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The blue flag of the WHO hanging in front of its headquarters in Geneva.
Image: Fabrice Coffrini/AFPImage: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a United Nations agency. Established in 1948 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it coordinates international healthwork with agencies and governments.

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All Content on this topic

Marathon runners running on city road

WHO: Nearly 1.8 billion people at risk due to inactivity

If current trends continue, 35% of people will be inactive by 2030.
HealthJune 26, 2024
A vending machine is seen filled with brightly colored drinks

Germany mulls sugar tax: What are the benefits?

A number of countries already tax sugary foods and drinks. Which model has proven most effective?
HealthJune 20, 2024
A syringe is stuck into a malaria vaccine at a health center in Cameroon

Why we are losing the fight to control global malaria cases

After two decades of decline, malaria cases worldwide have remained steady since 2015. Why have control efforts stalled?
ScienceApril 23, 2024
Mother with son in Chad

Childhood death rate falls, threats persist: UN report

Despite progress, the report warns, the UN goal of significantly reducing preventable childhood deaths remains distant.
HealthMarch 13, 2024
People at a fast food restaurant in Chile

Global malnourishment: 1 in 8 people are obese

New data from The Lancet suggests fewer people are starving across the globe. But obesity is taking its place.
ScienceMarch 1, 2024
A collage of greyscale, smog-filled cityscapes: Cars, chimneys, trash bags, high-rises, smoke. In the foreground, a hand in a yellow rubber cleaning glove is wiping over the scene with a green cloth. In the trail of the cleaning cloth, a different city collage is revealed: Blue skies over green trees and an idyllic canal, with colorful houses surrounding it.

How megacities are tackling air pollution

Many of the world's biggest cities are slowly improving their air quality. Here's how.
HealthJanuary 11, 2024
A selection of spirits on display

WHO calls for higher taxes on alcohol, sugary drinks

The WHO has said taxes on alcohol and sugary drinks need to increase to lower deaths from drinking and unhealthy diets.
HealthDecember 5, 2023
Children and their parents wait at an outpatient area at a children hospital in Beijing on November 23, 2023

China demands more fever clinics amid pneumonia surge

A sharp rise in respiratory illnesses, particularly among children, has sparked fears of a new virus from China.
HealthNovember 26, 2023
A child has their temperature taken

China claims all clear on child respiratory disease

The WHO requested data and China delivered: It says a known virus is causing a spike in child lung infections.
ScienceNovember 24, 2023
Two people sit next to a sick girl laying on the ground, who is being cared for

Record dengue fever outbreak grips Bangladesh

The climate crisis is being cited as a key factor in the country's worst-ever dengue outbreak.
HealthSeptember 16, 202302:02 min
Indien Neu-Delhi | G20 Gipfel | Präsident Joko Widodo

AfricaLink on Air — 11 September 2023

G20 admits African Union as permanent member+++Zambian president in China
PoliticsSeptember 11, 202330:00 min
A person wearing a mask holds up a COVID test

COVID variant EG.5: What we know about 'eris'

New omicron subvariant EG.5 eris has reignited talk about vaccines and speculation about a return of the pandemic.
ScienceAugust 16, 2023
Hand holding syringe administering vaccine into arm

WHO identifies new coronavirus 'variant of interest'

The EG.5 variant has been spreading rapidly in the United States and has higher transmissibility than other strains.
HealthAugust 9, 2023
Medical employees packing drugs at the Serum Institute of India in Pune

Fresh WHO alert on 'contaminated' Indian cough syrup

In a fifth global warning against India-made medication, the WHO said the syrup could cause "serious injury."
Law and JusticeAugust 8, 2023
A symbolic image of a person holding a burning cigarette, as smoking rates keep up in a vast majority of countries with no regulations

Smoking rates have fallen globally, Germany lagging: WHO

Millions are wary of the harmful effects of smoking through advertising or similar means, but Germany has to do more.
HealthJuly 31, 2023
Can of soft drink, with a green straw, nestled in a load of sugar cubes

Do artificial sweeteners cause cancer?

