Keyword "OMS" - List of latest news (272 results)

07/04 Aid cuts could leave more women dying in pregnancy and birth, UN says

Cuts to aid budgets are threatening to undermine years of progress in reducing the number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth, and could lead to a rise in deaths, the United Nations has warned.

02/04 Water and medicine in short supply after Myanmar earthquake, says UN

Shelter, clean water and medicine are in short supply following the earthquake in Myanmar that has caused significant structural damage and had a devastating human toll, the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Tuesday.

29/03 WHO proposing to cut jobs and slash budget by a fifth, memo shows

The World Health Organization (WHO) is proposing to reduce staff numbers and the scale of its work as it slashes its budget by just over one fifth due to the impact of U.S. funding cuts, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters.

28/03 Exclusive: US pauses financial contributions to WTO, trade sources say

The United States has paused contributions to the World Trade Organization, three trade sources told Reuters, as U.S. President Donald Trump's administration ramps up efforts to cut government spending.

09/03 Nigeria to receive leprosy drugs after a year-long delay

The World Health Organization says it will send leprosy drugs to Nigeria this weekend after resolving testing hold-ups that led to a year-long delay in thousands of patients, including children, getting the medicine they need to prevent disability.

06/03 USAID cuts put tuberculosis response in peril, WHO says

The Trump administration's decision to pause U.S. foreign aid would undo progress made in containing tuberculosis (TB) infections across low- and middle-income countries, putting the lives of millions at risk, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

26/01 WHO chief urges end to attacks on Sudan healthcare after 70 killed in drone strike

The head of the World Health Organization called on Saturday for an end to attacks on healthcare workers and facilities in Sudan after a drone attack on a hospital in Sudan's North Darfur region killed more than 70 people and wounded dozens.

25/01 Trump says he may consider rejoining World Health Organization

President Donald Trump said on Saturday he may consider rejoining the World Health Organization, days after ordering a U.S. exit from the global health agency over what he described as a mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

24/01 WHO chief to cut costs, reset priorities after US exit, document shows

The World Health Organization will cut costs and review which health programmes to prioritise after President Donald Trumpannounced he was withdrawing the U.S. from the agency, the WHO's chief told staff in an internal memo seen by Reuters.

24/01 US to leave World Health Organization on Jan. 22, 2026, says UN

The United States will leave the World Health Organization on Jan. 22, 2026, the United Nations said on Thursday, after being formally notified of the decision by President Donald Trump, who has accused the agency of mishandling the pandemic and other international health crises.

22/01 Exclusive: Global health funds push for more private money, fearing government retreat

One of the world's biggest global health funders will ask the private sector for a steep increase in donations as concern of a shortfall in government contributions grows following a U.S. decision to exit the World Health Organization.

21/01 What does Trump's move to quit WHO mean for U.N. agency and global health? 

President Donald Trump is pulling the U.S. out of the World Health Organization, raising concerns about the U.N. agency's ability to fight diseases and respond to emergencies around the globe without its biggest funder.

21/01 Germany to lobby Trump on WHO withdrawal, agency hopes for U-turn

Berlin will try to talk U.S. President Donald Trump out of his decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization, Germany's health minister said on Tuesday.

21/01 Trump orders US exit from the World Health Organization

The United States will exit the World Health Organization, President Donald Trump said on Monday, saying the global health agency had mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises.

18/01 WHO makes last-ditch effort to keep America from leaving as Trump takes over

The World Health Organization is drawing up a list of reasons why the U.S. should remain in the WHO for its own good, two sources familiar with the process told Reuters, as part of an attempt by its supporters to lobby incoming President Donald Trump.

17/01 Flooding Gaza with aid might lessen security challenge, says UNRWA chief

Attacks on aid convoys in the Gaza Strip by looters and armed gangs could decline as humanitarian relief floods the area after the truce takes effect between Israel and Palestinian militants, the head of the U.N. Palestinian relief agency UNRWA said on Friday.

16/01 WHO appeals for $1.5 billion for emergencies with US funding in question

The World Health Organization launched its annual appeal for funding to respond to health emergencies on Thursday, days before the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States - the agency's biggest donor - puts a question mark over its long-term finances.

16/01 Tanzania says no sign of Marburg outbreak in the country

Tanzania's government said no-one in the country had tested positive for the Marburg virus after the World Health Organization (WHO) said at least eight people in the northwest were believed to have died from it.

08/01 Winter surge in respiratory illness in China and elsewhere not unusual, WHO says

Rising cases of common respiratory illnesses in China and elsewhere around the Northern Hemisphere are within the range expected for winter, with no unusual outbreaks reported, the World Health Organization said.

07/01 Bird flu risk remains low after first US death, WHO says

The risk to the general population from H5N1 bird flu remains low, a World Health Organization spokesperson said on Tuesday, following the first death of a patient from the virus in the United States.

03/01 At UN, Israel defends Gaza hospital raid, UN rights chief says its explanation is vague

Israel on Friday defended its raid on a north Gaza hospital last week while the U.N. human rights chief called the justification unsubstantiated and the World Health Organization urged Israel to release the hospital's director from detention.

31/12 China defends COVID-19 data-sharing as WHO seeks more access

China has shared the most COVID-19 data and research results in the international community, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday, after the World Health Organization repeated its call for more information and access.

30/12 WHO chief calls for end to hospital attacks in Gaza after strike

The Israeli military said Hamas militants were the targets of the strike on Gaza City's Al Wafa hospital, which the Palestinian civil defence said killed seven people.

28/12 WHO chief describes ordeal during Israeli strike on Yemen airport

The head of the World Health Organization said on Friday he was not sure he was going to survive an air strike on Yemen's main airport carried out by Israel a day earlier during a series of attacks on the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

27/12 Kosovo detects first monkeypox case after man returns from Africa

Kosovo health authorities said on Friday they had detected the country's first case of monkeypox (mpox), in a man who had recently returned from Africa.

23/12 Trump transition team plans immediate WHO withdrawal, expert says

Members of Donald Trump's presidential transition team are laying the groundwork for the United States to withdraw from the World Health Organization on the first day of his second term, according to a health law expert familiar with the discussions.

18/12 Weight loss drugs could help end obesity - but risks remain, WHO says

A new class of weight loss drugs developed by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly “opens the possibility of an end to the obesity pandemic” alongside other interventions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this week.

17/12 Congo's health ministry says unknown disease is severe malaria

Democratic Republic of Congo's health ministry said on Tuesday that a previously unidentified disease circulating in the country's Panzi health zone is a severe form of malaria.

11/12 Malaria cases up again in 2023, African children worst hit, WHO reports

There were around 11 million more cases of malaria in 2023 than in 2022, up to an estimated 263 million, according to a new World Health Organization report, marking another year of negligible progress against the age-old killer.

09/12 Undiagnosed disease in Congo puts children, malnourished at risk, WHO says

A mystery disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading mainly among children and putting severely malnourished people at risk, according to the World Health Organization, which sent experts to the region to investigate the outbreak.

