WHO condemns in the strongest terms the attacks on a building housing WHO staff in Deir al Balah in Gaza, the mistreatment of those sheltering there, and the destruction of its main warehouse.
Following intensified hostilities in Deir al Balah after the latest evacuation order issued by Israeli military, the WHO staff residence was attacked three times today. Staff and their families, including children, were exposed to grave danger and traumatized after airstrikes caused a fire and significant damage. Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained. Three were later released, while one staff member remains in detention. Thirty-two people, including women and children, were collected and evacuated to the WHO office in a high-risk mission, once access became possible. The office itself is close to the evacuation zone and active conflict.
WHO demands continuous protection of its staff and the immediate release of the remaining detained staff member.
The latest evacuation order has affected several WHO premises. As the United Nations’s (UN) lead health agency, WHO’s operational presence in Gaza is now compromised, crippling efforts to sustain a collapsing health system and pushing survival further out of reach for more than two million people.
Most of WHO’s staff housing is now inaccessible. Last night, due to intensified hostilities, 43 staff and their families were already relocated from several staff residences to the WHO office, under darkness and at significant risk.
WHO’s main warehouse located in Deir al Balah is within the evacuation zone, and was damaged yesterday after an attack caused explosions and fire inside - part of a pattern of systematic destruction of health facilities. It was later looted by desperate crowds.
With the main warehouse nonfunctional and the majority of medical supplies in Gaza depleted, WHO is severely constrained in adequately supporting hospitals, emergency medical teams and health partners, already critically short on medicines, fuel, and equipment. WHO urgently calls on Member States to help ensure a sustained and regular flow of medical supplies into Gaza.
The geographical coordinates of all WHO premises, including offices, warehouses, and staff housing, are shared with the relevant parties. These facilities are the backbone of WHO’s operations in Gaza and must always be protected, regardless of evacuation or displacement orders. Any threat to these premises is a threat to the entire humanitarian health response in Gaza.
In line with the UN’s decision, WHO will remain in Deir al Balah, deliver and expand its operations.
With 88% of Gaza now under evacuation orders or within Israeli-militarized zones, there is no safe place to go.
WHO is appalled by the dangerous conditions under which humanitarians and health workers are forced to operate. As the security situation and access continue to deteriorate, red lines are repeatedly crossed, and humanitarian operations pushed into an ever-shrinking space to respond.
WHO calls for the immediate release of the WHO staff member detained today, and the protection of all our staff and its premises. We reiterate our call for the active protection of civilians, health care and its premises and for rapid and unimpeded flow of aid, including food, fuel and health supplies, at scale into and across Gaza. WHO also calls for the unconditional release of hostages.
Life in Gaza is being relentlessly squeezed, and the chance to prevent loss of lives and reverse immense damage to the health system slips further out of reach each day. A ceasefire is not just necessary, it is overdue.
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Good morning, good afternoon and good evening.
I have often said that universal health coverage and health security are two sides of the same coin.
Both depend on health systems that are resilient, efficient and effective, and able to surge to respond to emergencies.
Health systems like that are a vital first line of defence against outbreaks with epidemic and pandemic potential;
but they’re also essential for promoting health, preventing communicable and noncommunicable diseases, and for reducing inequalities and inequities.
This week, WHO published a new position paper on building resilient health systems as the foundation of socio-economic recovery and development.
The position paper outlines seven policy recommendations, with specific actions in each area.
We urge all countries to implement these recommendations, and reap their benefits.
The backbone of every health system is its workforce – the people who deliver the services on which we all rely at some point in our lives.
The pandemic is a powerful demonstration of just how much we rely on health workers, and how vulnerable we all are when the people who protect our health are themselves unprotected.
A new WHO working paper estimates that 115 thousand health workers may have died from COVID-19 between January 2020 and May this year.
That’s why it’s essential that health workers are prioritised for vaccination.
Data from 119 countries suggest that on average, two in five health and care workers globally are fully vaccinated. But of course, that average masks huge differences across regions and economic groupings.
In Africa, less than 1 in 10 health workers have been fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, in most high-income countries, more than 80% of health workers are fully vaccinated.
Today, WHO and several partner organizations have issued a statement calling for action to protect health and care workers around the world:
First, we call on all countries to improve monitoring and reporting of infections and deaths among health and care workers.
