WHO: European Union funding boosts COVID-19 vaccination in Africa
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) has allocated €16 million in funding to support WHO’s work to boost COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and increase coverage in 15 African countries.
Over the course of 18 months, the funds will support operational and technical aspects of the vaccine roll-out. They will help to reinforce the capacity of health workers to plan, coordinate and deploy vaccines, as well as monitor and document the results of the roll-out.
24 March is World Tuberculosis Day
Each year, the World Health Organization commemorates World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24 to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB, and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic. The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.
Statement – Cancer services disrupted by up to 50% in all countries reporting: a deadly impact of COVID-19
The European Region has recorded 12 million new [COVID-19] cases in the past week. This is the highest weekly case incidence since the start of the pandemic and is largely being driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, as it sweeps from west to east.
30% of all COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began have been reported this year alone. We now have nearly 150 million reported cases of COVID-19 in Europe and central Asia to date. 22% of all tests recorded are positive.
The Omicron Variant: Sorting Fact from Myth
Since the B.1.1.529 variant was declared a Variant of Concern and assigned the name Omicron on 26 November 2021, our understanding of this variant has increased considerably, thanks to collaborative global research and the passing of time, allowing us to observe its behaviour and how it affects individuals and communities over a number of weeks.
New WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines aim to save millions of lives from air pollution
Air pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats to human health, alongside climate change.
New World Health Organization (WHO) Global Air Quality Guidelines (AQGs) provide clear evidence of the damage air pollution inflicts on human health, at even lower concentrations than previously understood. The guidelines recommend new air quality levels to protect the health of populations, by reducing levels of key air pollutants, some of which also contribute to climate change.
Statement – WHO/Europe: stagnating COVID-19 vaccination uptake requires urgent action
Statement to the press by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe
The epidemiological picture in the WHO European Region, comprising 53 countries, is mixed.
We now have 64 million confirmed cases and 1.3 million deaths. Thirty-three Member States report a greater than 10% increase in 14-day case incidence. This high transmission is deeply worrying – particularly in the light of low vaccination uptake in priority populations in a number of countries.
Why the Heart Matters: a Cardiologist’s Perspective
“Young people believe that heart disease only affects the elderly, but they are wrong, and I really want this perception to change in Ukraine,” explains Dr Ilona Beglaryan, a cardiologist from Kyiv.
“We cannot see our heart, and that is why people tend to neglect it. We naturally pay more attention to visible parts of our bodies – such as our skin – and often forget that our internal organs require the same care,” she explains.
SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant now dominant in much of European region; efforts must be reinforced to prevent transmission, warns WHO Regional Office for Europe and ECDC
The SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant of concern is moving fast across Europe and has now become the most dominant strain across much of the region, based on new data.
WHO/Europe Shows High Rates of COVID-19 Vaccination in Prisons
Prisons need to be a priority for vaccination roll-out. New data from the WHO Health in Prisons European Database (HIPED) shows that COVID-19 vaccination of people living and working in prisons is increasing. For example, in Spain, 100% of healthcare workers in prisons are vaccinated against COVID-19.
Q&A on life outside the home this summer – keeping yourself and others safe from COVID-19
We spoke to WHO/Europe’s Ihor Perehinets, Programme Area Manager, Country Health Emergency Preparedness and International Health Regulations, to find out what people should do to help keep themselves and others safe from COVID-19 this summer. Here is what we learned.
With lockdowns easing in many countries across the Region, what message do you have for people tempted to return to their pre-pandemic lives this summer?
The pandemic is not over yet and we still have to exercise caution.