In 2021, a deadly second wave of COVID-19 hit India hard, throwing medical facilities into turmoil as they struggled to meet the unprecedented spike in new cases. worked with the government of Japan to bring life-saving equipment to vulnerable people in several parts of the country.
Health
Telling the Truth, a live broadcast devoted to the use of condoms and the link to the HIV epidemic, airs in eastern Europe and central Asia through a - education project.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) continues to pose a major threat to human development and to the fight against infectious diseases. A holistic approach must be used to mitigate AMR risks in Africa.
We are witnessing the impact of climate change. The consequences of burning fossil fuels and deforestation have altered the global climate and the impact can already be felt. We see hurricanes, heat waves, fires, floods, droughts, and the sea level rising.
Cervical cancer is preventable and curable, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively. Yet it is the fourth most common form of cancer among women worldwide. The burden of cervical cancer is greatest in low- and middle-income countries, because access to public health services is limited and screening and treatment for the disease have not been widely implemented. An ambitious, concerted and inclusive strategy has been developed by the to guide the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem.
It has been a year of colossal efforts in global health. Countries battled COVID-19, while struggling to keep other health services running. Health care workers have borne the lion’s share of these efforts but often received little recognition. COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments were rolled out, but overwhelmingly in the richest countries, leaving many populations unprotected, especially in lower-income countries. Across other health areas, from diabetes to dementia, there have been both setbacks and hard-won successes. presents the 10 global highlights from 2021.
Despite the almost miraculous development of effective vaccines against COVID-19 in 2020, the virus continued to spread and mutate throughout the last year, with much of the blame placed on a lack of effective global collaboration as a key reason for the prolonged pandemic. highlights the , including the UN-backed programme to help developing countries protect their populations against the virus, and the steps taken to prepare for future global health crises.
A new report shows that close to 7 million deaths could be prevented by 2030 if low- and lower-middle-income countries were to make an additional investment of less than a dollar per person per year in the prevention and treatment of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs – including heart disease, diabetes, cancer and respiratory disease – currently cause 70% of deaths around the world. Yet their impact on lower income countries is often underestimated, despite the fact that 85% of premature deaths from NCDs occur in low- and middle-income countries.
2021 was dominated by two crises that the world could not ignore – COVID-19 and global heating. From unprecedented floods in Germany, to out of control fires in California and Greece, extreme weather increased in intensity and frequency. The pandemic laid bare other inequalities. Rich countries hoarded vaccines and poor countries went without. Global food systems struggled to cope with the twin crises. The digital divide became more pronounced; the pandemic also showed that we can change quickly, but only if we have the resources and the vision.
COVID-19 demonstrated how quickly an infectious disease can sweep across the world, push health systems to the brink, and upend daily life. COVID-19 is not be the last pandemic humanity will face. As we respond to this health crisis, we need to prepare for the next one. This means scaling-up investments in better monitoring, early detection and rapid response plans in every country — especially the most vulnerable. An outbreak anywhere is a potential pandemic everywhere. This International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, let’s give this issue the focus, attention and investment it deserves.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an ongoing moment of reckoning for health systems around the world. While the harsh lessons of our global situation are far from new, the sheer scale of this crisis has sparked new urgency around health systems and universal health coverage. More leaders than ever are paying attention, and more people than ever are rising to demand change. On this year’s International Universal Health Coverage Day join us to demand action on universal health coverage and call on leaders to invest in health systems for all. Our lives, livelihoods and futures depend on it.
your original short films on health! The independent filmmakers, production companies, public institutions, NGOs, communities, students, and film schools to submit entries - deadline 30 January 2022.
Désir Murielle gave birth to her son, Yves, in a tent on the grounds of Hôpital de Référence Communautaire de l’Asile, which was damaged in the 7.2-magnitude earthquake of 14 August. The hospital is one of 18 damaged or destroyed health facilities receiving support from to continue offering reproductive health services in the area most affected by the disaster. Next month, with the support of the Ministry of Health, UNFPA will deploy a fully-fledged mobile emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) unit to handle deliveries and obstetric complications.
About 422 million people worldwide have diabetes, the majority living in low-and middle-income countries, and 1.5 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes each year. Both the number of cases and the prevalence of diabetes have been steadily increasing over the past few decades. For people living with diabetes, access to affordable treatment, including insulin, is critical to their survival. This World Diabetes Day (14 November) aims to remind the world of the globally agreed target to halt the rise in diabetes and obesity by 2025.
This year’s (12 November) comes during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26). Pneumonia is the biggest infectious killer on the planet. In 2019 alone, it claimed the lives of 2.5 million, including 672,000 children. Ninety percent of air pollution-related deaths are concentrated in 40 low- and middle-income countries. In many African countries, air pollution contributes to more than 50 percent of all pneumonia deaths. This is a critical moment to support high-burden countries in reducing air pollution-related pneumonia deaths. Every breath counts.