Second, we call on all countries to ensure all health and care workers are protected and supported, with safe and healthy working conditions, regular salaries, pay equity, appropriate education, career opportunities and social protection.
Third, we call on all countries to ensure that all health and care workers in every country are prioritised for COVID-19 vaccines, alongside other at-risk groups.
Today I’m pleased to be joined by two women who represent millions of health workers around the world: Annette Kennedy, President of the International Council of Nurses; and Dr Heidi Stensmyren, the President of the World Medical Association, which represents the world’s physicians.
Thank you both for joining us. Annette, you have the floor, and then we’ll hear from Heidi.
[ANNETTE KENNEDY ADDRESSED THE MEDIA]
Thank you, Annette. Heidi, over to you.
[HEIDI STENSMYREN ADDRESSED THE MEDIA]
Thank you, Heidi, and thank you to both of you and your organizations for your continuing partnership.
More than 10 months since the first vaccines were approved, the fact that millions of health workers still haven’t been vaccinated is an indictment on the countries and companies that control the global supply of vaccines.
High- and upper-middle income countries have now administered almost half as many booster shots as the total number of vaccines administered in low-income countries.
In 10 days’ time, 20 people will meet in Rome with the ability to change that – the leaders of the G20 countries.
Between now and then, roughly 500 million vaccine doses will be produced. That’s the amount of additional doses we need to achieve our target of vaccinating 40% of the population of every country by the end of the year.
82 countries are at risk of missing that target. For three-quarters of those countries, it’s simply a problem of insufficient supply. The other quarter of countries have some limitations in their ability to absorb vaccines, and we are working to address those problems.
The target is reachable, but only if the countries and companies that control supply match their statements with actions – right now.
The barrier is not production. The barriers are politics and profit.
G20 countries have pledged to donate more than 1.2 billion doses to COVAX. So far, only 150 million have been delivered.
For most donations, we have no timeline. We don’t know what’s coming when.
Manufacturers have not told us how much COVAX will receive, or when we will receive it.
We cannot have equity without transparency.
Ahead of the G20 Summit next week, we plan to publish the new 12-month Strategic Plan and Budget for the ACT Accelerator, which will set out the actions and resources needed to achieve our targets.
It’s clear what needs to happen:
The countries that have already reached the 40% target – which includes all the G20 countries – must give their spot in the vaccine delivery queue to COVAX and AVAT;
The G20 countries must fulfil their dose-sharing commitments immediately;
Manufacturers must prioritize and fulfil their contracts with COVAX and AVAT as a matter of urgency, and be far more transparent about what is going where.
And they must share know-how, technology, licences and waive intellectual property rights.
We’re not asking for charity; we’re calling for a common-sense investment in the global recovery.
COVAX has the money and contracts to buy vaccines. What we don’t have is any visibility on when the manufacturers will deliver.
One of the clearest and strongest voices for the need to invest in vaccine equity is Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and WHO’s Ambassador for Global Health Financing.
It’s my great pleasure to welcome Gordon today. Gordon, thank you for your continuing work and partnership, and leadership. You have the floor.
[GORDON BROWN ADDRESSED THE MEDIA]
Thank you, Gordon. We can only hope the G20 countries hear your call.
Margaret, back to you.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
Today, Suriname became the first country in the Amazon region to receive malaria-free certification from the World Health Organization (WHO). This historic milestone follows nearly 70 years of commitment by the government and people of Suriname to eliminate the disease across its vast rainforests and diverse communities.
“WHO congratulates Suriname on this remarkable achievement,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This certification is a powerful affirmation of the principle that everyone—regardless of nationality, background, or migration status—deserves universal access to malaria diagnosis and treatment. Suriname’s steadfast commitment to health equity serves as an inspiration to all countries striving for a malaria-free future.”
With today’s announcement, a total of 46 countries and 1 territory have been certified as malaria-free by WHO, including 12 countries in the Region of the Americas.
“Suriname did what was needed to eliminate malaria—detecting and treating every case quickly, investigating to prevent spread, and engaging communities,” said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), WHO’s regional office for the Americas. “This certification reflects years of sustained effort, especially reaching remote areas. It means future generations can grow up free from this potentially deadly disease.”
Certification of malaria elimination is granted by WHO when a country has proven, beyond reasonable doubt, that the chain of indigenous transmission has been interrupted nationwide for at least the previous three consecutive years.