03/12 Unknown disease kills 143 in southwest Congo, local authorities say

An unknown disease killed 143 people in Democratic Republic of the Congo's southwestern province in November, local authorities told Reuters.

29/11 Mpox outbreak could start plateauing next year, Africa CDC says

The number of mpox cases will continue to rise during the next four weeks before starting to show signs of flattening early next year, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

23/11 Canada confirms first case of clade I mpox in Canada

Canada's public health agency on Friday confirmed the first case of clade I mpox in Canada, in an person in Manitoba.

15/11 Health advocates press Cepheid for cheaper mpox tests

Global health advocates have written to the makers of a key mpox diagnostic test to call for its price to be cut from around $20 per test to $5, to help tackle low testing rates in poorer countries badly hit by the virus.

14/11 Global measles cases jumped in 2023 due to 'inadequate' vaccine coverage

Measles cases rose 20% last year, driven by a lack of vaccine coverage in the world's poorest countries and those riddled with conflict, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.

14/11 Many long COVID patients adjust to slim recovery odds as world moves on

There are certain phrases that Wachuka Gichohi finds difficult to hear after enduring four years of living with long COVID, marked by debilitating fatigue, pain, panic attacks and other symptoms so severe she feared she would die overnight.

14/11 More than 800 million adults have diabetes globally, many untreated, study suggests

More than 800 million adults have diabetes worldwide – almost twice as many as previous estimates have suggested – and more than half of those aged over 30 who have the condition are not receiving treatment, according to a new study.

07/11 Food companies sell products that are less healthy in poorer countries, says report

The world’s biggest food and beverage companies on average sell products in low-income countries that are less healthy than what they sell in high-income countries, according to a new report.

06/11 Vaccine doses allocated for 9 African countries hardest hit by mpox

An initial 899,000 vaccine doses have been allocated for 9 countries across Africa that have been hit hard by the current mpox surge, the WHO and other health organisations said on Wednesday.

04/11 UK detects two more cases of new mpox variant

Britain has detected two more cases of the new mpox variant clade Ib in household contacts of the first case, the country's health security agency (UKHSA) said on Monday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to three.

03/11 Israeli attacks kill 23 people in Gaza, medics say, as ceasefire hopes dim

Palestinians said the new aerial and ground offensives and forced evacuations were “ethnic cleansing.”

01/11 Mpox cases on African continent show 500% increase year-on-year

Mpox cases continue to spread on the African continent, showing an increase of over 500% from last year, data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) showed on Thursday.

10/09 Polio vaccination starts in north Gaza despite obstacles

A campaign to vaccinate a final 200,000 children in north Gaza against polio began on Tuesday although health and aid officials said the operation was complicated by access restrictions, evacuation orders and shortages of fuel.

07/09 US is beefing up mpox testing, vaccine access against new strain, officials say

The United States has beefed up testing and surveillance for a new strain of mpox and has ensured that vaccines are readily available at local pharmacies and community health centers, senior administration officials said in a briefing on Friday.

05/09 Congo receives long-awaited mpox vaccine doses

Democratic Republic of Congo received its first batch of mpox vaccines on Thursday, which health authorities hope will help curb an outbreak that has prompted the U.N. to declare a global public health emergency.

05/09 How to find and check an Ozempic batch number

Explosive demand and high prices for Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly's weight loss and diabetes drugs have fueled a criminal effort to package autoinjector pens containing other substances, such as insulin, with branding and batch numbers that make them look like Novo's Ozempic.

04/09 DR Congo expects first delivery of mpox vaccine doses on Thursday

The head of Democratic Republic of Congo's mpox outbreak response said on Wednesday that Congo expects to receive its first delivery of mpox vaccine doses on Thursday and a second delivery on Saturday.

04/09 UN Security Council patience for Gaza truce talks running out, says Slovenia

Patience is running out among United Nations Security Council members and the 15-member body will likely consider taking action if a ceasefire cannot soon be brokered between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Slovenia's U.N. envoy - council president for September - said on Tuesday.

03/09 No link between mobile phones and brain cancer, WHO-led study says

There is no link between mobile phone use and increased brain cancer risk, according to a new World Health Organization-commissioned review of the available published evidence worldwide.

03/09 WHO surpasses polio vaccination targets in Gaza children

The World Health Organization in Gaza said on Tuesday that it is ahead of its targets for polio vaccinations in Gaza on day three of the mass campaign.

31/08 UNICEF issues emergency tender to secure mpox vaccines

Agreements for up to 12 million doses through next year are possible.

30/08 Mpox vaccines to arrive in DR Congo in next few days, WHO says

The World Health Organization chief said on Friday that mpox vaccines were set to arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the next few days to fight a new strain of the virus.

30/08 UN's Gaza polio vaccinations will rely on pauses in fighting

The World Health Organization says it will need to vaccinate at least 90% of the children in Gaza for the campaign to succeed.

30/08 Emergent Bio's smallpox vaccine gets US approval for mpox

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted expanded approval to Emergent BioSolutions' smallpox vaccine for use in people at high risk of mpox infection, sending the drugmaker's shares 5% higher on Friday.

30/08 Polio returns to Gaza: what do we know?

Health authorities in the Gaza Strip confirmed the first case of polio in 25 years earlier this month.

29/08 Fighting rages in Gaza as Palestinians hope for a pause for polio vaccinations

Palestinians in Gaza were waiting on Thursday to see if there would be a pause in fighting to allow a polio vaccination campaign to begin, as the conflict raged across the besieged enclave, killing at least 34 people.

27/08 Spain to donate 500,000 mpox vaccine doses to combat outbreak in Africa

Spain will donate 500,000 doses of the mpox vaccine, or 20% of its stockpile, to combat an outbreak of the disease in Africa, the Health Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

27/08 Suspected mpox case at Brazilian airport likely chickenpox, hospital says

A suspected case of mpox in a passenger at Brazil's main international airport is likely chickenpox, a Sao Paulo hospital said on Monday, as health officials remain on alert for a new mpox variant that has caused global concern.

27/08 New mpox strain is changing fast; African scientists are ‘working blindly’ to respond

Scientists studying the new mpox strain that has spread out of Democratic Republic of Congo say the virus is changing faster than expected and often in areas where experts lack the funding and equipment to properly track it.

26/08 Philippines says two new mpox cases are milder variant

The Philippines has confirmed two more mpox virus infections of the milder clade 2 variety, its health ministry said Monday, bringing the number of active cases to three.

24/08 Insight: Why mpox vaccines are only just arriving in Africa after two years

The first 10,000 mpox vaccines are finally due to arrive next week in Africa, where a dangerous new strain of the virus - which has afflicted people there for decades - has caused global alarm.

24/08 Uganda confirms two more cases of mpox

Uganda has confirmed two more mpox virus infections, bringing the number of cases in the east African country to four, according to the health ministry.