Artificial sweeteners are big in the sugar industry, but the WHO has said they may cause cancer. So, what are the risks?
ScienceJuly 14, 2023
A doctor adjusts a mask on an elderly patient

WHO: Nearly 36 million in Europe suffering from 'long COVID'

According to the UN health agency, COVID-19 is still responsible for over 1,000 deaths a week in the European region.
HealthJune 27, 2023
A syringe and vaccine dose in front of the WHO logo

Fact check: Conspiracy theories about the 'pandemic treaty'

Can the WHO interfere in state affairs? Four false claims on the World Health Organization's pandemic response treaty.
PoliticsJune 25, 2023
WHO Director General at a press briefing

No, the WHO isn't trying to grab pandemic 'lockdown powers'

Claims that the WHO will enforce lockdowns in future pandemics are false.
ScienceJune 2, 2023
Members of the UN look away from the camera in Sudan.

Sudan: UN seeks close to $3 billion in humanitarian aid

The United Nations estimates more than 1 million people will flee Sudan this year.
ConflictsMay 17, 2023
Chickens for sale in Henan province in China

China reports first human death from H3N8 bird flu: WHO

A Chinese woman has become the first person to die from a form of avian influenza rarely caught by humans, the WHO says.
HealthApril 12, 2023
Health workers in protective gear prepare paperwork for Ebola vaccines in a hospital in Guinea

75 years of the WHO: Not a 'global health police'

The World Health Organization was established on April 7, 1948. It's had major successes ― and failures.
HealthApril 6, 2023
Annalena Baerbock in India

Germany, UN call for Iran school poisonings probe

Schoolgirls in Iran have been reportedly poisoned. The UN and Germany have called for an investigation.
CrimeMarch 3, 2023
A woman sleeping next to a child

A woman dies every two minutes in pregnancy, childbirth: WHO

The latest report released by WHO states that almost 800 women die every day due to pregnancy or childbirth.
HealthFebruary 23, 2023
Erreger der Leishmaniose

Neglected tropical diseases threaten global health

They affect billions of people worldwide with severe health consequences, yet are not well-known.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 30, 2023
Cough syrups manufactured by two Indian companies have been pulled from shelves in the Gambia

WHO calls for 'immediate' action after cough syrup deaths

The WHO is reportedly investigating potential connections between the pharmaceutical companies that made the products.
HealthJanuary 24, 2023
An anopheles mosquito

Antimalarial drug resistance on the rise in Africa

Artemisinin is the most important component in antimalarial drugs, but some parasites in Africa are becoming resistant.
HealthJanuary 6, 2023
Three teenage boys smoking

More German teens smoke, after years of decline

A recent study shows an upsurge in the number of young Germans who smoke. But how does Germany compare in the EU?
SocietyDecember 30, 2022
Passengers wearing masks at Beijing Capital Airport

COVID: Chinese eye border reopening with both fear and joy

Many are excited about traveling abroad as China is set to open its borders after COVID restrictions are eased.
HealthDecember 30, 2022
Dermatologist inspecting a person's arm for skin cancer

How to spot skin cancer: Symptoms, treatment and protection

Skin cancer rates are rising, possibly due to global heating. Here's how to spot a melanoma and stay safe in the sun.
HealthDecember 29, 2022
Two Chinese, a man and a woman, both wearing mediacal masks and riding bikes along a deserted street, look up through the night fog at the illuminated CCTV headquarters building in Beijing, China

WHO says 'not there yet' on coronavirus

The world health body estimates 90% of people have some resistance to COVID-19 but warns new variants may pose threats.
HealthDecember 2, 2022
Family in a Lebanese refugee camp

Why is the world experiencing a cholera vaccine shortage?

