The World Health Organization (WHO) has strongly recommended that babies born before 37 weeks of gestation (preterm) or with low birth weight should be provided immediate skin to skin contact with a caregiver, which in turn increases their chances of survival.  This recommendation by the global health agency is a significant change from the previous […] Continue reading ->
In the aftermath of massive pandemic-related disruptions to family planning services, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that women can be taught to give themselves contraceptive injections. This is one of the practical measures to ensure the continuity of family planning services during epidemics that is contained in the WHO’s updated family planning handbook, which […] Continue reading ->
Colombia’s Congress has voted to impose taxes on ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks to curb obesity and address other health issues. Ultra-processed foods facing taxes are those with high added sugars, salt, and saturated fats, including sausages, cereals, jellies and jams, purees, sauces, condiments and seasoning.  These will face a 10% tax in September 2023, […] Continue reading ->
Ahead of the global climate talks in Egypt, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged governments to expedite fossil fuel phase out and transition into clean energy.  “Climate change is already impacting health in many ways, through more frequent and extreme weather events, more disease outbreaks, and more mental health issues,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus, […] Continue reading ->
Two of the World Health Organisation’s top leadership team in Geneva – Dr Soumya Swaminathan and Dr Ren Minghui – are on the brink of leaving as Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s long-anticipated leadership shake-up starts to take shape. Swaminathan is WHO’s Chief Scientist, while Ren serves as assistant Director-General for Universal Health Coverage, Communicable […] Continue reading ->
A $15 million initiative to address the harms of alcohol consumption through policy change was launched Tuesday, roughly doubling the total global spending on mitigating the effects of alcohol. Alcohol is one of the top-ten drivers of death, illness and injury, with wide-ranging social and economic harms, many disproportionately affecting young adults, according to Vital […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) launched the first global knowledge platform dedicated to climate and health on Monday called climahealth.info. The global open-access platform is envisaged as being the “go-to technical reference point for users of interdisciplinary health, environmental, and climate science”, according to the WHO in a media release.  […] Continue reading ->