24/08 Gabon records first mpox case

Gabon has registered its first case of mpox, the health ministry said in a statement that did not specify which variant of the viral infection was recorded.

23/08 WHO boss calls for $135 mln to stop mpox outbreak

The head of the World Health Organization called for global concerted action to control a new mpox outbreak, announcing a response plan that will require at least $135 million over the next six months.

23/08 Exclusive: WHO says partners can start talks to buy mpox vaccines before their approval

The World Health Organization said on Friday its partners like Gavi and Unicef can start buying mpox vaccines before they are approved in a bid to get inoculations to Africa faster as the continent battles an escalating outbreak of the virus.

23/08 Germany examining whether any available mpox vaccines could be donated

The German government is examining whether any available national mpox vaccine doses could be donated, the health ministry said in a status report for August that was seen by Reuters on Friday.

22/08 Singapore says it has detected 13 cases of mpox Clade 2 infection in 2024

Singapore has detected 13 cases of mpox Clade 2 infections this year, the health ministry said in a bulletin on Thursday.

22/08 Thailand confirms mpox case is clade 1b, second outside of Africa

Thailand on Thursday confirmed an mpox case reported this week was the clade 1b strain of the virus, the second confirmed case of the variant outside of Africa.

21/08 Argentina quarantines grains ship over suspected mpox case

Argentine authorities have quarantined a cargo ship in the Parana River near the inland grains port of Rosario over a suspected case of mpox onboard, an industry official said on Tuesday.

20/08 Emergent to donate 50,000 vaccine doses to address mpox outbreak in Africa

Emergent BioSolutions said on Monday it would donate 50,000 doses of its smallpox vaccine to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other impacted countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda to address the current mpox outbreak.

20/08 Mpox is not the new COVID, says WHO official

A World Health Organization official stressed on Tuesday that mpox, regardless of whether it is the new or old strain, is not the new COVID, as authorities know how to control its spread.

19/08 Bavarian Nordic to ramp up production of mpox vaccine

Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic said on Saturday it plans to ramp up production of its mpox vaccine and work with international health organisations to ensure fair access as the disease has been declared a global public health emergency.

19/08 Philippines detects first mpox case this year, yet to determine strain

The Philippines has detected a new case of the mpox virus in the country, the first since December last year, its health department said on Monday, adding it was awaiting test results before being able to determine the strain.

17/08 Breakingviews - Mpox drugmaker’s shares may provide false comfort

Global public health emergencies are always shrouded in uncertainty. Mpox, which has spread beyond central Africa, is no exception. The market price of a company that makes a vaccine, Denmark’s $3.2 billion Bavarian Nordic , at least offers some clues as to what biotechnology investors are bracing for. The signals so far imply a relatively contained outbreak, but things could get worse.

16/08 EU public health body lifts mpox risk alert level

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Friday raised its risk level for mpox, a day after global health officials confirmed the first infection with a new strain of the virus outside Africa, in Sweden.

16/08 WHO, partners meet to avoid COVID failures on fair medical access for mpox

The World Health Organisation was due to host an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss ways to ensure fair global access to tests, treatments and vaccines for mpox, a leading official said, as the viral infection spreads in parts of Africa and beyond.

16/08 Countries with confirmed cases of new mpox variant

The World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighbouring countries.

16/08 EU public health body lifts mpox risk alert level after new strain found in Sweden

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control on Friday raised its risk level for mpox, a day after global health officials confirmed one case of infection with a new strain of the virus in Sweden, the first outside Africa.

16/08 European CDC raises mpox risk alert level

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC)raised its risk alert level for mpox on Friday, and asked countries to maintain high levels of awareness among travellers visiting from affected areas.

16/08 Children at risk as mpox variant hits Congo displacement camps

Scars from the mpox pustules are still visible on 7-year old Grace Kabuo’s face, as well as on a handful of her playmates at a camp for displaced people near Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

16/08 China to monitor arrivals of people, goods for mpox virus

China will monitor people and goods entering the country for mpox for the next six months, a statement from its customs administration said on Friday, after the WHO said the virus was again a global health emergency.

16/08 Mpox virus detected in Pakistan, health authorities say

Pakistan has detected three patients with the mpox virus, the health department in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province said on Friday.

15/08 Exclusive: Vaccine group Gavi has up to $500 million in funds for mpox shots

The global vaccine group Gavi has up to $500 million to spend on getting shots to countries affected by an escalating mpox outbreak in Africa, its chief executive Sania Nishtar told Reuters.

15/08 Sweden confirms first case of mpox, also first outside Africa

Sweden confirmed its first case of the viral infection mpox on Thursday, which was also the first case outside Africa, a day after the WHO declared the disease a global public health emergency for the second time in two years.

15/08 Why is mpox an emergency again, and how worried should I be?

Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.

15/08 Stigma, regulatory barriers delay mpox response in country that needs it most

Vaccines and treatments that could help tackle an mpox epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo are lying unused outside the country despite a death rate far higher than from the global outbreak that began last year.

14/08 Mpox vaccines likely months away even as WHO, Africa CDC discuss emergency

Vaccines to help curb an escalating mpox outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries may still not reach the central African country for months even as the World Health Organization considers following Africa’s top public health agency in declaring the outbreak an emergency.

14/08 Africa public health body declares mpox emergency

Africa's top public health body declared what it termed a "public health emergency of continental security" on Tuesday over an outbreak of mpox that has spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries.

08/08 Skin diseases afflict Gaza's children as war drags on without end

Like thousands of Gaza children, Yasmine Al-Shanbari, 3, is not only suffering from the upheaval of war all around them. She is ravaged by skin disease and no relief is in sight, with medicine scarce and few hospitals functioning in the Israeli-besieged enclave.

07/08 US CDC issues second health alert for mpox virus in Congo

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a second health alert on Tuesday to notify clinicians and health departments about a deadly type of the mpox virus spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

07/08 WHO says polio vaccine campaign hurt by lack of Gaza ceasefire

The World Health Organisation is working on a polio vaccination campaign for Gaza after the virus was detected there, officials say, although the absence of a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas presents multiple roadblocks.

12/07 Intensifying Congo conflict puts 1 mln children at risk of acute malnutrition

More than one million children are at risk from acute malnutrition in Democratic Republic of Congo as rising violence drives up needs among millions of displaced people, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

10/07 Bird flu strains: Where are they spreading around the globe?

Avian influenza, or bird flu, has public health officials on alert after an unprecedented spread in dairy cows in the United States this year. Four dairy workers have also tested positive in the country.

23/06 Intense heat in Gaza could worsen health crisis for Palestinians, WHO warns

The World Health Organization warned on Friday that scorching heat in the Gaza Strip could exacerbate health problems for Palestinians displaced by Israeli bombardment and heavy fighting between its forces and Hamas militants.

20/06 Lawmakers in Philippines push for probe into Pentagon's anti-vax propaganda operation

Lawmakers in the Philippines, including the head of the Senate’s foreign relations committee, are seeking an investigation into a secret U.S. military propaganda operation that aimed to cast doubt among Filipinos about China’s vaccines during the height of the COVID pandemic.

