novel COVID-19 coronavirus and place them in mass quarantine facilities, WHO’s Emergencies Head Mike Ryan defended the tough government measures at a press briefing on Tuesday. “Door to door surveillance, […] Continue reading ->