CAPE TOWN – More and more health workers are performing female genital mutilation (FGM) in South and South East Asia – although the process is internationally recognised as a serious human rights violation with no medical justification.  Health professional associations mulled over how to ensure that health workers stop performing this harmful practice at the […] Continue reading ->
Women who lose 300ml of blood after giving birth should be diagnosed with postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) according to new guidelines published by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). In the past, PPH has only been diagnosed if a woman loses 500ml […] Continue reading ->
The global childhood vaccination rate in 2024 held steady with 85% of infants and children receiving three doses of the vaccine for diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus (DPT), used as a global benchmark for immunization rates overall.  However large, continued gaps in coverage are propelling outbreaks, including the highest rate of measles cases since 2019.  “In […] Continue reading ->
World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced his new team of 36 directors at headquarters on Tuesday, according to an internal message to WHO staff, seen by Health Policy Watch. Nine of the appointments, including key positions heading the Departments of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, and the newly-combined Department of Environment, […] Continue reading ->
Economic insecurity is a major factor driving declining fertility globally, according to the 2025 State of World Population report produced by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Financial worries – including job insecurity, housing and childcare costs – were key factors influencing over half of those interviewed to opt for fewer or no children, according […] Continue reading ->
Women’s groups and human rights organisations have raised the alarm about an African anti-rights conference taking place this weekend in Uganda, followed by another next week in Nairobi, featuring prominent US conservatives, aimed at developing “an African charter on family sovereignty and values”.  Previous conferences have been used to mobilise for anti-LGBTQ laws and promote […] Continue reading ->
Urgent measures are needed to curtail the rising “medicalization” of female genital mutilation (FGM) and to engage health workers to prevent the practice, according to a new guideline published by the World Health Organization (WHO). The guideline recommends professional codes of conduct that expressly prohibit health workers from performing FGM and stresses the need to […] Continue reading ->