UNAIDS said that at least one status report on the impact of cuts has been received from 55 different countries up to the start of this week. That includes 42 projects that are supported by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and 13 that receive some US support. Two days after President […]
In recent months, disease surveillance has identified increases in cases and fatalities on three occasions across different areas of the country, which triggered follow-up investigations to confirm the cause and provide needed support, WHO said in a statement. Symptoms include fever, headache, chills, sweating, stiff neck, muscle aches, multiple joint pain and body aches, a runny […]
In its 2024 Annual Report, released on Tuesday, the INCB explains that unlike plant-based drugs, these substances can be made anywhere, without the need for large-scale cultivation, making them easier and cheaper for traffickers to produce and distribute. The rise of powerful opioids like fentanyl and nitazenes – potent enough to cause overdoses in tiny […]
The health agency highlighted that essential prevention, testing and treatment services are collapsing, leaving millions at risk. The hardest-hit regions include Africa, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, where national TB programmes depend heavily on international support. “Any disruption to TB services – whether financial, political or operational – can have devastating and often fatal […]
In a stark assessment of the current situation of the health crisis, Deputy UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif warned that more than nine million people do not receive treatment, while 4,000 girls and young women contract the virus every week. A staggering three-quarters of them live in sub-Saharan Africa, she noted, reminding Member […]
The initiative aims to curb the spread of preventable diseases such as polio, measles and yellow fever which remain a persistent threat in hard-to-reach areas. Speedy response WHO delivered 79 outboard motors, two speedboats, 14 motorcycles and other essential equipment worth $750,000 to the country’s Ministry of Public Health to expand vaccination campaigns in 89 […]
“Measles is back, and it’s a wake-up call,” warned Dr. Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization (WHO) regional director for the European region. A total of 127,350 cases were reported in the region in 2024, double the number of cases reported for 2023 and the highest number since 1997, according to analysis by WHO and the […]
Briefing Member States in Rome, FAO officials called for urgent action to strengthen biosecurity, surveillance and rapid-response mechanisms to curb the outbreak. FAO Deputy Director-General Godfrey Magwenzi stressed that the crisis threatens to have “serious impacts on food security and food supply in countries, including loss of valuable nutrition, rural jobs and income, shocks to […]
Unanimously adopting resolution 2777 (2025), the 15-member council stressed the “critical importance” of a continued presence of UNAMA and other UN agencies across Afghanistan. The council also expressed appreciation for the UN’s long-term commitment to the country and its people, reiterating its full support for UNAMA and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General who leads […]
The attack on one of the last operational hospitals in the area further deepened the ongoing humanitarian crisis sparked by the civil war between rival militaries, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which started in April 2023. Among the stolen supplies were 2,200 cartons of ready-to-use therapeutic food – […]
“We will see a…real surge in this disease – [we] will see it come back, and we see people dying the way we saw them in the 90s and in 2000s,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima who noted a “tenfold increase” from the 600,000 AIDS-related deaths recorded globally in 2023. “We also expect an […]
The death toll for under-fives was 4.8 million in 2023 – a significant decline – with stillbirths falling marginally to around 1.9 million, data released by the UN shows. Despite this, decades of hard-won progress in child survival is under threat as a result of funding cuts, health system challenges and regional disparities, UNICEF and […]
Child wasting is the deadliest form of malnutrition and it’s often seen in places of conflict, economic instability and climate crisis, the UN agency told aid leaders gathered in Paris for the fourth Nutrition for Growth Summit. Around 33 million children suffer from wasting in the 15 nations most affected. More than $1 billion is […]
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is calling for renewed commitment to create a more equal and inclusive world in his message marking World Autism Awareness Day on Tuesday. This year’s theme – Advancing Neurodiversity and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – highlights the intersection between neurodiversity and global sustainability efforts. The goal is to showcase […]
The UN health agency registered almost 810,000 cases and 5,900 deaths from the preventable disease in 2024; that’s about 50 per cent higher than the previous year, according to Dr Philippe Barboza, who leads WHO’s cholera team. He said the latest reported cases are almost certainly underestimates and that the disease continues to affect countries […]
Furthermore, unprecedented aid cuts are putting global progress to end maternal deaths at risk, UN agencies have warned in a new report that calls for greater investment in midwives and other health workers. The Trends in maternal mortality report was published by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN sexual […]
Close to 300,000 women continue to die during pregnancy or childbirth each year. More than two million babies die in their first month of life and around two million more are stillborn, says the World Health Organization (WHO) which is kicking off a year-long campaign on maternal and newborn health. The data adds up to one […]
Speaking on Thursday at a press conference in Geneva, Tedros said that in around 25 per cent of countries, some health facilities have had to close completely due to cuts, according to figures from more than 100 countries compiled by WHO. Severe disruptions Out-of-pocket payments for health services have led to disruptions to the supply of […]
People anywhere, at any age can be infected with meningitis, which is transmitted through respiratory secretions or droplets in close human contact. Low and middle-income nations are worst-affected. The so-called “meningitis belt” in sub-Saharan Africa sees most cases and outbreaks. It stretches from Senegal and The Gambia in the west of the continent all […]
With fighting showing no sign of abating and humanitarian access extremely limited, the crisis in Sudan has become one of the world’s largest emergencies, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned on Monday. “This is a very, very sad milestone,” Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR Regional Director for East Africa said, marking […]