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Ahead of World Malaria Day on 25 April, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced a significant step forward in the fight against malaria with the prequalification of the first treatment developed specifically for newborns and young infants weighing between two and five kilograms. The prequalification designation indicates that the medicine meets international standards of quality, safety and efficacy, and will help to expand access to quality-assured treatment for one of the most underserved patient groups.

The newly prequalified treatment, artemether-lumefantrine, is the first antimalarial formulation designed specifically for the youngest malaria patients. Until now, infants with malaria have been treated with formulations intended for older children, which increase the risk of dosing errors, side effects and toxicity. WHO prequalification will enable public sector procurement, contributing to closing a long-standing treatment gap for some 30 million babies born each year in malaria-endemic areas of Africa.

"For centuries, malaria has stolen children from their parents, and health, wealth and hope from communities," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "But today, the story is changing. New vaccines, diagnostic tests, next-generation mosquito nets and effective medicines, including those adapted for the youngest, are helping to turn the tide. Ending malaria in our lifetime is no longer a dream – it is a real possibility, but only with sustained political and financial commitment. Now we can. Now we must."

New prequalified tests

On 14 April 2026, WHO also prequalified three new rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) designed to address emerging diagnostic challenges for malaria. The most common malaria RDTs for P.falciparum parasite work by detecting the protein, known as HRP2. But based on reported studies and surveys in 46 countries, some strains of the malaria parasite have lost the gene that makes this protein – so they become "invisible" to HRP2-based RDTs, leading to false-negative results. In countries in the Horn of Africa, up to 80% of cases were missed, leading to delayed treatment, severe illness, and even death.

The new tests address this issue by targeting a different parasite protein (pf-LDH) that the malaria parasite cannot easily shed. They provide a reliable, quality-assured alternative where HRP2-based tests are failing. WHO now recommends that countries switch to these alternative RDTs when more than 5% of cases are missed due to pf-hrp2 deletions. This ensures accurate diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and protects hard-won malaria control gains – especially for the most vulnerable communities.

The announcements come as WHO and partners launch the 2026 World Malaria Day campaign, "Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must." The theme is a rallying cry to seize the moment – to protect lives now and fund a malaria-free future.

According to the World malaria report 2025, there were an estimated 282 million cases and 610 000 deaths in 2024 – an increase from 2023. While 47 countries have been certified malaria-free and 37 countries reported fewer than 1000 cases in 2024, progress at the global level is stalling. Gains are at risk due to multiple challenges, including drug resistance, insecticide resistance, diagnostic failure, and severe reductions in international development assistance.

Despite these challenges, substantial progress has been made, with an estimated 2.3 billion malaria infections prevented and 14 million lives saved worldwide since 2000.

Twenty-five countries are now rolling out malaria vaccines, protecting millions of children, and next-generation mosquito nets make up 84% of all new nets distributed. These advances demonstrate what is possible when all partners work together to innovate and deliver on the promises towards ending malaria for all.
 

About WHO

Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the UN agency for health that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in 150+ locations – leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.

“Together for health. Stand with science”, the theme of World Health Day 2026 marks a year-long campaign to highlight science as the foundation for protecting health and well-being worldwide.

 

• The Big Catch-Up, launched during World Immunization Week 2023, has delivered over 100 million vaccine doses to an estimated 18.3 million children across 36 countries
  
• Around 12.3 million were “zero-dose children” who had not previously received any vaccines and 15 million who had never received a measles vaccine. 
  
• The initiative concluded in March 2026 and is on track to meet its target of catching up 21 million children – but agencies warn that many infants still miss out on lifesaving vaccines through routine immunization every year.

The Big Catch-Up (BCU), a historic multi-year, multi-country effort to address vaccination declines driven largely by the COVID-19 pandemic, has reached an estimated 18.3 million children aged 1 to 5 across 36 countries with more than 100 million doses of life-saving vaccines, helping to narrow critical immunity gaps, announced Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), WHO, and UNICEF at the start of World Immunization Week.

Of the 18.3 million children reached between 2023 and 2025, an estimated 12.3 million were “zero-dose children” who had not yet received a vaccine and 15 million had never received a measles vaccine. BCU also provided 23 million doses of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) to un- and under-vaccinated children, an essential intervention to reach polio eradication. Programme implementation concluded on 31 March 2026. Although final data is still being compiled, the global initiative is forecasted to be on track to meet its target of reaching at least 21 million un- and under-immunized children.

