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World Health Organization (WHO)

World Health Organization (WHO)
The latest news, analysis and opinion on World Health Organization (WHO). In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Displaced Palestinians gather for food at a charity kitchen in central Gaza on December 20. Israel will suspend over two dozen aid groups for not meeting new vetting rules in Gaza. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Israel to ban aid groups from Gaza in 2026 over vetting rules

Critics condemn the vague new requirements as arbitrary hurdles that endanger staff, dismissing Israel’s claims of regulatory non-compliance.

China-Africa relations

Washington lines up health deals as US and China vie for access to Africa

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United Nations

‘World stands at a crossroads’: UN chief issues grim New Year message

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Explainer | As ‘super flu’ spreads worldwide, how can Hongkongers protect against it?

Researchers find 82.8 per cent of flu specimens collected from Queen Mary Hospital between December 6 and 11 were subclade K.

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Residents wear masks inside a shopping centre in Tai Kok Tsui. Photo: Karma Lo
Israel-Gaza war

UN declares Gaza famine over, but ‘situation remains critical’

Meanwhile, Oxfam says hunger in Gaza remains ‘appalling and preventable’, accusing Israel of blocking aid from humanitarian agencies.

Diplomacy

Outside In | Six years on, are we better prepared for the next pandemic?

Preparedness plans remain a work in progress while health budgets have been sliced by urgent demands and US withdrawal weakens global coordination.

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Israel-Gaza war

‘My future is paralysed’: Gaza amputees desperate to walk again

The World Health Organization estimates there are some 5,000 to 6,000 amputees from the Israel-Gaza war, 25 per cent of them children.

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Haneen al-Mabhouh, who lost her leg in an Israeli strike on her home, sits in a wheelchair in her family home in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, on November 6. Photo: AP
Britain

UK ‘super flu’ crisis and doctors’ strike spark ‘worst-case’ Christmas fears

Flu cases hit record highs with a 55 per cent weekly jump as the NHS faces a planned doctors’ strike next week.

Vietnam

‘I have to wear a mask all the time’: Hanoi’s smog hits crisis levels

On Thursday, Hanoi was the world’s fourth most-polluted city, with officials citing vehicles, industry, and crop burning for the poor air quality.

Britain

New mpox strain found in UK after travel to Asia

New recombinant mpox strain raises concerns over global spread and viral evolution.

A colorised electron micrograph shows green mpox particles within a pink and purple infected cell cultured in a lab. Photo: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease/AFP
Africa

63 children among 114 dead in strikes on Sudan kindergarten, hospital: WHO

Reports paramedics were also targeted during rescue efforts, as WHO director general condemns attack.

The logo of the World Health Organization is pictured outside the agency’s office in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo: Reuters
India

New Delhi’s smog surge linked to 200,000 respiratory cases

Acrid smog chokes Delhi’s skyline each winter, when cool air traps a deadly mix of pollutants from crop burning, factories, and traffic.

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Thailand

Thais in good spirits after government lifts ban on afternoon alcohol sales

The eased rules permit alcohol sales from 11am to midnight during the six-month trial period.

Environment

No more mercury in your mouth: toxic metal’s use as tooth filling to end by 2034

The move is a win for human health: the WHO lists mercury as one of the top 10 chemical elements of major public health concern.

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A man in Bolivia shows off his gold decorated teeth. Photo: AFP
Earthquakes

International condolences pour in after deadly Afghanistan earthquake

A powerful 6.3 earthquake hit northern Afghanistan on Monday, killing at least 20 and injuring hundreds.

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People stand on the debris of damaged buildings, in the aftermath of an earthquake in Samangan province, Afghanistan on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Africa

Sudan war sparks global alarm after hundreds killed at hospital

The Rapid Support Forces have been accused of mass executions and other atrocities after capturing the provincial capital of North Darfur state.

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong biotech firm to back controversial sanitary pad HPV test with evidence

Dr Choi Pui-wah, founder of WomenX Biotech, also says she remains optimistic about Hong Kong as a tech destination despite government warning.

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Africa

UN rights chief warns of ethnically motivated ‘atrocities’ in Sudan’s El-Fasher

Volker Turk said ‘urgent and concrete action’ was needed to protect civilians as paramilitary forces said they had taken control of the city.

Sudanese children, who fled from a camp for internally displaced persons, rest in April while on their way to another camp amid their country’s devastating civil war. Photo: EPA-EFE
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong warns against HPV screenings involving sanitary pad self-collection

Department of Health says it is addressing claims made by businesses, citing ‘insufficient’ scientific evidence for such methods.

India

India’s capital celebrates Diwali cloaked in a blanket of acrid smog

Levels of cancer-causing PM2.5 microparticles have soared to more than 16 times the WHO’s recommended safe limit.

Science

Top biomedical scientist Hu Ye quits US to take up founding role in China

Hu has been appointed founding dean at the new school of biomedical engineering at his alma mater, Tsinghua University.

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Biomedical scientist Hu Ye has returned to China to become the founding dean of a new school of biomedical engineering at Tsinghua University. Photo: Handout
Israel-Gaza war

Aid resumes in Gaza with Rafah crossing set to reopen after hostage body dispute

The dispute over the return of bodies still has the potential to upset the ceasefire deal, along with other yet to be resolved issues.

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Trucks loaded with humanitarian aid wait on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing, before being allowed into the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Hong Kong’s summer flu season very active, may last until November: expert

Centre for Health Protection controller Edwin Tsui also says that the summer and winter flu seasons are likely to overlap.

India

Indian state cancels licence of cough syrup maker linked to child deaths

The domestic-only medicine sale revives global concerns over India’s major pharmaceutical exports, linked to the deaths of 10 children in 2023.

Women and gender

Growing ‘medicalisation’ of female circumcision in Asia sparks risk warnings

The practice is increasingly being performed by health professionals, which risks giving it a veneer of legitimacy, rights advocates say.

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The World Health Organization and other UN agencies have described female genital mutilation as a violation of women’s and girls’ human rights with no health advantages and well-documented physical and psychological harm. Photo: VII Network
Mental health

Letters | Mind the mental health impacts of climate and economic upheavals

Readers discuss a society-wide view of mental health, and tree care in Hong Kong.

A woman holds onto a lamppost at a bus stop in Heng Fa Cheun as Super Typhoon Ragasa hits Hong Kong on September 24. Climate change is profoundly impacting society, including mental health. Photo: AFP
United Nations

UN to slash 25% of global peacekeeping force due to funding strains

The US, the UN’s largest donor, reduced its contribution by hundreds of millions, forcing cuts to peacekeeping missions.

Diplomacy

US retreat from UN may create ‘tremendous opportunity’ for nations like China

Global body is at a crossroads, and observers say a ‘leaderless’ era could emerge during second Trump administration.

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