Coronaviruses like COVID, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) “must be taken seriously” as they are particularly dangerous for at-risk groups including the elderly, pregnant women and people suffering from existing or chronic illness, WHO Europe insisted, as it launched a region-wide protection campaign. “Collective amnesia on COVID-19 has set in and this is concerning,”
Read MoreBased on information from 44 countries that engaged in the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, it highlights unhealthy eating habits, increasing levels of overweight and obesity and low levels of physical activity in young people. According to WHO, each of these are “significant risk factors for a range of noncommunicable diseases including cardiovascular
Read More“Relentless aerial attacks continue, prolonging and exacerbating an already dire situation,” said UN refugee agency (UNHCR), spokesperson Shabia Mantoo. “More than two years since Russia’s full-scale invasion, regular shelling and attacks continue to claim lives and destroy homes and critical infrastructure across the country.” Ms. Mantoo noted that in the past week, more than 10,300
Read MoreConcerns also remain for those unable to leave the Karabakh Region town of Khankendi – known as Stepanakert among Armenians – which the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said was close to empty. Its priority remains finding those too vulnerable to help themselves. Deserted city “The city is now completely deserted. The hospitals,
Read MoreMr. Kara-Murza, 41, an outspoken critic of the Kremlin and the war in Ukraine, was arbitrarily arrested in Moscow on 11 April 2022. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison a year later on charges of “high treason”, “disseminating false information about the army of the Russian Federation” and participation in an “undesirable organisation”.
Read MoreIn an alert, the agency emphasized that heatwaves are amongst the deadliest natural hazards and WMO Senior Heat Advisor, John Nairn, told reporters that extreme temperatures are poised to grow in frequency, duration and intensity. “Repeated high night-time temperatures are particularly dangerous for human health because the body is unable to recover from sustained heat”,
Read MoreWHO’s representative in Ukraine Dr. Jarno Habicht told reporters that after the collapse of the dam caused severe flooding and massive displacement, the agency’s primary concern was the potential outbreak of waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, as well as rodent-borne diseases. The agency’s teams were monitoring the situation on the ground and were
Read MoreThe finding is the result of a survey conducted by the UNICEF Refugee Response Office in Poland, which also revealed that 53 per cent had considered getting, or had already accessed, mental health support since arriving in the country. ‘Not a surprise’ “The psychosocial toll of the war in Ukraine is immense so the results
Read MoreWhile European prisons managed adequate COVID-19 pandemic responses for inmates, concerns remain about poor mental health services, overcrowding and suicide rates, the report stated. “Prisons are embedded in communities and investments made in the health of people in prison becomes a community dividend,” said Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director of the WHO regional
Read MoreMatilda Bogner, head of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, called for greater efforts to spare and protect civilians. The Mission has been in the country since 2014, when it began work documenting violations stemming from the fighting in the east between Government forces and mostly pro-Russian separatists. Ms. Bogner said the resulting
Read More