World Health Organization

18 million people unable to access HIV treatment

HIV self-test infographic thumbnail: Up to 80% of men in some African countries have never tested for HIV. HIV self-test can improve access to HIV services.

29 November 2016 – In advance of World AIDS Day, WHO has released new guidelines on HIV self-testing to improve access to and uptake of HIV diagnosis. According to a new WHO progress report lack of an HIV diagnosis is a major obstacle to implementing the Organization’s recommendation that everyone with HIV should be offered antiretroviral therapy (ART). The report reveals that more than 18 million people with HIV are currently taking ART, and a similar number is still unable to access treatment, the majority of which are unaware of their HIV positive status.

Women
Haiti
Malaria
Health for all

International day for the elimination of violence against women

25 November 2016 – Worldwide, 1 in 3 women will experience physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner, or sexual violence by a non-partner at some point in their life. Women who have experienced violence use health services more than non-abused ones. Health professionals are in a position to address the needs of women who have experienced violence.

Vaccination campaign reaches more than 729 000 people in Haiti

A young girl takes oral cholera vaccine in Les Cayes, Haiti

WHO/PAHO

28 November 2016 – With the support of WHO/PAHO and other partners including UNICEF, International Medical Corps, the Red Cross and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, vaccination teams have reached more than 90% of people in the departments of Grand Anse and Sud in Haiti, where cholera cases had been reported and water and sanitation systems were damaged by the hurricane.

Photo story

Eliminating malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion

Vlad Sokhin/ WHO 2016

25 November 2016 – Since 2012, countries across the Greater Mekong Subregion have reported a sharp decline in malaria cases and deaths. But the spread of antimalarial drug resistance threatens to undermine these gains. A new report from WHO offers a set of tried-and-tested approaches that can help countries countries end transmission of this deadly disease.

Health for all and all for health

21 November 2016 – Promoting health is central to delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals. The '9th Global Conference on Health Promotion' in Shanghai on 21–24 November will chart a new course for the next 15 years, aimed at inspiring national governments, municipal leaders and other stakeholders to grasp the great potential of promoting health across all sectors of society.

Outbreaks and emergencies

Emergencies » Haiti hurricane » Nigeria crisis » South Sudan crisis » Yellow fever » Zika virus and complications »

Election of Director-General

A close-up of the Director-General's seat in the WHO Executive Boardroom.

WHO/N. Bojgaard

The process to elect the next WHO Director-General is underway.

Highlights

WHO scales up trauma care services for injured people from Mosul, Iraq
November 2016 – As military operations into Mosul continue, WHO is working with national health authorities to ensure that people with war-related trauma injuries have access to live-saving medical care. WHO anticipates that approximately 40 000 civilians will require care for trauma injuries as a result of Mosul military operations.

WHO and partners immunized over 155 000 migrant children in South Sudan
November 2016 – In response to the poliomyelitis outbreak associated with type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus and ambiguous vaccine derived polio virus identified in Unity state, WHO, in collaboration with Ministry of Health and partners immunized over 155 000 migrant children under the age of 15 through special vaccination posts.

Handbook: Strategizing national health in the 21st century
November 2016 – A new WHO handbook on national health planning and strategizing has been launched, providing up-to-date and practical guidance. The handbook establishes a set of best practices to support strategic plans for health and represents the wealth of experience accumulated by WHO on national health policies, strategies and plans (NHPSPs).

UN urges protection for breastfeeding, end of inappropriate marketing of substitutes
November 2016 – Today, UN human rights experts told countries that they need to do more to support and protect breastfeeding as a human right, including ending the inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes and other foods intended for infants and young children.

What we do

Dr Chan, WHO Director-General, visits Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, three of the four countries where indigenous transmission of wild poliovirus has not yet been interrupted.

WHO

WHO is the global guardian of public health.

Health emergencies programme

WHO Health Emergencies Programme delivers rapid, predictable, and comprehensive support to countries and communities as they prepare for, face or recover from emergencies caused by any type of hazard to human health, whether disease outbreaks, natural or man-made disasters or conflicts.

Zika virus and complications

After a spike in cases of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome associated with Zika virus, WHO declared a public health emergency.

Violence against women

Ian Askew,WHO Director, Department of Reproductive Health and Research

"If you are a health provider, ensure you are non-judgmental and supportive. Provide practical care and support that responds to women's concerns without intruding."