However, agencies warn that while catch-up vaccination is an important strategy for closing immunisation gaps, expanding the reach of routine immunization programmes remains the most effective and sustainable way to protect children and prevent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.

Addressing the vaccine equity gap

Beyond pandemic recovery, the BCU initiative focused on closing the vaccine equity gap. Millions of children every year miss the essential vaccinations they should receive before the age of one. Most of them live in fragile, conflict-affected, or underserved communities and are never caught up as they grow older.

The 36 participating BCU countries across Africa and Asia currently account for 60% of all zero-dose worldwide. Pandemic-related immunisation programme disruptions exacerbated this issue, and, in these countries, added millions more zero-dose children to those who already chronically miss out. To address this issue, the Big Catch-Up looked beyond infant immunization, for the first-time ever systematically leveraging routine immunisation systems to make deep inroads into the accumulated global cohort of older children between the ages of 1 to 5 – “older” because they should have received critical routine vaccines before the age of 1 – who remain vulnerable due to missed vaccinations.

BCU catalysed long-lasting systems to identify, screen, vaccinate and monitor coverage rates in these older children – including updates to policies on age eligibility. Countries also oriented and trained health workers to identify, screen and vaccinate missed children as part of routine care and engaged with communities and civil society to support catch-up efforts. By expanding the reach of immunization to millions of previously missed children and their communities, and investing in systemic improvements, the BCU drive has made it easier for the countries to ensure these populations and others like them continue to receive essential health and immunization services in the future.

Among the participating countries, 12 countries (Burkina Faso, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Niger, Pakistan, Somalia, Togo, United Republic of Tanzania, and Zambia) reported reaching more than 60% of all zero-dose children under the age of 5 who had previously missed DTP1. In Ethiopia, more than 2.5 million previously zero-dose children received DTP1. The country also delivered nearly 5 million doses of IPV and more than 4 million doses of measles vaccine, among other key vaccines, to un- and under-vaccinated children. Countries outside this group also reached large numbers of children. In Nigeria, for example, 2 million previously zero-dose children were reached with DTP1, and 3.4 million doses of IPV were administered alongside millions of doses of other vaccines.

While these 36 countries received Gavi funding and technical assistance from WHO and UNICEF through BCU, many other countries also implemented activities during this period to accelerate efforts to catch-up missed children and recover immunisation services following pandemic-related backsliding.

“As the largest ever international effort to reach missed children with life-saving vaccines, the Big Catch-Up shows what is possible when governments, partners and communities work together to protect the most vulnerable in society,” said Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “Thanks to this accomplishment, not only are millions of children now protected from preventable diseases but so are their communities, for generations to come.” 

"By protecting children who missed out on vaccinations because of disruptions to health services caused by COVID-19, the Big Catch-Up has helped to undo one of the pandemic's major negative consequences," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “The success of the Big Catch-Up is a testament to health workers and national immunization programmes, which are now better equipped to find and vaccinate children missed by routine services."   

"Vaccinations save lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.  “This initiative shows what's possible when countries have the resources, tools, and political will to reach children with lifesaving vaccines. We've caught up with some of the children who missed routine vaccinations during the pandemic – but many more remain out of reach. The gains made through the Big Catch-Up must be sustained through investment in strong, reliable immunisation systems, especially at a time where measles is resurging."

Looking at the challenges ahead

Through the Big Catch-Up, for the first time ever, countries and global partners successfully reached 12.3 million “older” zero dose children between the ages of 1 to 5. However, in 2024, an estimated 14.3 million infants under the age of one globally failed to receive a single vaccine through routine immunization programmes. Despite BCU demonstrating progress is possible with leadership and targeted investment and support, lowering this annual number of infants who miss out will require building systems that consistently reach the hardest to reach communities – against a backdrop of rising birth cohorts, conflict and displacement, funding cuts, and strained health systems.

