world health organization

Health officials cautiously optimistic dangerous Ebola outbreak is over

By Helen Branswell, STAT

Transmission of the deadly virus appears to have stopped — though it is not yet time to pull back on the response operation.

U.S. blocks UN health panel from backing taxes on sugar drinks

By Jamey Keaten, Maria Cheng, Associated Press

The move disappointed many public health experts but was enthusiastically welcomed by the International Food and Beverage Alliance — a group that represents companies including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo. and Unilever.

Will lessons learned from the 2014 Ebola outbreak prevent more deaths in Congo?

By Larisa Epatko

The spread of Ebola in West Africa in 2014-2016 was the worst outbreak since the disease's discovery. Here's how international health agencies are responding this time.

Congo reports first urban case of Ebola. Here’s what that means for the outbreak

By Saleh Mwanamilongo, Carley Petesch, Associated Press

Congo's latest Ebola outbreak has spread to a city of more than 1 million people, a worrying shift as the deadly virus risks traveling more easily in densely populated areas.

UN health agency aims to wipe out trans fats worldwide

By Mike Stobbe, Associated Press

The World Health Organization has released a plan to help countries wipe out artery-clogging trans fats from the global food supply in the next five years.

CDC says more people die of influenza worldwide than some experts have estimated

By Laura Santhanam

As many as 646,000 people may die from influenza each year worldwide, according to the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- a larger number than what other health experts have predicted in years past.

PHOTOS: How aid groups are tackling Yemen’s cholera outbreak

By Larisa Epatko

“At one hospital, we visited children who can barely gather the strength to breathe,” U.N. agency leaders said in a joint statement.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus becomes the first African director-general of the World Health Organization

By Helen Branswell, STAT

Ethiopia’s former health minister -- Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus -- has been elected to serve as the next director-general of the World Health Organization — the first African picked to lead the global health agency.

In Yemen conflict, preventable diseases are a deadly side effect for children

By Larisa Epatko

Health workers recently fanned across Yemen to vaccinate millions of children against polio, one of the disease risks in a country immersed in conflict.

Somalia drought forces thousands to leave home seeking food and water

By Larisa Epatko

The last famine to hit Somalia was in 2011 when 260,000 people died, about half of them children under 5. Humanitarian organizations fear this year’s drought could lead to something even worse.