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ebola

World Health Organization Chief Is ‘Deeply Concerned About Scale And Speed’ Of Ebola Outbreak 

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The World Health Organization’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of” the recent outbreak of a rare type of Ebola in eastern Congo.

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measles

World Health Organization Says Measles Cases Are Concerningly Surging

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Between 2000 and 2024, deaths caused by measles dropped 88% thanks to vaccination, according to reports from the World Health Organization (WHO). It’s estimated that 58 million lives were saved from the success of the vaccine worldwide. 

Now, however, the WHO has released a new report that states vaccine coverage is now well below the level needed to stop transmission, with cases surging globally. 59 nations have reported large/disruptive measles outbreaks within the last year. This marks almost three times the number reported in 2021. 

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About 25% of these outbreaks are occurring in nations that were previously declared to be measles-free, including the United States. 

“Global measles elimination remains a distant goal.”

This rise in outbreaks and decline in resources for immunization and disease surveillance is contributing as well, the report noted.

In order for “elimination” to occur, the virus needs to stop circulating within a country. Canada, for example, recently lost their elimination status, and WHO is concerned about the US losing its status next, according to Dr. Kate O’Brien, director of the WHO’s Department of Immunization. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports “1,798 confirmed measles cases in the US this year, the highest number of cases since the country reached elimination status in 2000.”

“Measles remains the world’s most contagious virus,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. 

“Even though there’s a highly effective low-cost vaccine, the disease exploits gaps in immunization coverage.”

In 2024, there were more than 30 million children globally that were considered to be under-protected against measles. 

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“We have made measurable progress towards measles elimination,” said Diana Chang Blanc, head of WHO’s Essential Program on Immunization. 

“But progress toward elimination is still too slow. Cases and deaths are still unacceptably high.”

A few nations have yet to give out the second dose of a measles vaccine as standard practice, which is essential because the second dose “increases vaccine effectiveness to 95%, providing most individuals with long-lasting immunity,” Chang Blanc stated. 

In 2024, the reports noted that only 84% of children received the first dose with only 76% receiving the second dose around the world. 

“This means that 30 million children remained underprotected from measles in 2024. Children living in fragile, vulnerable conflict-afflicted settings are the most adversely affected.” 

Chang Blanc stated that progress is not being accomplished due to the fact that there has been lower global immunization rates and a “backsliding of vaccination” since the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“Measles acts as a fire alarm for immunization programs. When the disease resurfaces, it warns that there are gaps in immunization coverage and health care access inequities,” O’Brien stated. 

Misinformation and disinformation are notable factors in slowed vaccination rates, WHO stated. 

Chang Blanc said that “the breakdown or lack of a strong foundation in the routine immunization system is the No. 1 reason for high measles case counts and outbreaks.

Although it sounds simple, those routine systems require trained health workforces, logistic systems, transport, surveillance systems and other resources that many countries do not have.

The major barrier to reaching 95% measles vaccine coverage is access to populations that need it most.”

antibiotic

Antibiotic Resistance Hits Crisis Levels, WHO Reports

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning about the surging spread of drug-resistant bacteria, threatening the effectiveness of vital antibiotics and making once-treatable infections increasingly dangerous.

According to new data released Monday, one in six bacterial infections confirmed by laboratories worldwide in 2023 showed resistance to commonly used antibiotics.

“These findings are deeply concerning,” said Yvan J-F. Hutin, who heads the WHO’s department for antimicrobial resistance.

“As antibiotic resistance continues to rise, we are running out of treatment options and we are putting lives at risk, especially in countries where infection prevention and control is weak and access to diagnostics and effective medicine is already limited.”

The WHO report, based on five years of surveillance data, paints a grim picture: resistance rose in more than 40% of the antibiotics it tracked between 2018 and 2023, with yearly increases ranging from 5% to 15%.

Antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) infections now directly kill over a million people annually and contribute to nearly five million deaths worldwide, the organization said. The agency examined 22 antibiotics used to treat infections of the urinary tract, bloodstream, and gastrointestinal system, as well as gonorrhea, and found widespread resistance.

