Although cows have been infected with avian influenza subtype H5N1 for the first time and viral remnants have been found in milk, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) characterise its current risk to humans as “low”. The risk for people exposed to infected birds and other […] Continue reading ->
The US government will commit $4 million to tackle lead poisoning, supporting developing countries to curtail lead in consumer goods like paints and toys in which the use of lead is still widespread, USAID administrator Samantha Power announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Power also called for more resources and action towards the […] Continue reading ->
GEITA, TANZANIA—As the morning breeze sweeps across a rugged mining site at Tanzania’s northwest Sabora village, Judith Nyakeke sits under a huge acacia tree, briskly sorting pieces of rock with her bare hands ready to wash. “This is a tough job but it can be quite rewarding,” she says. The 39-year-old mother of four, who […] Continue reading ->
The world’s transport ministers pledged to cut road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030, as part of a political declaration adopted at the first-ever United Nations High Level Meeting on Global Road Safety, which opened Thursday in New York City. The debate came as a new Lancet series suggested that some half a million […] Continue reading ->
The principle of a safe and healthy working environment has been adopted to be included in the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work in a landmark decision during the annual International Labour Conference (ILC). The International Labour Conference, held 27 May – 11 June, brings together delegates from ILO member states […] 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 ->
Pollution is responsible for the premature deaths of approximately 9 million people each year; more than the number of deaths attributable to war and terrorism, malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis, drugs, alcohol or even smoking. That’s also the equivalent of one in six premature deaths worldwide, pointed out Rachael Kupka, of the Global Alliance on Health and […] Continue reading ->
Nathalie Strub-Wourgaft, a senior scientist at the Drugs for Neglected Disease Initiative (DNDi) has a vision that could be critical to halting the next pandemic – but is esoteric, difficult to organize and even more challenging to build the trust and buy-in needed to make it really work. The vision is of a common clinical-trial […] Continue reading ->
Two parents who lost their children in car crashes urged governments to adopt better road safety policies on the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims on Monday. South African Zoleka Mandela’s daughter died in a Johannesburg crash on her 13th birthday, while Australian Peter Frazer’s 23-year-old daughter was killed by a truck on […] Continue reading ->
The biggest killers of working people are strokes and heart disease associated with long working hours – over 55 hours a week. This is according to a joint report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Labour Organization (ILO), the first global comparative risk assessment of the work-related burden of disease, which was released […] Continue reading ->