World Health Organization News - Latest Updates & Headlines
Cholera outbreak kills over 110 people in Angola
Luanda, Feb 12: Angola has recorded 3,402 cholera cases and 114 deaths since the outbreak began in early January, according to the Health Ministry's daily press release.
Study shows potassium-enriched salt can reduce recurrent stroke risk
New Delhi, Feb 11: Potassium supplements in salt can significantly reduce the risks of stroke recurrence as well as death, according to an international study.
Continued clashes in Congo's South Kivu trigger mass displacement: UN
United Nations, Feb 8: With hostilities subsiding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)'s occupied Goma City in North Kivu province, UN humanitarians said that violence in South Kivu province is increasing and triggering mass displacement of people.
Argentina announces it will leave World Health Organization
Buenos Aires, February 6: Argentina has announced it will leave World Health Organization (WHO). Argentina's presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni made the announcement regarding the decision, CNN reported.
WHO hails India's leadership in pharmacopoeial standard-setting
New Delhi, Feb 5: India's leadership in pharmacopoeial standard setting is commendable, said Dr. Roderico H.Ofrin, WHO Representative to India, on Wednesday. Ofrin also stressed the importance of regulatory harmonisation in ensuring patient safety and public health.
WHO welcomes Ebola vaccine trial in Uganda
Kampala, Feb 4: The ongoing Ebola vaccine trial in Uganda is an achievement in the fight against the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
Nepal rolls out HPV vaccination campaign on World Cancer Day to immunize over 1.6 million girls
Kathmandu, February 4: Nepal has launched the national Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign on World Cancer Day today, aiming to immunize over 1.6 million girls aged 10-15 years.
Zambia to launch vaccination campaign in cholera-affected town
Lusaka, Feb 4: Health authorities in Zambia will commence an oral cholera vaccination campaign in Chililabombwe Town in Copperbelt Province currently hard-hit by a cholera outbreak, a senior government official said.
Mongolia to receive 2,000 doses of meningococcal vaccine
Ulan Bator, Feb 4: Mongolia is set to receive 2,000 doses of meningococcal vaccine next week, Health Minister Togtmol Munkhsaikhan announced.
Australian research finds no link between mobile phones and various cancers
Canberra, Feb 4: Research led by Australia's nuclear and radiation safety agency has found no link between mobile phone use and various cancers.
TN Health Department on high alert as scrub typhus cases rise
Chennai, Feb 4: The Tamil Nadu Health Department has issued an alert to district health officers as cases of scrub typhus continue to rise across the state.
WHO launches South-East Asia Regional Strategy for comprehensive cancer prevention 2024-2030
New Delhi, January 3: On the occasion of World Cancer Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted its continued efforts to address the growing cancer burden in the South-East Asia region.
85 pc increase in cancer cases, deaths expected by 2050 in S. E Asia: WHO
New Delhi, Feb 3: South-East Asia region is expected to witness an 85 per cent increase in the number of new Cancer cases and deaths, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday, ahead of World Cancer Day.
Kenya on high alert over Sudan Ebola virus outbreak in Uganda
Nairobi, Feb 1: Kenya's Ministry of Health has intensified surveillance at all entry points across the country following an outbreak of Sudan Ebola Virus Disease in neighbouring Uganda.
With calm being restored in DR Congo, risk of disease outbreaks increases: UN
United Nations, Feb 1: While calm is being restored in Goma, the key eastern city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the risk of disease outbreaks, including cholera and Mpox, increases on the outskirts, according to the United Nations officials.
Gaza health needs 'immense': WHO
Geneva, January 31: The UN's World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Friday that humanitarian needs in Gaza remain "immense," despite a rise in aid deliveries following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Niger becomes first African country to eliminate onchocerciasis
Niamey, Jan 31: Niger's Minister of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs Garba Hakimi officially declared that the country is free of onchocerciasis.
WHO deploys emergency team to help Uganda fight new Ebola outbreak
Kampala, Jan 31: The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that it has deployed an emergency medical team to help Uganda fight a deadly Ebola outbreak that killed a health worker in Kampala, the Ugandan capital.
Niger becomes first African country to eliminate onchocerciasis
Niamey, Jan 31: Niger's Minister of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs Garba Hakimi officially declared at a ceremony that the country is free of onchocerciasis.
India reported 151 Zika virus disease in 2024, highest in Maharashtra: WHO
New Delhi, Jan 30: India has reported a total of 151 Zika virus disease (ZVD) between January 1 and December 31, 2024, according to the latest update by the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO chief congratulates Guinea for eliminating human sleeping sickness
New Delhi, Jan 30: World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday congratulated Guinea for eliminating human African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness -- a neglected tropical disease.