Dr. Amar Ramadhin, Minister of Health of Suriname, stated, "Being malaria-free means that our population is no longer at risk from malaria. Furthermore, eliminating malaria will have positive effects on our healthcare sector, boost the economy, and enhance tourism."
“At the same time, we recognise that maintaining this status requires ongoing vigilance. We must continue to take the necessary measures to prevent the reintroduction of malaria. We are proud that our communities are now protected, and we look forward to welcoming more visitors to our beautiful Suriname—while remaining fully committed to safeguarding these hard-won gains.”
Suriname’s malaria control efforts began in the 1950s in the country’s densely populated coastal areas, relying heavily on indoor spraying with the pesticide DDT and antimalarial treatment. By the 1960s, the coastal areas had become malaria-free, and attention turned towards the country’s forested interior, home to diverse indigenous and tribal communities.
Although indoor spraying was successful in coastal areas, its impact was limited in the country's interior due to the prevalence of traditional open-style homes that offer minimal protection against mosquitoes. In 1974 malaria control in the interior was decentralised to Medische Zending, Suriname’s primary health care service, which recruited and trained healthcare workers from the local communities to provide early diagnosis and treatment.
The surge in mining activities, particularly gold mining which often involves travel between malaria-endemic areas, led to increases in malaria, reaching a peak of more than 15 000 cases in 2001, the highest transmission rates of malaria in the Americas.
Since 2005, with support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the capacity to provide diagnosis was greatly expanded with both improvements in microscopy and the use of rapid diagnostic tests, particularly among mobile groups. Artemisinin-based treatments with primaquine were introduced in Suriname and neighbouring countries through PAHO-led studies under the Amazon Malaria Initiative (AMI-RAVREDA), supported by the United States. Prevention among high-risk groups was also strengthened through the distribution of insecticide-treated nets funded by the Global Fund.
By 2006, malaria had drastically decreased among the indigenous populations, prompting Suriname to shift its focus to high-risk mobile populations in remote mining areas. To reach these groups—many of whom were migrants from neighbouring endemic countries—the country established a network of Malaria Service Deliverers, recruited directly from the mining communities. These trained and supervised community workers provide free malaria diagnosis, treatment, and prevention services, playing a vital role in closing access gaps in hard-to-reach regions.
Through ensuring universal access to diagnosis and treatment regardless of legal status, deploying an extensive network of community health workers, and implementing nationwide malaria screening, including at border crossings, Suriname successfully eliminated malaria. The last locally transmitted case of Plasmodium falciparum malaria was recorded in 2018, followed by the final Plasmodium vivax case in 2021.
The government of Suriname has shown strong commitment to malaria elimination, including through the National Malaria Elimination Taskforce, Malaria Program, Malaria Elimination Fund, and cross-border collaboration with Brazil, Guyana and French Guiana. For many years PAHO/WHO, with the support of the U.S. government, has provided technical cooperation throughout Suriname’s anti-malaria campaign. Since 2016 Suriname has also participated in the “Elimination 2025” initiative – a group of countries identified by WHO as having the potential to eliminate malaria by 2025.
This success in Suriname is a demonstration that malaria elimination is possible in challenging contexts in the Amazon basin and in tropical continental countries. The country’s malaria-free certification plays a critical role in advancing PAHO's Disease Elimination Initiative, which aims to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases, including malaria, in countries of the Americas by 2030.
WHO malaria-free certification
The final decision on awarding a malaria-free certification is made by the WHO Director-General, based on a recommendation by the Technical Advisory Group on Malaria Elimination and Certification and validation from the Malaria Policy Advisory Group. For more on WHO’s malaria-free certification process, visit this link.
New report urges scaled-up tailored financial support for decentralised renewable energy to reach 666 million people in rural and vulnerable areas in developing countries.
Washington/New York/Paris/Geneva/Abu Dhabi, 25 June 2025 | Tracking SDG 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025 finds that almost 92% of the world’s population now has basic access to electricity Although this is an improvement since 2022, which saw the number of people without basic access decrease for the first time in a decade, over 666 million people remain without access, indicating that the current rate is insufficient to reach universal access by 2030. Clean cooking access is progressing but below the rates of progress seen in the 2010s, as efforts remain hobbled by setbacks during the Covid-19 pandemic, following energy price shocks, and debt crises.