The consequences of chronic gaps in routine immunisation are plain to see. Measles outbreaks, for example, are rising in every region with around 11 million cases in 2024, and the number of countries facing large outbreaks has almost tripled since 2021. This surge is driven by persistent gaps in measles vaccination through routine immunization programmes, compounded by declining vaccine confidence in some previously high-coverage communities.

Large-scale catch-up efforts are resource intensive and should serve only as a gap-filling measure that is complementary to routine immunization. Timely vaccination according to national immunisation schedules provides optimal protection and continues to be the most sustainable way to safeguard children and communities.

For every generation, vaccines work

WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, along with countries and communities, are marking World Immunization Week (24–30 April 2026) with a joint campaign, "For every generation, vaccines work," calling on countries to sustain and expand vaccination coverage at every age. At the midpoint of the Immunisation Agenda 2030 (IA2030), and central to Gavi's 2026–2030 strategy (Gavi 6.0), the priority remains the same: reaching zero-dose children and advancing equity in the hardest-to-reach communities, particularly in countries grappling with conflict, instability, or fragile health systems. Maintaining that momentum will require expanding long-term domestic investments in immunization programmes and reliable commitments from partners and donors.

 Notes to editorsUseful links

• Photos and broll - UNICEF
• WHO catch up immunisation
• The Big Catch-Up: An Essential Immunisation Recovery Plan for 2023 and Beyond

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organisations that fund Gavi’s work here.

Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 1.2 billion children – and prevented more than 20.6 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 78 lower‑income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningococcal and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation, above all the zero-dose children who have not received even a single vaccine shot. The Vaccine Alliance employs innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube.

About UNICEF

UNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, works to protect the rights of every child, everywhere, especially the most disadvantaged children and in the toughest places to reach. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive, and fulfil their potential.

 For more information about UNICEF and its work, please visit: www.unicef.org Follow UNICEF on X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube

About WHO

Dedicated to the health and well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere, an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the UN agency for health. We connect nations, partners and people on the front lines in 150+ locations – leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. www.who.int   

 

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Algeria as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making it the 10th country in WHO’s African Region and the 29th country globally to achieve this significant milestone.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released its Results Report, highlighting measurable improvements in people’s health worldwide in 2025, despite funding cuts affecting both the organization and the broader global health sector.

Published at a pivotal moment for global health, the Results Report demonstrates that WHO’s impact was strongest in areas where its technical leadership and comparative advantage were fully leveraged.

The report finds significant progress across all three “Triple Billion” targets under WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW13) for 2019–2025.

• an estimated 567 million additional people were covered by essential health services without experiencing catastrophic health spending in 2025, compared with the baseline in 2018 – an increase of 136 million since 2024;
• an estimated 698 million additional people were better protected from health emergencies in 2025, compared with the baseline in 2018 – an increase of 61 million since 2024; and
• an estimated 1.75 billion additional people living healthier lives in 2025, compared with the baseline in 2018 – an increase of 300 million since 2024.

Despite this progress, the report cautions that important ambitions remain unmet, leaving with the world off track to meet the health-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Nevertheless, this final snapshot under GPW 13 provides clear evidence of the value of a strong and sustainably financed WHO, reflecting enduring collaboration between WHO and its Member States at global, regional and country levels.

“The Results Report 2025 shows that with support from WHO and partners, countries have delivered tangible benefits for millions of people,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “At the same time, these gains cannot be taken for granted. Protecting and expanding them will require sustained support and investment, so that together we can continue advancing the vision set out in WHO’s Constitution: the highest attainable standard of health as a right for all.”

The WHO Results Report is released annually ahead of the World Health Assembly to assess progress and review achievements and challenges in implementing WHO’s programme budget.

Compared with previous editions, the 2025 report features stronger evidence-based reporting and clearer prioritization across country, regional and global levels, providing a more data-driven picture of where progress has been made and where further effort is needed. The full report will be presented by the Director-General at the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly (18–23 May 2026).

Significant impact and areas of improvement

This latest Results Report shows meaningful – but incomplete – progress across 46 outcome indicators and 121 output indicators that are specifically focused on the performance of the WHO Secretariat. These indicators are aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development reflecting joint accountability between WHO and its Member States.

