In the 42 days since the first shipment of vaccines through the COVAX facility arrived in Ghana, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced in a statement that more than 100 countries have been reached. India, meanwhile, has reaffirmed its commitment to COVAX after it suspended exports amidst an ongoing surge in cases. The COVAX […]
World Health Organization
World Health Day in a time of global crisis – again
On April 5th, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. Two days later marked World Health Day. In 2021, World Health Day occurs once more against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time Health Issues India covered World Health Day last year, I wrote “India [had] reported thousands […]
COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund: One year in
The World Health Organization (WHO) today issued a statement commemorating the one-year anniversary of its COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund – an initiative it says has secured US$242 million in donations from “661,000 individuals, corporations, and other organisations.” However, the organisation maintains that there remains a gap to fill when it comes to funding. “One year […]
NTD roadmap unveiled by WHO
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled a 2021-30 neglected tropical disease (NTD) roadmap aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “The road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030 sets out global targets for 2030 and milestones to prevent, control, eliminate and eradicate a diverse set of twenty diseases and disease groups,” the […]
Biden signs orders for U.S. to rejoin WHO and Paris agreement
Newly-inaugurated president Joseph R. Biden, Jr. has reversed two key policy moves of his predecessor, Donald Trump: namely, the latter’s decision to withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change and to stop U.S. funding to the World Health Organization (WHO). Biden, who was sworn in on January 20th at the United States Capitol in […]
2021 will not see herd immunity, WHO says
Despite countries the world over rolling out immunisation programmes, herd immunity is unlikely to be achieved this year according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021,” said WHO chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan. This is despite the “incredible progress” made […]
WASH: WHO, UNICEF issue stark warning about sanitation
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF issued a dire warning about the state of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health facilities. Almost two billion people worldwide rely on healthcare delivery in settings where those services are substandard – or lacking altogether. The global progress report on WASH services in […]
Tobacco users: WHO launches campaign to help them kick the habit
Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched “Commit to Quit” – a campaign aimed to help tens of millions of tobacco users to quit. The campaign “will support at least 100 million people as they try to give up tobacco through communities of quitters”, the WHO says. The agency asserted that the campaign has heightened […]
Antimicrobial stewardship needed to prevent resistance rise in the midst of new normal and COVID-19
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been identified by experts as a pitfall that may arise from the ‘new normal’ of the COVID-19 pandemic with virtual assessments limiting diagnostic capabilities. In India, poor availability and utilisation of diagnostics have led to increased focus on AMR and the need for better stewardship. Agencies such as the World Health […]
Sedentary behaviour: Five million lives lost a year
![Crowds practise yoga in Nainital, Uttarkhand on International Yoga Day, 2017. Image credit: By Jbharti749 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], from Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/www.healthissuesindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Yoga_at_Nainital.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 "Yoga isn’t timeless: It’s changing to meet contemporary needs")
Less sedentary behaviour and more physical activity could prevent as many as five million deaths a year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The agency launched its new “Guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour” earlier this week, which aimed to “provide evidence-based public health recommendations for children, adolescents, adults and older adults on […]