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 […]
World Health Organization
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 […]
UHC a must for a “better future”, says Vardhan
Universal health coverage (UHC) is a must for a “better future”, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan has asserted. Vardhan chaired the 147th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board via videoconferencing. In this capacity, he pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has underscored the need for […]
Cervical cancer elimination: WHO makes landmark commitment
The World Health Organization (WHO) has unveiled an ambitious strategy for cervical cancer elimination, one of the most pressing threats to the health of girls and women globally. In what the WHO called “a historic milestone”, 194 member states committed to the Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer. This marks the first […]
Meningitis: WHO member states make major commitment
Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a major commitment to fight meningitis at the 73rd annual meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA). The Assembly endorsed a number of resolutions during the virtual session, one of which related to meningitis control. “Committee A, which focuses on programme and budget matters, decided to […]
World Health Assembly: Tedros cautions countries against a return to the status quo
“Returning to the status quo is not an option,” declared World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his closing remarks to the 73rd meeting of the World Health Assembly. The event, as with many events, looked markedly different this year than it did in years past due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following […]