With a surge in cases and the rapid rise of new subvariants, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a global health emergency posing significant risks to public health, a WHO committee of public health experts has concluded. The statement by the COVID-19 Emergency Committee, was published Tuesday, four days after experts gathered for their 12th […] Continue reading ->
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is extending its 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) for a fifth day, buying time for delegates to negotiate some tough deals in five main areas: the pandemic response, COVID-19 vaccines, fishing subsidies, food shortages and agriculture. The long-delayed ministerial conference, which opened on Sunday and was originally planned to close on […] Continue reading ->
A team of health professionals and Noma survivors called on the World Health Organization on Tuesday to list the deadly infection of the mouth and face as a neglected tropical disease (NTD) so that it can receive the attention it needs to be eradicated. “We hope that we can bring global attention to this disease […] Continue reading ->
[NAIROBI] While deaths from some traditional pollution sources, like domestic cookstoves and unsafe water and sanitation are declining, increased exposures to “modern” sources of pollution, such as chemicals and outdoor air pollution, mean that pollution-related mortality remains steady at about 9 million a year. This is a key finding of a new report on “Pollution […] Continue reading ->
Microplastics have been discovered in human blood for the first time, with scientists warning that these mostly invisible pieces of plastic could also make their way into organs, in a new study examining blood samples of 22 anonymous, healthy adult volunteers. The study, published in the Environment International journal Thursday, found that 17 of 22 […] Continue reading ->
UN Environment has joined a three-way alliance with the Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Animal Health Organization (OIE), and WHO to advance “One-Health” solutions to both ecosystem degradation and pandemic threats, leaders of the four agencies said on Friday. The statement followed a meeting this week of the Tripartite FAO, WHO and OIE partnership […] Continue reading ->
In honour of World Oral Health Day, 20 March, three leading voices from the World Dental Federation highlight the unexpected linkages between the health of your mouth and that of the planet. It will come as a surprise to most people that the healthcare sector has a significant environmental impact. Healthcare systems are responsible for […] Continue reading ->
A four-year-old girl from Jerusalem has been diagnosed with polio, Israel’s Health Ministry said Sunday – the first case in the country since 1989. The source of the girl’s infection is vaccine-derived polio virus, according to Israel’s head of Public Services Dr Sharon Alroy-Preis, speaking to reporters on Monday evening. “We are not talking about […] Continue reading ->
ISLAMABAD – The timing couldn’t have been worse. On the same day that Bill Gates, completed his maiden visit to Pakistan to cheer on the country’s progress towards polio eradication, WHO and Malawi health authorities announced that a small child thousands of kilometers away in Malawi had been ill with polio – infected by a […] Continue reading ->
Almost four times the usual medical waste was generated in New Delhi during the height of India’s COVID-19 pandemic in May 2021 when all COVID-19 waste was mistakenly classified as infectious, according to a new report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday. Most of the approximately 87,000 tonnes of personal protective equipment […] Continue reading ->