Released today, the latest edition of the annual report that tracks progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 highlights the role of distributed renewable energy (a combination of mini-grid and off-grid solar systems) to accelerate access, since the population remaining unconnected lives mostly in remote, lower-income, and fragile areas. Cost-effective and rapidly scalable, decentralised solutions are able to reach communities in such rural areas.
Decentralised solutions are also needed to increase access to clean cooking. With an estimated 1.5 billion people residing in rural areas still lacking access to clean cooking, the use of off-grid clean technologies, such as household biogas plants and mini-grids that facilitate electric cooking, can provide solutions that reduce health impacts caused by household air pollution. Over 670 million people remain without electricity access, and over 2 billion people remain dependent on polluting and hazardous fuels such as firewood and charcoal for their cooking needs.
Notable progress was made in different indicators. The international financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy grew for the third year in a row to reach USD 21.6 billion in 2023. Installed renewables capacity per capita continued to increase year-on-year to reach a new high of 341 watts per capita in developing countries, up from 155 watts in 2015.
Yet regional disparities persist, indicating that particular support is needed for developing regions. In sub-Saharan Africa – which lags behind across most indicators – renewables deployment has rapidly expanded but remains limited to 40 watts of installed capacity per capita on average which is only one-eighth of the average of other developing countries. Eighty-five percent of the global population without electricity access reside in the region, while four in five families are without access to clean cooking. And the number of people without clean cooking access in the region continues to grow at a rate of 14 million people yearly.
The report identified the lack of sufficient and affordable financing as a key reason for regional inequalities and slow progress. To build on the achievements to date and avoid any further regressions on access to electricity and clean cooking due to looming risks in global markets, the report calls for strengthened international cooperation of public and private sectors, to scale up financial support for developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Urgent actions include reforms in multilateral and bilateral lending to expand the availability of public capital; more concessional finance mobilisation, grants, and risk mitigation instruments; improvement in risk tolerance among donors; as well as appropriate national energy planning and regulations.
Key findings across primary indicators
The report will be presented to decision-makers at a special launch event on 16 July 2025 at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York, which oversees progress on the SDGs.
Fatih Birol, Executive Director, International Energy Agency
“Despite progress in some parts of the world, the expansion of electricity and clean cooking access remains disappointingly slow, especially in Africa. This is contributing to millions of premature deaths each year linked to smoke inhalation, and is holding back development and education opportunities. Greater investment in clean cooking and electricity supply is urgently required, including support to reduce the cost of capital for projects.”
Francesco La Camera, Director-General, International Renewable Energy Agency
“Renewables have seen record growth in recent years, reminding the world of its affordability, scalability, and its role in further reducing energy poverty. But we must accelerate progress at this crunch time. This means overcoming challenges, which include infrastructure gaps. The lack of progress, especially on infrastructure, is a reflection of limited access to financing. Although international financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy grew to USD 21.6 billion in 2023, only two regions in the world have seen real progress in the financial flows. To close the access and infrastructure gaps, we need strengthened international cooperation to scale up affordable financing and impact–driven capital for the least developed and developing countries.”
Stefan Schweinfest, Director, United Nations Statistics Division
“This year’s report shows that now is the time to come together to build on existing achievements and scale up our efforts. Despite advancements in increasing renewables-based electricity, which now makes up almost 30 percent of global electricity consumption, the use of renewables for other energy-related purposes remains stagnant. While energy intensity improved in 2022, overall progress remains weak, threatening economic growth and the energy efficiency goals agreed upon at COP28. The clock is ticking. The findings of this year’s report should serve as a rallying point, to rapidly mobilize efforts and investments, so that together, we ensure sustainable energy for all by 2030.”
Guangzhe Chen, Vice President for Infrastructure, World Bank
"As we approach the five-year mark to achieve the SDG7 targets, it is imperative to accelerate the deployment of electricity connections, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where half of the 666 million people lacking access reside. As part of the Mission 300 movement, 12 African nations have launched national energy compacts, in which they commit to substantial reforms to lower costs of generation and transmission, and scale up distributed renewable energy solutions. Initiatives such as this unite governments, the private sector, and development partners in a collaborative effort.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, World Health Organization
“The same pollutants that are poisoning our planet are also poisoning people, contributing to millions of deaths each year from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, particularly among the most vulnerable, including women and children," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "We urgently need scaled-up action and investment in clean cooking solutions to protect the health of both people and planet—now and in the future.”
