Ebola: DR Congo declares end to outbreak, as top footballers join global fight against virus
Nov 18, 2014, at 06:02 pm
New York, Nov 18 (IBNS) The United Nations on Monday praised the end of an outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as some of the world’s top football players, including Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona’s Neymar Jr, announced they are joining the Organization’s fight to help raise global awareness in the fight against the deadly virus.
UN launches 'pocketbook' on nutrition ahead of major conference in Rome
Nov 18, 2014, at 04:49 pm
New York, Nov 18 (IBNS) The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has on Monday published a comprehensive pocketbook of nutrition-related data covering all regions of the world ahead of the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) taking place in Rome this week.
Amid signs of new Ebola cases, UN health official tells Liberians 'you must hunt the virus'
Nov 15, 2014, at 08:10 pm
New York, Nov 15 (IBNS) A senior United Nations World Health Organization official warned reported that the number of Ebola cases in Liberia, which had recently shown some signs of decline, is starting to pick up again, most likely because "people are relaxing their guard."
On World Diabetes Day, Ban underscores threat of non-communicable diseases
Nov 15, 2014, at 07:33 pm
New York, Nov 15 (IBNS) As the world copes with infectious diseases such as influenza, malaria and the Ebola virus, World Diabetes Day is a reminder that non-communicable diseases pose an even greater threat to human health, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.
J P Nadda inaugurates health pavilion at trade fair
Nov 15, 2014, at 02:40 am
New Delhi, Nov 14 (IBNS): Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J P Nadda inaugurated the pavilion of the Health Ministry at the India International Trade Fair 2014, here on Friday.
'Haiti cannot wait 40 years' to eliminate cholera, warns UN envoy as response lags
Nov 14, 2014, at 02:51 pm
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS) The top United Nations coordinator for cholera response in Haiti says support for initiatives to combat the disease has been “disappointing,†noting that while it may be possible to eliminate cholera in about a decade, at the current rate of funding, it would take more than 40 years to do the job.
Defeating Ebola, 'a fearsome,' elusive enemy, requires scaling up response on the ground – UN
Nov 14, 2014, at 02:41 pm
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS) There has been important progress made in the global fight against Ebola but a scaling-up in the overall response remains necessary if the deadly outbreak is to be fully stopped, top United Nations officials told the General Assembly on Thursday as they cautioned against complacency in tackling the disease.
UN health agency sees 'alarming trend' as efforts lag in eliminating measles
Nov 14, 2014, at 02:39 pm
New York, Nov 14 (IBNS) The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday that progress towards the elimination of measles has stalled due in large part to outbreaks in China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria, as well as the re-emergence in Europe of the highly contagious virus.
New UN targets on indoor air pollution aim to save millions of lives each year
Nov 13, 2014, at 09:36 pm
New York, Nov 13 (IBNS): The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today highlighted the dangers of burning fuels like unprocessed coal and kerosene in the home, and issued targets for reducing emissions of health-damaging pollutants from domestic cook stoves, space heaters and fuel-based lamps.
Ebola: UN special envoy says combating stigma integral to overall crisis response
Nov 13, 2014, at 09:28 pm
New York, Nov 13 (IBNS): The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro, today made a passionate appeal to combat stigmatization surrounding the disease by calling for a global social media campaign to "express solidarity and to show we are anti-discrimination."
UN praises China, US for 'highly significant' announcement on emissions cuts
Nov 13, 2014, at 09:11 pm
New York, Nov 13 (IBNS): The new measures announced by the Governments of China and the United States in addressing their greenhouse gas emissions over the coming decades is a positive step towards achieving a more comprehensive accord at a global climate conference to be held in Paris next year, top United Nations officials have confirmed.
Chhattisgarh mass sterilization doctor arrested
Nov 13, 2014, at 06:14 pm
Bilaspur, Nov 13 (IBNS): The Chhattisgarh police on Wednesday night arrested the doctor who performed mass sterilization surgeries in Bilaspur last week, media reports said.
Stopping Ebola as fast as possible is 'number one priority' – UN envoy
Nov 12, 2014, at 03:14 pm
New York, Nov 12 (IBNS): The number one priority is to stop Ebola as fast as possible and “get ahead of the virus,†the chief of the United Nations emergency response mission said as the UN health agency on Tuesdayreported that efforts to contain the outbreak in West Africa are being hampered by cumbersome diagnostic tests.
West Africa 'on brink' of major food crisis in wake of Ebola outbreak – UN expert
Nov 12, 2014, at 03:01 pm
New York, Nov 12 (IBNS) As Ebola continues to ravage West Africa, leaving more than 4,000 people dead, the region is now on the brink of a major food crisis, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food has warned on Tuesday.
Pork tapeworm infection among leading causes of epilepsy worldwide-UN health agency
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:39 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS) The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday said neurocysticercosis – transmitted after consuming undercooked pork or water contaminated by tapeworm eggs-is "the most frequent preventable cause of epilepsy in the developing world."