Overall, approximately half of the output indicators were not achieved, particularly in emergency-prone and resource-constrained settings. For all three targets, financial pressures and WHO’s realignment process had several immediate consequences, such as reduced human resource capacity for delivery, limited technical support, and slowing programme implementation.

Progress towards universal health coverage was driven by expanded coverage of services for communicable diseases, including HIV and tuberculosis, prevention of bacterial diseases through improved sanitation and an expanding health workforce. However, gaps persist in areas such as diabetes management, measles surveillance and financial protection.

Progress under protection from health emergencies reflects advances in pandemic preparedness, early warning systems, prevention and response capacity. These gains were supported in part by the adopted Pandemic Agreement and the revised International Health Regulations. Areas requiring complex implementation – such as disease detection, emergency response, and polio eradication and transition – remain more challenging, reflecting constraints in country capacity, financing and operations.

Progress towards better health and well-being was driven by improvements in access to clean household energy, water, sanitation and hygiene, and reductions in air pollution, tobacco use and alcohol consumption. WHO’s global guidance, technical tools, standards and networks played a significant role in supporting these achievements.

Examples of achievements in 2025

The Results Report highlights several areas where WHO’s technical leadership and convening role delivered clear impact:

• antimicrobial resistance: expanded surveillance and evidence generation through the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS), for policy-decision making;
• mental health: strengthened emergency mental health and psychosocial support systems, increasing country coverage from 28% to 48%;
• HPV vaccination: expanded vaccine coverage with simplified single-dose schedules, raising global coverage from 17% in 2019 to 31% in 2024;
• pandemic preparedness: adoption of the Pandemic Agreement and amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR), to ensure that the world is better prepared for future pandemics;
• humanitarian response: responded to 66 emergencies across 88 countries in 2025; delivering for instance 33 million medical consultations through health partners in Gaza.
• environmental health: updated global air pollution roadmap to cut deaths attributed to poor air quality by 50% by 2040; and
• One Health: strengthened high-level engagement and multisectoral dialogue and collaboration through the Quadripartite partnership, to better protect people, animals and the planet from future health crises.

Looking ahead

The report notes that a large share of WHO’s funding remains highly earmarked for specific thematic areas, which continues to limit strategic allocation in line with organizational priorities.

As the global financial landscape becomes more constrained, sustained and flexible financing will be essential to safeguard health gains, reduce persistent inequities, and enable WHO to deliver on its mandate – particularly in countries and communities most in need – for a healthier, safer, and fairer world for all.

Editor’s note

Established under GPW 13, WHO’s Triple Billion targets aimed to ensure that, by the end of 2025 compared with 2018 levels, one billion more people benefit from universal health coverage; one billion more people are better protected from health emergencies; and one billion more people enjoy better health and well-being.

 

In a landmark achievement for Caribbean public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) congratulates The Bahamas for becoming the latest Caribbean nation to be certified as having eliminated the mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

“I congratulate The Bahamas on this outstanding achievement, which solidifies years of political commitment, and the dedication of health workers,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “By ensuring that children are born free of HIV, we are securing a healthier, brighter future for the next generation.”

“This achievement reflects sustained political commitment and strong national leadership, alongside the dedication and compassion of the health workforce,” said Dr Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and WHO Regional Director for the Americas. “As we look ahead, this milestone is not only a moment of national pride but also an opportunity to build on this success, advancing efforts to end HIV and other communicable diseases as public health threats across the Caribbean and the Americas.”

Foundations of success

The Bahamas achieved this milestone by pioneering a comprehensive and inclusive health-care model. Key to this success has been the provision of universal antenatal care to all pregnant women, regardless of nationality or legal status, across both public and private facilities. This approach is supported by a strong, integrated laboratory network and a rigorous testing protocol that screens women at their first antenatal appointment and again in the third trimester.

Elimination of mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) interventions in The Bahamas are fully integrated into antenatal care standards and norms and implemented under the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) programme. MCH coordinates with the National Infectious Disease Programme, which oversees the prevention and treatment of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). This includes the introduction of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention, also offered to pregnant women. To ensure continuity of care, the health system maintains adequate monitoring for HIV-positive mothers and exposed infants, provides multi-month dispensing of antiretroviral medicines, and offers STI treatment and family planning services free of charge.

