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.
HealthThe 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.
AgrotechThe 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.
HealthWeekly 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.
HealthThe 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.
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.
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.
HealthThe 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.
HealthForty-seven countries reported 451,499 cases and 7,870 deaths; seven, including Bangladesh, account for about 90 per cent, WHO says.
HealthAn 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.
HealthLike 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.
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.
Bangladesh has quadrupled rice output, but SOFI 2026 shows millions cannot afford a healthy diet, and the writer argues food security must now be measured on the plate.