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For urinary tract infections alone, resistance to widely prescribed antibiotics exceeded 30% in most regions.

Among the eight pathogens examined, including E. coli and K. pneumoniae, resistance has become alarmingly common. More than 40% of E. coli infections and 55% of K. pneumoniae infections are now resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, the standard first-line treatment.

“Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families worldwide,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The WHO said antibiotic resistance was highest in regions with weaker healthcare systems and limited laboratory capacity. In Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, one in three infections showed resistance, while in Africa, one in five did.

Silvia Bertagnolio, who leads WHO’s AMR surveillance unit, said these systems often lack the capacity to diagnose or treat infections effectively. She added that limited surveillance in some countries means data is often collected only from the sickest patients, skewing resistance figures upward.

While global surveillance has improved, 48% of countries still report no data at all. “We are definitely flying blind in a number of countries and regions,” Hutin admitted.

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in humans, animals, and agriculture continue to drive resistance, allowing bacteria to evolve faster than new treatments can be developed. The WHO warned that the global drug pipeline — the number of new antibiotics in development — remains alarmingly thin.

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“The increasing antibiotic use, the increasing resistance and the reduction of the pipeline is a very dangerous combination.”

The situation isn’t limited to developing regions. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month that infections from drug-resistant “nightmare bacteria” jumped nearly 70% between 2019 and 2023.

Dr Manica Balasegaram at the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership said the report shows how drug-resistant infections have reached “a critical tipping point”.

“The most difficult-to-treat gram-negative infections are now beginning to outpace antibiotic development, either because the right antibiotics are not reaching the people who need them, or because they are not being developed in the first place.”

The WHO called for urgent global action, including better monitoring, stricter antibiotic stewardship, and investment in new treatments. Without these steps, even minor infections or routine surgeries could become life-threatening.

“It’s not enough to develop new antibiotics; they have to be the right ones, those that target infections that have the greatest public health impact. We are failing to replace the antibiotics that are being lost to resistance, and this latest WHO report shows that the consequences of that are now finally beginning to be felt,” he said.

“Until now, the AMR narrative has focused rightfully on the overuse of antibiotics, but this isn’t enough. To avoid the tipping point, we must now also focus efforts on accelerating innovation and increasing their appropriate use.”

tanning bed

Despite Their Continued Popularity, Tanning Beds Still Increase Your Risk Of Skin Cancer

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It’s long been known that smoking cigarettes is bad for your health and can greatly increase your risk of cancer. The same sentiment has been known about tanning beds, or tanning beds, and their links to an increased risk of skin cancer. 

Despite this knowledge, people still smoke, and people still use tanning beds to get tan, and the data shows they use them more often than one may think. 

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“I assumed commercial sunbeds were becoming déclassé, but a new survey commissioned by tanning brand Vita Liberata for its campaign Not the Way to Glow has shown there’s still a mountain to climb,” wrote Sali Hughes, a resident beauty columnist for the Guardian.

Hughes reported that one in three women living in Great Britain use indoor tanning beds, and of that population 91% say that they understand and acknowledge the risk of exposure to UV radiation, which can increase one’s risk of developing skin cancer; including melanoma which is the most deadly kind. 

In fact, the World Health Organization officially classifies tanning beds as being just as dangerous as asbestos exposure and smoking cigarettes. They reported that those who have used the beds frequently have a 20% greater likelihood of developing melanoma. 

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For individuals who use a tanning bed for the first time before the age of 35, their risk actually increases by 59%, according to the WHO. 

“Commercial sunbeds are deathbeds and their blithe presence in tanning salons on British high streets (there are an estimated 5,500 of them) legitimizes them – especially to young people. 

Despite use of sunbeds having been restricted to over-18s across the UK for 12 years, they’re a big draw on TikTok, with 65.5m views for the #tanningsalon hashtag alone,” Hughes pointed out, emphasizing how social media increased the pressure young people feel to conform to modern beauty standards.

nestle

Nestlé Adds Sugar To Infant Milk Sold In Poorer Nations, According To New Report

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A new report has found that Nestlé, the largest consumer goods company in the world, adds sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products that are sold in poorer nations. This directly contradicts international guidelines that are implemented to prevent childhood obesity and chronic diseases, according to The Guardian. 

