World Health Organization

Pregnant women must be able to access the right care at the right time

Health physician examining a pregnant woman in Cuba

7 November 2016 – Last year, an estimated 303 000 women died from pregnancy-related causes, 2.7 million babies died during the first 28 days of life and 2.6 million babies were stillborn. Quality health care during pregnancy and childbirth can prevent many of these deaths. WHO has issued a new series of recommendations to improve quality of antenatal care in order to reduce the risk of stillbirths and pregnancy complications and give women a positive pregnancy experience.

More on antenatal care recommendations

Kyrgyzstan
Surgery
Election
Financing

Kyrgyzstan certified to be malaria-free

Kyrgyzstan malaria-free certification graphic

4 November 2016 – Today, Kyrgyzstan received the official WHO certification of malaria elimination. Countries that maintain zero locally-acquired malaria cases for at least 3 consecutive years are eligible to apply for this certification on a voluntary-basis. Globally, a total of 32 countries and territories have received the certification.

More on malaria in Kyrgyzstan

Safer surgery with new guidelines

Two surgeons operating on a patient at the Butaro District Hospital in Rwanda

J Cusack

3 November 2016 – People should always bathe or shower before surgery, but not be shaved, and antibiotics should only be used before and during surgery, not afterwards, according to new WHO guidelines. The "Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection" includes input from 20 experts across the globe, and features 29 recommendations that will save lives, cut costs, and stop the spread of superbugs.

Read the news release

Webcast of Director-General candidates' forum

WHO

1 November 2016 – The six candidates for the position of WHO Director-General presented their visions in a webcast forum hosted by the WHO secretariat in Geneva on 1–2 November. All candidates spoke for 30 minutes and responded to questions from Member States.

WHO financing dialogue

WHO

28 October 2016 – The financing dialogue is a key element of WHO's reform process to better address the increasingly complex challenges of health in the 21st century. From persisting problems to new and emerging health threats, WHO needs the capability and flexibility to respond to this evolving environment. WHO is making some fundamental changes to enable it to respond faster and more effectively to emergencies, as well as to anticipate future health challenges and to minimize their impact.

Outbreaks and emergencies

Emergencies » Haiti hurricane » Nigeria crisis » South Sudan crisis » Yellow fever » Zika virus and complications »

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

WHO condemns reported attacks using ambulances as weapons targeting civilians in Tikrit and Samarra, Iraq
November 2016 – WHO received reports of suicide bombers driving ambulances, killing more than 20 people and injuring dozens more at a checkpoint in Tikrit and a car park in Samarra. The reported use of medical vehicles as weapons threatens the ability to deliver health care and urgent medical services.

African leaders recognize importance of preventing and managing health emergencies on One Health Day
November 2016 – On the inaugural One Health Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling attention to the importance of using the One Health approach in order to more successfully prevent and manage public health emergencies and threats. One Health is an approach to designing health systems and services in ways that account for the link between human, animal and environmental health.

New WHO/Europe report calls for urgent action to protect children from digital marketing of food
November 2016 – For the first time, researchers and health experts have undertaken a comprehensive analysis of the concerning situation in the WHO European Region of digital marketing to children of foods high in fats, salt and sugars.

Trachoma: WHO-led alliance awarded for saving the sight of millions
October 2016 – The WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma by the year 2020 (GET2020) has been awarded the Global Partnership Award by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. The award is in recognition of the remarkable work accomplished by the Alliance in implementing the WHO-recommended SAFE strategy.

What we do

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

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

Every tobacco death is an avoidable tragedy. The epidemic must stop here

"I urge global leaders convening in India to see this moment as an opportunity to bend the course of public health history."

Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO