World Health Organization

May 19, 2026 2:58 PM

WHO chief concerned at speed and scale of Ebola outbreak

The head of the World Health Organization on Tuesday said he was deeply concerned at the speed and scale of the Ebola outbreak, as the number of cases rises. There are at least 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths from Ebola since the new outbreak began, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. That is in addition to one confirmed death and one confirmed case in Kampala, Uganda - among two individuals who travelled from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 30 cases being ...

May 19, 2026 9:35 AM

What do we know about the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus?

A rare strain of Ebola has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency of international concern. Most of the cases have occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 100 suspected deaths and nearly 400 suspected infections as of Monday. Here is what we know about this strain of the Ebola virus, known as Bundibugyo. WHAT IS BUNDIBUGYO EBOLA? The current Ebola outbreak - so far limited to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda - is due to ...

May 15, 2026 3:02 PM

WHO warns loosely regulated nicotine pouches risk youth addiction

The World Health Organization on Friday urged governments to do more to control the sale of nicotine pouches, warning that the highly addictive products were being "aggressively marketed" in ways that particularly appealed to younger people. Pouches, which users insert under their lip to get a nicotine buzz, have rapidly become one of the most important products for big tobacco companies looking to offset the decline in smoking. But campaigners and researchers have criticised their marketing ta...

April 21, 2026 10:30 AM

WHO says AI use in health care gaining ground across EU

Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining ground in health care systems across the European Union, with all 27 member states identifying better patient care as a key driver of AI development and most already deploying AI tools in clinical settings, according to a new report released by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Described by WHO/Europe as the first comprehensive review of its kind focused specifically on the EU, the report was based on data collected between June 20...

March 18, 2026 10:43 AM

Argentina formally withdraws from World Health Organization

Argentina has formally withdrawn from the World Health Organization (WHO), Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno confirmed. In a social media post on Tuesday, Quirno said the country had communicated its decision through a formal note to the United Nations Secretary-General on March 17, 2025. In line with the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, the withdrawal has now taken effect one year after the notification. “Our country will continue to promote international cooperation in health through ...

March 16, 2026 10:09 PM

WHO says six hospitals evacuated in Iran, system holding up

A World Health Organization official said on Monday that the U.S.-Israeli war on Iranhad led to the evacuation of six hospitals but that so far the system appeared to be holding up and authorities had not sought emergency relief from the WHO. "The primary healthcare and the health infrastructure of Iran is quite good and robust, and they're able to accommodate the casualties as of now," WHO regional director Hanan Balkhy told Reuters. Iran's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva, Ali Bahreini,...

February 10, 2026 4:48 PM

India’s doctor-population ratio improves to 1:811, better than WHO norm: Prataprao Jadhav

India’s doctor-population ratio has improved to 1:811, surpassing the World Health Organization (WHO) benchmark of 1:1000, according to data shared by the Union government in Parliament on Tuesday. In a written reply to Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, said the country currently has 13,88,185 registered allopathic doctors and 7,51,768 registered AYUSH practitioners. Assuming that 80 per cent of registered practitioners in both systems are a...

February 3, 2026 6:34 PM

WHO cuts appeal for health emergencies by a third to $1 billion in 2026

The World Health Organization is appealing for $1 billion for health emergencies this year, down by a third from last year, as donor funding falls and amid doubts about contributions from its former top donor, the United States. "We're focusing on those most in need, where we can save the most lives," Executive Director Chikwe Ihekweazu told a Geneva briefing on Tuesday, saying the funding would go to 36 emergencies, including Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine. "We are deeply worried about the vast need...

January 23, 2026 3:43 PM

US withdraws from the World Health Organization

The United States officially left the World Health Organization on Thursday after a year of warnings that doing so would hurt public health in the U.S. and globally, saying its decision reflected failures in the U.N. health agency's management of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump gave notice that the U.S. would quit the organization on the first day of his presidency in 2025, via an executive order. According to a press release from the U.S. Health and State Departments, the U.S. w...

November 10, 2025 4:40 PM

Understanding mental health: Global perspectives and India’s expanding focus

Mental well-being is not merely about feeling happy or stress-free - it’s about the ability to think, feel, connect, and function effectively in daily life. In recent years, global and national attention on mental health has surged, transforming what was once a silent struggle into a central conversation about human rights, public health, and social development. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health conditions are among the leading causes of disability worldwide. An ...