WHO News

WHO News

International Paralympic Committee, World Health Organization sign memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the promotion of diversity and equity in health and sports

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) today signed an agreement to work together to foster diversity and equity through global initiatives promoting health and sport for everybody, everywhere.

The two partners will collaborate to improve global access to quality rehabilitation and assistive technology as part of universal health coverage; and mitigate […]

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Vaccine inequity undermining global economic recovery

New Global Dashboard on COVID-19 Vaccine Equity finds low-income countries would add $38 billion to their GDP forecast for 2021 if they had the same vaccination rate as high-income countries. Global economic recovery at risk if vaccines are not equitably manufactured, scaled up and distributed.  

COVID-19 vaccine inequity will have a lasting and profound […]

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New report reveals stark inequalities in access to HIV prevention and treatment services for children—partners call for urgent action

Almost half (46%) of the world’s 1.7 million children living with HIV were not on treatment in 2020 and 150 000 children were newly infected with HIV, four times more than the 2020 target of 40 000 In the final report from the Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS Free initiative, UNAIDS and partners* warn that […]

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UN report: Pandemic year marked by spike in world hunger

There was a dramatic worsening of world hunger in 2020, the United Nations said today – much of it likely related to the fallout of COVID-19. While the pandemic’s impact has yet to be fully mapped, a multi-agency report estimates that around a tenth of the global population – up to 811 million people – […]

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COVID-19 pandemic leads to major backsliding on childhood vaccinations, new WHO, UNICEF data shows

23 million children missed out on basic vaccines through routine immunization services in 2020 – 3.7 million more than in 2019 – according to official data published today by WHO and UNICEF. This latest set of comprehensive worldwide childhood immunization figures, the first official figures to reflect global service disruptions due to COVID-19, show a […]

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Statement on the eighth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

The eighth meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) took place on Wednesday, 14 July 2021 from 11:30 to 16:00 Geneva time (CEST). Proceedings of the meeting Members and Advisors of the Emergency Committee were convened by videoconference. The Director-General welcomed the Committee and reiterated […]

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Updated WHO SAGE Roadmap for prioritizing uses of COVID-19 vaccines in the context of limited supply

This interim guidance was initially issued in October 2020, based on advice from the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization; it has been updated following the discussions at an extraordinary meeting of SAGE on 29 June 2021.  A summary of the major revisions appears in Annex 3 (page 20), including evolving key assumptions […]

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WFP and WHO launch innovative project on Emergency Health Facilities

Following the recent G20 side event co-hosted by the Italian Government and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) focusing on the role of logistics in current and future health emergencies, WFP and the World Health Organization (WHO) are launching INITIATE2, a joint project to bring together emergency actors, research and academic institutions, and international […]

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From 30 million cases to zero: China is certified malaria-free by WHO

Following a 70-year effort, China has been awarded a malaria-free certification from WHO – a notable feat for a country that reported 30 million cases of the disease annually in the 1940s. “Today we congratulate the people of China on ridding the country of malaria,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Their success was […]

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WHO issues first global report on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in health and six guiding principles for its design and use

Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great promise for improving the delivery of healthcare and medicine worldwide, but only if ethics and human rights are put at the heart of its design, deployment, and use, according to new WHO guidance published today. The report, Ethics and governance of artificial intelligence for health, is the result of 2 […]