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Summary of discussions of 20 May at the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly.
WHO News
Summary of discussions of 19 May at Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly
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Today, the World Health Assembly recognized individuals and institutions whose contributions to global health have gone far beyond the call of duty. Six laureates representing diverse backgrounds and contexts were honoured by the President of the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly, Dr Víctor Elias Atallah Lajam of Dominican Republic, together with representatives of the foundations that have provided these prizes over the last 40 years, and WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreye
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The Seventy-ninth session of the World Health Assembly (WHA79) opened in Geneva, Switzerland today, with the election of Dr Víctor Elías Atallah Lajam of the Dominican Republic as the President of the Health Assembly. The elected Vice-Presidents are Dr Mohamed Ali Al-Ghouj of Libya, Dr Assa Badiallo Touré of Mali, Mrs Katarzyna Drążek -Laskowska of Poland, Mrs Neesha Mehta of&nbs
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At the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly in Geneva, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has presented four distinguished leaders with the Award for Global Health, recognizing their lifetime achievements and exceptional contributions to improving the health and well-being of communities worldwide.This year’s laureates are Dr Tore Godal, Dr Merceline Dahl-Regis, Dr Mike Ryan and Dr Heba El Sewedy. They were celebrated during the High-Level Welcome of the World Health Assembl
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Epidemic of Ebola Disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda determined a public health emergency of international concern
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The World Health Organization (WHO) warns about the rapid growth and aggressive marketing of nicotine pouches, especially targeting youth, amid limited regulation worldwide. Nicotine pouches pose significant health risks and governments are urged to implement strong regulatory measures to prevent addiction and protect young people.
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A message from the Director-General of the World Health Organization expressing gratitude to the people of Tenerife for their solidarity and successful cooperation during the operation to safely disembark and care for over 120 passengers from 23 countries amid an outbreak of hantavirus.
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Tunisia has been officially validated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, marking a significant achievement after decades of sustained effort.
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The world is falling short on health targets, with progress uneven, slowing, and in some areas reversing, according to the World Health Statistics 2026 report, published today by the World Health Organization (WHO).
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To the people of Tenerife,My name is Tedros, and I serve as the Director-General of the World Health Organization, the United Nations agency responsible for global public health. It is not common for me to write directly to the people of a single community, but today I feel it is not only appropriate, it is necessary.I want to speak to you directly, not through press releases or technical briefings, but as one human being to another, because you deserve that.I know you are worried. I know that w
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Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, briefed media today on a cluster of hantavirus cases linked to a cruise ship, the MV Hondius.Eight cases have been reported so far, including three deaths. Five of the 8 cases have been confirmed as hantavirus.The hantavirus involved is the Andes virus, the only species known to be capable of limited transmission between humans, linked to close and prolonged contact.Describing the situation, Dr Tedros said, “While this is a serious incid
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Ten years ago, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2286 on health care in armed conflicts. The situation is even worse compared to 10 years ago. Today, we mark not an achievement – we mark a failure. As violence affecting medical facilities, transport and personnel continues unabated, the harm this resolution sought to prevent has not diminished. It has continued and, in many contexts, intensified. As the heads of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Worl
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Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) have progressed work on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex, a key part of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, and today agreed additional time was needed to finalize the framework for ensuring a better, more equitable, response to future pandemics.Countries today ended the resumed session of the sixth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement in Geneva, focused on the PABS system. The outcome
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Australia for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem, marking a significant milestone in the health of indigenous peoples and in global efforts to combat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Trachoma, the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness, no longer represents a public health problem in the country.
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Global efforts to combat viral hepatitis are delivering measurable progress in reducing infections and deaths, but the disease remains a major global health challenge, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report released today at the World Hepatitis Summit.Viral hepatitis B and C – the two infections responsible for 95% of hepatitis-related deaths worldwide – claimed 1.34 million lives in 2024, the latest data show. At the same time, transmission continues, with mo
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The World Health Organization (WHO) wrapped up Exercise Polaris II, a 2-day high-level simulation exercise, based around an outbreak of a fictional new bacterium spreading across the world. Bringing together 26 countries and territories, 600 health emergency experts and over 25 partners, the exercise, which took place on 22 and 23 April, allowed countries to test their preparedness for pandemics and other major health emergencies, including activating their emergency workforce structures, inform
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Ahead of World Malaria Day on 25 April, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a significant step forward in the fight against malaria with the prequalification of the first treatment developed specifically for newborns and young infants weighing between two and five kilograms. The prequalification designation indicates that the medicine meets international standards of quality, safety and efficacy, and will help to expand access to quality-assured treatment for one of the most unders
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The Big Catch-Up, launched during World Immunization Week 2023, has delivered over 100 million vaccine doses to an estimated 18.3 million children across 36 countriesAround 12.3 million were “zero-dose children” who had not previously received any vaccines and 15 million who had never received a measles vaccine.The initiative concluded in March 2026 and is on track to meet its target of catching up 21 million children – but agencies warn that many infan
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Algeria as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making it the 10th country in WHO’s African Region and the 29th country globally to achieve this significant milestone.