Thursday, August 7, 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that Kenya has eliminated human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness as a public health problem, making it the tenth country to achieve this milestone. HAT, a second-neglected tropical disease, was already considered eliminated in 2018 with Guinea worm disease, and Kenya is now free of the rhodesiense form of the disease, which is present in eastern and southern Africa. Dr. Aden Duale, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Health, highlighted this achievement as a significant step toward Africa’s elimination of neglected tropical diseases. The disease, caused by Trypanosoma brucei, is transmitted by tsetse flies and affects rural populations involved in agriculture, fishing, and animal husbandry. Kenya’s efforts, including training health workers and strengthening surveillance in 12 health facilities, have led to the elimination of HAT. The country has also improved monitoring of tsetse flies and trypanosomiasis, supported by the national veterinary health authorities and the Kenya Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Council. The WHO continues to support the elimination program and maintain resources for post-validation surveillance.
Reference: Kenya achieves elimination of human African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness as a public health problemLabels: WHO
0 CommentsWednesday, August 6, 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially recognized Health Canada, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare/Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (MHLW/PMDA) of Japan, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of the United Kingdom as WHO-Listed Authorities (WLAs), a designation granted to national authorities meeting high international regulatory standards for medical products. This expansion of WLA listings to 39 global agencies supports faster access to quality-assured medical products, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has expanded its listing scope, covering regulatory functions. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted that these authorities' designation reflects their commitment to regulatory excellence, emphasizing their role in promoting trust, transparency, and efficient access to life-saving medical products. Around 70% of countries still face significant challenges due to weak regulatory systems, and the WLA framework promotes regulatory convergence, harmonization, and international collaboration. This collaboration allows WHO Prequalification and regulatory authorities, especially in LMICs, to rely on designated agencies’ decisions. The process involves rigorous evaluations by the TAG-WLA, which ensures transparency and evidence-based pathways. Canada, Japan, and the UK’s authorities were previously SRA authorities and now part of the WLA initiative, which launched in 2022 to replace the SRA model and ensure continuity and stability in global medical product procurement. The initiative builds on WHO’s decades of efforts to enhance global cooperation on medical product regulation, fostering trust, transparency, and efficient access to life-saving products.
Reference: WHO designates new WHO-Listed Authorities, strengthening global access to quality-assured medical productsLabels: WHO
0 CommentsSunday, August 3, 2025
Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure a baby’s health, development, and survival in the earliest stages of life. It acts as their first vaccine, providing protection against diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia. However, only 48% of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed, below the World Health Assembly’s target of 60% by 2030. This is due to the challenges faced by new mothers, health workers, and health systems. Millions of mothers lack timely and skilled support when they need it most, with only a fifth of countries including infant and young child feeding training for healthcare providers. This results in many mothers leaving hospitals without guidance on breastfeeding or complementary feeding. In many countries, health systems are under-resourced, fragmented, or poorly equipped to deliver quality, consistent, and evidence-based breastfeeding support. Even with every dollar invested, the economic returns from breastfeeding support are limited. As we mark World Breastfeeding Week, WHO and UNICEF urge governments, health administrators, and partners to invest in high-quality breastfeeding support by strengthening health systems to support breastfeeding, which is not only a health imperative but a moral and economic one.
Reference: On World Breastfeeding Week, countries urged to invest in health systems and support breastfeeding mothersLabels: WHO
0 CommentsFriday, August 1, 2025
Jakarta, 1 August 2025 – As Indonesia commemorates World Breastfeeding Week 2025, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) highlight the importance of strengthening support systems for breastfeeding mothers across the country. The theme, “Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems,” emphasizes the need for reliable and long-lasting support for mothers, including skilled health workers, workplace policies, and community networks. UNICEF Indonesia Representative Maniza Zaman and WHO Representative Dr. N. Paranietharan commend Indonesia’s progress in exclusive breastfeeding, noting a steady rise from 52% in 2017 to 66.4% in 2024, demonstrating the country’s commitment to promoting breastfeeding. Despite this progress, many infants remain not exclusively breastfed for the full six months, emphasizing the need for supportive systems to ensure mothers have access to resources. UNICEF and WHO recommend that infants receive breastfed within one hour of birth and exclusively breastfed in their first six months, with no other foods or liquids. Breastfeeding is crucial for cognitive development, reducing health risks, and providing lifelong protection. The WHO and UNICEF urge stakeholders to accelerate efforts to support breastfeeding mothers, including workplace and community initiatives, to ensure sustainable and effective support.
Reference: Breastfeeding in Indonesia on the rise, but mothers need more supportLabels: WHO
0 CommentsTuesday, July 29, 2025
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has issued a Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Alert for the Gaza Strip, highlighting the worst-case scenario of famine and the severe impact of ongoing conflict, mass displacement, and restricted humanitarian access. The IPC warns that famine thresholds are now in place, with widespread starvation and malnutrition driving an increase in hunger-related deaths. The classification’s analytical approach and multi-partner initiative aim to assess food insecurity and acute malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, based on internationally recognized standards. By providing evidence-based analysis, the IPC supports governments, UN agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders in making informed decisions to address food security and nutrition, with the goal of informing emergency responses and long-term policy planning.
