World Health Assembly approves draft resolution on health action plan for indigenous people
Global plan should focus on reproductive, maternal and adolescent health, resolution highlights
WHO announces council to speed up TB vaccine development
Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus announces plan to save millions of lives at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
Alarming number of infections, deaths due to antimicrobial resistance across Europe: Report
Around 33,000 people died as a direct consequence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria infections
WHO raises the bar on clean air
The WHO seeks significant tightening of clean air benchmarks for near zero tolerance for particulate pollution and to protect public health
New antimicrobial toolkit by WHO, OIE, FAO aims to fill data gaps
Their report called for implementation of standards on antimicrobial use in a comprehensive manner across all five stages of the antimicrobial …
Coronavirus outbreak: A new mapping tool that lets you scroll through timeline
To provide a clearer picture of an evolving story, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine has developed a new outbreak-…
Primary health care, community health workers bag spotlight at WHA
The member states decided to implement Declaration of Astana and allocate adequate resources to support community health workers
25% healthcare centres lack water facilities, 20% sanitation facilities: WHO
The report highlights that each year 17 million women in least developed countries give birth in centres with inadequate facilities for water, …
Are antibiotic resistant bacteria the new global epidemic?
Study says 131 antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) material, including blaNDM-1 gene first found in India in 2008, has been found in the&…
Zika has unborn victims in Madhya Pradesh
As India fights its first Zika outbreak, Down To Earth finds a grievously unprepared response system in virus-hit districts of Vidisha and Bhopal …
WHO urges countries to adopt First Embrace to save millions of newborns
Within 4 years, the Early Essential Newborn Care has benefitted 4 million newborns annually
World Health Day: Diabetes, the modern killer
The prevalence of diabetes in adult population has nearly doubled since 1980 rising from 4.7 per cent to 8.5 per cent
Further discussion needed on the role of non-state actors in health
With non-state actors becoming major donors of WHO, public health activists want the issue of conflict of interest to be addressed
Polio virus spreads to seven more countries, WHO sounds alarm
Successes in global polio eradication under serious threat, says international health agency
Drug resistance: treatable diseases have once again turned fatal, says WHO
Data from 114 countries show spread of the major public health threat; global collaboration needed for targeted solutions, says global health agency
Polio workers shot dead in Pakistan, country faces health crisis
Country’s northwest town Peshawar is world’s ‘largest reservoir’ of polio virus, says WHO
The silent killer
Symptoms of hypertension rarely show, and an increasing number of children, adolescents across India are falling victim to it
‘We could eradicate malaria by 2040’ says expert after revolutionary vaccine is approved by WHO
R21/Matrix vaccine was developed by Oxford University together with the Serum Institute of India and can reduce malaria by 75%
World not on track to achieve TB targets for 2020: WHO
Between 2015 and 2018, only 6.3 per cent TB cases showed a cumulative decline, against the 20 per cent target by END TB strategy: Global …
WHO’s Ebola vaccination strategy ineffective in DRC: MSF
The aid agency has also called for an independent, international committee to manage Ebola vaccine stocks and their use
WHO launches global facility for pathogen storage, sharing and analysis
The sharing of pathogens is currently done bilaterally between countries; WHO BioHub will expedite the process
Pandemic treaty draft negotiations to begin in February 2023
Ensuring equity and solidarity, promoting preparedness while respecting sovereignty will form the crux of this document
Existing polio vaccines may not always prevent infection
Antibodies normally produced in response to infection are unable to block mutant polio virus
Coordinated international response must to eradicate polio, says WHO
Since May 2014, there has been new spread of poliovirus in central Asia and a poliovirus originating in Central Africa was reported from the Americas
Tax hiked on tobacco products for human and fiscal health
Economic cost of diseases caused by tobacco is 12 per cent more than the money spent by Centre and state together on healthcare in India, says a study