This report is published by the SDG 7 custodian agencies, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, and the World Health Organization (WHO) and aims to provide the international community with a global dashboard to register progress on energy access, energy efficiency, renewable energy and international cooperation to advance SDG 7.
This year’s edition was chaired by IRENA.
The report can be downloaded at https://trackingsdg7.esmap.org/
Funding for the report was provided by the World Bank’s Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP).
Media contacts:
mediainquiries@who.int
23 December 2024, Aden, Yemen – Yemen bears the highest burden of cholera globally. The country has experienced persistent cholera transmission for many years, including the largest outbreak – between 2017 and 2020 – recorded in recent history.
As of 1 December, Yemen had reported 249 900 suspected cases of cholera, with 861 associated deaths since the beginning of the year. This accounts for 35% of the global cholera burden and 18% of global reported mortality. The number of cases and deaths reported in November 2024 are 37% and 27% higher than the same month in 2023. The increase this year is largely due to updated data from Yemen, with adjustments made to account for more detailed information from all governorates.
Disclaimer: the boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the World Health Organization concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
"The outbreak of waterborne diseases like cholera and acute watery diarrhoea imposes an additional burden on an already stressed health system facing multiple disease outbreaks. WHO and humanitarian actors are strained in their efforts to address the increasing needs due to severe funding shortages,” said WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Yemen Dr Arturo Pesigan.
“Lack of access to safe drinking water, poor community hygiene practices and limited access to timely treatment further hinder efforts to prevent and control the disease."
Addressing cholera in Yemen requires urgent and comprehensive interventions, covering coordination, surveillance, laboratory capacity, case management, community engagement initiatives, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and oral cholera vaccinations. Timely and sufficient funding is necessary for these interventions. In addition, damaged public water and sanitation infrastructures require intensive rehabilitation to prevent a recurrence of the devastating scenario the country experienced between 2017 and 2020.
Based on projected incidence carried out in September for the response period between October 2024 and March 2025, the cholera response in Yemen faces a funding gap of US$ 20 million. Between March and the end of November 2024, 47 diarrhoea treatment centres (DTCs) and 234 oral rehydration centres (ORCs) were closed due to lack of funding. Another 17 DTCs and 39 ORCs are set to be closed by the end of 2024 – that is, 84% of DTCs and 62% of ORCs – if additional funding is not provided to health partners.
Since the emergence of the latest cholera outbreak in March 2024, WHO has worked closely with the Ministry of Public Health and Population and the Ministry of Health and Environment through the UN multisectoral response plan to manage the outbreak. WHO supported more than 25 000 rapid response team missions to investigate alerts and initiate control measures at the local level; provided laboratory reagents and supplies to support the confirmation of infections in 12 central public health laboratories; procured and distributed essential medicines, medical supplies, WASH and infection prevention and control supplies to health facilities, including the 18 DTCs receiving WHO support; trained over 800 health workers on case management, and supported the Ministry of Public Health and Population with an oral cholera vaccination campaign providing protection for 3.2 million people in 34 districts of 6 governorates in Yemen.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
Thousands of civilians require reconstructive surgeries and physical rehabilitation. All but one hospital are gradually reopening, while most are not operating at full capacity.
The ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities took effect on 27 November, offering temporary relief for the millions of civilians caught in the conflict in Lebanon. But Lebanon’s suffering did not end amid staggering unmet health needs. Bordering Syria and Israel, Lebanon’s overburdened health system is reeling from the impacts of an economic crisis, political deadlock, refugee crisis and now war.
The country is host to 1.5 million Syrian refugees: inevitably, events in Syria impact Lebanon and WHO operations. Syrian nationals are entering Lebanon at the same time as Syrian refugees are returning to Syria from Lebanon.
"An already decimated health system remarkably withstood this latest storm, but it has been further weakened. The challenges are complex and call for specialized, sustained support," said WHO Representative to Lebanon Dr Abdinasir Abubakar.
The road ahead for Lebanon‘s health system is rocky and the future uncertain.
Lebanon’s cumulative real GDP has shrunk by 38% since 2019, according to the World Bank, with the war being the latest of many blows. As of today, more than 1 million people displaced by hostilities have returned to southern Lebanon where the physical and health infrastructure is in tatters. Several health facilities remain closed and most hospitals are running below capacity due to financial restraints and shortages of staff, long-standing challenges in Lebanon.