Ebola: reported denial of medical care on ships from West Africa draws UN concern
Nov 11, 2014, at 08:27 pm
New York, Nov 11 (IBNS) United Nations and other leading international transport, trade and tourism organizations on Monday expressed concern about the report denial of medical care for ill seafarers on board ships that had previously called at ports in Ebola-affected countries.
Ebola: UN chief hails progress in fight against virus, urges intensified response
Nov 10, 2014, at 04:43 pm
New York, Nov 10 (IBNS) The world is on the "right track" to defeating Ebola as the infection rate of the deadly virus shows some signs of slowing in West Africa's most affected areas, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared on Sunday as he urged the international community to remain constant in fighting the disease until it is completely extinguished.
PM attends valedictory function of the 6th World Ayurveda Congress
Nov 10, 2014, at 02:26 am
New Delhi, Nov 9 (IBNS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the biggest challenge to Ayurveda comes from people who have dedicated their life to it.
UN refines Ebola response amid efforts to bring outbreak under control by 1 December
Nov 08, 2014, at 02:44 pm
New York, Nov 8 (IBNS) The United Nations health agency on Fridayannounced a new burial protocol for Ebola victims aimed at reducing the risk of exposure to the disease for family members as they bury their loved ones in accordance with religious rites amid Organization-wide efforts to control the deadly outbreak by a 1 December deadline.
Ebola: UN says experimental vaccine trials in West Africa could begin by January
Nov 07, 2014, at 07:24 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS) The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on Thursday said the Ebola crisis response “needs to scale up, get better and perform faster,†as the UN health agency reported that if judged safe, larger scale trials of an experimental vaccine could be taken to hard-hit West African countries as early as January 2015.
UN expert panel issues guidelines on rights of women asylum-seekers, refugees
Nov 07, 2014, at 07:11 pm
New York, Nov 7 (IBNS) The United Nations committee tasked with monitoring implementation of the global treaty to end all forms of discrimination against women has published a set of guidelines on Thursday to ensure that the challenges faced by women in situations of displacement and statelessness are addressed and their rights enforced.
Govt to push for standardization in Ayurvedic drug production: Harsh Vardhan
Nov 06, 2014, at 11:17 pm
New Delhi, Nov 6 (IBNS): Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan announced here on Thursday that the government would soon set up a separate Central Drug Controller for traditional medicines with a view to ensuring quality in production standards.
Ebola: UN envoy warns against letting guard down, ‘even for a second’
Nov 05, 2014, at 03:18 pm
New York, Nov 5 (IBNS) The UN envoy coordinating the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa said in the Liberian capital on Tuesday that when national governments, partners and communities work together, "dramatic improvement" can be achieved, but cautioned against "even for a second [thinking] that everything is okay."
Opioid overdose claims 70,000 lives each year – UN health agency
Nov 05, 2014, at 03:15 pm
New York, Nov 5 (IBNS): The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) released new guidelines on Tuesday aimed at reducing the number deaths related to opioid overdose covering a range of drugs – from morphine and heroin to painkillers such as oxycodone – that claim nearly 70,000 lives each year.
Commemorative stamp on liver transplant released
Nov 05, 2014, at 05:15 am
New Delhi, Nov 4 (IBNS): The Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications & IT has brought out a commemorative postage stamp on liver transplantation in India.
UNICEF to boost staff in Ebola-hit countries; UN health chief deplores lagging vaccine research
Nov 04, 2014, at 06:50 pm
New York, Nov 4 (IBNS) As the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced on Monday that it plans to boost its staff in countries on the frontlines of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the head of the UN World Health Organization attributed the lack of research into cures and vaccines for Ebola to the fact that the disease has historically been confined to poor African nations.
Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals commemorates World Stroke Day
Nov 01, 2014, at 06:43 am
Kolkata, Oct 31 (IBNS) Kolkata's Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals observed the World Stroke Day in the city recently.
SRL's study on Vitamin D declares younger women and men at higher deficiency risk
Nov 01, 2014, at 05:13 am
New Delhi, Oct 31 (IBNS): SRL Diagnostics, a healthcare diagnostics player in India, in its recent study on Vitamin D deficiency, conducted an extensive analysis of Vitamin D reports from 37,010 people from four zones across tropical India, only to discover that Vitamin D deficiency was prevalent in around 69 per cent of the population.
UN Ebola response in West Africa to be bolstered by increase in World Bank funding
Oct 31, 2014, at 03:34 pm
New York, Oct 31 (IBNS) The World Bank has announced it is boosting its efforts in assisting health workers fight the deadly Ebola outbreak in the three most-affected countries in West Africa as part of the wider United Nations Ebola crisis response.
Signs of Ebola decline in Liberia offer 'glimmer of hope' UN
Oct 30, 2014, at 06:10 pm
New York, Oct 30 (IBNS) The spread of Ebola in Liberia may be slowing, as demonstrated in the decline in burials and sickbed occupancy rates, as well as a plateau in lab-reported new cases in the West African country hardest hit by the virus, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) reported on Wednesday, while cautioning against drawing premature conclusions.