Latest World Health Organization Stories

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, May 21, 2012 /CNW/ - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today affirmed the Government of Canada's commitment to universal health coverage during the plenary session of the 65th World Health Assembly. "Canada has long been a supporter of universal health coverage, and remains strongly committed to a publicly-financed system that ensures all Canadians benefit from access to health services based on need, not the ability to pay," said Minister...

Safe childbirth checklist program aims to prevent maternal and newborn deaths in low-income countries A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) found that a simple checklist-based childbirth safety program dramatically improved adherence to essential childbirth care practices at a pilot hospital in south India. Of 29 practices measured, 28 were improved after adoption of the checklist and overall adherence to essential practices was...

A method developed at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for training blind persons to "see" through the use of a sensory substitution device (SSD) has enabled those using the system to actually "read" an eye chart with letter sizes smaller than those used in determining the international standard for blindness. The eight congenitally blind participants in the Hebrew University test group passed the conventional eye-exam of the Snellen acuity test, technically surpassing the world-agreed...

WILLITS, Calif., May 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Christopher Hardaker's Washington DeCoded: A New View Over the Capitol is a ride through the streets of the Capital City. National symbols from the Great Seal of the United States were embedded into the 1792 design for Washington, D.C. You will discover the following hiding in plain sight: A 13-city-block long Pyramid sitting in the middle of the National Mall, stretching from the White House to the Capitol The "Eye of the God of...

GENEVA, May 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A new financial forecast by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria estimates that more than $1.6 billion in additional funding will be available in the 2012-14 period for investment in projects that save lives. The new forecast is a result of strategic decisions made by the Board, freeing up funds that can be invested in countries where there is the most pressing demand, and adopting a plan to transform the Global Fund that has...

Over 1,400 law enforcement officers and supporters "Ride for Those Who Died" WASHINGTON, May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On May 9th and 10th, hundreds of members of the Police Unity Tour--a group comprised of more than 1,400 police officers--will launch their 2012 ride biking hundreds of miles from points in East Hanover (NJ), Franklin Township, (NJ), Howell (NJ) Portsmouth (VA), Richmond (VA) and King of Prussia (PA) to Washington, DC. The Police Unity Tour's motto is "We...

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Health levels varied greatly among people 50 and older in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa, but hypertension and arthritis were the two most common chronic conditions in all six countries (Figure 1), according to the first-ever U.S. Census Bureau report to use data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE). (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO) Commissioned by the National...

An international team led by UC Davis researchers has found that mothers in sub-Saharan Africa could successfully follow a protocol for flash-heating breastmilk to reduce transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) -- the virus that causes AIDS -- to their infants. Flash-heating breastmilk is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for HIV-infected mothers during times of increased transmission risk. The technique involves expressing breastmilk into a glass jar that is...

Connie K. Ho for RedOrbit.com When Beyoncé first had her baby, the media went wild over her decision to breastfeed in public. Following that breastfeeding incident, breastfeeding is again in the news; however, it’s in relation to a new medical study rather than a celebrity happening. An experiment by physicians at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) challenges the perspective that pacifiers interfere with breastfeeding. The study, presented Monday, April 30 at the annual...

Several medical organizations have recently recommended that doctors switch from using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) growth curves to the World Health Organization (WHO) growth curves to better determine overweight and obesity in children in Canada aged 5 years. However, a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) shows no advantage in using one over the other. The CDC and WHO growth curves are used widely around the world, but they have...