New movement and Declaration Launched to Bridge the Digital Health Divide
Digital Health Sans Borders
' and the accompanying 'Geneva Declaration of Responsibility in Digital Health' were officially launched at Campus Biotech in Geneva, as part of a side event of the World Health Assembly (WHA).
The event brought together
global health leaders
, policymakers, and representatives from major international organizations.
The movement aims to address global disparities in access to
digital health technologies
and promote cross-border collaboration.
A recorded message from WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the urgency of digital solutions to support
Universal Health Coverage
and the
Sustainable Development Goals
.
The Geneva Declaration outlines principles for ethical, inclusive, and accountable deployment of digital health. It calls on governments, the private sector, and civil society to invest in open standards, interoperable infrastructure, and local capacity building.
The movement will move into an implementation phase with upcoming programs,and the roll-out of programs in underserved regions, launch of the Digital Health Champions Fellowship and the formation of a Global Steering Committee.
The event was hosted by Health Parliament and the Academy of Digital Health Sciences, in partnership with the Geneva Digital Health Hub and the WHO-hosted Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
09-08-2025
- Hans India
WHO declares Kenya free of sleeping sickness
Nairobi: The World Health Organisation (WHO) certified Kenya as having eliminated human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, as a public health challenge, making it the 10th country to reach this critical milestone. "I congratulate the government and people of Kenya on this landmark achievement," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement issued in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. "Kenya joins the growing ranks of countries freeing their populations of human African trypanosomiasis. This is another step toward making Africa free of neglected tropical diseases," Tedros added. Human African trypanosomiasis is the second neglected tropical disease to be eliminated in Kenya, following the country's certification as Guinea worm disease-free in 2018. The disease is caused by protozoan parasites transmitted by infected tsetse flies, according to the WHO. Symptoms include fever, headaches, joint pain, and, in advanced stages, neurological symptoms like confusion, disrupted sleep patterns, and behavioral changes. Aden Duale, Kenya's cabinet secretary for health, said the WHO validation of sleeping sickness elimination marked a historic step toward enhancing public health security in the country, fostering economic growth. Kenya detected the first case of sleeping sickness in the early 20th century and has since engaged in robust mitigation activities. The last two exported cases were detected in 2012 in the world-famous Maasai Mara National Reserve, Xinhua news agency reported. In recent years, the country has enhanced sleeping sickness surveillance in 12 health facilities across six historically endemic counties, which serve as sentinel sites. This effort is complemented by the use of modern diagnostic tools and the training of personnel to avert new transmission. Abdourahmane Diallo, the WHO representative in Kenya, said forward-looking leadership and partnerships were pivotal in accelerating progress toward sleeping sickness elimination in the East African country. Human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, is a vector-borne parasitic disease. It is caused by protozoans of the genus Trypanosoma, transmitted to humans by bites of tsetse flies (glossina) which have acquired the parasites from infected humans or animals. Tsetse flies inhabit sub-Saharan Africa and only certain species transmit the disease. Rural populations which depend on agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry or hunting are the most exposed. In many regions where tsetse flies are found, HAT is not. The disease has a focal distribution ranging from single villages to entire regions, and the incidence can vary from one village to the next.
New Indian Express
07-08-2025
- New Indian Express
Urgently scale-up research and innovation to end TB: WHO
NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for an urgent scale-up of research, innovation, and collaboration to accelerate momentum towards ending tuberculosis in the WHO South-East Asia Region, which continues to bear nearly half of the global TB burden, accounting for the highest share of cases and deaths worldwide. 'In our Region alone, nearly 5 million people developed TB and close to 600,000 died from the disease in 2023,' said Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia Region. Calling for urgent action, she said, 'Achieving the ambitious targets in the WHO End TB Strategy requires collaboration to accelerate research and innovation. It requires the adoption and use of new tools, technologies, and drugs. Ensuring timely and equitable access to these innovations remains critical to achieving impacts at scale, leaving no one behind.' While the Region, which includes India, recorded a significant increase in TB case notifications in 2023 - signalling recovery after COVID-19-related setbacks - progress remains insufficient to meet the End TB Strategy targets aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, which call for a 90 per cent reduction in TB deaths and an 80 per cent reduction in incidence by 2030, compared to 2015 levels. India aims to eliminate TB by 2025, ahead of the global target.
Indian Express
05-08-2025
- Indian Express
WHO classifies Hepatitis D as cancer-causing: Why taking the Hepatitis B vaccine helps
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently announced the reclassification of hepatitis D as cancerous, emphasising the urgency for preventing viral hepatitis, which is a growing public health crisis. 'Every 30 seconds, someone dies from a hepatitis-related severe liver disease or liver cancer. Yet we have the tools to stop hepatitis,' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, MD, WHO Director-General, said in an official news release. The WHO's announcement stems from the International Agency for Research on Cancer's (IARC) reclassification of hepatitis D as carcinogenic, supported by data from a study published in 'The Lancet Oncology., 'In India, the prevalence of hepatitis D, caused by a virus, is low in the general population but may be underestimated in high-risk groups such as intravenous drug users and those with chronic hepatitis B. Public education on safe blood usage, avoidance of needle-sharing and safe sex practice like using barrier contraception prevents transmission,' says Dr Piyush Ranjan, vice-chairperson, Institute Of Liver Gastroenterology & Pancreatic Biliary Sciences, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi. Why hepatitis D is considered carcinogenic All types of hepatitis are associated with acute liver infection; however, only hepatitis B, C, and D can lead to chronic infections with a higher risk of liver cirrhosis, failure or cancer. According to the authors of the study's findings, hepatitis D is associated with a two- to six-fold higher risk of liver cancer compared with hepatitis B. Hepatitis D is a serious liver infection caused by the hepatitis D virus (HDV). However, it is an incompetent virus that requires hepatitis B virus (HBV) for replication. This means it cannot cause infection alone and triggers co-infections only with the hepatitis B virus. So hepatitis D only affects people who already have hepatitis B either simultaneously or sequentially. Hepatitis B & D co-infection runs a more severe course for risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis B can cause liver cancer even without causing cirrhosis as it gets integrated in the DNA of cells. Hepatitis D virus augments the carcinogenic effect of Hepatitis B. As per the data, 75 per cent of hepatitis D patients could develop liver cirrhosis within 15 years. People who have contracted hepatitis B alone are 50 per cent less likely to develop liver cancer as compared to people who have hepatitis B and D coinfection. What is the mode of transmission? The mode of transmission is similar to hepatitis B and C, that is through parenteral route or injections and transfusion, mother to child transmission and sexual contact. How is hepatitis D diagnosed? A blood test (HDV-RNA test) shows antibodies. How can we prevent Hepatitis D? Universal hepatitis B vaccination indirectly prevents hepatitis D. Despite hepatitis B being included in the national immunisation programme, the vaccine coverage is a dismal 50 per cent. Managing infections among those already affected remains difficult owing to the limited availability of approved therapies, although emerging options like bulevirtide give an assurance. The carcinogen tag is expected to enhance global surveillance, funding and research to reduce the burden of HDV-related liver cancer. Prevention also relies on safe blood bank practices, safe sex, screening and avoiding needle sharing. How to take the Hepatitis B vaccine? Hepatitis B vaccine may be given in any of the following schedules: Birth, 1 and 6 months; birth, 6 and 14 weeks; 6, 10 and 14 weeks; birth, 6, 10 and 14 weeks. In catch up vaccination, use 0, 1 and 6 months schedule. An adult, especially if in a high risk comorbidity group, should take the hepatitis B vaccine in three shots. The second dose is given a month after the first, and the third dose is given six months after the second.
