In The News

WHO Warns of Mutating Bird Flu

January 22, 2004
A bird flu virus has the World Health Organization concerned. The extent to which the virus has spread across Asia has officials worried that if the virus mutates another major epidemic could be at hand. Already, one human case of the disease has been reported in Thailand. Given the impact of SARS last year, the worries of an influenza pandemic spreading quickly are well-founded. China has not...

WHO Unveils Plan to Fight HIV and AIDS

David Brown December 1, 2003
A program that was deemed "too ambitious" two years ago is set to be implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO). By providing instruction, expertise, and written documents, as well as calling for the training of 100,000 workers for 10,000 clinics, the WHO hopes to provide 3 million people with AIDS treatment by 2005. The WHO will not pay for the treatment itself, but it hopes...

SARS Proved Health is Global Public Good

Michael Merson September 24, 2003
When SARS was first reported by China to the World Health Organization last February, the world was little prepared for the consequences that were to follow from that pneumonia-like disease. We are only now beginning to understand the toll the disease took on individuals as well as entire economies and societies. Dr. Michael Merson, dean of Yale University's School of Public Health, says...

SARS: Down but Still a Threat

August 31, 2003
In a recently released report on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) the Central Intelligence Agency says that although the Sars wave has been overcome it has not been eradicated. Despite the announcement by the World Health Organization that on 5 July the disease was contained, the agency says that many health experts fear it could return again in the fall when cooler temperatures return...

Coping With the Newest Threat to Global Health - Fat

Derek Yach August 26, 2003
Obesity is as great a threat to global health as malnutrition, says Derek Yach, the Representative of the Director-General of the WHO. One billion people -or one out of six --are overweight worldwide - the same number as are malnourished - and some 300 million of those are clinically obese, leading to a global rise in chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes....

India Tries to Contain Tempest Over Soft Drink Safety

Amy Waldman August 23, 2003
Coca-Cola and Pepsi are teaming up in India to restore consumer confidence. New Delhi's busy INA market place – which sells everything from Oreos cookie made in China to "Hot Eats" of North India – had posters proclaiming the safety of Cola products. The campaign comes after a respected NGO issued a report stating that 12 leading soft drink brands – all owned by Coca-Cola or...