WHO Member States appeared to give strong backing to a proposed new WHO roadmap to reduce air pollution’s health impacts – with the ambitious global goal of cutting mortality attributable to human-produced sources by 50% by 2040. At the same time, a draft Climate Change and Health Action Plan, also aired at Saturday’s WHO Executive […] Continue reading ->
DAVOS – With populations ageing and mental health disorders at a record high, halting the global “pandemic” of brain disorders needs to be a paramount concern of industry – as well as the global health community. What is needed is a global effort spawning a “healthy brain economy” for the future, reflecting the same sense […] Continue reading ->
The health risks posed by air pollution in the 23 Asian countries sandwiched between Russia and Australia have been analysed together for the first time – and over 3.4 million deaths occurred in this area in 2021, representing 40% of global air pollution deaths. These countries include India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia, excluding […] Continue reading ->
Hours after reclaiming the presidency, Donald Trump moved swiftly on Monday to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement and unleash a barrage of executive orders aimed at dismantling US climate policy, boosting fossil fuel production, and undercutting green energy technologies. The sweeping actions, which are expected to trigger months of legal challenges […] Continue reading ->
Smoke from at least three fires in Los Angeles has caused unhealthy and hazardous air quality, causing school closures and official warnings. “In my lifetime I have not seen something this destructive,” said Rachel Ibrahim, a student at the University of Californina, Los Angles (UCLA). Forced to leave campus as the fires raced within five […] Continue reading ->
YADRAV, India – Farmworker Balaso Salokhe predicts the severity of his asthma by observing the sky around him. “In the past four years, my health has deteriorated so much that I avoid travelling outside my village,” he shares. During this time, he was hospitalised six times. Every time, the severity of his asthma worsened. Salokhe, […] Continue reading ->
In April 2022, amidst the continuing uproar of the COVID pandemic, four deans of schools of public health from the USA, China, Switzerland and Singapore, first got on a call with each other to see how they could ramp up cooperation – remotely. Barred by lockdowns from the usual academic meetings and conferences, the urge […] Continue reading ->
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 ->
Some 75% of heat-related deaths occurred amongst people under the age of 35 , and one-third of such deaths were young adults between the ages of 18 to 35, according to a new study on heat mortality in Mexico. This contradicts previous assumptions that the elderly are the most vulnerable to heat. “We project, as […] Continue reading ->
Climate change poses an immediate and catastrophic threat to human health worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief warned the UN’s highest court on Friday as it considers a landmark case that could establish fresh legal obligations for nations to cut emissions and pay for climate damages. WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus testified to […] Continue reading ->