The report itself came from Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organization. The organization sent samples of Nestlé’s baby-food products sold in Asia, Latin America, and Africa to a Belgian laboratory for testing. 

After testing the products and examining the packaging, the report revealed the presence of sugar in the form of sucrose, or honey in samples of Nido, one of Nestlé’s milk formula brands intended for infants aged one and up. They also found it in Cerelac, a cereal that is aimed for kids aged six months and two years. 

In the main European markets for Nestlé, there are no added sugars in formulas for young children. Some cereals that are advertised for older toddlers have added sugar, but none in any product targeted at babies between six-months-old to a year. 

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“Nestlé must put an end to these dangerous double standards and stop adding sugar in all products for children under three years old, in every part of the world,” said Laurent Gaberell, the agriculture and nutrition expert for Public Eye. 

Obesity in general is an ongoing and growing problem in lower and middle income countries. According to the World Health Organization, in Africa specifically the number of overweight children under five has increased by nearly 23% since 2000. 

The Guardian reported that worldwide, more than 1 billion people are living with obesity. 

In many countries it can be difficult for consumers to tell whether or not a certain product contains added sugar or how much is present due to how the nutritional information is printed. The labels also often have natural sugars found in milk and fruit under the same heading as any added sugars.

For European regions, the World Health Organization has guidelines that says no added sugars or sweetening agents should be permitted in any food for children under three. 

The UK recommends that children under four should also avoid food with added sugars, because of their risk of gaining weight and developing tooth decay. The US government has guidelines that simply recommend children under two avoid food and drinks with added sugars. 

The Public Eye report was written alongside the International Baby Food Action Network. Public Eye stated that data from Euromonitor International, a market-research company, showed that global retail sales for Cerelac exceeded $1 billion. The highest of those figures came from low and middle income nations; 40% of sales were within just Brazil and India. 

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Dr. Nigel Rollins, a medical officer at the World Health Organization, said this new report shows “a double standard that can’t be justified.”

Researchers found that biscuit-flavored cereals for babies six months and older contained 6 grams of added sugar for every serving sold in Senegal and South Africa. The same exact product sold in Switzerland has no added sugars. 

In India, tests performed on Cerelac products had, on average, more than 2.7 grams of added sugar for every serving. In Brazil, two out of eight products were found to have no added sugar, but the remaining six products had about 4 grams in each serving, according to The Guardian. In Nigeria, one product had up to 6.8 grams.  

Additionally, tests on Nido brand products showed a significant variation in sugar levels, much like with Cerelac. Worldwide retail sales for Nido products have grossed more than $1 billion. 

In the Philippines, no added sugars are in products aimed for toddler consumption, however, in Indonesia, Nido baby-food products all contain around 2 grams of added sugar per 100 gram of product in the form of honey. 

“We believe in the nutritional quality of our products for early childhood and prioritize using high-quality ingredients adapted to the growth and development of children,” a Nestlé spokesperson stated. 

“[Within the] highly regulated category of baby food, Nestlé always complied with local regulations or international standards, including labeling requirements and thresholds on carbohydrate content that encompasses sugars and declared total sugars in its products, including those coming from honey,” The Guardian reported. 

“Variations in recipes depended on factors including regulation and availability of local ingredients,” the spokesperson said.

Omicron Could Infect 50% Of Europeans Within Next Two Months

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The World Health Organization (WHO) warned this week that a west-to-east “tidal wave” of new Omicron infections could infect more than half of Europe’s population within the next two months. The WHO stated that the wave of infections could potentially shut down multiple health systems across Europe which would leave more individuals at risk for infection. 

The WHO’s Europe director, Hans Kluge, said that the region has already recorded more than 7 million new cases of Covid within the first week of 2022, which is two-times the amount of infections when compared to two weeks ago. More than 1% of the European population is catching Covid each week within 29 countries, according to WHO’s data. 

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Kluge also explained how the Omicron variant has been reported in 50 out of Europe’s 53 states, and was becoming the dominant strain in western Europe.

