WHO Urges Scale up of Newborn Screening to Improve Early Detection and Care of Birth Defects
The World Health Organization released a report urging all nations to expand newborn screening for birth defects, noting that roughly 8 million infants are born with such conditions each year and they account for about 8% of under‑five deaths. The burden falls disproportionately on low‑ and middle‑income countries, where 90% of severe cases occur and screening capacity is limited. WHO cites successful programs in Argentina, Brazil, India, the Philippines and others as models, and recommends that countries begin with a single priority condition and scale up as capacity grows.
Open Letter to Leaders of G7, G20, BRICS and All Nations on Finalizing the WHO Pandemic Agreement’s Pathogen Access and...
The open letter signed by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and WHO Director‑General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urges G7, G20, BRICS and all nations to provide political will, equity and urgency to finalize the WHO Pandemic Agreement’s Pathogen Access...
Safe Blood Supply Improves as Voluntary Donations Exceed 85%, but Many People Still Lack Access
The World Health Organization reports a 19% rise in global blood collections between 2013 and 2023, reaching an estimated 120 million donations in 2023. Voluntary, unpaid donors now account for over 85% of those donations, underscoring their role as the backbone...
Africa CDC and WHO Launch Joint Continental Ebola Response Plan
Africa CDC and the World Health Organization unveiled a six‑month, $518 million continental Ebola response plan targeting the Bundibugyo virus outbreak. The "One Response" strategy unites governments, partners and communities to accelerate detection, laboratory testing, clinical care and cross‑border coordination. The...
Message by the WHO Director-General to the People of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
World Health Organization Director‑General Tedros addressed the people of Ituri, DRC, announcing that the province is bearing the brunt of the country’s 17th Ebola outbreak, with over 90% of cases there. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for...
Seventy-Ninth World Health Assembly Honours Global Champions Advancing Primary Health Care
The World Health Assembly honored six individuals and institutions for advancing primary health care and reducing health inequities. The laureates—representing Mali, Thailand, France, Singapore, Bangladesh and Egypt—received the Sasakawa, UAE, Kuwait, Dr Lee Jong‑wook, and Nelson Mandela awards. The 2026 ceremony...
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World Health Assembly Opens in Geneva, Switzerland
The 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) opened in Geneva, electing Dr. Víctor Elías Atallah Lajam of the Dominican Republic as President. Vice‑Presidents from Libya, Mali, Poland, Nepal and Papua New Guinea were also chosen, and chairs for Committees A and...
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Epidemic of Ebola Disease Caused by Bundibugyo Virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda Determined a Public...
The World Health Organization on 16 May 2026 declared the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), though it does not meet pandemic criteria....
Message by the WHO Director-General to the People of Tenerife Regarding the Hantavirus Response
The World Health Organization’s Director‑General, Tedros, addressed Tenerife residents about the Andes‑strain hantavirus aboard the MV Hondius, which has caused three deaths. WHO assesses the public health risk to the island as low and outlines a controlled disembarkation plan at...
Joint Call by the President of the ICRC, the Director-General of WHO and the International President of MSF
The International Committee of the Red Cross, World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières jointly warned that UN Security Council Resolution 2286, adopted a decade ago to protect health care in armed conflict, has failed as attacks on hospitals, ambulances and...
WHO Member States Agree to Extend Negotiations on Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing Annex
Member States of the World Health Organization agreed to extend negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex, a cornerstone of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, to allow more time for technical and legal refinement. The outcome will be...
Efforts to Eliminate Hepatitis Delivers Gains but More Action Needed to Meet 2030 Targets
The WHO’s 2026 Global Hepatitis Report shows progress since 2015, with a 32% drop in new hepatitis B infections and a 12% decline in hepatitis C deaths. Yet hepatitis B and C still caused 1.34 million deaths in 2024 and new...
Practicing Today for Tomorrow’s Emergencies – WHO Convenes Countries and Partners to Simulate Response to Major Disease Outbreak
The World Health Organization concluded Exercise Polaris II, a two‑day high‑level simulation that modeled a fictional bacterial pandemic. The drill brought together 26 countries, 600 health‑emergency experts and more than 25 partner agencies to activate emergency coordination structures, share data and...
WHO Prequalifies First-Ever Malaria Treatment for Newborns and Infants, Adds New Diagnostic Tests
The World Health Organization has prequalified the first antimalarial drug formulated specifically for newborns and infants weighing 2‑5 kg—artemether‑lumefantrine—enabling public‑sector procurement for an estimated 30 million babies born each year in malaria‑endemic Africa. The agency also prequalified three rapid diagnostic tests that...
Largest Catch-Up Initiative Delivers over 100 Million Childhood Vaccinations
The Big Catch‑Up (BCU) initiative, launched during World Immunization Week 2023, has administered more than 100 million vaccine doses to an estimated 18.3 million children in 36 low‑ and middle‑income countries. About 12.3 million of those children were zero‑dose, never having received any...