Tag Archives: World Health Organization

Plague Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo

At least 61 people died in February during an outbreak of the pneumonic plauge in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. About 350 people who worked in a mine in the northern Oriental province were infected with … Continue reading

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Will Polio Ever Be Eradicated?

The World Health Organization maintains that it will eradicate polio worldwide, but the disease is beginning to re-emerge in African countries that had previously been polio-free. Will anti-polio campaigners ever manage to eradicate polio? The current outbreak in Africa is … Continue reading

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World Hits Milestone for Drinking Water Availability

The Christian Science Monitor recently noted that for the first time in history, the world’s glass is literally half full. According to World Health Organization and UNICEF statistics, about 700 million people in the developing world have gained access to … Continue reading

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WHO Reports Polio Setback

At the same time that some countries are complaining that the polio vaccine is dangerous, the World Health Organization announced in January that new cases of polio had been discovered in two African countries where WHO had previously labeled the … Continue reading

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WHO Launches Cholera Vaccination Test in Mozambique

In January the World Health Organization announced it was launching its efforts at mass vaccination against cholera using a new oral vaccine against the disease. For this demonstration project, WHO is focusing on Mozambique which has been hit particularly hard … Continue reading

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Article Critical of World Health Organization’s Anti-Malaria Approach

Amir Attaran, who has been highly critical of donor organization’s approach to malaria control, published an opinion article in The Lancet in January arguing that “institutional inadequacies” in the World Health Organization’s anti-malaria efforts impede the organization’s ability to save … Continue reading

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WHO Release Report on Maternal Mortality Around the World

In October the World Health Organization released its estimates of the continued prevalence of maternal mortality. WHO estimates that worldwide 529,000 women die during childbirth. Not surprisingly, 95 percent of those childbirth deaths occur in Africa and Asia, while only … Continue reading

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Fears of Polio Vaccine Grip Nigeria

The World Health Organization’s goal of eradicating polio worldwide by 2005 ran into a major obstacle in October 2003 when three Nigerian states suspended polio vaccination over fears that the vaccine could cause AIDS, cancer and infertility. The largely-Muslim northern … Continue reading

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New WHO Chief Pledges to Make Polio Eradication a Priority

Newly installed World Health Organization director-general Jong-wook Lee pledged to step up efforts to eradicate polio by 2005, but the WHO might not have the funds to follow up on Lee’s pledge. In a July press release, Lee said, Polio … Continue reading

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World Health Organization Urges More Funding for Fight Against Tuberculosis

The World Health Organization recently released a report on the state of tuberculosis in the world and called on donor nations to provide funds to distribute and monitor the administration of anti-tuberculosis drugs in the developing world. The WHO’s basic … Continue reading

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