WHO

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) have partnered to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem in the Americas, with efforts running from 2023 to 2027. 

In Bolivia, rapid trachoma assessments are being conducted in the Amazon basin, Chaco, and Cochabamba Tropics, where teams travel by river and on foot through dense jungles to reach indigenous communities.

people examining water sample

On World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on everyone, to unite, act and eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by making bold, sustainable investments to free the estimated 1.5 billion people from a vicious cycle of disease and poverty. The purpose of the observance is to raise the profile of NTDs, highlight the suffering they cause and garner support for their control, elimination or eradication, in line with the goals set out in WHO’s road map 2021−2030 and the commitments of the 2022 Kigali Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases.

WHO's Global Conference on Air Pollution and Health in Cartagena, with pre- and post-conference sessions, scheduled for 24 and 28 March 2025, will focus on health solutions and climate change combat.

cover image of podcast with host and guest

How do we track the Influenza virus every season to decide what strains of the virus to include in a vaccine? Is the vaccine safe and when should you get vaccinated? Shoshanna Goldin explains in this episode of WHO's Science in 5.

child with health worker and parent in hospital

COVID-19 was a wake-up call to the world. Millions of lives lost, economies shattered, health systems pushed to the brink and daily life upended for all of humanity. The crisis may have passed, but a harsh lesson remains: the world is woefully unprepared for the next pandemic. Outbreaks of mpox, cholera, polio and Marburg are startling reminders that infectious diseases remain a real and present danger to every country. On this International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, let us heed the lessons of past health emergencies to help prepare for the next.

The World Health Organisation reports a 38% decline in global drowning deaths since 2000 but stresses the need for continued action to prevent over 300,000 annual deaths.

Hans with others, some wearing face masks, are talking in a hall inside of a hospital.

“We cannot have health without peace. Peace is the most urgent medicine.”

As a doctor, Dr. Hans Kluge helped save lives in some of the toughest places on Earth. Now the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Europe, he is working to improve the health of hundreds of millions of people - in a region stretching from Vladivostok to Lisbon.

“My dream and my vision is that we have a culture of health [...] independent of your financial means, your sexual orientation, whether you are documented or an undocumented migrant, that you are empowered to live a healthy life, [...] we have to have universal health coverage.”

Stepping into his European role just as a global pandemic swept the earth, Hans never dreamed that his previous experience in crisis-hit sub-Saharan Africa would prove so useful. In this episode, Hans reflects on lessons learned during COVID, the mental health crisis, and on surprising methods to build trust with remote communities.

Photo: ©WHO

A health worker looks at a camera in rural India.

Investing in universal health coverage improves equity and social cohesion. It also benefits national economies by improving health and well-being, increasing workforce participation and productivity, and building resilience in individuals, families and communities. And yet 4.5 billion people still do not have access to essential health services. This must change! On this International Universal Health Coverage Day (12 December) we call on governments to invest in health for all and to protect people – particularly the most vulnerable among us – from impoverishment through health spending.

As World AIDS Day approaches, it's important to highlight the significance of preventive measures like PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) which offers over 90% protection against HIV when taken correctly, empowering individuals to protect themselves from potential exposure.

Strengthening Noncommunicable Diseases services integration in primary health care improves access, diagnosis, and treatment.

The Sustainable Development Goals commit the global community to end all forms of violence against children. The futures of one billion boys and girls hang in the balance. 

There is opportunity, and necessity, to accelerate; to deliver a transformative shift on child protection. The first-ever Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children represents an historic moment; to re-imagine a world where all children are safe in their homes, schools, communities and online and make commitments commensurate with the global child protection challenge.

women and men holding breast cancer awareness placards

October is breast cancer awareness month.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer globally, with around 2.3 million new cases every year.

It represents one in eight cancer cases in both sexes and a quarter of all cancers in women, with 70% mortality occurring in resource constrained settings.

It is the most common type of cancer among women, and most breast cancers are self-detected.

World Health Organization expert Dr Mary Nyangasi explains in this episode of Science in 5.

The World Health Organisation has partnered with TikTok to promote health literacy and combat misinformation through engaging, science-based content on the platform.

Various drawings of the cerebral cortex along with the program title, Science in 5.

Did you know that a snakebite kills someone every four minutes? What should you do if you are bitten? Dr David Williams talks about prevention and treatment in a new episode of the World Health Organization's Science in 5 podcast.

elderly man and health worker

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Alzheimer's Disease International launched the #TimeToActOnDementia campaign to raise awareness about dementia and address the stigma that surrounds the condition.