Health for all and all for health

21 November 2016 – Promoting health is central to delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals. The '9th Global Conference on Health Promotion' in Shanghai on 21–24 November will chart a new course for the next 15 years, aimed at inspiring national governments, municipal leaders and other stakeholders to grasp the great potential of promoting health across all sectors of society.

Zika is here to stay and remains a significant public health challenge

18 November 2016 – Zika virus and associated consequences remain a significant public health challenge requiring intense action, but they no longer represent a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

WHO welcomes global health funding for malaria vaccine

17 November 2016 – The world’s first malaria vaccine will be rolled out in pilot projects in sub-Saharan Africa, WHO confirmed today. Funding is now secured for the initial phase of the programme and vaccinations are due to begin in 2018. The vaccine, known as RTS,S, acts against P. falciparum, the most deadly malaria parasite globally, and the most prevalent in Africa.

New funding agreements created by WHO and the World Bank

17 November 2016 – Drawing from experience during the Ebola outbreak crisis in 2014, and given the recurrence of World-Bank financed operations and projects that are implemented by WHO, new agreements have been created that will set the legal framework for World Bank-funded projects when WHO is engaged by governments to implement health technical assistance.

World Antibiotic Awareness Week

16 November 2016 – World Antibiotic Awareness Week is being marked all around the world on 14–20 November 2016. The "Antibiotics: Handle with care" campaign is raising awareness of antibiotic resistance and calling on policymakers, health workers, the agriculture sector, and the public to take action to stop the spread of antibiotic resistance.

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Election of Director-General

A close-up of the Director-General's seat in the WHO Executive Boardroom.
WHO/N. Bojgaard

The process to elect the next WHO Director-General is underway.


Highlights

  • Eastern Aleppo without any hospitals for more than 250,000 residents
    More than 250,000 men, women, and children living in Eastern Aleppo are now without access to hospital care following attacks on the remaining hospitals over the last week. According to reports to WHO from the Organization’s partners in Syria, there are currently no hospitals functioning in the besieged area of the city.
  • 3rd WHO Consultation on Global Action Plan for Influenza Vaccines
    November 2016 – The Global Action Plan for Influenza Vaccines (GAP) was launched in 2006 as a-10 year initiative to address the anticipated shortfall in vaccine supply in the event of an influenza pandemic. This 10 year effort on flu vaccine shows progress, but pandemic influenza remains a global threat.
  • New data reveal higher blood pressure in low- and middle-income countries
    November 2016 – According to new research the number of people in the world with high blood pressure reached 1.13 billion in 2015, nearly doubling since 1975. The largest ever study of its kind, the research involved WHO and hundreds of scientists throughout the world, incorporating blood pressure measurements from nearly 20 million people.

Health emergencies programme

WHO Health Emergencies Programme delivers rapid, predictable, and comprehensive support to countries and communities as they prepare for, face or recover from emergencies caused by any type of hazard to human health, whether disease outbreaks, natural or man-made disasters or conflicts.

Zika virus and complications

After a spike in cases of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Zika virus, WHO declared a public health emergency.

Commentaries

Leading from the top to promote health and sustainable development

"Improving access to clean energy is an obvious solution. It fuels economic growth, but it also reduces millions of deaths from respiratory and cardiovascular disease associated with air pollution."

Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO


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