Health
Six climate and health measures could prevent 1.56 million deaths a year, WHO says
Heat-health warning systems offer the highest return, an estimated $835 for every $1 spent, according to a new World Health Organization report.
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World Health Organization
Health
Bangladesh has the world's worst measles outbreak, and experts blame gaps in vaccination
WHO figures show 202,000 suspected measles cases and 1,147 deaths in Bangladesh up to 9 October, 94 percent of them children under five; experts blame a faltering routine immunisation programme in 2025.
HealthWHO advisers say countries may vaccinate girls aged 4 to 8 against HPV
The WHO's immunisation advisory group SAGE says countries may consider routine HPV vaccination of girls aged 4 to 8 if it raises coverage; girls aged 9 to 14, with one dose, remain the priority, and global coverage is only 33 percent.
AgrotechWHO and GFI APAC team up on a public health report on alternative proteins
The World Health Organization's Asia-Pacific Centre for Environment and Health and the Good Food Institute APAC have signed a multi-year partnership that includes a first WHO report on plant-based, fermented and cultivated proteins in health policy.
HealthSuspected cholera cases in Yemen triple in three weeks, WHO warns
Weekly suspected cases rose from 217 in early September to 647 in the week to 3 October; Yemen has 8,034 suspected cases and 27 deaths this year, and WHO has received $3.78 million of the $31 million it needs for 90 days.
HealthWHO's Berlin hub sets a goal of spotting new outbreaks within 24 hours by 2030
The World Health Organization has launched a five-year strategy for its Berlin pandemic intelligence hub, aiming to help every country detect emerging health threats within 24 hours by 2030 through AI-assisted monitoring, pathogen sequencing and One Health surveillance.
Health
Unexplained bruises, long fevers, bone pain: childhood cancer signs to take to a doctor
About 400,000 children and adolescents aged 0 to 19 develop cancer worldwide each year, the WHO estimates; recognising the signs early and starting treatment fast is what improves survival.
Health
First WHO child obesity guideline: no weight-loss drugs or surgery under 10
About 170 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were obese in 2024, up from 2% in 1990 to 8%; the WHO says treatment must start with diet, physical activity and lifestyle change.
HealthBangladeshis live longer than Indians and Pakistanis, WHO statistics show
The WHO's latest World Health Statistics put life expectancy in 2023 at 72.7 years in Bangladesh, 71 in India and 68.2 in Pakistan, with the global average back near its pre-pandemic level.
HealthCholera deaths rose 30% in 2025, the most reported to WHO since 1999
Forty-seven countries reported 451,499 cases and 7,870 deaths; seven, including Bangladesh, account for about 90 per cent, WHO says.
HealthInfections caused one in eight new cancers worldwide in 2024, WHO cancer agency finds
An IARC study attributes 2.3 million new cases to viruses, bacteria and parasites, led by H. pylori and HPV, with low- and middle-income countries bearing about three-quarters.
HealthZika can also spread through sex: pregnancy risks and WHO and CDC advice
Like dengue, Zika is carried by Aedes mosquitoes, but it can also pass through sex and linger in semen for weeks or months after recovery; because of the risk of microcephaly, infected men are advised to take precautions for at least three months.
Environment
Landmark Step Towards Safe Food: Bangladesh Moves Ahead on Food Environment Strategy
Bangladesh has taken the drafting of a National Food Environment Strategy a step further at a WHO-organised national consultation that agreed its priorities and roadmap.