WHO

March 24, 2025 12:07 PM

India observes World Tuberculosis Day with renewed commitment to eradication by 2025

India marked World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24, reaffirming its commitment to eliminating the deadly disease by 2025. The day aims to raise awareness about the global health threat posed by TB, which primarily affects the lungs and spreads through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or spits. In her message on the eve of World Tuberculosis Day, the President of India, Droupadi Murmu commended the National TB Elimination Programme and its efforts to raise awareness through pub...

March 17, 2025 10:51 PM

US reports first outbreak of deadly H7N9 bird flu since 2017

The United States reported the first outbreak of the deadly H7N9 bird flu on a poultry farm since 2017, as the country continues to grapple with another bird flu strain that has infected humans and caused egg prices to hit record highs. The spread of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has ravaged flocks around the world, disrupting supply and fuelling higher food prices. Its spread to mammals, including dairy cows in the U.S., has raised concerns among governments about a risk of a new ...

March 11, 2025 3:38 PM

WHO starts process of slimming down in response to U.S. cuts

The World Health Organization has started a process of fixing new priorities and announced a one-year limit on staff contracts, an internal memo showed on Tuesday, as it aims to make the U.N. agency more sustainable after the U.S. withdrawal. The memo, dated March 10 and signed by WHO's Assistant Director-General Raul Thomas, laid out further cost-cutting measures - the latest in a series of such steps since U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement in January. Senior WHO officials have begun...

February 27, 2025 11:22 PM

PM Modi reviews Ayush sector, calls for strategic interventions to maximize its potential

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday to review the progress of the Ayush sector, emphasizing the need for strategic interventions to harness its full potential in healthcare, traditional knowledge preservation, and global expansion. Since the establishment of the Ministry of Ayush in 2014, the Prime Minister has envisioned a clear roadmap for its development, recognizing its vast potential in holistic well-being and preventive healthcare. During the review, he s...

February 13, 2025 10:35 AM

Study links DNA traits to smoking-related cancer risk

A team of Israeli researchers has identified how the structure and chemical modifications of DNA influence the risk of developing lung cancer from smoking. The team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem focused on benzo(a)pyrene, a toxic chemical in cigarette smoke that, when processed by the body, binds to DNA, disrupts its normal function, and causes cellular damage, Xinhua News Agency reported. Published in Nucleic Acids Research, the study found that DNA organization and chemical changes...

February 12, 2025 10:01 PM

US actions have serious impact on global health, WHO chief says

The United States' pause on foreign aid contributions is having a serious impact on global health, hitting programmes fighting polio, HIV and other threats, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. Tedros urged the U.S. to consider resuming aid funding until solutions can be found. "There are actions that the U.S. government is taking... which we're concerned are having a serious impact on global health," said Tedros in a virtual press conference...

February 3, 2025 1:11 PM

WHO warns of 85% increase in cancer cases and deaths in South-East Asia by 2050

The World Health Organization (WHO) has projected an 85% increase in cancer cases and deaths in the South-East Asia region by 2050. This increase is expected to result in a significant rise in both the number of new cancer diagnoses and related fatalities. The announcement comes ahead of World Cancer Day, which is observed annually on February 4. This year's theme, "United by Unique," emphasizes the collective commitment to combating cancer, according to Saima Wazed, WHO's Regional Director for...

January 24, 2025 3:41 PM

WHO chief to cut costs, reset priorities after US exit, document shows

The World Health Organization will cut costs and review which health programmes to prioritise after President Donald Trumpannouncedhe was withdrawing the U.S. from the agency, the WHO's chief told staff in an internal memo seen by Reuters. Trump made the move on the first day of his second term in office on Monday, accusing the U.N. health agency of mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic and other international health crises. "This announcement has made our financial situation more acute...," WHO D...

January 21, 2025 4:21 PM

Germany to lobby Trump on WHO withdrawal, agency hopes for U-turn

Berlin will try to talk U.S. President Donald Trump out of his decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organisation, Germany's health minister said on Tuesday. The U.N. agency also said that it hoped that its top donor country would change its mind and looked forward to a constructive dialogue with Trump's team. "The new U.S. president's announcement to withdraw from the World Health Organisation (WHO) is a serious blow to the international fight against global health cris...

January 21, 2025 11:31 AM

US President Trump issues executive order to withdraw from WHO

US President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to formally withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization (WHO). The decision, announced on Monday (local time), comes after a prolonged period of criticism directed at the WHO, which Trump blamed for mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic and failing to address the broader global health crises. In the executive order, President Trump emphasized that the United States' decision to withdraw, originally announced in July 2020, was...