In 2023, 10.8 million people fell ill with tuberculosis, while 1.25 million lost their lives to it. (24 March) amplifies the urgency of ending TB—the world’s deadliest infectious disease. This bacterial infection, which primarily affects the lungs, continues to devastate millions of people worldwide, with serious health, social and economic consequences. This year’s theme, Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver, is a bold call for hope, urgency, and accountability.
WHO
Obesity rates have nearly tripled since 1975, with a significant increase in children and adolescents. It is a major risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and various forms of cancer. (4 March) promotes practical solutions to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, including limiting the marketing of unhealthy food to children, taxing sugary drinks, and improving access to affordable, healthy food. We also need to create safe spaces for walking and cycling and teach children healthy habits from an early age.
Congratulations to Niger for being verified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the first country in Africa to eliminate the transmission of onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness. This parasitic disease is caused by the Onchocerca volvulus worm, which is transmitted through bites from infected black flies. Niger faced significant challenges due to this disease, particularly in communities near fast-flowing rivers. However, a strong national elimination program and collaboration with partners like the Ministry of Health, USAID, and WHO have led to this historic achievement. Onchocerciasis is one of the three diseases targeted for elimination of transmission in the , the other being leprosy and the gambiense form of human African trypanosomiasis.
is an international day observed every 4 February to raise awareness of cancer, promote its prevention, and mobilise action to address the global cancer epidemic. The World Cancer Day theme 2025-2027, “United by Unique” puts people at the centre of care and explores new ways to make a difference. Every cancer experience is unique, and it will take all of us, united, to create a world where we look beyond the disease and see the person before the patient. A world where people and communities' needs are central to health systems. Join us on 4 February. Help us make a difference.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Global Affairs Canada (GAC) have partnered to as a public health problem in the Americas, with efforts running from 2023 to 2027.
In Bolivia, 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.
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 and the commitments of the 2022 .
WHO's in Cartagena, with pre- and post-conference sessions, scheduled for 24 and 28 March 2025, will focus on health solutions and climate change combat.
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 of .
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.
“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
Investing in 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 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 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.