health

Health care for women still far below need and expectation, UN report finds

9 November 2009
Many of the world’s countries continue to fail to meet the health-care needs of women at key stages of their lives, such as when they reach adolescence or when they are elderly, a new United Nations report has found.
A child in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) receives a vaccination

UN-backed project seeks to ensure medicines reach needy in time of crises

27 October 2009
The ability to safely deliver medicines during humanitarian crises around the world is just as crucial as being able to procure them, and a new United Nations-backed initiative has been launched to deal with improving that essential supply chain.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon

Ban calls for donor support to treat mental disorders in developing countries

10 October 2009
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon used World Mental Health Day today to appeal for donor support to care for such disorders in developing countries and among lower income groups.
The leading causes of death of young people, include road accidents

Young people dying from preventable, treatable causes – UN-backed study

10 September 2009
The leading causes of death of young people, including road accidents, suicide and reproductive complications, are preventable and treatable, according to a new study by the World Health Organization (WHO).
WHO chief Margaret Chan and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) at media briefing

Head of UN agency calls for ‘fairness’ in global health policies

15 June 2009
The head of the United Nations public health arm today urged senior government officials to place “fairness” at the core of decisions to protect the most vulnerable against major worldwide crises.

UN agency calls for safety of Afghan hospitals and medical staff

6 April 2009
A senior United Nations health official today called for medical facilities and staff to be protected in Afghanistan, speaking on the eve of World Health Day, which this year focuses on ensuring the safety of hospitals.

Ban urges greater efforts to help people with autism lead full lives

2 April 2009
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for intensifying global efforts to ensure that the estimated 67 million people worldwide with autism can benefit from the supportive environment they need to reach their full potential and contribute to society.
Crowded markets and living quarters in Nigeria's most populated state, Kano, increase the risk of a meningitis outbreak

Nigeria, Niger hardest hit by 2009 meningitis epidemic – UN health agency

27 March 2009
A vast majority of the nearly 25,000 suspected meningitis cases and more than 15,000 deaths worldwide in the first three months of 2009 have occurred in the so-called “African meningitis belt,” hitting Nigeria and Niger the hardest, the United Nations health agency has reported.
A health worker examines an infant at a busy clinic in South Asia

Health sector will bear brunt of global crises, says top UN health official

20 March 2009
Today's global crises, whether the economic downturn or climate change, are the result of bad policies and it is the health sector that will bear the brunt of their consequences, the top United Nations health official has warned.
Lower precipitation due to climate change causes water scarcity and reduced food production

Health hazards demand stronger climate change measures, argues UN agency

11 March 2009
Policymakers should consider the threat climate change poses to public health in setting their priorities for action and investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the United Nations health agency told a conference in Copenhagen.