World Health Organization

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UN: Monkeypox a Global Emergency
UN: We Have a
Monkeypox 'Outbreak'
Jul 23, 2022 10:31 AM CDT

UN: We Have a Monkeypox 'Outbreak'

'We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission'

(Newser) - The chief of the World Health Organization said the expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an “extraordinary” situation that now qualifies as a global emergency, a declaration Saturday that could spur further investment in treating the once-rare disease and worsen the scramble for scarce vaccines. WHO...

'Centaurus' Omicron Variant Is Raising Concerns

India experiencing 'exponential increase' with BA.2.75

(Newser) - Another super contagious omicron variant has been detected in the US. Dubbed "Centaurus," the BA.2.75 variant was first detected in India in early May and is now spreading rapidly there. "It's still really early on for us to draw too many conclusions" but "...

Monkeypox Is Getting a New Name
Monkeypox Is
Getting a New Name
in case you missed it
Jun 18, 2022 6:30 AM CDT

Monkeypox Is Getting a New Name

WHO plans to hold emergency meeting on 'unusual and concerning' outbreak

(Newser) - The World Health Organization is planning to hold an emergency meeting next week on what Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calls the "unusual and concerning" worldwide outbreak of monkeypox . The organization plans to look into whether the outbreak should be declared a "public health emergency of international concern,"...

WHO Report on COVID Origins Angers China

Team said there should be further investigation of lab leak theory

(Newser) - A team of scientists backed by the World Health Organization released a preliminary report Thursday on the search for the origins of the coronavirus pandemic—and China was angered by the suggestion that the theory the virus may have leaked from a lab merited further investigation. The team said that...

WHO Sees 'a Window' for Stopping Monkeypox

Confirmed cases worldwide have reached 257

(Newser) - With the World Health Organization's count of confirmed cases worldwide hitting 257, "the world has an opportunity to stop this outbreak," an official said Monday. "There is a window," said Rosamund Lewis, the organization's technical lead on monkeypox. Another 120 cases are suspected in...

200 Monkeypox Cases Seen in 20 Nations

UN agency says virus is 'containable'

(Newser) - The World Health Organization says nearly 200 cases of monkeypox have been reported in more than 20 countries not usually known to have outbreaks, but it described the epidemic as "containable" and proposed creating a stockpile to share the limited vaccines and drugs available worldwide. The UN health agency...

Unexplained Cases of Liver Illness Among Children Concern WHO
First Death Reported
in Kids' Liver Ailment
UPDATED
Apr 25, 2022 10:45 AM CDT

First Death Reported in Kids' Liver Ailment

Health agencies in US and Europe investigate 'acute hepatitis of unknown origin'

(Newser) - Update: A mysterious liver disease affecting children in the US and Europe has claimed its first life. The World Health Organization didn't specify where the death occurred. It said it has received 169 reports of "acute hepatitis of unknown origin" from a dozen countries, with most of the...

Outlook Is Bleak for Russia's Sputnik Vaccine

WHO approval looks 'unlikely' following invasion of Ukraine: 'WaPo'

(Newser) - Russia's coronavirus vaccine was the first approved for use in any country just six months into the global pandemic. But Sputnik V has now seen "an inauspicious fall," the Washington Post reports, adding Russia's invasion of Ukraine looks to have "sabotaged any further aspirations" for...

WHO: Europe Is Entering 'Plausible Endgame' to COVID

Upcoming period 'should be seen as a cease-fire that could bring us enduring peace'

(Newser) - The director of the World Health Organization’s Europe office said Thursday the continent is now entering a “plausible endgame” to the pandemic and the number of coronavirus deaths is starting to plateau. Dr. Hans Kluge said at a media briefing that there is a "singular opportunity" for...