20/06 WHO issues warnings on fake diabetes and weight-loss drugs

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday issued warnings on falsified semaglutides used in diabetes and weight-loss drugs in light of three altered batches of products detected in Brazil, the UK and the United States.

18/06 China accuses U.S. of "malign intention" to discredit its COVID vaccines

China's embassy in the Philippines accused the U.S. military of "hypocrisy, malign intention and double standards" in response to a report of secret U.S. campaign to undermine confidence in a Chinese vaccines and other aid during the COVID-19 pandemic.

12/06 WHO says risk to public health from avian influenza A (H5N1) remains low

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that the risk to public health from the avian influenza A (H5N1) virus remained low despite its spread among dairy cattle in the United States.

12/06 South Africa records first mpox death after five cases confirmed

A 37-year-old man has become South Africa's first recorded death from mpox after five laboratory-confirmed cases of the viral infection were recorded in the past month, the health minister said on Wednesday.

12/06 WHO confirms human case of bird flu in India

The World Health Organization on Tuesday said a case of human infection with bird flu caused by the H9N2 virus was detected in a four-year-old child in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.

08/06 Mexico says bird flu patient died of chronic disease, not virus

A man who contracted bird flu in Mexico died due to chronic diseases and not the virus, Mexico's health ministry said on Friday.

05/06 WHO confirms first fatal human case of bird flu A(H5N2)

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday a death was caused by the first laboratory-confirmed human case of infection with a subtype of avian influenza.

01/06 Global pandemic treaty to be concluded by 2025, WHO says

Talks aimed at reaching a global agreement on how to better fight pandemics will be concluded by 2025 or earlier if possible, the World Health Organization said on Saturday.

31/05 World unprepared for another pandemic as WHO treaty talks push on

Member states gathered in Geneva to work out how to continue negotiations about an accord after missing this month’s deadline.

30/05 Taiwan says China is 'nibbling away' at its space, trying to create a new normal

China is trying to "nibble away" at Taiwan's space and create a new normal with its military drills and other moves to exert pressure, which is a matter for global concern, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Thursday.

30/05 Israel denounced over Gaza health emergency at WHO meeting

More than 30 countries condemned Israel's attacks on hospitals in Gaza and demanded more scrutiny of its role in the enclave's health crisis at a World Health Organization meeting on Wednesday, and some blamed Israel for a growing risk of famine.

28/05 Western states push for deal on pandemic response rules at WHO meeting

Western countries led by the United States, France and Germany pushed for a deal to bolster pandemic response rules at a major World Health Organization meeting on Tuesday after states failed to finalise a pandemic treaty.

28/05 WHO states decide not to invite Taiwan to annual assembly

Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday decided not to invite Taiwan to the organization's annual assembly in Geneva after China appealed for it to remain sidelined.

24/05 U.S., allies call for Taiwan to be allowed to take part in WHO meeting

The United States and several of its allies, including Britain, Canada, Australia, Germany and Japan, issued a joint statement on Friday calling on Taiwan to be allowed to take part in a key meeting of the World Health Organisation this month.

18/05 Ontario reports first death from measles in over a decade

An Ontario child under the age of five has died of measles, the first such case in the Canadian province in more than a decade, according to the provincial health agency.

10/05 Pandemic treaty talks to the wire, likely to miss first deadline, sources say

Talks to draw up a global pact to help fight future pandemics are likely to miss an initial deadline on Friday, three sources close to the process said.

08/05 Only three days of fuel for health services in south of Gaza, says WHO

There is only enough fuel to run health services in the south of Gaza for three more days, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

07/05 Gaza is 'choked off' from aid since crossing closures, UN agencies say

U.N. agencies said on Tuesday that the two main crossings into the southern Gaza Strip remain shut, virtually cutting off the enclave from outside aid with very few stores stationed inside.

05/05 Details of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza

The Gaza Strip is suffering an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe nearly seven months since Israel launched a devastating offensive in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks that killed 1,200 people in Israel.

02/05 Taiwan says may be hard to attend WHO assembly, Blinken offers support

It will be hard for Taiwan to attend this year's World Health Organization annual assembly, and it hopes more countries will support its presence, the island's foreign minister said on Thursday after the United States pressed for an invite.

30/04 Risk of bird flu spreading to cows outside US, says WHO

A World Health Organization official said on Tuesday there was a risk of H5N1 bird flu virus spreading to cows in other countries beyond the United States through migratory birds.

26/04 WHO warns of alcohol and electronic cigarette consumption among young people

Alcohol is the most consumed substance among young people: 57% of 15-year-olds have tried it and 37% have consumed it in the last month

24/04 EU Parliament adopts new rules to improve air quality by 2030

The European Parliament adopted stricter legally-binding air pollution limits on Wednesday that must be complied with by 2030.

19/04 WHO says wider alert on contaminated J&J cough syrup 'likely'

The World Health Organization is likely to issue a wider warning about contaminated Johnson and Johnson-made children's cough syrup found in Nigeria last week, it said in an email.

19/04 Nestlé under scrutiny: level of sugar added to baby products defies WHO recommendations

Public Eye activists sent samples of baby food products sold in Africa, Asia and Latin America to a Belgian laboratory for analysis. The results, as well as analysis of product packaging, revealed added sugar in the form of sucrose or honey in samples of Nido, a brand of milk formula intended for babies aged one year and older, and Cerelac

18/04 After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'

The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.

13/04 Nigeria becomes first country to roll out new meningitis vaccine, WHO says

Nigeria has become the first country in the world to roll out the "revolutionary" new Men5CV vaccine against meningitis, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

12/04 UN refugee chief says Sudanese refugees may head to Europe if aid not provided

The United Nations refugee chief said on Friday that Sudanese refugees could be making their way to Europe if humanitarian aid was not adequately provided to the people of the war-torn country.

03/04 Many patients of destroyed Gaza hospital will die if not evacuated, WHO chief warns

The destruction of Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza will require more medical evacuations and ultimately cause more deaths if these are not carried out swiftly, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday.

02/04 Gaza dentist sets up tent to replace destroyed clinic

His clinic destroyed during Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian dentist Najdat Saqr has retrieved equipment from the ruins and set up a tent to treat patients again.

22/03 Measles cases in US rise to 62 as of Thursday, says CDC

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday the number of measles cases in the United States has increased to 62 as of Thursday, higher than the whole of last year.

19/03 Bangladesh, Pakistan and India bottom in air quality rankings in 2023, data shows

Pakistan remained one of the world's three smoggiest countries in 2023, as Bangladesh and India replaced Chad and Iran, with particulate matter about 15 times the level recommended by the World Health Organization, data published on Tuesday showed.

18/03 Gambian lawmakers to vote on repealing female genital mutilation ban

Gambian lawmakers planned on Monday to vote on a proposal to repeal a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM), which has been on the rise in recent years despite moves to outlaw the practice.

