Latest news with #TedrosAdhanomGhebreyesus
The Star
7 hours ago
- Health
- The Star
Young and powerful
Tedros: Youth are capable of driving impactful change. – Photo by Bloomberg Philanthropies Youth are not just leaders of tomorrow – they are changemakers, capable of inspiring one another and driving impactful change, says World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. 'By empowering young people, we can create a sense of ownership in the fight against tobacco,' he said. Agreeing, STOP – a network of academic and public health organisations operating globally as part of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use – stressed the importance of schools sending the right message to kids. 'Around the world, tobacco products are being promoted to young people, so we have to make sure that we are empowering them to make the right choices for their health and future,' said STOP director Jorge Alday. 'As we educate kids about the dangers of cigarettes, we should also be educating them about all these other harmful tobacco products that are out there like Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs), e-cigarettes or vapes, and nicotine pouches. 'None of these are safe and all of them contain significant amounts of nicotine that children, especially, should not be ingesting,' he added. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids president and chief executive officer Yolanda Richardson said it's important to remember that young people will always be the target market for these harmful products. This, she stressed, is because people start to smoke and use nicotine products when they are young. 'If these products can be glamorised with flavours, colours and parties – it makes it that much more interesting for your people,' she said, calling on all stakeholders to work together in ensuring that the world's youth lead positive, healthy and useful lives. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, she said, was founded more than 25 years ago to reduce tobacco consumption in the United States, particularly among young people. Two years later, the organisation expanded its efforts globally and is now engaging with more than 60 countries to put in place policies that reduce the consumption of tobacco. 'At the centre of our work is always a belief in the power of young voices to keep the movement strong, honest and energised.'
India.com
2 days ago
- Health
- India.com
A New HIV Shield: One Shot Every Six Months – Could This Be The Turning Point The World's Been Waiting For?
New Delhi: A new drug that could change the way the world prevents HIV has just received the green signal from the World Health Organization (WHO). Its name is Lenacapavir. And what makes it different? You only need it twice a year. The announcement came from Kigali, Rwanda, where global health experts gathered for the 13th International AIDS Society Conference on July 14. WHO shared new global guidelines to strengthen HIV prevention, and with it, officially recommended Lenacapavir as a key tool – especially for those who face high risk every day. They include sex workers, healthcare workers and people in close contact with HIV-positive individuals. This long-acting drug is not entirely new. The United States approved it earlier. Back in 2022, it was already being used to treat HIV-affected patients. Now, WHO's decision brings it into focus as a prevention method, specifically for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, 'We still do not have a vaccine for HIV. But this drug, taken only twice a year, is the best new option we have got.' Globally, the HIV burden remains heavy. In 2024 alone, 1.3 million people were infected. Lenacapavir is being hailed as a potential game-changer for global HIV prevention, particularly among communities like sex workers, transgender individuals, people in correctional facilities, men who have sex with men and those who inject drugs, all of whom have been disproportionately affected. Funding for HIV prevention is drying up in many regions. That is why this drug, which works longer and requires fewer doses, feels like a breakthrough. Lenacapavir is a product of U.S. biopharma giant Gilead Sciences. It belongs to a class of medicines called capsid inhibitors, which disrupt multiple steps in the HIV life cycle and help block the virus from replicating. What sets it apart is its long-acting nature. Just two injections a year are enough to offer sustained protection, a significant improvement over daily pills or monthly regimens that are harder to maintain. Compared to daily pills or monthly shots, Lenacapavir offers a simple solution – two injections a year. For those facing daily exposure to risk, this could be the protection they have been waiting for. The need for such interventions has never been more urgent. Over 1.3 million people contracted HIV in 2024 alone, according to WHO data. A large share of these infections occurred in low- and middle-income countries, where preventive care is either unavailable or underfunded. As funding for HIV prevention declines globally, a low-maintenance, highly effective drug like Lenacapavir could help reverse troubling trends. Public health experts say its biannual dosage makes adherence easier, especially for people with limited access to clinics or stigmatised by their communities. While the drug is yet to be rolled out widely, WHO has urged governments and NGOs to accelerate access through partnerships with local health systems. With global focus now shifting toward long-term, low-cost solutions, Lenacapavir offers a ray of hope in a decades-long battle against HIV.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