WHO: Don&#39;t Call Omicron &#39;Mild&#39;
WHO: Don't Call Omicron 'Mild'
Jan 7, 2022 7:35 AM CST

WHO: Don't Call Omicron 'Mild'

World passes 300M COVID cases

(Newser) - When describing a viral strain spreading around the world with astonishing speed, words matter, and "mild" is not the correct word for omicron, the chief of the World Health Organization warned Thursday. "While omicron does appear to be less severe compared to delta, especially in those vaccinated, it...

Japan Does a 180 on Controversial Omicron Policy

And more on what omicron means around the globe

(Newser) - Update: Just one day after announcing a recommendation that quickly became quite controversial, Japan is changing its tune. The country's transport ministry on Thursday said it was retracting its request that airlines stop taking reservations for people coming in to Japan until the new year, the AP reports. Our ...

Scientists Try to Assess When the Virus Will Transition

Pfizer executive says the pandemic may be fading by the time Biden's vaccine mandate kicks in

(Newser) - President Biden has set a Jan. 4 deadline for employees of businesses to be vaccinated. At that point, a Pfizer board member said Friday, the outbreak might already be in its next stage. "By Jan. 4, this pandemic may well be over, at least as it relates to the...

WHO Wants to Trace Pandemic to Its Beginning

Standing group also will make plans to deal with other outbreaks

(Newser) - The World Health Organization has tried before to discover the origins of the coronavirus but found no clear answer, at least partly because of a lack of cooperation from China. But the organization launched a second attempt Wednesday by naming a more formal, standing panel of scientists to what it'...

Biden to Back Ambitious Global Vaccination Goal

Administration to commit to donate 1.1B doses through 2022

(Newser) - President Biden is set to announce that the US is doubling its purchase of Pfizer's COVID-19 shots to share with the world to 1 billion doses as he embraces the goal of vaccinating 70% of the global population within the next year, per the AP . The stepped-up commitment is...

Toddlers in Cuba Are Now Getting Homegrown Vaccines

Cuba is administering Soberana 2, not recognized by WHO, to kids as young as 2

(Newser) - With kids still out of school since March 2020, and one of the highest coronavirus rates worldwide, Cuba announced a bold new undertaking Monday: It has begun to administer a COVID vaccine to children, even toddlers, reports Voice of America . Kids ages 2-18 are receiving Soberana 2 and the booster...

New Variant Surfaces in South Africa

Researchers can't tell much yet, but WHO labels this version 'of concern'

(Newser) - Another coronavirus variant has been detected, say researchers who caution against becoming too concerned but suspect it's better at getting around immunity protection than delta. The researchers spotted the C.1.2 variant in May in South Africa, Reuters reports, and published their work this month. It has not...

FDA Authorizes 3rd COVID Vaccine Dose for 3% of Adults

CDC to issue recommendation on the boosters for certain immunocompromised people

(Newser) - A third COVID-19 vaccine dose has been authorized for certain immunocompromised Americans. The FDA on Thursday amended the emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines to allow a third dose for "solid organ transplant recipients or those who are diagnosed with conditions that are considered to have...

WHO Chief Calls for Global Pause of Booster Shots

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus calls for moratorium so people in developing world can get a first shot

(Newser) - The head of the World Health Organization is calling for a moratorium on administering booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines as a way to help ensure that doses are available in countries where few people have received their first shots. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the appeal mostly to wealthier...

World Hits COVID Milestone It Probably Already Passed

Reported deaths stand at 4 million, though that's likely a 'significant undercount'

(Newser) - As many people have died from COVID-19 as live in Los Angeles. The known coronavirus death toll across the world passed 4 million on Thursday, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, though the actual number of dead is likely far higher. The World...

Cases in Africa Doubling Every 3 Weeks

Delta variant is driving the COVID surge, particularly in South Africa

(Newser) - Driven by the delta variant, a new wave of coronavirus is sweeping across the African continent, where new cases, hospital admissions, and deaths are increasing. Case numbers are doubling every three weeks in Africa, according to the World Health Organization. South Africa is leading the surge, with more than 20,...

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