“At this rate, more than 50% of the population in the region will be infected with Omicron in the next six to eight weeks. We’re deeply concerned, as we have yet to see its full impact in countries where levels of vaccination uptake are lower, and where we will see more severe disease in the unvaccinated,” Kluge explained. 

Kluge explained that Omicron cases have specifically “exploded” in Denmark, where the current Covid-19 hospitalization rate for unvaccinated patients is six times higher than for those who are fully vaccinated. 

“While vaccines provide good protection against severe disease and death, rising hospital admissions are still challenging health systems and service delivery in many countries … and threaten to overwhelm them in many more.”

The WHO warned that countries in Europe that have yet to be impacted by Omicron have a small window of time to protect themselves and their most vulnerable citizens. 

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Kluge explained how every country’s government should be mandating high-quality masks in every closed and indoor space, as well as ensuring individuals have their full vaccine series and booster doses when applicable. 

“Where the Omicron surge has begun, the priority should be to avoid and reduce harm among the vulnerable, and minimize disruption to health systems and essential services.”

“This means prioritizing vulnerable people for primary course and booster doses, advising them to avoid closed, crowded spaces, and offering the possibility to work remotely wherever possible until the infection surge passes,” Kluge said.

He continued to explain how PCR testing should be prioritized for critical workers and individuals more at risk for severe disease, and rapid tests should be sent out at a larger rate. 

Keeping schools open had “important benefits for children’s mental, social and educational wellbeing, so we’re urging governments to review protocols on testing, isolation and quarantine of classroom contacts to minimize disruption to learning,” Kluge explained.

Covid-19 Positive Test

WHO Says Delta Covid-19 Variant Will ‘Pick Off’ Most Vulnerable 

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The highly contagious Covid-19 Delta variant is currently the fastest and fittest coronavirus strain yet, and it will likely begin to “pick off” the most vulnerable populations around the world, especially in places with low vaccination rates, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) who issued a warning this Monday. 

“Delta, which was first identified in India, has the potential to be more lethal because it’s more efficient in the way it transmits between humans and it will eventually find those vulnerable individuals who will become severely ill, have to be hospitalized and potentially die,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies program, said.

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Ryan claimed world leaders and public health officials need to work together to defend the most vulnerable populations around the world if they want any chance of this pandemic actually coming to an end. 

“We can protect those vulnerable people, those front-line workers, and the fact that we haven’t, as Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said, again and again, is a catastrophic moral failure at a global level.”

The WHO officially stated on Friday that Delta is becoming the dominant variant of the disease worldwide, and has proven to be more contagious, more deadly, and more resistant to current treatments. 

“Delta is now replacing alpha, the highly contagious variant that swept across Europe and later the U.S. earlier this year. Studies suggest it is around 60% more transmissible than alpha, which was more contagious than the original strain that emerged from Wuhan, China, in late 2019. We need to vaccinate now. Get everyone vaccinated now,” Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said in a recent interview.

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Delta is currently present in 92 countries according to the WHO, and now makes up about 10% of the cases in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Delta variant recently became the most dominant strain in the UK as well. 

“No variant has really found the combination of high transmissibility and lethality, but delta is the most able and fastest and fittest of those viruses,” WHO officials said Monday.

“This particular delta variant is faster, it is fitter, it will pick off the more vulnerable more efficiently than previous variants, and therefore if there are people left without vaccination, they remain even at further risk.”

The WHO has been urging wealthier nations such as the US to donate extra doses to the countries around the world that have barely enough to get one shot in the arms of most of their citizens. 

“These vaccines are highly effective against severe disease and death. That is what they are intended for, and that is what they need to be used for. This is what COVAX and WHO and all of our partners have been advocating for, that these vaccines reach people most at risk,” Ryan claimed.

AstraZeneca Vaccine

Doctors ‘Disappointed And Confused’ That Some Countries Are Suspending Use Of AstraZeneca Vaccine

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Health experts in Europe say they’re feeling “disappointed and confused” by the slew of suspicions that the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine can lead to blood clots. Doctors are claiming that there’s not enough evidence for these countries to be raising these suspicions, and going so far as to suspend the use of the vaccine from the University of Oxford, especially considering a lot of European countries are still moving slowly in their vaccine distribution.  