More than 530 health workers and patients have been killed or injured in attacks on health care and thousands of health workers have been displaced or have emigrated leaving the hospitals and the health centres grappling to meet the health needs of the populations. In order to keep hospitals running, the need for health workers is dire.
Water and sanitation systems have been severely disrupted, compounding the risk of disease outbreaks. With nearly 7% of buildings in ruins in the two southern governorates that were hardest hit, thousands remain on the move and won’t be able to return home anytime soon. Those who have returned face the risks posed by explosive remnants of war, as well as greater overall health risks.
Since 8 October 2023, more than 4 000 people were killed and 17 000 injured in Lebanon alone. Since the ceasefire took hold and conflict-impacted areas have become more accessible, the death toll continued climbing as more bodies are found in the 16 000 buildings that have been partially or completely destroyed, leaving an estimated 8 million tonnes of debris.
"The physical destruction is similar to what you see after an earthquake – and that has resulted in complex injuries, open wounds and fractures. And since the treatment provided during the war was often not optimal, the injured end up needing multiple surgeries to prevent complications and disabilities, " said Dr Ahmad Alchaikh Hassan, WHO Trauma Technical Officer.
One in 4 people with life-changing injuries will need long-term rehabilitation and, in some cases, assistive technologies and prosthetics. Specialized support will be required as the technical capacities in Lebanon cannot cope with the increasing numbers of people in need for these services and commodities.
"This need for specialized health care will persist for months and years to come. Lebanon needs reconstructive surgeons to treat the severely injured, eye doctors to treat the thousands of people injured in the pager attack, physiotherapists to start rehabilitating amputees and prosthetists to assist users of assistive devices," said WHO Representative Dr Abubakar.
Ensuring a sufficient number of trained health workers with expertise in war-related trauma and plastic reconstructive surgery is a priority.
Three weeks into an 8-week ceasefire, WHO and the Ministry of Public Health are working on replenishing medical supplies and restoring health services country-wide.
"WHO and national health authorities have carried out several mass casualty management trainings across Lebanon – resulting in stronger, more life-saving assertive responses. Without these timely interventions, the outcomes would be unconscionable," said Dr Hassan, WHO's Trauma Technical Officer.
The ongoing WHO operations include scaling up trauma care capacity, training surgeons on specialized trauma care in conflict areas, providing mental health trainings to health workers, capacity building for rehabilitation in post-conflict settings, replacing damaged equipment, identifying gaps in health coverage, and preparing for future scenarios and the subsequent health impact.
WHO also provided 5 000 contingency blood bags and reagents to blood banks and developed awareness material on unexploded ordinances and other health risks for first responders and civilians. WHO and the Ministry of Public Health run strong country-wide surveillance for disease outbreaks which pose a heightened risk in post-conflict settings.
"The road to recovery will be long and windy. Our aim is to assist the health system to bounce back, and be resilient and prepared. We are grateful to our many partners who have supported this response but this is not the end of it. This is the start and the need for technical and financial support has never been greater," concluded WHO Representative Dr Abubakar.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
From 1 January to 24 November 2024, a cumulative total of 733 956 cholera cases and 5162 deaths were reported from 33 countries across five WHO regions. The number of cases and deaths reported in November 2024 are 37% and 27% higher, respectively, compared to the same month in 2023.
Factors such as conflict, mass displacement, natural disasters, and climate change have intensified outbreaks, particularly in rural and flood-affected areas, where poor infrastructure and limited healthcare access delay treatment. These cross-border dynamics have made cholera outbreaks increasingly complex and harder to control.
In November, Oral Cholera Vaccines production reached its highest level since 2013, driven by new formulations and production methods introduced and prequalified this year. This increase allowed the average stock to rise to 3.5 million doses in November compared to 600 000 in October, closer to the five million doses needed for emergency stockpile at all times for effective outbreak response. However, increased production has not met the rising global demand. This persistent shortage continues to hinder efforts to control cholera outbreaks and respond promptly to the disease’s spread.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
13 December 2024 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) publishes its first-ever report on drowning prevention, which reveals a 38% drop in the global drowning death rate since 2000—a major global health achievement.
However, the report notes that drowning remains a major public health issue with more than 30 people estimated to be drowning every hour and 300 000 people dying by drowning in 2021 alone. Almost half of all drowning deaths occur among people below the age of 29 years, and a quarter occur among children under the age of 5 years. Children without adult supervision are at an especially high risk of drowning.