05/03 World Health Organization: child malnutrition 'particularly extreme' in north Gaza

United Nations organisations said on Tuesday that child malnutrition levels in northern Gaza were "particularly extreme" and about three times higher than in the south of the Palestinian enclave where more aid has been available.

01/03 US CDC drops five-day COVID isolation guidelines

The U.S. CDC on Friday dropped its five-day COVID-19 isolation recommendations under a new guidance, instead suggesting that people return to normal activities if symptoms improve and they are fever-free for at least 24 hours without needing medicines.

01/03 More than a billion people worldwide are obese, WHO study finds

More than a billion people globally are now considered obese, a condition linked to an increased risk of numerous serious health problems, according to updated estimates from the World Health Organization and an international group of researchers.

27/02 U.N. says Israeli forces stalled evacuation convoy, forced paramedics to strip

The United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) said on Tuesday the Israeli military had stalled a medical evacuation convoy in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, detaining a paramedic and forcing others to remove their clothes.

22/02 WHO plans more evacuations from Gaza hospital as bodies reportedly decompose

The World Health Organization aims to evacuate more of the roughly 140 patients stranded in Gaza's Nasser hospital, where Palestinian officials said bodies of dead patients had begun to decompose amid power cuts and fighting.

21/02 More than half the world faces high measles risk, WHO says

More than half the world's countries will be at high or very high risk of measles outbreaks by the end of the year unless urgent preventative measures are taken, the World Health Organization warned on Tuesday.

20/02 WHO completes second Gaza hospital evacuation amid fighting

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday it had completed a second evacuation mission from Gaza's Nasser Hospital, transferring a total of 32 critical patients including children from the site amid fighting.

12/02 WHO head concerned at attacks on Gaza's Rafah

The World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday reiterated calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and expressed particular concern at Israeli attacks on Rafah where most of the enclave's inhabitants have fled.

26/01 WHO chief breaks down describing 'hellish' Gaza conditions

The head of the World Health Organization called for a ceasefire and a "true solution" to the Israel-Palestinian conflict in an emotional plea to the global health body's governing body on Thursday where he described conditions in Gaza as "hellish".

25/01 Gaza starves as Israel presses war on Hamas

In battered, hard-to-reach north Gaza, rare aid deliveries get mobbed by desperate, hungry Palestinians and aid workers report seeing people thin and visibly starving with sunken eyes.

23/01 Portugal with more and more cases of covid-19, unlike what happens in the rest of Europe

Contrary to the recorded decrease in Covid-19 cases in Europe, Portugal is among the 10 European countries that recorded the most cases. It's an increase of more than 20%

20/01 What is the humanitarian situation in war-ravaged Gaza?

The Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, launched in the wake of a deadly rampage by Hamas militants in southern Israel on Oct. 7, has displaced most of the enclave's 2.3 million people and caused a humanitarian crisis.

19/01 UK health agency warns 'very real risk' measles outbreak spreads

Britain's public health agency warned on Friday that an outbreak of measles in central England could spread to other towns and cities unless urgent action is taken to boost vaccination uptake.

16/01 Global tobacco use tumbles despite industry lobbying

Global tobacco use has tumbled in a generation with one in five people smoking versus one in three in 2000.

12/01 WHO sees 'incredibly low' COVID, flu vaccination rates as cases surge

Low vaccination rates against the latest versions of COVID-19 and influenza are putting pressure on healthcare systems this winter, leading public health officials told Reuters. In the United States, several European countries, and other parts of the world, there have been reports of rising hospitalizations linked to respiratory infections in recent weeks. Death rates have also ticked up among old

06/01 CDC says JN.1 variant accounts for about 62% of COVID cases in US

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday that COVID subvariant JN.1 accounts for about 62% of cases in the U.S. as of Jan. 5, according to the agency's projections.

04/01 Gaza's child amputees face further risks without expert care

Eleven-year-old Noor's left leg was almost entirely torn off when her home in Jabalia, Gaza was hit by an explosion in October. Now her right leg, fitted with a heavy metal bar and four screws drilled into the bone, may have to be amputated.

04/01 Mask mandates return at some US hospitals as COVID, flu jump

Hospitals in at least four U.S. states have reinstated mask mandates amid a rise in cases of COVID, seasonal flu and other respiratory illness.

03/01 US 'not seeing acts of genocide' in Gaza, State Dept says

The U.S. has not observed acts in Gaza that constitute genocide, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday, after South Africa launched genocide proceedings at the International Court of Justice over Israel's military operation in the Palestinian enclave.

05/12 Situation in Gaza 'getting worse by the hour' - WHO

A World Health Organization official in Gaza said on Tuesday the situation was deteriorating by the hour as Israeli bombing has intensified in the south of the Palestinian enclave around the cities of Khan Younis and Rafah.

04/12 WHO board to hold emergency meeting on Gaza health situation

The World Health Organization's executive board will hold an emergency session on Dec. 10 to discuss the health crisis in Gaza and the West Bank, with the Palestinian envoy seeking more medical aid and access for foreign healthcare workers.

04/12 India finds quality issues with cough syrup linked to Cameroon deaths - sources

Indian tests of a cough syrup linked to the deaths of at least six children in Cameroon have found unidentified quality issues in at least one of the five samples picked up by authorities, two people familiar with the investigation told Reuters.

03/12 World at risk of losing malaria fight as cases rise, report says

The world is in danger of losing the fight against malaria, as cases of the disease rose by around 5 million year-on-year in 2022, exceeding global targets to contain it, a new World Health Organization report showed on Thursday.

02/12 China's respiratory illness rise due to known pathogens -official

China's surge in respiratory illness is caused by known pathogens and there is no sign of new infectious diseases, a health official said on Saturday as the country faces its first full winter since lifting strict COVID-19 restrictions.

01/12 What do we know about China’s respiratory illness surge?

A WHO request for information from China has attracted global attention.

30/11 Taiwan urges elderly, young to avoid China visits due to respiratory illnesses

Taiwan's health ministry on Thursday urged the elderly, very young and those with poor immunity to avoid travel to China due to the recent increase in respiratory illnesses there.

28/11 Disease could be bigger killer than bombs in Gaza - WHO

More people could die from disease than from bombings in the Gaza Strip if its health system is not repaired, a World Health Organization spokesperson said on Tuesday.

27/11 China's respiratory illness surge not as high as pre-pandemic- WHO official

The spike in respiratory illnesses that China is currently going through is not as high as before the COVID-19 pandemic, a World Health Organisation official said, reiterating that no new or unusual pathogens had been found in the recent cases.

24/11 Almost 400,000 deaths in Europe in 2021 attributable to filthy air -EU report

Almost 400,000 deaths in Europe in 2021 were related to three main air pollutants and some could have been avoided if pollutants had been reduced to World Health Organisation-recommended levels, an EU report said on Friday.

