Climate change, unplanned urbanization, sprawling cities, and the El Nino effect all converged to make 2024 a “historic” year for dengue transmission. With increased opportunities for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes–the insects that carry dengue– to breed, cases reached a record 12.7 million cases in the WHO’s Americas Region, nearly three times more than in 2023. This translates […] Continue reading ->
New WHO Global Malaria Report points to funding shortfalls, climate change, and antimicrobial resistance as key challenges to control. Last year saw 263 million new malaria cases and 597,000 deaths in 83 countries worldwide, an increase of almost 11 million cases from the prior year, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) newly-released Global Malaria […] Continue reading ->
Nearly one fifth of dengue cases in Latin America and the Caribbean, or about 45 million infections a year, are attributable to climate change, in the past decade, according to a new study by researchers at Harvard and Stanford Universities. Rising temperatures combined with mosquito species uniquely suited to sprawling urbanization and deforestation are fueling […] Continue reading ->
Donald Trump has named Robert F Kennedy Jr as his choice for US health secretary, putting the controversial anti-vaccine activist and environmental lawyer in line to control some of the world’s most influential health agencies. Kennedy shot to political prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic when his organisation, Children’s Health Defense, became a leading global voice […] Continue reading ->
The voices of the children’s choir echoed in the conference hall as a reminder that more than one billion children who experience some form of violence each year. Their performance was part of the historic first high-level ministerial conference to end violence against children in Bogota late last week, which brought together government delegations, children, […] Continue reading ->
WHO Member States gathered in Doha, Washington, D.C, Copenhagen, Manila, and Brazzaville for their respective World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee sessions in the past months to set policies, strategies, and frameworks for the coming years. The WHO Regional Committees – the WHO’s governing bodies in each of six regions – meet yearly to formulate […] Continue reading ->
Diets should be guided by four key principles, say the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) in a joint statement released this week. Their statement highlights the importance of adequate, balanced, moderate, and diverse food intake, and aims to clarify what exactly a healthy diet means. “With such prominence in the […] Continue reading ->
MINYA GOVERNORATE, EGYPT – Nine-year-old Adam needs an insulin shot before meals, and seems unphased when his father checks his sugar levels with a finger pricking. He looks away when a small blood drop wells on the tip of his finger. Adam turns back to his plate of rice and stewed vegetables, continuing to ramble […] Continue reading ->
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a new ruling that requires drinking water systems to replace lead pipes within 10 years. The rule also strengthens requirements to locate lead pipes, improve testing for lead in water, and ensure that exposure is minimized while lead pipe replacement efforts are underway. “Families like yours, exposed […] Continue reading ->
Cities that fail to take meaningful climate action face a future of severe degradation with infrastructure collapse and environmental deterioration, warned climate and health experts at the yearly Academy of Medical Sciences & The Lancet International Health Lecture in London. “Madrid’s climate in 2050 will resemble Marrakech’s climate today. I don’t think we want that,” […] Continue reading ->