Tag: WHO
WHO issues emergency warning over monkeypox outbreak
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC) – representing WHO’s highest level of alert which calls for international response. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, prompted into speaking out over concerns about escalating case rates and a short supply of vaccines and treatments, […]
WHO Director-General “appalled” over global COVID-19 vaccine inequity
Global vaccine-sharing initiative COVAX – launched in 2020 to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for low-income nations – is reportedly falling short of its vaccine distribution milestones for this year. COVAX initially aimed to deliver two billion COVID-19 doses to 92 low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2021. A new supply forecast […]
Two new, unrelated Ebola outbreaks detected in Africa
Two new but separate Ebola outbreaks have flared up recently in Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Africa – prompting rapid response from the World Health Organization (WHO). The primary case in DRC was announced on February 7, claimed to be the wife of an Ebola survivor from a prior outbreak; Guinean authorities […]
Pfizer/BioNTech first in WHO list for emergency use COVID-19 vaccine
The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed the Comirnaty COVID-19 mRNA vaccine for emergency use, making the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine the first to receive emergency validation from WHO since the outbreak began a year ago. Dr Mariângela Simão, WHO Assistant-Director General for Access to Medicines and Health Products hails it as “a very positive step towards […]
WHO: health harms from prolonged sitting can be offset by exceeding weekly recommended physical activity levels
New research involving some 44,000 people across four countries highlights a grim reality: a high daily tally of sedentary time (10 or more hours) i.e. prolonged sitting is linked to a significantly heightened risk of premature death, particularly among people who are already unfit or physically inactive. However, according to guidelines set out in the […]
WHO to revise alert terminologies, classifications after COVID-19 pandemic declaration
The World Health Organization (WHO) is to rethink the way it classifies and describes international epidemics after continued backlash over its decision to call the new coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. WHO Director General Tedros A. Ghebreyesus has publicly signaled support for a more nuanced approach, saying the current system of declaring a public health emergency […]
WHO: Successful Ebola vaccine may be available for use by 2018
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a successful Ebola vaccine that protects against the fatal virus may be available for use by 2018 as it is currently being fast-tracked for regulatory approval. Trials conducted in Guinea, one of the West African countries most affected by an outbreak of Ebola that ended this year, show […]
Diesel fumes Linked to increased risk of Bladder Cancer
THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported that fumes from diesel engines are carcinogenic (producing cancer) and is especially linked to bladder cancer. The fumes apparently belong in the same potentially dangerous category as asbestos, arsenic and mustard gas. France-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the WHO, reclassified diesel exhausts from […]
