15 December 2009 -- Significant progress has been made in delivering life-saving malaria nets and treatments over the last few years, but the coverage of malaria programmes needs to be stepped up drastically in order to meet the Millennium Development

15 December -- Using a new vaccine for the first time, a sub-national polio immunization campaign will take place from 15-17 December in Afghanistan. About 2.8 million children under five in the Southern, South-Eastern and Eastern Regions of Afghanistan will

9 December 2009 -- About 5.4% of the world's population was covered by comprehensive smoke-free laws in 2008, up from 3.1% in 2007, WHO stated today in its second report on the global tobacco epidemic. This means that 154 million

8 December 2009 -- Some 36 million people have been cured of tuberculosis (TB) over the past 15 years through a rigorous approach to treatment endorsed by WHO. New data, released today by WHO, also indicate that up to 8

4 December 2009 -- The attack on Thursday in Mogadishu that claimed the life of Somalia's Minister of Health, Dr Qamr Aden Ali, and several other senior government and community figures was a tragic blow to the nation's medical fraternity

4 December 2009 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) is increasing its attention to tobacco control in Africa with the overall goal of preventing tobacco use from becoming as prevalent there as it is in other parts of the world.

3 December 2009 -- Vaccinating nearly 700 million children against measles, through large-scale immunization campaigns and increased routine immunization coverage, has prevented an estimated 4.3 million measles deaths in less than a decade. However, global immunization experts warn of a

30 November 2009 -- WHO now recommends earlier initiation of antiretroviral therapy for adults and adolescents, the delivery of more patient-friendly antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), and prolonged use of ARVs to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. For the

24 November 2009 -- An eight-year trend shows new HIV infections down by 17% globally, says a new report AIDS epidemic update. The report, released today by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and WHO, highlights that beyond

18 November 2009 -- Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a five-year contribution to WHO and other agencies to support road safety work. The focus will be on reducing drink-driving, increasing the use of seatbelts, child restraints and motorcycle helmets, limiting speed, and

17 November 2009 -- The largest-ever yellow fever mass vaccination campaign will kick off next week across three African countries. The week-long event will target 11.9 million people across Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone, all three of which are at

10 November 2009 -- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is to donate 50 million doses of pandemic H1N1 vaccine to WHO under an agreement signed at WHO headquarters in Geneva by the WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, and the Chief Executive Officer of

9 November 2009 -- Despite some progress in the past decades, societies continue to fail to meet the health care needs of women at key moments of their lives, particularly in their adolescent years and in old age, a WHO

2 November 2009 -- Up to 5.3 million children can be saved from dying of pneumonia by implementing recommendations set out in the joint WHO/UNICEF Global action plan for the prevention and control of pneumonia. "This action plan provides the

27 October 2009 -- Global life expectancy could be increased by nearly five years by addressing five factors affecting health - childhood underweight, unsafe sex, alcohol use, lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene, and high blood pressure, according to

21 October 2009 -- Reversing a downward trend, the State of the world's vaccines and immunization reports that more infants are being immunized today than ever before - a record 106 million in 2008 - according to new data. At

14 October 2009 -- Dozens of hospitals and heath facilities each year are themselves impacted by floods, hurricanes, cyclones, earthquakes and other natural hazards because safety measures were not integrated in their design, location or construction. Today, the International Day

14 October 2009 -- About 1.5 million children die from diarrhoea every year. Yet simple inexpensive and life-saving treatment with ORS and zinc tablets decreases the severity and duration of attack of diarrhoea. These and other prevention strategies are highlighted

30 September 2009 -- A new report shows increases in the numbers of HIV-positive people receiving antiretroviral therapy in low and middle income countries, expanded HIV testing and counselling services , and improved access to services to prevent HIV transmission

24 September 2009 -- Four months ago, WHO declared the first influenza pandemic in 40 years. This H1N1 pandemic is spreading far and wide - and moving fast. This joint statement by the UN Secretary-General and the WHO Director-General identifies