WHO asks more countries to accept Gaza patients
Geneva: The World Health Organization on Wednesday called on more countries to accept and treat patients from the Gaza Strip after the medical evacuation of a group of mostly children to Jordan . "Today, WHO led the medical evacuation of 35 patients, mostly children, from Gaza to Jordan, accompanied by 72 family members," the UN health agency's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X. "We are grateful to the government of Jordan for its continued support and for providing specialised care to critically ill patients. "More than 10,000 people in Gaza still need medical evacuation. We urge more countries to step forward to accept patients for medical evacuations -- lives depend on it. There are many more waiting." The agency has long called for expanded medical corridors , including the full resumption of the pre-war traditional referral pathway to hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It has also said that at current rates, it would take years to evacuate all Gaza patients needing treatment. The WHO says that in Gaza, airstrikes and a lack of medical supplies, food, water and fuel have "virtually depleted" the under-resourced health system, with many hospitals out of operation and others barely functioning. The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 58,573 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Sinar Daily
3 days ago
- Health
- Sinar Daily
WHO calls on more countries to receive patients from Gaza
WHO supervised the medical evacuation of 35 patients, most of them children, from Gaza to Jordan, accompanied by 72 family members. 17 Jul 2025 07:34pm Members of the Jordanian security forces carry a young Palestinian patient out of an ambulance on his way to receive treatment at a hospital in Amman, after being evacuated from the Gaza Strip on July 16, 2025. - (Photo by KHALIL MAZRAAWI / AFP) GENEVA - The World Health Organisation (WHO) called on more countries to receive and treat patients from the Gaza Strip, following the medical evacuation of a group of patients, most of them children, to Jordan, the Palestine News and Info Agency (WAFA) reported. "The World Health Organisation supervised the medical evacuation of 35 patients, most of them children, from Gaza to Jordan, accompanied by 72 family members," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the X platform on Wednesday. "We are grateful to the Government of Jordan for its continued support and provision of specialised care to critically ill patients," he added. Palestinians inspect the destruction at a makeshift displacement camp following a reported incursion a day earlier by Israeli tanks in the area in Khan Yunis in the northern Gaza strip on July 11, 2025. - (Photo by AFP) "More than 10,000 people in Gaza still need medical evacuation," he continued. "We urge more countries to accept patients for medical evacuation - their lives depend on it. Too many are waiting," he added. The organisation renewed its call for the expansion of medical corridors, including the full resumption of the traditional referral pathway to hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which existed before the war. It added that at current rates, it will take years to evacuate all Gaza patients in need of treatment. The World Health Organisation says that airstrikes and shortages of medical supplies, food, water, and fuel in Gaza have "nearly exhausted" the already under-resourced health care system, with many hospitals out of service and other facilities barely functioning. - BERNAMA Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
CTV News
4 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
WHO asks more countries to accept Gaza patients
The World Health Organization on Wednesday called on more countries to accept and treat patients from the Gaza Strip after the medical evacuation of a group of mostly children to Jordan. 'Today, WHO led the medical evacuation of 35 patients, mostly children, from Gaza to Jordan, accompanied by 72 family members,' the UN health agency's chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X. 'We are grateful to the government of Jordan for its continued support and for providing specialised care to critically ill patients. 'More than 10,000 people in Gaza still need medical evacuation. We urge more countries to step forward to accept patients for medical evacuations -- lives depend on it. There are many more waiting.' The agency has long called for expanded medical corridors, including the full resumption of the pre-war traditional referral pathway to hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It has also said that at current rates, it would take years to evacuate all Gaza patients needing treatment. The WHO says that in Gaza, airstrikes and a lack of medical supplies, food, water and fuel have 'virtually depleted' the under-resourced health system, with many hospitals out of operation and others barely functioning. The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 58,573 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