“The significant decline in drowning deaths since 2000 is great news and proof that the simple, practical interventions that WHO recommends work,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Still, every drowning death is one death too many, and millions of people remain at risk. This report contains crucial data for policy-making and recommendations for urgent action to save lives.”
Progress in reducing drowning has been uneven. At the global level, 9 in 10 drowning deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries. The WHO European Region saw a 68% drop in drowning death rate between 2000 and 2021, yet the rate fell by just 3% in the WHO African Region, which has the highest rate of any region with 5.6 deaths per 100 000 people. This may be influenced by the levels of national commitments to address the issue: within the African Region, only 15% of countries had a national strategy or plan for drowning prevention, compared to 45% of countries in the European Region.
“Drowning continues to be a major public health issue, but progress is possible, particularly if governments work with strong partners at the local level,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg L.P. and Bloomberg Philanthropies, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries, and 108th mayor of New York City. “For more than a decade, Bloomberg Philanthropies has supported governments and local organizations that are leading effective drowning prevention efforts. This new report shows what more countries can do to help save thousands of lives every year.”
More than 7.2 million people, mainly children, could die by drowning by the year 2050 if current trends continue. Yet most drowning deaths could be prevented by implementing WHO-recommended interventions.
WHO recommends a series of community-based actions for drowning prevention, which include:
the installation of barriers to prevent child access to water;
provision of safe places away from water for pre-school children, teaching school-aged children basic swimming water safety and safe rescue skills;
training people in rescue and resuscitation;
strengthening public awareness on drowning;
setting and enforcing safe boating, shipping and ferry regulations; and
improving flood risk management.
The report found WHO’s evidence-based drowning prevention interventions are being implemented to varying degrees.
Encouragingly, 73% of countries have search and rescue services, and a further 73% implement community-based flood risk mitigation programmes However, only 33% of countries offer national programmes to train bystanders in safe rescue and resuscitation, and just 22% integrate swimming and water safety training into their school curricula
Accurate data is critical to inform prevention strategies, yet only 65% of countries report collecting drowning data through civil registration and vital statistics systems. Quality data is further required to compellingly raise awareness on the issue and mobilize governments and communities to take action.
The report identifies strengths and shortfalls in policy and legislation:
While 81% of countries have laws on passenger safety for travelling by boat:
Just 44% of these laws require regular safety inspections of the boats, and
Only 66% of countries mandate lifejacket use for recreational boating and transport on water;
Of concern, 86% of countries lack laws for fencing around swimming pools, which is key to preventing child drowning in certain settings.
This report, developed in response to a Member State request made through World Health Assembly Resolution 76.18 (2023), summarizes achievements and challenges towards drowning prevention at the global level and provides a benchmark for which progress can be tracked. This comprehensive report highlights that drowning prevention requires a coordinated, whole-of-society response. Through increased collaboration and investment, those most vulnerable to drowning can be protected to ensure the promising trends currently observed are experienced uniformly and equitably.
Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, has been the WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries since 2016. Bloomberg Philanthropies’ investments in public health include major, life-saving initiatives to reduce tobacco and youth e-cigarette use through US$ 1.58 billion in investments, support healthy food policy, and improve road safety and maternal health, among others. In May 2024, Bloomberg Philanthropies announced the investment of an additional US$ 60 million to prevent drowning deaths in Bangladesh, Ghana, India, Uganda, the United States and Viet Nam, bringing Bloomberg Philanthropies’ total investment to US$ 104 million globally.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
12 December 2024 -- The 2024 Global Heath Expenditure Report by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that the average per capita government spending on health in all country income groups fell in 2022 from 2021 after a surge in the early pandemic years. The report entitled, “Global spending on health Emerging from the pandemic” has been published in alignment with the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day campaign marked annually on 12 December. The campaign’s focus for 2024 is on improving financial protection for people everywhere to access health services they need.
Government spending on health is crucial to delivering UHC. Its deprioritization can have dire consequences in a context where 4.5 billion people worldwide lack access to basic health services and 2 billion people face financial hardship due to health costs.
“While access to health services has been improving globally, using those services is driving more and more people into financial hardship or poverty. Universal Health Coverage Day is a reminder that health for all means everyone can access the health services they need, without financial hardship,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
Protecting people from financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health costs is fundamental to achieving health for all. Yet, WHO’s report shows that out-of-pocket spending remained the main source of health financing in 30 low- and lower middle-income countries. In 20 of these countries, more than half of total health spending in the country was paid for by patients out of their pocket, which contributes to the cycle of poverty and vulnerability.
