COPENHAGEN – In Lebanon, international donors are supporting a network of public primary health care centers to test for diabetes and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), offering treatment equally to Lebanese nationals and Syrian refugees who are unlikely to return anytime soon to their war-torn homeland. In Kenya, a new national insurance law aims to make […] Continue reading ->
COPENHAGEN – While conflict and natural disasters are usually played out in the media against dramatic scenes of mass casualty response and rescue teams, there’s an iceberg of chronic health conditions that can be even more life threatening and these need far greater attention in emergency response. That is the theme of a global high […] Continue reading ->
New cancer cases are projected to increase by a massive 77% between 2022 and 2050 – mainly as a result of tobacco, alcohol, obesity and air pollution. Ageing and population growth are also factors pushing new cases from 20 million in 2022 to an expected 35 million in 2050, according to the Global Cancer Observatory […] Continue reading ->
Despite strong evidence that taxing alcohol is one of the “most effective measures to reduce consumption and address alcohol-related harms”, countries are not using this effectively, according to Ruediger Krech, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) director of health promotion. Krech was speaking on Tuesday at the launch of a WHO manual on alcohol tax policy […] Continue reading ->
Within hours, the Delhi government closed schools and announced traffic and construction curbs, but experts are questioning whether the government is tackling the right causes. Meanwhile, a database reporting the contribution of pollution from farm fires has been discontinued by the national government. The air quality forecast remains bleak. Delhi’s air pollution suddenly got a […] Continue reading ->
Better access to NCD medicines and treatments isn’t enough to ensure effective prevention and treatment of the conditions, responsible for 74% of premature deaths in the world. More attention needs to be focused on training, retention and effective use of health care workers, said a panel of experts at the World Health Summit. BERLIN – […] Continue reading ->
Cholera cases doubled last year in comparison to 2021, and preliminary data suggests that 2023 is likely to be even worse, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing on Wednesday. “So far 28 countries have reported cases this year, compared with 16 during the same period last year,” said […] Continue reading ->
WHO has stepped up its counteroffensive against tobacco companies that market cigarettes and other tobacco products to teens – with the release of a new set of guidance for school-based anti-smoking policies. The guidance, “Freedom from Tobacco and Nicotine: Guide for Schools,” and “Nicotine- and Tobacco-free School Implementation Toolkit”, aims to support school policies banning […] Continue reading ->
After the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing in indoor spaces raised awareness of the risks of infection in closed spaces and super-spreader events, scientists concerned about human exposure to other indoor contaminants and strategies to reduce risks are hopeful that the time has come for more action. BERN, Switzerland – A dearth of data and […] Continue reading ->
Some 5.6 billion people – 71% of the world’s population – are now covered by at least one tobacco protection policy adopted by their national governments, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report published today. That is five times more people than were protected in 2007, when the comprehensive set of anti-smoking policies, […] Continue reading ->