About: WHO
EU: too early to say if COVID booster needed as Germany, France press ahead
There's not enough data to recommend using COVID-19 vaccine boosters, the European Union's drugs regulator said on Friday, after major EU states said they would roll out a third dose for the most vulnerable from September.
We need global standards, not double standards, for COVID-19 vaccines
The EU's decision to only allow people to travel to the region if they are fully vaccinated with a European Medicines Agency (EMA) recognized COVID-19 vaccine is discriminatory and puts vaccine uptake at risk, writes Thabani Maphosa.
Spain mulls lifting restrictions for hotels, restaurants, cafes
Spain's health ministry is in favour of gradually lifting restrictions for the hotel, restaurant and cafes sector known as HORECA and is mulling the reopening of nightlife activities for medium-risk regions for COVID-19. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported.
WHO asks for re-checks of research on when coronavirus first surfaced in Italy
Samples from a study suggesting the coronavirus was circulating outside China by October 2019 have been re-tested at the World Health Organization's (WTO) request, two scientists who led the Italian research said.
Spain lifts travel restrictions for UK, Japan hoping to salvage summer
Spain has from Monday (24 May) lifted COVID-19 travel restrictions for citizens of 10 low-risk countries, including the UK and Japan, in a bid to jump-start its pandemic-stricken tourism sector in time for the summer season. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
WHO urges rich countries to donate shots instead of vaccinating children
The World Health Organization urged rich countries on Friday (14 May) to reconsider plans to vaccinate children and instead donate COVID-19 shots to the COVAX scheme that shares them with poorer nations. The WHO is hoping more countries will follow...
Brussels spells out EU air quality goals as part of ‘zero pollution’ plan
Europe needs to halve premature deaths caused by air pollution by 2030 and bring air quality standards closer to World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, according to the European Commission's zero pollution action plan, announced on Wednesday (12 May).
Europe faces ‘obesity epidemic’ as figure almost tripled in 40 years
Last week, the European Parliament called for the better treatment and management of obesity as average obesity levels in the EU have risen by 161% since 1975. EURACTIV France reports.
Commission: Antimicrobial resistance among biggest global health threats
The European Commission backs the stance of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the importance of approaching the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in a multilateral, global way.
New international treaty will help prepare for future pandemics, EU’s Michel says
The international pandemic treaty currently in the making should serve as a framework for future preparedness against global health threats, said European Council president Charles Michel, who originally came up with the idea.
Reducing air pollution could save 50,000 deaths a year, says new Lancet report
Reducing air pollution to World Health Organisation recommended levels would prevent more than 50,000 deaths a year across European cities, according to a new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal.
Europe can contain virus without second lockdown, says WHO
It is possible to keep the coronavirus pandemic in check in Europe while also keeping the economy running and an education system in operation, the WHO said on Thursday (20 August).
EU backs WHO as its members agree to independent probe of COVID-19 outbreak
World Health Organisation member states agreed on Tuesday (19 May) to an independent probe into the UN agency's handling of the coronavirus crisis. The agreement came with an EU-brokered resolution that called for multilateralism and was in stark contrast to US criticism of the body's actions during the pandemic.OpinionPromoted content
Non-Aligned Movement is ‘United Against Covid-19’
On Monday (4 May), an online Summit of the Non–Aligned Movement (NAM) states was held at the initiative of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Dr. Esmira Jafarova shares her impressions from this event.
Vaccine telethon raises billions as Europe eases virus lockdown
Hopes rose in the fight against the coronavirus on Monday (4 May) as world leaders pledged billions of euros for a vaccine in a special telethon and European countries edged out of lockdown.
Weekly coronavirus testing of healthcare workers could reduce spread by a third
Weekly screening of healthcare workers and other at-risk groups could reduce their contribution to transmission by between 25-33%, a study published Thursday (23 April) by the WHO Collaborating Centre for Infectious Disease Modelling, concluded.
Spanish government criticised over handling of health crisis
The Spanish government has been repeatedly criticised for its management of the COVID-19 health crisis, with the latest rebuke regarding the rules for children going outside. EURACTIV's partner EFE reports.
US failed to block UN virus vaccine resolution
The UN General Assembly has demanded equal access for any future COVID-19 vaccine but its seeming unanimity was a fluke. The United States in fact opposed the resolution but acted too late to stop it, diplomats say.
National immunisation routines ‘more critical than ever’ in wake of COVID-19 outbreak
The recent COVID-19 outbreak has demonstrated that we must not let down our guard on routine immunisations, Dr Hans Kluge, World Health Organisation (WHO) regional director for Europe, stressed in a speech marking European Immunisation Week 2020.
G20 leaders to inject $5 trillion into global economy in fight against coronavirus
Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies pledged on Thursday (26 March) to inject over $5 trillion into the global economy to limit job and income losses from the coronavirus and "do whatever it takes to overcome the pandemic."
Elite hackers target WHO as coronavirus cyberattacks spike
Elite hackers tried to break into the World Health Organization earlier this month, sources told Reuters, part of what a senior agency official said was a more than two-fold increase in cyberattacks.
The last continent to face up COVID-19, Africa ‘needs to wake up’
As Europe and North American countries go into self-imposed economic and social lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic, Africa remains the continent least affected by the virus. Still, a raft of African governments were quick to impose travel bans on airlines carrying passengers from Europe last week.
WHO expert: Finding and distributing COVID-19 vaccine in 18 months would be ‘historic’
It would be “historic” to find a vaccine that can be distributed to all countries in 18 months to defeat the coronavirus, a high-ranking researcher at the World Health Organisation told EURACTIV’s partner EFE in an interview. “We are all...