WHO awards countries for progress in eliminating industrially produced trans fats for first time

WHO awards countries for progress in eliminating industrially produced trans fats for first time

WHO has awarded its first-ever certificates validating progress in eliminating industrially produced trans fatty-acids to five countries. Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand have each demonstrated they have a best practice policy for industrially produced trans-fatty acids (iTFA) elimination in effect, supported by adequate monitoring and enforcement systems. WHO also released results from the first five years of its REPLACE initiative to eliminate iTFA. While the ambitious target set by WHO […]

January 29, 2024 14

Lifestyle

Geingob’s Transparency Helps to Break Stigma Regarding Men’s Health

By Vitalio Angula When the Presidency issued a press release two weeks ago regarding President Geingob being diagnosed with “cancerous cells” it sent shock waves amongst citizens, the media and political commentators alike. In a country were machismo is still deeply rooted in the culture of what a man ought to be, certain sectors of society applauded Geingob for his transparency regarding his health and took it as a reassurance […]

January 29, 2024 86

World

WHO and partners bring fuel to Al-Shifa, as remaining hospitals in Gaza face growing threats

WHO and partners completed another high-risk mission on Monday to resupply fuel to the Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people remain cut off from aid. Across the Gaza Strip, the few remaining hospitals find themselves in ever more dire circumstances, with hostilities often preventing access for patients and supplies, and health workers managing on little rest and scarce supplies. The mission was carried out along […]

January 24, 2024 16

World

Gaza Is Cleaning Up Its Piles of Garbage From the War, Including Human Waste

A new Unicef cash-assistance program is helping Gazans remove piles of garbage accrued during the war, including human feces. The goal is to stop the spread of infectious diseases in the enclave as millions of civilians are forced into flimsy shelters or to live in the streets. By Dawn Clancy via PassBlue Bombs, bullets and the suffocating weight of bodies trapped under slabs of fallen concrete where houses once stood […]

January 24, 2024 17

World

WHO says situation in Gaza is “catastrophic”

The World Health Organisation says the health system in Gaza is on the brink of collapse. A WHO health emergency officer described the dire nature of the health system saying the organisation needs more aid and medical supplies desperately to assist with the unfolding "catastrophe". Jody Jacobs reports from the United Nations in New York.

January 18, 2024 5

World

Four things to know as Taiwan goes to the polls

Taiwan votes for a new president, and parliament, on Saturday in an election that will be closely watched around the world. The winner will lead the democracy of 23 million people as it manages bellicose threats from China, which claims the island as its own. Here are some key facts about self-ruled Taiwan, which has its own currency, flag, military and government but is not recognised as an independent state […]

January 12, 2024 6

Africa

Cape Verde becomes third African country to eliminate malaria

Cape Verde has become the third African nation to be declared malaria free, even as the disease continues to kill hundreds of thousands of people on the continent, the World Health Organization said Friday. The Atlantic archipelago of about 500,000 inhabitants follows Mauritius in 1973 and Algeria in 2019. Worldwide some 43 countries have been certified as malaria-free by the WHO, which requires showing that the domestic chain of transmission […]

January 12, 2024 23

Health / Medical

Namibia ranks 6th globally in alcohol consumption, surpasses South Africa

The latest World Health Organization global status report on alcohol and health shows that Namibia, Afghanistan, the Maldives, and Eswatini have a higher average daily intake than South Africa, with the list topped by Tunisia. Meanwhile, the global prevalence of alcohol dependence is at 2.4 percent, with a legal drinking age average of 18 years worldwide. According to the WHO, overall, 5.1% of the global burden of disease and injury […]

December 13, 2023 214

Health / Medical

‘Let Communities Lead’ on World Aids Day 2023

Despite efforts to eliminate AIDS by 2030, marked by World AIDS Day on 1 December 2023 under the theme "Let Communities Lead," UNAIDS has stressed that the task is incomplete with its new report suggesting that achieving the ambitious goal is still possible with full support for frontline communities. The Deputy Executive Director for the UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Angeli Achrekar, says that so far, the “job isn't done.” […]

November 30, 2023 28