Sweden and Latvia announced this week that they would be joining the growing number of European nations now suspending the use of the vaccine as a “precautionary measure” following reports of blood clots. Germany, France, Italy, and Spain also announced that they would cease administering the shot. 

Thailand also joined Europe in their removal of the AstraZeneca vaccine from its lineup. The UK, Canada, and Australia, on the other hand, are still distributing the vaccine, and are working to reassure their citizens that it is indeed safe, or else it wouldn’t have gotten the approval for its distribution in the first place. 

“The World Health Organization, Europe’s drug regulator and the International Society, have all recommended that countries continue to use the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The decisions by France, Germany and other countries look baffling, the data we have suggests that numbers of adverse events related to blood clots are the same (and possibly, in fact lower) in vaccinated groups compared to unvaccinated populations,” said Dr. Michael Head, senior research fellow in Global Health at the University of Southampton, U.K.

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“Halting a vaccine roll out during a pandemic has consequences. This results in delays in protecting people, and the potential for increased vaccine hesitancy, as a result of people who have seen the headlines and understandably become concerned. There are no signs yet of any data that really justify these decisions,” he added.

The WHO is meeting this week to review the safety of the shot to really give citizens that additional reassurance. The European Medicines Agency is doing the same thing, but has also already claimed that there is “no indication that the AStraZeneca vaccine is causing blood clots, the vaccine’s benefits continue to outweigh the risks.”

AstraZeneca themselves have claimed 17 million people have now received a full dose of their vaccine, and of those individuals there have been 15 reported incidents of deep vein thrombosis and 22 events of pulmonary embolism across the EU. 

“This is much lower than would be expected to occur naturally in a general population of this size and is similar across other licensed COVID-19 vaccines. The data available so far showed that the number of blood clots in vaccinated people is no higher than that seen among the general population,”  AstraZeneca said.

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Dr. Stephen Griffin is an associate professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Leeds, who recently spoke to the media about how disappointed he was that so many nations were using this fear as a reason to delay vaccine distribution. 

“Since many European countries are currently experiencing another resurgence of SARS-CoV2 infections and yet are lagging behind in terms of roll out, the importance of continuing the vaccination programs cannot be underestimated, and the harm caused by depriving people of access to a vaccine will likely vastly outweigh even the worst case scenario if any link to the clotting disorders is eventually found. It should also be noted that nationwide gestures such as this are bound to fuel hesitancy, or more extreme anti-vaccine sentiment, further undermining the vaccination effort,” Griffin proclaimed. 

“Blood clots can occur naturally and are not uncommon. More than 11 million doses of the AZ vaccine have now been administered across the UK, and the number of blood clots reported after having the vaccine is not greater than the number that would have occurred naturally in the vaccinated population,” he continued.

“We are working closely with international counterparts in understanding the global safety experience of COVID-19 vaccines and on the rapid sharing of safety data and reports. People should still go and get their COVID-19 vaccine when asked to do so,” Griffin reassured, guaranteeing European citizens that by the end of the week these major medical groups will likely re-release more updated data regarding the safety of this vaccine. 

Covid-19 Restrictions

The WHO Claims Covid-19 Restrictions In Europe Are Paying Off 

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Covid-19 lockdown procedures in Europe appear to be paying off as the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a decline in new weekly cases this week while cases continue to soar in the US. Restrictions across the continent ranged from closing schools and businesses in order to limit person-to-person contact as well as mask mandates to prevent the spread of the virus itself. 

The WHO reported this week that new Covid-19 cases in Europe dropped from 2 million to 1.8 million over the last two weeks. Hans Kluge is the WHO’s regional director for Europe who recently released a statement regarding how the slight improvement is offering all Europeans a glimmer of hope for the rest of the winter. 

“It’s a small signal, but I firmly believe that there is more hope ahead of us than despair behind us. It will be a different Christmas, but that does not mean it cannot be a merry one.”

