Laws to protect breastfeeding inadequate in most countries

Breastfeeding after UNICEF measles vaccination, Kot Danda, Nepal.
UNICEF/Page

9 May 2015 – The International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes calls on countries to protect breastfeeding by stopping the inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes, including advertising, gifts to health workers, and distribution of free samples. A new report by WHO, UNICEF, and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) reveals the status of national laws to protect and promote breastfeeding.

One year into the Zika outbreak

Woman measures baby's head to check for microcephaly.
WHO/PAHO

5 May 2015 -- On 7 May 2015, Brazil informed WHO/PAHO of its first laboratory confirmed cases of Zika virus. In the last year the scientific community has learned an extraordinary amount about this virus and its effects. WHO continues to lead the research agenda, while supporting countries in the response. This article chronicles Zika virus from when it was first identified, and details how this fairly obscure disease became a global health emergency.

Investing in trained midwives across Liberia

A midwife guides a mother who is breastfeeding her baby, Liberia.
WHO/Liberia

6 May 2016 -- Today, Liberia has less than 200 trained midwives for more than 4 million people. And most of those are working in urban areas - compounding the situation for rural women. To improve access to quality midwifery care, the Liberian Ministry of Health, WHO and partners are working together to strengthen the country’s midwifery schools. A new Bachelor of Science midwifery programme provides professional development to help midwives advance their careers, and graduates 50-75 registered midwives in each cohort.

Clean hands, closed doors stop deadly infections in Uganda

Preparation for surgery at the Kisiizi Hospital, Uganda
Kisiizi Hospital Uganda/G. Okumu

4 May 2015 -- In Uganda, taking a bath before surgery, closing the door to the operating theatre and ensuring surgeons clean their hands properly can be the difference between life and death. A study involving more than 650 surgical patients, showed the rate of infections halved after new measures were introduced. As a result, patients are spending less time in hospital, resulting in cost-savings for both the patient and the hospital.

Uncovering health inequalities to leave no one behind

A woman breastfeeds her baby in a dark room in Jakarta, Indonesia.

02 May 2016 – Having a skilled health professional during childbirth can save the life of a woman and her child. But, in many parts of the world and within many countries, the presence of a health worker during childbirth is often a luxury. If a woman is poor, she is even more likely to deliver without support, putting herself and child at risk. To help countries monitor health inequalities, WHO developed a new toolkit called the Health Equity Assessment Toolkit.

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  • WHO expresses great concern over newborn deaths in Libya
    May 2016 -- WHO expresses concern over the death of 12 newborns in the Sabah Medical Centre neonatal intensive care unit in Sabha, southern Libya. The deaths occurred due to a bacterial infection and lack of specialized health staff to provide medical care.
  • A key step in achieving a polio free world
    May 2016 -- The largest synchronized event in the history of vaccines, 155 countries and areas have simultaneously participated in the switch to a new oral polio vaccine (OPV) between 17 April and 1 May.
  • Chernobyl: Thirty years On
    April 2016 -- On 26 April 2016, the world marked 30 years since the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in Ukraine - the disaster that affected millions of people in Belarus, Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and had a substantial impact on the entire humankind by changing the nations attitudes to nuclear safety on a global scale.

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Emergency reform

WHO is reforming to be better equipped to address the increasingly complex challenges of health in the 21st century through changes in programmes, governance, and management.

Zika virus and complications

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

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Anthony Costello

The time is right to invest in adolescents

Anthony Costello, WHO Director, Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health

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Dr Chan, WHO Director-General, visits Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, three of the four countries where indigenous transmission of wild poliovirus has not yet been interrupted.
WHO

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