24/11 UN agencies hope truce will allow aid to flow to northern Gaza

U.N. agencies voiced hope that a shaky truce that began between Israel and Hamas on Friday would allow for a ramping-up of aid and the first flows to northern Gaza in weeks as fresh hospital rescue efforts got under way.

24/11 What is the humanitarian situation in besieged Gaza?

Israel and Hamas started a four-day ceasefire in Gaza on Friday with aid agencies hoping to use the pause in fighting to ramp up aid deliveries into the besieged enclave.

24/11 China grapples with respiratory illness spike; WHO says no unusual pathogen found

China is grappling with a spike in respiratory illnesses as it enters its first full winter season since it lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions in December.

23/11 Don't press 'pandemic panic button' scientists caution on China pneumonia report

Leading scientists urged caution over fears of another pandemic after the World Health Organization requested more information from China on a rise of respiratory illnesses.

23/11 WHO asks China for details on respiratory illness outbreaks

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday officially requested that China provide detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children.

21/11 WHO chief says an employee was killed in Gaza alongside family

The World Health Organization chief said on Tuesday that one of its employees had been killed in Gaza alongside her six-month-old baby, husband and two brothers.

17/11 WHO voices concern over spread of disease in Gaza

The World Health Organization said on Friday it was very worried about the spread of disease in Gaza as weeks of Israeli bombardments have led to the population crowding into shelters with scarce food and clean water.

16/11 Options for evacuating Gaza's Al Shifa hospital limited - WHO official

The United Nations is looking for ways to evacuate Al Shifa hospital in Gaza but options are limited by security and logistical constraints, a senior World Health Organization official said on Thursday.

14/11 Israel's foreign minister says UN chief not fit to lead

Israel's foreign minister said on Tuesday that United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was not fit to head the global body, saying he had not done enough to condemn militant group Hamas and was too close to Iran.

11/11 A child killed on average every 10 minutes in Gaza, says WHO chief

A child is killed on average every 10 minutes in the Gaza Strip, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told the United Nations Security Council on Friday, warning: "Nowhere and no one is safe."

10/11 WHO: Gaza's Al Shifa hospital 'coming under bombardment'

The biggest hospital in the Gaza Strip was coming under bombardment on Friday, the World Health Organization said, adding that 20 hospitals in Gaza were now out of action entirely.

08/11 WHO warns of 'worrying trends' in disease spread in Gaza

The Gaza Strip faces an increased risk of disease spreading due to Israeli air bombardments that have disrupted the health system, access to clean water and caused people to crowd in shelters, the World Health Organization warned on Wednesday.

02/11 What is the humanitarian situation in besieged Gaza?

Global calls for a "humanitarian pause" in the Israel-Hamas war have gone unheeded, preventing anything more than a trickle of humanitarian aid from entering Israeli-besieged Gaza as shortages of food, fuel, drinking water and medicine worsen.

24/10 Gaza needs unimpeded flow of aid - UN bodies

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday called for an unimpeded flow of aid into Gaza, trapped in a humanitarian crisis after two weeks of Israeli air strikes.

17/10 Attack on Gaza hospital 'unprecedented' in scale, WHO says

A strike on the Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in the north of the Gaza Strip that killed hundreds was "unprecedented in scale," the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday, condemning the attack.

17/10 WHO says it needs urgent access to Gaza to deliver aid, medical supplies

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday it needs urgent access to Gaza to deliver aid and medical supplies, as the U.N. agency warned of a long-term humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

13/10 'Take me out': Demand for private jet flights out of Israel surges

Demand for charter flights including private jets costing up to $50,000 a trip is mounting as people rush to get out of Israel, the CEO of Switzerland-based LunaJets told Reuters on Friday.

13/10 Moving severely ill people in Gaza amounts to 'death sentence' - WHO

The World Health Organization said on Friday local health authorities in Gaza had informed it that it was impossible to evacuate vulnerable hospital patients from northern Gaza after Israel's military called for civilians to relocate south within 24 hours.

11/10 Exclusive: India allows cough syrup firm linked to Uzbek deaths to re-open factory -document

India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh has permitted the resumption of most production at a factory owned by Marion Biotech, which produced cough syrups Uzbekistan linked to the deaths of 65 children last year, an order seen by Reuters shows.

10/10 UN says nearly 200,000 displaced in Gaza, water shortages expected

The United Nations humanitarian office said on Tuesday that nearly 200,000 people or nearly a tenth of the population, have fled their homes in Gaza since the start of hostilities and is poised for shortages of water and electricity due to a blockade.

10/10 Most casualties in recent Afghan earthquakes are women, children -WHO

Women and children make up two-thirds of the victims of the recent earthquakes in Afghanistan who were hospitalized with severe injuries, the head of the World Health Organization's emergency response in the country said on Monday.

06/10 Dengue will 'take off' in southern Europe, US, Africa this decade, WHO scientist says

Dengue fever will become a major threat in the southern United States, southern Europe and new parts of Africa this decade, the WHO's chief scientist said, as warmer temperatures create the conditions for the mosquitoes carrying the infection to spread.

04/10 WHO says no new cases of Nipah virus detected since Sept 15

No fresh cases of the deadly Nipah virus have been detected since Sept. 15 in India's southern state of Kerala, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

02/10 WHO recommends malaria vaccine, roll out in early 2024 in some African countries

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended on Monday the use of a second malaria vaccine to curb the life-threatening disease spread to humans by some mosquitoes.

19/09 UN says death toll from Libya floods includes 400 migrants

A U.N. humanitarian office report said on Tuesday that some 400 migrants were killed in the floods that hit eastern Libya last week, citing hospital reports.

17/09 WHO chief pushes China for ‘full access’ to determine COVID’s origins, Financial Times reports

The chief of the World Health Organization urged Beijing to offer more information on the origins of COVID-19 and is ready to send a second team to probe the matter, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

16/09 Flood-hit Libyan city counts losses as search for missing goes on

More than 5,000 people are presumed dead, and the true death toll may be much higher.

15/09 Libya's flood-hit Derna struggles to deal with corpses after huge death toll

Residents and rescue workers in the devastated Libyan city of Derna were struggling to cope with the thousands of corpses washing up or decaying under rubble, after a flood that smashed down buildings and swept people out to sea.

15/09 Aid agencies call for end to mass graves after Libya floods

The World Health Organization and other aid groups on Friday called on authorities in Libya to stop burying flood victims in mass graves after a U.N. report showed that more than 1,000 people had so far been buried in that manner since the country was hit by floods.

14/09 Nipah: What do we know about virus spreading in India's Kerala?

India's southern state of Kerala shut some schools and offices this week as officials raced to halt the spread of the deadly Nipah virus, after it killed two people in the fourth outbreak since 2018.

24/08 Highly mutated COVID variant found in new countries but pandemic in 'a different phase’

A highly mutated COVID variant called BA.2.86 has now been detected in Switzerland and South Africa in addition to Israel, Denmark, the U.S. and the U.K., according to a leading World Health Organization official.

19/08 Explainer: Eris, BA.2.86: Do I need to worry about COVID again?

