The overall objective of World Mental Health Day on 10 October is to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. The Day provides an opportunity for people working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide. WHO and partners are launching a campaign for all stakeholders to come together to recognize progress in this field and to be vocal about what we need to do to make mental health & well-being for all a global priority.
Medications are the most widely utilized interventions in health care, and medication-related harm constitutes the greatest proportion of the total preventable harm due to unsafe care. For this year’s World Patient Safety Day, WHO highlights the theme "Medication Safety" to recognize the complexity of medication-related harm prevention and reduction. Along with the Medication without Harm campaign, the Day emphasizes the need to adopt a systems approach and promote safe medication practices to prevent medication errors and reduce medication-related harm.
WHO is committed to supporting meaningful engagement of people living with noncommunicable diseases and mental health conditions around the world. People with lived experience often can offer valuable expertise on how to manage and improve their individual health as well as the health of fellow community members. Their first-hand insights can help shape policies, create better health programmes, and inspire others to contribute. A new film series sheds light on their experiences.
Cycling is an increasingly popular means of transportation in cities like Bogota, but currently only 24% of bicycle trips there are made by women. There are risks that prevent more women from choosing the bicycle for transportation. Find out more about Bogota’s initiative to achieve parity of trips, which is part of the PAHO/WHO Global Project on Urban Governance for Health.
Sexual health is relevant throughout a person’s life, from adolescence into older age – not only during one's reproductive years. It is determined by the quality and safety of people’s relationships: with oneself and other individuals, with family and friends, and the society in which we live, including the gender norms that shape our experiences. These relationships are themselves dependent on whether everyone’s human rights related to their sexuality are realised and protected. On World Sexual Health Day (4 September), WHO celebrates every person’s right to sexual wellbeing.
In a remote corner of far-western Nepal you see communities in the distance, perched on top of the hills. Bringing vaccines to the children and families that live in remote communities often requires steep climbs and navigating treacherous roads and a strong cold chain. The cold chain refers to a series of precisely coordinated events in temperature-controlled environments to store, manage and transport the doses. To facilitate this, UNICEF has been working closely with Nepal’s government and key partners, to expand and strengthen the country’s cold chain capacity.
Millions of refugees and migrants face poorer health outcomes than their host communities, especially where living and working conditions are sub-standard, according to a WHO report.
The largest sustained decline in childhood vaccinations in 30 years has been recorded in data published by WHO and UNICEF. According to the agencies, global vaccination coverage continued to decline in 2021, with 25 million infants missing out on lifesaving vaccines such as DTP. The decline was due to many factors including an increased number of children living in conflict settings where immunization access is challenging, COVID-19 related service and supply chain disruptions and resource diversion to response efforts.
Over the 41 years since AIDS was first reported, the International AIDS Conferences have served as a communal platform for collective action, driving some truly watershed moments in the HIV response. AIDS 2022, the 24th International AIDS Conference (29 July - 2 August) in Montreal, Canada, will call on the world to come together to re-engage and follow the science. It will define future research agendas, shift the latest evidence to action, and chart a new consensus on overcoming the HIV epidemic as a threat to public health and individual well-being.
Every 30 seconds someone loses their life to hepatitis B or C. Almost 90 percent of people living with viral hepatitis are unaware that they have it. World Hepatitis Day is observed each year on 28 July to raise awareness of viral hepatitis, which causes inflammation of the liver that leads to severe disease and liver cancer. On World Hepatitis Day 2022, WHO is highlighting the need for bringing hepatitis care closer to the primary health facilities and communities, so that people have better access to treatment and care, no matter what type of hepatitis they may have.
UNRWA launched its annual Summer Fun Weeks (SFWs) last week to serve some 120,000 Palestine refugee children and youth in the Gaza Strip. SFW will be held between 25 June - 28 July and will be provide vital psychosocial support for child and youth impacted by the repeated rounds of conflict and violence they have survived. Some 42 per cent of first grade UNRWA students surveyed require psychosocial support.
Data show that restricting access to abortion does not prevent people from seeking abortion, it simply makes it more deadly. As UNFPA’s 2022 State of World Population report reveals, nearly half of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended, and over 60 per cent of these unintended pregnancies may end in abortion. A staggering 45 per cent of all abortions are unsafe, making this a leading cause of maternal death. Almost all unsafe abortions occur in developing countries, and UNFPA fears that more unsafe abortions will occur if access to abortion becomes more restricted.
Our mental health is a fundamental part to our overall health and well-being. UNICEF brings expert tips and resources to help parents support their child's and their own mental health.