The world is experiencing the highest number of cholera outbreaks on record alongside an acute vaccine shortage. Why?
ScienceNovember 4, 2022
Medical staff look after an elderly woman with cholera

Cholera has spread throughout Lebanon, says WHO

A first batch of vaccines from France arrived in Lebanon this week as the country seeks to contain an outbreak.
HealthNovember 2, 2022
Man looks over ocean

Global mental health issues on the rise

Support for mental health issues has declined since the coronavirus pandemic. What’s being done about it?
ScienceOctober 10, 2022
Logo of the Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd. company is seen on a board outside their office in New Delhi, India

India probes cough syrups linked to Gambia deaths

The products were found to have "unacceptable" levels of substances that can be toxic and lead to acute kidney injury.
HealthOctober 7, 2022
Colorized scanning electron micrograph of filamentous Ebola virus particles.

Uganda declares Ebola outbreak

Uganda has confirmed its first death from Ebola virus since 2019, declaring an outbreak.
HealthSeptember 20, 2022
A woman holds up her

How Africa increased healthy life expectancy

Across Africa, healthy life expectancy increased 10 years — more than anywhere else.
SocietyAugust 25, 2022
Monkepox virus under a microscope

Monkeypox in kids: Rare but potentially dangerous

Evidence from several countries shows that monkeypox can be worse for children than for adults.
ScienceAugust 16, 2022
Men carry large bags on the migration route from Venezuela

How stigmas impact refugee, migrant health

People who migrate or flee their home countries experience major health barriers, a new WHO report shows.
HealthJuly 22, 2022
Photo of the Marburg virus

Marburg virus outbreak declared in Ghana

For the first time in the country's history, the Marburg virus has been detected in Ghana. Here's what you need to know.
ScienceJuly 19, 2022
Test tubes labelled "Monkeypox virus positive"

Monkeypox: WHO calls for urgent action in Europe

Europe has been told to increase its surveillance and genetic sequencing of the monkeypox outbreak.
HealthJuly 1, 2022
This photo shows skin symptoms of monkeypox patients

WHO: Monkeypox not intl. health emergency

The UN agency has stopped short of giving the outbreak the label of highest alert despite it spreading to new countries.
HealthJune 25, 2022
A silhouette of a person sitting in a window. (dpa)

Mental health issues saw sharp rise during pandemic: WHO

Young people, women, and those who were already mentally ill have been more affected.
HealthJune 17, 2022
The flag of the World Health Organization (WHO) at their headquarters in Geneva.

Ukraine war, COVID in focus for WHO

While the focus will be on COVID-19 and measures to avert future pandemics, the invasion of Ukraine is set to dominate.
HealthMay 22, 2022
In this Centers for Disease Control and Prevention handout graphic, symptoms of one of the first known cases of the monkeypox virus are shown on a patient's hand June 5, 2003.

Berlin records first monkeypox cases

A surprise outbreak of the rare infectious disease has spread from Europe to the US and the Middle East.
HealthMay 21, 2022
Health workers remove the body of a COVID-19 victim from a cold storage unit for transport to cremation in Bangkok

WHO estimates nearly 15 million deaths linked to pandemic

The figure suggests more than twice as many people have died due to the pandemic than the official data show.
HealthMay 5, 2022
A masked man speaks on the phone in a public space

India: States prepare as COVID cases rise again

The surge in cases coincides with the release of a WHO report that has found a higher death toll than reported.
HealthApril 25, 2022
A person wearing protective gloves runs a COVID test

COVID digest: WHO on alert over new omicron subvariants

The World Health Organization has announced it is monitoring cases of two new omicron subvariants. DW has the latest.
HealthApril 11, 2022
A man in a hat and mask receiving a Covid-19 vaccination in South Africa.

The tangled quest to make COVID mRNA vaccines in Africa

The EU-African Union summit revealed a lack of collaboration between the world's largest drug companies and the WHO.
ScienceFebruary 22, 2022
Genf WHO Direktor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

COVID: WHO urges rich nations to pay for pandemic plan

The UN body says $16 billion is needed to help low-income countries fight coronavirus. DW has the latest.
HealthFebruary 9, 2022