Do the new variants make people sicker? Will vaccines protect against new variants?

18/08 US CDC tracks new lineage of virus that causes COVID

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that it was tracking a new, highly mutated lineage of the virus that causes COVID-19.

17/08 Pfizer's updated COVID shot effective against 'Eris' variant in mice study

Pfizer Inc said on Thursday its updated COVID-19 shot, which is being tested against emerging variants, showed neutralizing activity against the "Eris" subvariant in a study conducted on mice.

14/08 Covid Eris: What to know about new variant EG.5 dominating U.S. cases

COVID infections and hospitalizations are on the rise in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Health officials are pointing at the EG.5 "Eris" coronavirus, a subvariant of the Omicron lineage that originally emerged November of 2021.

10/08 China lifts bans on group tours to US, Japan and other key markets

Their absence since the pandemic affected tourism-dependent businesses.

09/08 With Eris on the rise, US CDC sees no major shift in COVID variants

Currently spreading COVID-19 variants such as EG.5, or Eris, do not represent a major shift and updated vaccines in September will offer protection, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.

09/08 WHO classifies EG.5 as COVID-19 'variant of interest'

The World Health Organization on Wednesday classified the EG.5 coronavirus strain circulating in the United States and China as a "variant of interest" but said it did not seem to pose more of a threat to public health than other variants.

26/07 Obesity drugs don't make WHO's essential list, but Ebola, MS drugs added

Obesity drugs will not join the World Health Organization's (WHO) latest essential medicines list, but treatments for diseases, including Ebola and multiple sclerosis will, documents published by the U.N. agency showed.

22/07 Gambia 'advanced' in exploring legal action over toxic Indian cough syrup

Gambia's government is "far advanced" in exploring avenues for potential legal action against Indian drugmaker Maiden Pharmaceuticals and a local distributor over toxic cough syrups believed to have killed dozens of children, it said on Friday.

14/07 What is aspartame and what do the new WHO rulings mean?

Aspartame, a popular artificial sweetener found in Diet Coke, chewing gum, yoghurt and other food products, is a "possible carcinogen" but it remains safe to consume at the existing daily intake guidelines, according to new rulings from two different World Health Organization-linked groups.

14/07 WHO cancer arm deems aspartame 'possible carcinogen'; consumption limits unchanged

The sweetener aspartame is a "possible carcinogen" but it remains safe to consume at already-agreed levels, two groups linked to the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Friday.

05/07 UN recruits robots in strive to meet global development goals

Dozens of robots, including several humanoid ones, will take centre stage at a conference organised by the U.N. technology agency in Switzerland this week to showcase their potential to help it reach a series of increasingly improbable global goals.

05/07 Nine new African countries to receive millions of malaria vaccines- GAVI

Global vaccine alliance GAVI said on Wednesday 12 countries in Africa would receive 18 million doses of malaria vaccine over the next two years, expanding access to the shots to nine new countries in the region.

04/07 UN agencies 'alarmed' at scale of Jenin raid, concerned about access

U.N. aid agencies on Tuesday voiced alarm at the scale of the ongoing Israeli military operation in the West Bank town of Jenin, where 10 Palestinians have been killed, saying there were restrictions on medical access.

29/06 Consumers, food-makers face choice as WHO cancer agency set to warn on aspartame sweeteners

Consumers, food companies, retailers and restaurants need to decide whether to fight back or find alternatives to one of the world's most common artificial sweeteners, as a leading global health body prepares to declare it a possible carcinogen.

29/06 Exclusive: WHO's cancer research agency to say aspartame sweetener a possible carcinogen - sources

One of the world's most common artificial sweeteners is set to be declared a possible carcinogen next month by a leading global health body, according to two sources with knowledge of the process, pitting it against the food industry and regulators.

26/06 COVID-19 vaccine scheme for poorest has $2.6bn left to spend as pandemic recedes

Several billions of dollars left in a scheme to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to the world’s poorest could be diverted to prepare for other pandemics or to support vaccine manufacturing in Africa, the scheme's partners said.

26/06 Exclusive: Indonesia police probe drug regulators over cough syrup

Indonesia's police are conducting preliminary inquiries into whether any actions by officials at the country's drug regulator could amount to criminal wrongdoing, as they expand a probe into tainted cough syrups linked to the deaths of more than 200 children across the nation, two top inspectors told Reuters.

18/06 India's Modi seeks African Union's full membership in G20

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written to the leaders of the G20 nations proposing the African Union be given full, permanent membership of the diplomatic group at its upcoming summit in India, an official source said.

12/06 COVID shots should target XBB variants in 2023-24 campaign, US FDA staff say

COVID-19 vaccines being developed and manufactured for the 2023-2024 campaign should target one of the currently dominant XBB variants, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) staff reviewers said on Monday.

08/06 WHO rushes supplies to Ukraine, readies to tackle disease in flood areas

The World Health Organization has rushed emergency supplies to flood-hit parts of Ukraine and are preparing to respond to an array of health risks including trauma, drowning and waterborne diseases like cholera, officials said on Thursday.

05/06 Turkey's Erdogan appoints spokesperson Kalin as intelligence chief

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan appointed his spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin as the head of the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) on Monday, Erdogan's communications office said.

01/06 Exclusive: Gambia hires US law firm to consider action on toxic Indian cough syrup, minister says

Gambia has hired a U.S. law firm to explore legal action after a government-backed investigation found that contaminated medicines from India were "very likely" to have caused the deaths of children last year, the justice minister told Reuters.

09/05 Global push to tackle maternal and newborn deaths has stalled, WHO report finds

Progress in reducing deaths during pregnancy and childbirth and among newborn infants has stalled since 2015, and over 60 countries are on track to miss 2030 targets at current rates, a World Health Organization report released on Tuesday found.

05/05 UNICEF: More than 1 million polio vaccines destroyed in Sudan

More than 1 million polio vaccines intended for children have been destroyed as a result of looting in Sudan during the upsurge in violence since April, the U.N. children's agency UNICEF told Reuters on Friday.

05/05 COVID is no longer global health emergency - WHO

COVID-19 no longer represents a global health emergency, the World Health Organization said on Friday, a major step towards the end of the pandemic that has killed more than 6.9 million people, disrupted the global economy and ravaged communities.

04/05 WHO experts weigh up whether world ready to end COVID emergency

A panel of global health experts will meet on Thursday to decide if COVID-19 is still an emergency under the World Health Organization's rules, a status that helps maintain international focus on the pandemic.

27/04 WHO fears more deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks, collapse of services

The World Health Organization (WHO) expects "many more" deaths in Sudan due to outbreaks of disease and a lack of essential services amid fighting, its director general said on Wednesday.

21/04 More African countries set to approve malaria shot; 20 mln doses ready in 2023

African countries are lining up to approve a new vaccine for malaria, with 20 million doses available for them to buy this year, the shot’s manufacturer told Reuters.