UAE marks 35 years of fighting neglected tropical diseases
Abu Dhabi, January 29: The UAE has been at the forefront of global efforts to combat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) for 35 years, a commitment that began in 1990 when the UAE's Founding Father, the late Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, donated USD 5.77 million to The Carter Centre in support of efforts to eradicate Guinea worm disease.
African officials call for strengthening public health security amid new outbreaks
Mombasa, Jan 29: The recurrence of infectious diseases such as Ebola, monkeypox and Marburg in Africa calls for enhancing the resilience of the continent's public health systems through sustainable funding, technology adoption, improved surveillance and community engagement.
At least 4 children reportedly killed, 3 injured in Saudi Hospital attack in Sudan: UNICEF
New York, January 28: Following the attack on Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital in El Fasher, Sudan, which resulted in 70 deaths and 19 injuries, UNICEF on Tuesday said that at least one girl and three boys were reportedly killed and three boys injured.
No threat of Guillain Barre Syndrome in Bengal: State Health Department
Kolkata, Jan 28: After Maharashtra recorded one death and 110 suspected cases of Guillain Barre Syndrome, the West Bengal Health Department on Tuesday said that there is nothing to panic about the neurological disorder in the state.
Afghanistan kicks off polio vaccination campaign in 16 provinces
Kabul, Jan 27: Afghanistan initiated its first vaccination campaign in 2025, targetting over six million children under the age of five from poliovirus, the Ministry of Public Health reported.
India accounts for 53pc of global leprosy cases, need legal reforms: Experts
New Delhi, Jan 27: India accounts for 53 per cent of the global leprosy cases, said experts here urging the need for legal reforms to help individuals affected by the disease.
Mpox: Bengaluru reports 1st case of 2025 in 40-year-old man with travel history
New Delhi, Jan 23: A 40-year-old man from Bengaluru with travel history to Dubai has reportedly tested positive for Mpox.
71,000 deaths related to Somalia's 2022 drought: Report
Mogadishu, Jan 22: An estimated 71,000 people may have died between January 2022 and June 2024 due to the devastating drought that affected large parts of Somalia in 2022, according to a report released Wednesday in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.
WHO regrets Trump's decision to withdraw; hopes US will reconsider
New Delhi, Jan 21: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday expressed regret over the decision of US President Donald Trump to walk out of the global health body, and hoped the administration will reconsider it.
WHO regrets US announcement to withdraw, hopes for reconsideration
Geneva, January 21: The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed regret over the United States' announcement to withdraw from the global health agency and emphasised the importance of WHO in safeguarding the health and security of people worldwide, including Americans.
US President Trump issues executive order to withdraw from WHO
Washington DC, January 21: US President Donald Trump, in a major shocker, cut the Unites States' ties with the global health agency, World Health Organisation (WHO), as he issued an executive order of withdrawing from the organisation on Monday (local time).
Malawi launches five year cholera control plan
Lilongwe, Jan 18: Malawi has launched a five-year cholera control plan, aiming to reduce the disease's annual incidence rate by 90 per cent and achieve a case fatality rate of less than 1 per cent by 2030.
Human deaths from bird flu 'concerning'; monitoring & genome sequencing key: Experts
New Delhi, Jan 16: Recent human deaths seen in the US and Cambodia due to H5N1 bird flu are ‘concerning’, and calls for boosting monitoring and genome sequencing, said public health experts on Thursday.
WHO South-East Asia Regional Director Saima Wazed meets JP Nadda, talks focus on women, children
New Delhi, January 16: WHO South-East Asia Regional Director Saima Wazed recently engaged in discussions with JP Nadda, the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, focusing on health priorities in the WHO South-East Asia region.
Uganda on high alert following suspected Marburg virus disease outbreak in neighboring Tanzania
Kampala, Jan 15: Uganda is on high alert following a suspected Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak in neighboring Tanzania that has left eight people dead, a health official said here Wednesday.
UAE to host third World local production forum in April
Abu Dhabi, January 14: The UAE announced today it will host the third edition of the World Local Production Forum from April 7 to 9 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), under the theme "Advancing Local Production for Health Equity, Global Health Security, and Sustainable Development," during a press conference at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.
Cholera outbreak spreads across African Nations
Kampala, Jan 14: At least one person has been reported dead while 60 others are hospitalised following an outbreak of cholera in the northern Uganda district of Lamwo, health officials said.
Obesity may affect survival rates in children with cancer: Study
New Delhi, Jan 13: Obesity at the time of cancer diagnosis in children may affect the survival rates, according to a study on Monday.
224 cholera cases recorded in Angola with 18 deaths
Luanda, Jan 13: Angola has registered 224 cholera cases, the Ministry of Health reported.