Rappler's latest stories on world health organization
WHO urges aggressive virus measures as flare-ups spark new closures
The World Health Organization urges countries grappling with coronavirus to step up control measures, saying it is still possible to rein it in, as some countries clamped fresh restrictions on citizens
WHO launches pandemic response probe
The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response will be headed by former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
WHO declares Sri Lanka, Maldives measles-free
The declarations come amid measles outbreaks in developed countries, including the United States
WHO reviewing new evidence on airborne coronavirus range
The virus has 'taken the world hostage,' says WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Ignoring outrage, Trump makes good on WHO pullout
'This won't protect American lives or interests – it leaves Americans sick and America alone,' says Senator Robert Menendez
WHO monitoring China bubonic plague situation
'At the moment, we are not considering it high-risk but we're watching it, monitoring it carefully,' says WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris
DOH to stop giving patients lopinavir, ritonavir following experts' advice
The decision follows the World Health Organization's announcement it was stopping solidarity trials for the antiretroviral drugs after it failed to reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients
WHO urges countries to 'wake up' and halt virus
'People need to wake up. The data is not lying. The situation on the ground is not lying,' WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan says at a briefing hosted by the UN correspondents' association in Geneva
Over 160,000 coronavirus cases reported every day in past week – WHO
(UPDATED) 'These countries face a long, hard road ahead,' says WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stressing though that 'no matter what situation a country is in, it can be turned around'
WHO says pandemic 'not even close' to over as toll passes 500,000
In another grim milestone, the number of infections recorded worldwide rises to more than 10 million
Philippines leads in rise of virus cases in entire Western Pacific
(UPDATED) The Philippines surpasses Singapore and China by a big gap in the number of new coronavirus cases
Over $30 billion needed to develop COVID-19 tests, treatments, vaccines – WHO
So far, $3.4 billion has been pledged, while an additional $27.9 billion is needed over the next 12 months
Economic carnage forecast as virus cases surge in Americas
(UPDATED) The International Monetary Funds says that many countries will face a recession more than double that which they suffered during the global financial crisis in 2008-2009
WHO urges ramped-up COVID-19 dexamethasone production
The WHO emphasizes that dexamethasone should only be used for patients with severe or critical disease, under close clinical supervision
World in 'new and dangerous phase' of pandemic – WHO
'The pandemic is accelerating. More than 150,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported to WHO yesterday – the most in a single day so far,' says WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
WHO eyes hundreds of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses before 2021
WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan says researchers are working on more than 200 vaccine candidates around the world
Hydroxychloroquine COVID-19 prevention trials incomplete – WHO
'As far as the use of hydroxychloroquine for prophylaxis or prevention of COVID-19 – either before or after exposure – the last word is not yet out,' says WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan
WHO halts hydroxychloroquine trials on coronavirus patients
The drug has been included in several randomized clinical trials, but the WHO says the evidence has led the UN health agency to call time on its own trials
Coronavirus impact could kill over 50,000 children in MENA – U.N.