13/04 Ghana first to approve Oxford's malaria vaccine

Ghana has become the first country in the world to approve a new malaria vaccine from Oxford University, a potential step forward in fighting a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of children each year.

13/04 Exclusive: China out of UN's wildlife survey for pandemic controls

China is not participating in a United Nations project to survey Asian wet markets and other facilities at high risk of spreading infectious diseases from wild animals to humans, despite long-running talks with Beijing.

04/04 WHO says infertility affects 1 in 6 globally, calls for more consistent data

About one in six adults globally have experienced infertility at least once in their life, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report on Monday, urging countries to actively collect more consistent data on the disease.

30/03 China plans random, spot checks at hospitals to track COVID

Chinese officials plan random and spot checks at medical facilities in the country to track incomplete and under-reported COVID-19 data, the country's health authority said, amid a wider call by global authorities for more transparency.

29/03 Equatorial Guinea confirms 13 Marburg cases after WHO comments

Equatorial Guinea has confirmed 13 cases of Marburg disease since the beginning of the epidemic, its health officials said on Wednesday after the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) urged the Central African country's government to report new cases officially.

29/03 Exclusive: WHO to consider adding obesity drugs to 'essential' medicines list

Drugs that combat obesity could for the first time be included on the World Health Organization's "essential medicines list," used to guide government purchasing decisions in low- and middle-income countries, the U.N. agency told Reuters.

21/03 Chinese COVID data from animal market gives clues on origins, report says

The data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention is no longer available on the GISAID database where it was found by scientists.

20/03 Vaccine makers prep bird flu shot for humans 'just in case'; rich nations lock in supplies

Some of the world's leading makers of flu vaccines say they could make hundreds of millions of bird flu shots for humans within months if a new strain of avian influenza ever jumps across the species divide.

18/03 WHO, advisors urge China to release all COVID-related data after new research

Advisors to the World Health Organization on Saturday urged China to release all information related to the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic after new findings were briefly shared on an international database used to track pathogens.

18/03 Malawians fear storm Freddy could make deadliest cholera outbreak worse

Despite her fears, Fyness Afiki joined other women drawing dirty water from a well in Malawi's second-biggest city Blantyre, which is still reeling from the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Freddy.

15/03 Mozambique records rise in cholera cases, Malawi sees decline - WHO

Mozambique recorded an increase in the number of cholera cases in the last few weeks, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, even as many other African countries reported a decline.

14/03 Lahore is most polluted city, Chad worst among countries - survey

Lahore in Pakistan jumped more than 10 places to become the city with the worst air in the world in 2022, according to an annual global survey by a Swiss maker of air purifiers.

12/03 Finding COVID-19's origins is a moral imperative: WHO's Tedros

Discovering the origins of COVID-19 is a moral imperative and all hypotheses must be explored, the head of the World Health Organization said, in his strongest comments yet that the U.N. body remains committed to finding how the virus arose.

08/03 Thousands of people in Ukraine have complex war-related injuries, says WHO

Thousands of people in Ukraine have sustained complex injuries linked to the war and need rehabilitation services and equipment to help them, a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday.

03/03 FDA says no indication contaminated cough syrups have entered U.S. supply chain

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday there was no indication that contaminated cough and paracetamol syrups that caused deaths of children in Gambia last year have entered the U.S. drug supply chain.

03/03 U.S. CDC issues advisory after confirmed measles case in Kentucky

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday it was issuing a health alert advisory to notify clinics and public health officials to be watchful after a case of measles was confirmed at a large gathering in Kentucky.

03/03 Estonia reported bird flu outbreak on poultry farm, WOAH says

Estonia has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus on a farm in the northern part of the country, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Friday.

03/03 WHO still working to identify the origins of COVID-19

The World Health Organization (WHO) is still working to identify the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, its director general said on Friday, after a U.S. agency was reported to have assessed the pandemic had likely been caused by a Chinese laboratory leak.

02/03 More than half of the world will be overweight or obese by 2035 - report

More than half of the world's population will be overweight or obese by 2035 without significant action, according to a new report.

25/02 Spanish authorities detect first suspected case of Marburg disease

Spain has detected its first suspected case of Marburg disease, a deadly infectious disease that has led to the quarantining of more than 200 people in Equatorial Guinea, health authorities in the Spanish region of the Valencia said on Saturday.

24/02 Bird flu situation 'worrying', WHO working with Cambodia

The World Health Organization is working with the Cambodian authorities after two confirmed human cases of H5N1 bird flu were found in the country among one family.

15/02 Explainer: Bird flu: what are the risks to people and animals?

Countries ranging from the United States and Britain to France and Japan have suffered record losses of poultry in outbreaks of avian flu in the past year.

13/02 Equatorial Guinea confirms country's first Marburg virus disease outbreak -WHO

Equatorial Guinea has confirmed its first outbreak of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious and deadly disease similar to Ebola, following the deaths of at least nine people, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

09/02 Quarter of Ukrainians at risk of severe mental health conditions - adviser

A quarter of Ukraine's population is at risk of developing a severe mental health condition as the country grapples with the year-long Russian invasion, a senior health official said on Thursday.

08/02 Risk to humans from H5N1 bird flu remains low but we must prepare - WHO

The recent spread to mammals of H5N1 influenza - commonly known as bird flu - needs to be monitored, but the risk to humans remains low, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

07/02 WHO says Syria, already in crisis, needs massive humanitarian aid after quake

Senior officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday that Syria's humanitarian needs where the highest after a major earthquake killed thousands there and in southern Turkey.

06/02 Death toll from mysterious meningitis outbreak in Mexico at 35

State officials in northern Mexico on Monday reported another death caused by a mysterious meningitis outbreak, bringing the total number of victims linked to the disease to 35.

02/02 Germany drops to no. 2 WHO donor despite new pledge for $140 mln

Germany will give 130 million euros ($141.87 million) to the World Health Organization this year, its health minister said on Thursday following a meeting with the U.N. health agency's head.

01/02 Draft WHO pandemic deal pushes for equity to avoid COVID 'failure' repeat

Governments may have to reserve drugs and vaccines for the World Health Organization to distribute in poorer countries to avoid a repeat of the "catastrophic failure" during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an early draft of a global pandemic agreement.

30/01 Under-funded WHO seeks 'reinforced' role in global health at key meeting

The World Health Organization will push at its board meeting this week for an expanded role in tackling the next global health emergency after COVID-19, but is still seeking answers on how to fund it, according to health policy experts.

30/01 COVID remains a public health emergency, says WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that COVID-19 continues to constitute a public health emergency of international concern, its highest form of alert.

24/01 Exclusive: WHO investigating links between cough syrup deaths, considers advice for parents

The World Health Organization (WHO) is investigating whether there is any connection between manufacturers whose contaminated cough syrups it has linked to the deaths of more than 300 children in three countries, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

23/01 WHO urges 'immediate action' after cough syrup deaths

The World Health Organization has called for "immediate and concerted action" to protect children from contaminated medicines after a spate of child deaths linked to cough syrups last year.