“For years, The Bahamas have been working very hard to address the situation of HIV/AIDS,” said Dr Michael Darville, Minister of Health and Wellness of The Bahamas. “A lot of people have been involved in us achieving this great milestone – our nurses in our public health system, our nurses and doctors in our tertiary health-care system and, by extension, all of the clinics spread throughout our archipelago.”

From Cuba, the first country in the world to be certified, and Brazil – certified last year, The Bahamas now joins a prestigious group of 12 countries and territories in the Region of the Americas at the forefront of the EMTCT movement. The Bahamas will continue efforts to sustain these standards through integrated primary care and continuous surveillance.

The road to elimination

To receive WHO certification, countries must prove they have sustained the following:

• reducing the mother-to-child transmission rate of HIV to less than 2%;
• achieving fewer than 5 new pediatric HIV infections per 1000 live births; and
• maintaining 95% or higher coverage for antenatal care, HIV testing, and treatment for pregnant women.

“Latin America and the Caribbean has long been a beacon of progress in this global effort. From Cuba – the first country in the world to be certified – to Brazil’s certification last year, and now to The Bahamas, the region continues to lead with ambition and determination. Today, more than half of all countries and territories that have achieved elimination are from this region. This is a legacy of leadership that inspires the world,” said Anurita Bains, Global Associate Director for HIV/AIDS at UNICEF.

“The Bahamas are showing that eliminating mother-to-child transmission HIV and other sexually transmitted infections is possible,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director. “This achievement reflects political will for steady investment in primary health care and the work of health teams and people living with and most affected by HIV. When women can test early in pregnancy, start treatment quickly, and stay in care, every child has a better chance of being born free of HIV and other STIs.”

The Bahamas’ success is part of the broader EMTCT Plus Initiative, which aims to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B, and congenital Chagas disease. Implemented in collaboration with UNICEF and UNAIDS, the initiative is embedded within PAHO’s Elimination Initiative, a regional effort to eliminate more than 30 communicable diseases and related conditions in the Americas by 2030.

After 15 years of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programmes across Europe, growing evidence confirms their long-term effectiveness. A new report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on HPV vaccination programmes in the European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA) highlights steady progress in cancer prevention efforts across the EU/EEA.

European Immunization Week (EIW) is an initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness about the vital role immunisation plays to prevent diseases and protect life. This year’s EIW runs from 19-25 April.

Three years of war in Sudan have created the world’s largest humanitarian and displacement crisis, with devastating consequences for people’s health.

While the situation is improving in some states, the health crisis is deepening in areas where fighting continues. Disease outbreaks and malnutrition are rising, while access to health services shrink, and funding falls short.

Nearly 34 million people need humanitarian assistance, including 21 million in need of health assistance.  Over 4 million people are estimated to be acutely malnourished in 2026 (IPC Alert, 5 February 2026) making them vulnerable to medical complications and disease.

Disease outbreaks are widespread, with malaria, dengue, measles, polio (cVDPV2), hepatitis E, meningitis, and diphtheria reported from several states, including Al Jazirah, Darfur, Gedaref, Khartoum, Kordofan, River Nile, and White Nile states.

Across Sudan’s 18 states, 37% of health facilities remain non-functional. Health facilities, ambulances, patients and health workers have been repeatedly attacked, further reducing access to health care, particularly in conflict-affected areas where hospitals are only partially functioning or have closed due to the destruction of facilities and equipment. WHO has verified 217 attacks on health care, since 15 April 2023, with 2052 deaths and 810 injuries.

“The war in Sudan is devastating lives and denying people their most basic rights, including health, water, food and safety. The health system has been crippled, leaving millions without essential health care,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Doctors and health workers can save lives, but they must have safe places to work and the medicines and supplies they need. Ultimately, the best medicine is peace.”

In the Greater Darfur and Kordofan regions, fighting has forced people from their homes and severely restricted the movement of humanitarian supplies. An example of this is the recent attack on El Daein Teaching Hospital in East Darfur, which has further compounded the crisis, resulting in at least 64 deaths, including children and health workers, and rendering the hospital non-functional. The hospital served as a critical referral hospital for hundreds of thousands of people across East Darfur.

