WHO published its World health statistics report 2025, revealing the deeper health impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on loss of lives, longevity and overall health and well-being. In just two years, between 2019 and 2021, global life expectancy fell by 1.8 years—the largest drop in recent history— reversing a …
A MALARIA vaccine made in Colombia by synthesising protein segments from the malaria parasite is proving promising in field trials, but its efficacy is still low. Vaccine developer Manuel Patarroyo of the National University of Colombia in Bogota reports the vaccine offers adults 38.8 per cent protection against malaria, but …
HIROSHI Nakajima, newly re-elected director general of the World Health Organisation, could face a demand for his resignation at WHO's annual assembly in May in Geneva, unless allegations of financial irregularities are resolved. Nakajima won a hard-fought campaign in January for a second five-year term. Eighteen of WHO's 31-member executive …
AS THE United Nations labours to clear the mess it has been accused of creating in providing refugee relief in Somalia and in the elections and peace process in Angola, World Health Organisation director-general Hiroshi Nakajima is attempting to pre-empt complaints of still another delay. He called on the international …
JONATHAN Mann, who resigned as head of the World Health Organisation's AIDS programme during Hiroshi Nakajima's first term as WHO director general, is now challenging Nakajima's re-election. Mann resigned after criticising Nakajima for his "personalised style of management" and for downgrading the organisation's AIDS programme. Nakajima's re-election campaign was fierce …
A SAFE vaccine against dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever has been developed by scientists at Bangkok's Mahidol University, who have been working on a WHO-sponsored research programme for the last 13 years. Dengue is transmitted by the bite of the infective Aedes aegypti mosquito and is caused by the dengue …
NESTLE seems to have perfected the fine art of profiting at another's expense. Its infant food substitutes have been a known cause of diarrhoea and death among year-old babies. Now, the company claims to have developed a carob-based baby food which, it says, helps remove diarrhoea-causing bacteria from the intestines. …
SCIENCE may have conquered smallpox, but as far as AIDS is concerned, education may be a better weapon. According to WHO estimates, there are 10 million people infected with the AIDS-causing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide. Two-thirds of the infected persons live in developing countries, of which three million are …
THYROID cancer has started appearing sooner and spreading faster than expected among children exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in April, 1986, according to two studies. A World Health Organisation team of pathologists and epidemiologists detected 102 cases of malignant thyroid cancer, usually not found among the children …
THE SUPREME Court has exempted the sale of steroid-antihistamine drug combinations for treatment of asthma from a ban until the next hearing in August. In 1981, the Drug Technical Advisory Board had recommended a ban on all steroid combinations, excluding asthma drugs. The ban was extended to asthma five years …
HEPATITIS B is a disease more lethal than AIDS, claiming more lives in a day than the latter does in a year. But now genetic engineering has made possible large-scale production of hepatitis B vaccine at only 2 per cent of the earlier cost. The worldwide Expanded Programme on Immunisation …
NEWS FOR smokers gets worse and worse. According to earlier studies, about one-fourth the number of regular smokers were expected to die of tobacco-related diseases. Latest estimates put the figure at one-third. Richard Peto of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in UK, along with the World Health Organisation and the …
TAKE CARE of your economics, your lifestyle and your environment, and your health will also take care of itself. The report of the WHO Commission on Health and Environment, Our Planet, Our Health, prepared for the forthcoming Earth Summit, inextricably links environment and health. Yet, the report argues, health rarely …
THE average global life expectancy may be an unprecedented 65 years and still climbing, but according to the annual report of the World Health Organisation (WHO), people are not living healthier lives. Over the next half-decade:lone, life expectancy will increase by another four months, thanks to improved water supply and …
Not raising diesel prices would harm economy much more' The government has finally taken the bold step to hike diesel prices as well as limit subsidy on cooking gas. This is the highest ever diesel price hike that makes the fuel dearer by Rs 5 without value added tax. At …
With generous dispensing of cheap diesel to rich car owners, the government has finally turned the market around. Media is abuzz with the Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell’s report. It says the diesel consumption growth rate at 6.4 per cent has outstripped that of petrol at 4.5 per cent. Petrol …
Anumita Roychowdhury @ If any other cause was responsible for so many deaths and injuries as we see on our roads it would have been a state of emergency Sunita Narain—our colleague and friend—was seriously injured in an accident while cycling yesterday. A car hit her and fled. This cruel …
Author: Anumita Roychowdhury @ There are dangers in ignoring the demand for collective dignity on roads and in pandering to the arrogance of cars. Hope AAP will steer the change that Delhi needs Photo: Meeta Ahlawat The newly elected Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) metro ride to Ramlila ground for the …
The Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), an inclusive inter-governmental meeting on nutrition jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), will be held at FAO Headquarters, in Rome, 19-21 November 2014. Notwithstanding progress in many countries, unacceptably high levels of malnutrition persist. …
The World Health Organization (WHO) will host the first global conference on climate change and health from 27 to 29 August 2014 at its headquarters in Geneva. The three day conference will bring together leading experts. The purpose is to develop a shared vision of how the health sector can …
Since 2008 the World Health Organization has shown leadership in raising awareness of the threats posed by climate change to health. Specifically, WHO has provided evidence, technical guidance and piloted approaches to protect health from climate risks.