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Kluge went on to claim that future lockdowns are definitely “avoidable,” however, more individuals need to be on board with mask mandates and the use of contact tracing technology. In total Europe has registered 15.9 million cases of Covid-19 and over 359,000 deaths, according to data from WHO, which accounts for 28% of all global cases.

WHO’s data reveals that on average, one European dies every 17 seconds due to Covid-19 complications. Intensive Care Units in France and Switzerland are being especially overrun and nearing full capacity. 

The UK accounts for the highest death-toll in Europe, hence why the country is currently in the middle of a second national lockdown. Health minister Matt Hancock spoke with the press this week regarding the lockdown, claiming that “there are encouraging signs that the number of cases is starting to flatten and the lockdown brought on earlier in the month is working.”

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In France currently residents are only allowed to leave their homes to buy essential goods or to exercise for one hour a day, and so far there are signs that these lockdown measures are working. Health ministry data for the country showed that there were only 21,150 new cases this past Thursday, which is an improvement when compared to the 28,383 new cases that appeared on Wednesday. 

In the US on the other hand, cases are continuing to climb as the nation nears 12 million total cases and 255,000 deaths, according to media data. CDC official Henry Walke spoke with the media about this dramatic rise and how the country needs to begin shutting down like Europe to curb the spread. 

“We’re alarmed with the exponential increase in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.”

New York City’s public school system, the nation’s largest, ceased all in-person classes due to the dramatic rise in cases and on the other side of the nation California Governor Gavin Newsom is currently working on imposing new stay-at-home orders and curfews to help flatten the curve in the state. Encouraging new vaccine developments from Pfizer and Moderna have the world feeling a lot more optimistic in regard to this pandemic, however, we all must continue to remain diligent with these restrictions to protect ourselves and our loved ones in the meantime.

CDC Suggests 50% Of People Living With Someone Who Has Covid-19 Get It 

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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report last week that suggests if you’re living in a house with someone who has the coronavirus there’s a 50% chance you will also get infection, regardless of age or health status. 

The study is currently still ongoing in over 100 households in Nashville, Tennessee and Marshfield, Wisconsin and has been occurring since April. The results showed that roughly 53% of participants who were living with an individual who tested positive for Covid-19 also tested positive within a week. 

75% of the positive participants who contracted the virus from an individual they live with tested positive for the virus within five days or less of their living partners positive results. To help get these percentages down, the CDC also released guidelines with the study results on what to do if someone you’re living with tests positive for Covid-19. 

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“Persons who suspect that they might have COVID-19 should isolate, stay at home, and use a separate bedroom and bathroom if feasible. Ideally isolation should start as soon as the person suspects that they might be sick, even before any testing is done.”

Most of the sick patients in the study claimed to have spent four or more hours in the same room as the people they live with a day before they began feeling symptoms. That initial unwell feeling is known as the “pre-symptomatic period” and is when health experts suspect an individual is most infectious if they have Covid-19. 

“It’s because the disease can spread at that moment that the disease is so contagious. That’s why it’s spread around the world in such an uncontained way,”  said Mike Ryan, the World Health Organization’s Executive Director of Health Emergencies. The airflow within a home is the biggest factor when it comes to infecting the other individuals living in that home. 

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The coronavirus is able to spread the most easily in indoor spaces when people are close together in poorly-ventilated areas. So it makes perfect sense that a house would be the perfect breeding ground for the virus depending on how many individuals are living in that space. 

The study’s results also showed that 40% of sick patients were sleeping in the same room as another person they live with before they knew they were positive. Participants in the study were aged anywhere from 12 to 60-years-old. 

The study’s authors went on to suggest that both the sick individual and all others within a household should start wearing masks as soon as they think they might be sick. This is especially true if you know you shared closed spaces with people when appropriate distancing was not possible. Even though the weather’s getting cooler, it’s also a good idea to crack some windows open and turn on some fans to keep the air circulating. 

Every individual in a household with a Covid-19 positive patient should run under the assumption that they also have the virus. Meaning they should also isolate themselves as much as possible for two weeks. Continue to maintain proper health and safety guidelines and be diligent, as this pandemic is nowhere near done yet.