May 2020 BBC; US President Donald Trump has announced that he is terminating the country’s relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO). The president has accused the WHO of failing to hold Beijing to account over the coronavirus pandemic. “China has total control over the World Health Organization,” the president …
Read More »Coronavirus: Worldwide death toll climbs to 200,000
April 2020 BBCNews; More than 200,000 people worldwide have now died with the coronavirus, figures from Johns Hopkins University show. There are more than 2.8 million confirmed cases of Covid-19, according to the tally. It comes after the number of fatalities in the US passed 50,000, as Americans endure the …
Read More »Coronavirus cases in Africa pass 2,400 amid fears for health services
March 2020 theGuardian; There are now more than 2,400 confirmed cases of Covid-19 across Africa and growing warnings that the pandemic will cause major challenges for the continent’s under-resourced health services. World Health Organization officials have said the statistics are likely to significantly underestimate the true number of cases. There have …
Read More »Coronavirus: ‘Narrowing window’ to contain outbreak, WHO says
February 2020 BBCHealth; The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern at the number of coronavirus cases with no clear link to China or other confirmed cases. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the window of opportunity to contain the virus was “narrowing”. Chinese health authorities reported a …
Read More »WHO expert panel on digital health meets for first time
October 2019 WHO news; WHO is convening global experts to help shape the Organization’s roadmap to advance the digital health ecosystem. The WHO Digital Health Technical Advisory Group met for the first time this week to discuss topics ranging from data governance, to ethical and equitable use of digital technologies, …
Read More »USA:STD rates in Hawaii are the highest in 30 years, and officials blame dating apps
October 2019 YahooNews; In Hawaii, instances of the sexually transmitted infections chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are the highest they’ve been in 30 years, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser, a trend that’s in line with national and global STI rates. A June 6 report from the World Health Organization found STIs — bacterial, viral, …
Read More »Countries must invest at least 1% more of GDP on primary health care to eliminate glaring coverage gaps
September 2019 WHONews; Countries must increase spending on primary healthcare by at least 1% of their gross domestic product (GDP) if the world is to close glaring coverage gaps and meet health targets agreed in 2015, says a new report from the World Health Organization and partners on the eve …
Read More »23% of deaths in Africa linked to environment – WHO
November 2018 TheStar; More than 23 per cent of deaths in Africa are linked to the environment, the World Health Organisation has said. According to WHO, this is the highest for any region on a per capita basis (deaths per 100 000). Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa says …
Read More »Africa and Asia worst hit by air pollution, WHO study shows
May 2018 Dailynation; More than 90 percent of the global population is breathing in high levels of pollutants, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, blaming poor air quality for some seven million deaths annually. Fresh data from the UN health body showed that every corner of the globe is dealing with …
Read More »KENYA: Kenya bans South Africa meat as WHO declares listeriosis outbreak ‘largest ever’
March 2018 Standardmedia; Kenya has banned the importation and sale of processed meat products from South Africa after a listeria outbreak was traced to ready to eat meat. Listeriosis can be caught from food containing listeria bacteria, or close contact with farm animals. There have been 948 cases of listeria …
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