World Health Organization

What is people-centred care?

22 June 2017 – Globally, 1 in 20 people still lacks access to essential health services that could be delivered at a primary care clinic instead of a hospital. Where services are accessible, they can be fragmented and of poor quality. WHO is supporting countries to progress towards universal health coverage by designing health services for people instead of diseases and health institutions, so that everyone gets the right care, at the right time, in the right place.

Refugees
Elderly
Blood
Measles

#WithRefugees: WHO-trained Syrian health workers provide services in Turkey

A group of Syrian refugees in a hospital in Kilis, Turkey

EPA/S. Suna

19 June 2017 – More than 3 million Syrian refugees are now living in Turkey. In 2016, the Turkish government enacted a law that allows Syrian health professionals to enter the workforce in the Turkish health system, with the aim of both integrating Syrian professionals into the health system and also ensuring that Syrian refugees can receive health care without encountering language or cultural barriers. WHO and the Public Health Institution of Turkey created an adaptation training for Syrian health workers.

Abuse of older people on the rise – 1 in 6 affected

An old woman sitting alone on a bench near a pond in Thailand

WHO/C. Tephaval

14 June 2017 – Around 1 in 6 older people experience some form of abuse, a figure higher than previously estimated and predicted to rise as populations age worldwide. Awareness about elder abuse, still largely a taboo topic, has started to increase across the world. It is defined as actions or lack of appropriate action which can cause harm or distress to an older person, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust.

News release

Giving blood in a time of crisis

13 June 2017 – In the days following Nepal’s devastating earthquake in 2015, hundreds of volunteers came forward to donate blood. But crucially, Nepal already had a substantial supply of blood, thanks to years of work to build a culture of voluntary blood donation. On World Blood Donor Day, WHO is emphasizing the role that every individual can play in preparing for the next unforeseen emergency by giving blood now.

Bhutan, Maldives eliminate measles

Health worker administering vaccine for a baby, as she sits on her mother's lamp, uncomfortably, in Male, Maldives

WHO/V. Gupta-Smith

13 June 2017 – Bhutan and Maldives have eliminated measles, a highly infectious disease that is a major childhood killer globally. The 2 countries are the first in the WHO South-East Asia Region to be verified for having interrupted endemic measles virus transmission, ahead of the 2020 regional target.

News release

Outbreaks and emergencies

Emergencies » Ebola » Food insecurity and famine » Nigeria » South Sudan » Syrian Arab Republic » Yemen »

World Blood Donor Day

14 June 2017 - World Blood Donor Day

Don’t wait until disaster strikes. What can you do? Give blood. Give now. Give often.

Highlights

Inaugural Africa Health Forum in Kigali, Rwanda
June 2017 – For the first time, WHO’s Regional Office for Africa is convening global leaders and thinkers to explore Africa’s healthcare priorities and challenges and find new ways to achieve better health for all.

More can be done to restrict sunbeds to prevent increasing rates of skin cancer
June 2017 – WHO underscores national actions to limit the use of artificial tanning devices (sunbeds) in a bid to reduce the associated health risks, such as melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. For more than three decades, the deliberate sunbed exposure to ultraviolent radiation (UVR) for cosmetic purposes has been driving up the incidence of skin cancers and driving down the age of their first appearance.

WHO toolkit for the care and support of people affected by complications associated with Zika virus
June 2017 – Zika virus is associated with severe neurological complications, particularly congenital Zika virus syndrome and Guillain Barré syndrome. The associated complications have a marked impact on the people affected and their communities, including both physical and mental health. The toolkit has been developed to serve as a model guide, with the goal of enhancing country preparedness for Zika virus outbreaks.

Paris is 500th member of WHO Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities
June 2017 – Today, 19 June, WHO’s Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities (GNAFCC) welcomed Paris, France, as its 500th member. The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo and her deputy Dominique Versini - responsible for early childhood, the protection of children and the fight against exclusion and the elderly - formalised their commitment to become an age-friendly city during a presentation of the plan "2017-2021 Seniors in Paris".