The Gambia may allow female genital mutilation again – another sign of a global trend eroding women’s rights

Proposed changes before parliament could permit medicalised female genital cutting and allow it for consenting adults

COVID-19 was declared a pandemic 4 years ago: Take a look at the virus’ journey and global response to it

A timeline of the key events related to COVID-19

Measles accounted for most excess deaths as a result of COVID-19 related vaccine disruptions

Excess deaths due to vaccine breaks amounted to 967,000 deaths, catch-up shots could avert 79% of them, finds Lancet study

WHO launches ‘CoViNet’ — a global laboratory to monitor emerging coronaviruses

Builds on COVID-19 reference laboratory network established during early days of pandemic to confirm disease

Violence against women with disabilities and older women goes unseen: WHO advocates for urgent action

Older women and women with disabilities can be extremely isolated when violence occurs, complicating their ability to seek help and report the abuse

We know loneliness is a big problem. What we do not know is just how big: Christopher Mikton

Technical Officer at WHO and part of the Secretariat on Social Connection speaks to Down To Earth about loneliness on International …

That lonely feeling

WHO has recognised loneliness as a public health crisis and is trying to devise a way to measure the condition that affects a quarter of the …

Investing in ending TB: WHO study shows potential benefit of $39 for every dollar spent in screening, prevention

Released modelling study for Brazil, Georgia, Kenya and South Africa ahead of World Tuberculosis Day on March 24

Fair sex, unfair pay: Women in healthcare paid 24% less than men, highlights WHO report

Gender pay gap despite women comprising 67% of global health & social care workforce, specialties still dominated by men

El Salvador becomes first central American country to be declared malaria-free

The country has not recorded any indigenous case of malaria since 2017

The squalid history of medical patents

Bringing medicines into the global intellectual property regime was a triumph of corporate skulduggery led by Pfizer

Lao PDR becomes second country in 2023 after Bangladesh to eliminate lymphatic filariasis

Nineteen countries have been able to eliminate the disease, according to WHO

Simply Put: Healthy diet

Socials of the pandemic

For generations, and also in the immediate future, the COVID-19 pandemic will be remembered for this: how the world lived up to a global crisis?

Antimicrobial resistance: Here’s what can be done to address environmental AMR in India

India is the world’s largest consumer of antibiotics in terms of total volume

Argentina’s mystery pneumonia outbreak finally identified as Legionellosis disease

At least 11 people have been infected and four have succumbed to the illness

Kerala reports India’s first suspected death due to monkeypox

This takes the global death toll of the current monkeypox outbreak to nine

Tedros Ghebreyesus keeps his job at WHO helm

Omicron update: UK caseload shows travel curbs failed

Variant of Concern already identified in 52 countries

El Nino effect: Cases of dengue have increased globally

Increase in temperature and changes in rainfall patterns to blame

Severe hepatitis in children: Why COVID-link hasn’t been ruled out

18 per cent severe hepatitis patients tested positive for COVID-19

Simply Put: COVID-19 & the undead

‘Ineffective’ India-made antivenoms recalled in Kenya, country faces snakebite crisis

Studies in India, by WHO show antivenom serums not working

Shortage of cholera vaccines forces WHO to shift to single-dose strategy

More people can be immunised with the temporary single dose

Russian invasion poses ‘huge’ health threats for Ukraine, experts flag

Efforts to monitor and contain COVID-19 and other diseases have taken a backseat