The challenges posed by the lack of financial protection for health are not limited to lower-income countries. Even in high-income countries, out-of-pocket payments lead to financial hardship and unmet need, particularly among the poorest households. Most recent health accounts data show that in over a third of high-income countries, more than 20% of total health spending was paid out-of-pocket.
On the occasion of UHC Day, WHO is calling on leaders to make UHC a national priority and eliminate impoverishment due to health-related expenses by 2030. Effective strategies to strengthen financial protection include minimizing or removing user charges for those most in need, including people with low incomes or chronic conditions, adopting legislation to protect people from impoverishing health costs and establishing health financing mechanisms through public funding to cover the full population.
Public funding needs to budget for an affordable package of essential health services – from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care – using a primary health care approach.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2022, public spending on health – mainly via government health budgets –enabled health systems to respond quickly to the emergency. This reflects the advantage of government budgets in financing public health functions, in particular population-based public health interventions, versus other health financing schemes, during times of health emergencies. Government funding ensured that more people were protected and more lives were saved.
Emerging from the pandemic, countries are at a crossroads. Governments face difficult decisions as they work to strengthen the resilience of health systems against future health threats while addressing their populations' healthcare needs in a challenging economic environment.
The key to making better choices on future health investments is timely and reliable evidence on the level and pattern of health spending. For 25 years the WHO Health Expenditure Tracking programme has had a major influence on how critical information on health spending is compiled and reported at the country level and globally.
Among its most notable achievements are the establishment of the Global Health Expenditure Database – the world’s richest source of health expenditure data covering more than 190 countries since 2000--and the Global Health Expenditure Report, which has been published annually since 2017. These global public goods drive informed policymaking, transparency and accountability worldwide.
This year’s UHC Day also provides a platform for a milestone discussion in WHO’s efforts to advance support and collaboration with countries in reorienting their health systems to advance UHC and achieve health security in countries, regions and globally. From 11–13 December, national health representatives, heads of WHO country offices, and health policy advisers from over 125 countries are meeting in Lyon, France to take stock of progress and challenges, agree on priority areas and working methods, and set the agenda for the next phase of the UHC Partnership from 2025-2027.
The UHC Partnership is WHO’s flagship initiative on international cooperation for UHC, which brings WHO and partners together to support concrete actions to achieve UHC. It is funded by the European Union, Belgium, Canada, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Germany, Irish Aid, the Government of Japan, and the United Kingdom - Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
06 December 2024, Kinshasa – World Health Organization (WHO) is deploying experts to support health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo carry out further investigations to determine the cause of a yet undiagnosed disease that has been reported in Panzi, a locality in Kwango province in the southwest of the country. Laboratory tests are being conducted to determine the cause.
The WHO experts are joining the National Rapid Response Team and are on their way to Panzi. The team comprises epidemiologists, clinicians, laboratory technicians and infection prevention and control, and risk communication experts. An initial local WHO team has been supporting the health authorities in Kwango since the end of November to reinforce disease surveillance and identify cases.
The experts being deployed are also delivering essential medicines, diagnostic and sample collection kits to help rapidly analyse and determine the cause of the illness. The team will focus on strengthening response measures such as epidemiological investigation and collection of samples for testing, active case finding, treatment and public awareness activities. The team will also work with community leaders to support disease surveillance and promote measures to prevent infection and to identify and report further cases.
“Our priority is to provide effective support to the affected families and communities. All efforts are underway to identify the cause of the illness, understand its modes of transmission and ensure appropriate response as swiftly as possible,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, 394 cases and 30 deaths have been reported so far in Panzi health zone. Symptoms of the illness include headache, cough, fever, breathing difficulties and anaemia. Until laboratory test results are received, the cause is unclear.
Panzi is a rural community located more than 700 km from the capital Kinshasa. Access by road is difficult and communication network is limited. So far, the disease has been reported in seven of the 30 health zones in Kwango province. Most cases are reported in three of the seven affected health zones. A respiratory pathogen such as Influenza or COVID-19 is being investigated as a possible cause, as well as malaria, measles and others.
WHO will share more information about efforts to identify the disease as soon as available.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.