Overstretched health facilities, economic hardships, and parents' fears of contracting COVID-19 may cause a huge rise of coronavirus child deaths in the Middle East and North Africa, according to the WHO and Unicef
WHO warns pandemic accelerating in Africa
'It took 98 days to reach the first 100,000 cases, and only 18 days to move to 200,000 cases,' says Doctor Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's regional director for Africa
After backlash, WHO clarifies COVID-19 'very rare' transmission remarks
Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization's COVID-19 technical lead, says: 'I was not stating a policy of WHO'
Brazil resumes publishing virus toll, criticizes WHO
Brazil's president threatens to quit the World Health Organization over 'ideological bias'
New York starts reopening as WHO says virus 'worsening' worldwide
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says 136,000 cases have been reported in the past 24 hours, 'the most in a single day so far,' with the majority of them in the Americas and South Asia
Brazil threatens to quit WHO, Trump says U.S. beating pandemic
Bolsonaro criticizes the World Health Organization for suspending clinical trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 – a decision it reversed this week – and threatens to follow in Trump's footsteps by quitting
WHO encourages masks where virus widespread, distancing tough
(UPDATED) As the coronavirus continues to spread, the World Health Organization changes its stance on who should wear a mask, when it should be worn, and what it should be made of
WHO to resume hydroxychloroquine coronavirus trials
More than 3,500 patients have been recruited across 35 countries to take part in the trials
Pandemic antibiotics surge will cause more deaths – WHO
WHO's Director-General calls the threat of antimicrobial resistance 'one of the most urgent challenges of our time'
WHO says it wants to keep working with U.S.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says US involvement with the organization has made a 'great difference' over the decades and 'it is WHO's wish for this collaboration to continue'
Trump cuts ties with WHO mid-pandemic, as Europe speeds reopening
The US is the WHO's biggest financial contributor, having given $400 million to the UN agency in 2019
Do not cut health spending during downturn, WHO warns
'We are concerned that countries will respond to this crisis in the same way they did to the recession 10 years ago...by cutting public spending on health,' says Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe
WHO launches new foundation for private donations
The UN health agency launches the independently-run WHO Foundation, which the organization hopes will give it greater control to direct philanthropic and public donations
Dutch mink workers may be 1st known humans infected by animals – WHO
'But we are still collecting and reviewing more data to understand if animals and pets can spread [COVID-19],' the World Health Organization says
Brazil stands by hydroxychloroquine despite WHO suspension
Studies, however, question the drug's safety and efficacy, including a recent study that finds the drugs actually increase the risk of death
WHO stops hydroxychloroquine trials over safety concerns
(UPDATED) WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says the decision comes after the publication of a study in the Lancet indicating that using the drug on COVID-19 patients could increase their likelihood of dying
Africa coronavirus cases top 100,000
The virus spreads to every country in the continent, with the highest death tolls occurring in countries in northern Africa
WHO records highest daily number of coronavirus cases
The world is quickly nearing the 'tragic milestone' of 5 million total infections
5 takeaways from the WHO assembly
Many countries and outside experts stress the need to reform the WHO, born in the ashes of World War II, so that it can better respond to the health challenges of the 21st century
WHO faces coronavirus probe after Trump threat
Trump threatens to make permanent a temporary freeze on US funding to the body
WHO states agree to independent probe of coronavirus response
The resolution, adopted by countries taking part in the annual assembly, says the investigation should include a probe of 'the actions of WHO and their timelines pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic'
Trump threatens to pull out of WHO over virus response, China
(UPDATED) Donald Trump is locked in a bitter spat with Beijing, alleging it covered up the initial outbreak in central China late last year before the disease unleashed death and economic devastation across the planet
WHO to review coronavirus response as Trump renews attack
'They're a puppet of China, they're China-centric to put it nicer,' Trump says about the WHO
WHO members delay decision on Taiwan at key meeting
At the WHO's first-ever virtual World Health Assembly, countries unanimously agree to postpone the discussion until later in the year
World Health Organization committee to discuss Taiwan exclusion
Some 15 countries write to the director general of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, asking that the question of Taiwan's participation be added to the agenda at the World Health Assembly
WHO kicks off virtual assembly as U.S.-China tensions simmer
(UPDATED) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opens the event, lamenting that a number of countries had ignored the recommendations of the World Health Organization
Why is Taiwan excluded from the WHO?
'No one should be treated as an orphan in the health network that the World Health Assembly should look after,' says Taiwan Vice President Chen Chien-jen, a US-trained epidemiologist
WHO probes possible coronavirus link to rare disease in children
The WHO has developed a preliminary case definition for the disease, which it has dubbed 'Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children'
Virus could infect more than 200 million in Africa – WHO modeling
According to the study, some 231 million people, or 22% of the one billion people in the region are expected to be infected in the 12 month period – most of them showing few or no symptoms
Burundi expels top WHO team in coronavirus crisis
The foreign ministry, in a letter to WHO Africa headquarters, says the UN agency's representative in Burundi and his 3 colleagues 'are declared persona non grata and as such, must leave the territory of Burundi' by May 15
Coronavirus may never go away – WHO
'HIV has not gone away – but we have come to terms with the virus,' says Michael Ryan, the WHO's emergencies director
WHO 'surprised' by states' lack of pandemic preparation
'You can see that Asian countries are much more prepared, because they had SARS in 2003 and it left significant scars,' says Sylvie Briand, the World Health Organization's infectious hazards management chief