Reference: IPC Gaza Strip Food Insecurity and Malnutrition AlertLabels: WHO
0 CommentsMonday, July 28, 2025
As we mark World Hepatitis Day, WHO emphasizes the urgent need to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat, with a focus on reducing liver cancer deaths. Viral hepatitis, including types A, B, C, D, and E, are major causes of liver disease, with types B, C, and D leading to chronic infections that significantly increase the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. WHO highlights the importance of reducing hepatitis-related severe liver disease and liver cancer, noting that 300 million people globally are affected, with over 1.3 million deaths annually. The IARC classified hepatitis D as carcinogenic, linking it to a two-to-six-fold higher risk of liver cancer than hepatitis B alone. WHO has published guidelines on testing and diagnosis for hepatitis B and D in 2024, and is actively monitoring clinical outcomes for hepatitis D. Treatment options for hepatitis C are effective, while hepatitis D treatment is evolving. However, to achieve WHO's 2030 targets, countries must scale up hepatitis services like vaccination, testing, harm reduction, and treatment into national systems. The Global Hepatitis Report highlights critical gaps in coverage and outcomes. Countries must prioritize domestic investment, integrated services, data, affordable medicines, and stigma reduction. WHO is partnering with Rotary International and the World Hepatitis Alliance to strengthen advocacy, and the campaign "Hepatitis: Let’s break it down" urges action against liver cancer linked to chronic hepatitis.
Reference: WHO urges action on hepatitis, announcing hepatitis D as carcinogenicLabels: WHO
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The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2025) reports that an estimated 673 million people globally experienced hunger in 2024, a decrease from 8.5 percent in 2023 and 8.7 percent in 2022. However, progress was inconsistent, with hunger continuing to rise in Africa and western Asia, as SOFI estimates show 638–720 million people faced hunger in 2024. Notable improvements include a decline in undernourishment (PoU) in southern Asia and Latin America, where PoU dropped from 7.9% in 2022 to 6.7% in 2024, and 5.1% in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, the decline does not offset the global challenge of hunger, with Africa and western Asia facing higher prevalence, affecting 307 million and 12.7% respectively in 2024. The report highlights that 512 million could be chronically undernourished by 2030, with nearly 60% of those affected in Africa. The FAO, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO warn that the global food price surge, driven by the pandemic and Ukraine conflicts, has worsened food security and nutrition. Despite positive trends in some regions, the overall issue remains a challenge for achieving SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).
Reference: Global hunger declines, but rises in Africa and western Asia: UN reportLabels: WHO
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The Forty-second meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) on the international spread of poliovirus was convened by the WHO Director-General on 18 June 2025, with committee members and advisers meeting via video conference. The Committee reviewed the data on wild poliovirus (WPV1) and circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV) in the context of the global target of interruption and certification of WPV1 eradication by 2027 and interruption and certification of cVDPV2 elimination by 2029. Technical updates were received about the situation in the following countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Papua New Guinea. Since the last meeting, nine new WPV1 cases were reported, one from Afghanistan and eight from Pakistan, totaling 13 cases in 2025. In 2024, 99 WPV1 cases were reported during the whole year, including 25 from Afghanistan and 74 from Pakistan. A total of 275 WPV1 positive environmental samples have been reported in 2025 so far, with 30 from Afghanistan and 245 from Pakistan. In 2024, 741 WPV1 positive environmental samples were reported, including 113 from Afghanistan and 628 from Pakistan. The upward trend in WPV1 cases and environmental detections has persisted in both endemic countries throughout 2024. In Pakistan, this increase has been evident since mid-2023, initially in environmental samples and later in paralytic polio cases, primarily in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh, and Balochistan. In Afghanistan, the rise in WPV1 detections, both in environmental samples and cases during 2024 and 2025, has been concentrated primarily in the South Region. WPV1 transmission in Afghanistan’s East Region has significantly declined during the first half of 2025, indicating enhanced population immunity. The Committee noted with concern the geographic expansion of WPV1 to new provinces and districts in both endemic countries during 2024 and 2025. Notably, Gilgit-Baltistan province in Pakistan reported its first WPV1 case in over eight years, underscoring the continued risk posed by persistent transmission in core reservoir areas. Currently, the most intense WPV1 transmission is occurring in the southern cross-border epidemiological corridor, encompassing Quetta Block (Pakistan) and the South Region (Afghanistan). The Committee also noted the ongoing WPV1 transmission in the epidemiologically critical blocks of Karachi, South KP, and Central Pakistan. The review of molecular epidemiology shows an increase in genetic biodiversity in 2024, necessitating a split of two genetic clusters into eight genetic clusters. Three genetic clusters are active in 2025. The remaining chains of transmission continue to circulate in populations and geographic areas with persistently low immunization coverage, including the bordering districts of the southern and northern epidemiological corridors across the two endemic countries. The genetic data analysis also indicates that WPV1 persisted through the low transmission season (October 2024 to April 2025) within the core reservoirs of Southern Afghanistan, Karachi, Peshawar, and the Quetta Block - posing a risk to achieving Goal 1 of the GPEI strategy by end-2025. Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to implement an intensive and mostly synchronized campaign schedule, with a focus on achieving high vaccination coverage in core reservoirs and ensuring timely, effective response to WPV1 detections in other areas of each country. Afghanistan implemented two nationwide and two sub-national vaccination rounds while Pakistan implemented three nationwide and one sub-national vaccination round in 2025, so far. In Afghanistan, campaigns are being conducted using the site-to-site strategy, with focused efforts to strengthen operational and communication approaches to maximize coverage of target children under this modality. The Committee expressed concern that site-to-site campaigns often fail to reach all children, particularly younger children and girls, which could contribute to a resurgence of WPV1 and its further geographic spread within Afghanistan and beyond. The Committee noted with appreciation the strong leadership and high-level commitment to polio eradication in Pakistan at all levels, including the direct engagement of the Prime Minister, the Federal Minister for Health, and the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication. The Committee also acknowledged the consistently high reported coverage and Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) pass rates at the national and provincial levels. However, the Committee observed variability in campaign quality at the district and sub-district levels, attributed to operational challenges and prevailing insecurity, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. In addition to seasonal population movements within and between the two endemic countries, the continued return of undocumented migrants from Pakistan to Afghanistan further compounds the challenges faced by the programme. This ongoing displacement heightens the risk of cross-border poliovirus transmission, as well as transmission within both countries. The Committee noted that this risk is being addressed through vaccination at border crossing points and the revision of micro-plans in districts of origin and return. The programme continues to coordinate closely with IOM and UNHCR. The Committee also acknowledged the ongoing coordination between the Afghanistan and Pakistan programmes at both national and sub-national levels and encouraged the continuation of these collaborative efforts. In summary, available data indicate that global WPV1 transmission remains geographically confined to the two endemic countries. However, during 2024 and 2025, there has been geographic spread alongside continued transmission within core reservoir areas in both the endemic countries. In 2025, a total of 67 cVDPV cases have been reported to date, 65 of which are cVDPV2 and two are cVDPV3. No cVDPV1 cases have been reported in 2025. Additionally, 69 environmental samples have tested positive for cVDPV, all of which are type 2. In 2024, a total of 319 cVDPV cases were reported, including 304 cVDPV2, 11 cVDPV1, and 4 cVDPV3 cases. During the same year, 276 environmental samples tested positive for cVDPV, 273 cVDPV2 and three cVDPV3. Since the last meeting of the Emergency Committee, a cVDPV2 outbreak has been reported from Papua New Guinea in the WHO Western Pacific Region.
Reference: Statement of the Forty-second meeting of the Polio IHR Emergency CommitteeLabels: WHO
0 CommentsSunday, July 27, 2025
The Gaza Strip is experiencing a catastrophic increase in malnutrition, with over 74 deaths in July and a drastic rise in the number of children under five severely malnourished. Over 18% of children under five are acutely malnourished, while nearly one in five children are now in severe acute malnutrition. The situation is rapidly deteriorating, with critical shortages of food, medical supplies, and fuel, pushing the health system to the brink of collapse. The crisis disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, and is fueled by desperate search for food, leading to a significant number of casualties and hindering recovery efforts.
Reference: Malnutrition rates reach alarming levels in Gaza, WHO warnsLabels: WHO
0 CommentsThursday, July 24, 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Timor-Leste as malaria-free, a significant milestone achieved after prioritizing disease control and a concerted, nation-wide response. This achievement, recognized by the WHO as the third country to be certified, underscores Timor-Leste's success through strong political will, investment, and dedicated health workers, culminating in zero indigenous cases.
Reference: Timor-Leste certified malaria-free by WHOLabels: WHO
0 CommentsMonday, July 21, 2025
WHO condemns the attacks on a building housing staff in Gaza, calling for immediate protection of personnel and facilities. The destruction of the main warehouse, coupled with ongoing hostilities, severely restricts WHO’s operational capacity, hindering the provision of essential medical supplies and jeopardizing the health of over two million people.
Reference: WHO operations compromised following attacks on warehouse and facility sheltering staff and families in Deir al Balah, GazaLabels: WHO
0 CommentsTuesday, July 15, 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Senegal as having eliminated trachoma, marking a significant achievement for the nation and representing a major step forward in global efforts to eliminate this neglected tropical disease. Senegal’s long-term commitment to trachoma control, starting with a national survey in 2000 and expanding to full mapping in 2017 with support from the Global Trachoma Mapping Project and Tropical Data, has resulted in a remarkable reduction in the prevalence of the disease.
Reference: Senegal joins growing list of countries that have eliminated trachomaLabels: WHO
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