“Three years in conflict have turned Sudan into the world’s largest ongoing health crisis, where disease is spreading, malnutrition is rising, and access to health care is rapidly declining,” said WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy. “With millions lacking basic medical care, facing hunger, and at risk of disease, Sudan’s health crisis continues to deepen, emphasizing the urgent need for humanitarian support and long-term solutions. We remain committed to the people of Sudan.”

With services suspended, patients in urgent need of care are forced to undertake long and dangerous journeys to reach the nearest functioning health facilities. Repeated attacks on health care in the Kordofans have also destroyed health facilities, and have had a similar human toll, with injuries and deaths of patients, including children.

“WHO has been on the ground since the start of the conflict, with supplies, disease surveillance, training and coordination,” said Dr Shible Sahbani, WHO Representative to Sudan. “As access to some areas opens up, we are stepping up efforts to support early recovery and rehabilitation of the health system alongside the humanitarian response.” 

WHO is supporting the supply chain for essential medicines, medical supplies and equipment, strengthening the health workforce and has helped restore key public health services, including state and national reference laboratories.  Since April 2023, WHO has delivered over 3300 metric tons of medicines and medical supplies, including supplies for cholera, malaria, nutrition, and trauma care.

WHO-supported services have helped provide essential health care to more than 4.1 million people through primary health care centres, mobile clinics and hospitals. WHO also supported the treatment of over 118 000 children with complicated severe acute malnutrition, and vaccination campaigns, reaching more than 46 million children and adults with cholera, polio, diphtheria, measles and rubella vaccines.  Malaria vaccines were also introduced; Sudan being the first country in the region to include malaria vaccines in the routine immunization programme.

WHO worked closely with the Federal and State Ministries of Health and partners to contain two cholera outbreaks. The most recent one was declared over in March 2026, following a sustained response lasting more than a year, including oral cholera vaccination campaigns reaching 24.5 million people.

WHO acknowledges the financial support of donors and development partners, whose generosity has ensured the provision of medical supplies, equipment, operational support and technical assistance.

WHO reiterates its commitment to the health of everyone, everywhere in Sudan. To ensure this, WHO calls for unrestricted and safe access to all areas of Sudan, for the protection of health care, and for sustained humanitarian and long-term funding. 

Peace is long overdue for Sudan. Without peace, health cannot be attained.

The call for abstracts for the ESCAIDE 2026 is open until 18 May.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has convened the historic first Global Forum of Collaborating Centres—one of the world’s largest and most diverse public health networks—bringing together representatives from over 800 institutions designated as WHO Collaborating Centres (CCs) across more than 80 countries.

ECDC, in partnership with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the Health Information Systems Program South Africa (HISP SA), are piloting a mobile application for event-based surveillance to enable the rapid collection and assessment of information about events that may signal a public health threat.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and France hosted the One Health Summit on World Health Day 2026, announcing new initiatives to protect human, animal, and environmental health through the One Health approach. The Summit highlighted urgent global challenges such as climate change, zoonotic diseases, and health inequities, aiming to prevent future health crises by fostering cross-sector collaboration and scientific guidance.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today calls on people everywhere to renew their commitment to working together and supporting science as the twin engines driving better health, under the World Health Day 2026 theme: “Together for health. Stand with science.” The campaign marks the anniversary of WHO’s founding on 7 April 1948, launching a year-long public health campaign.

ECDC together with the Latvian national authorities and the EU Health Task Force (EUHTF), completed an After-Action Review (AAR) to strengthen future preparedness and response to leptospirosis and other zoonotic disease outbreaks.

On 17 March 2026, ECDC supported a simulation exercise in Brussels, Belgium, designed to explore cross-sectoral collaboration and coordination when responding to a potential viral haemorrhagic fever outbreak.

Every month ECDC provides detailed epidemiological overview of the worldwide transmission of chikungunya virus disease in its weekly threat report (Communicable Diseases Threat Report).

Every month ECDC provides detailed epidemiological overview of the worldwide transmission of dengue in its weekly threat report (Communicable Diseases Threat Report).

WHO Member States have agreed to extend negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement, with discussions to resume in late‑April ahead of its scheduled consideration by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) hosted a joint workshop, bringing together ECDC Management Board members and ECDC National Focal Points for Preparedness and Response to take stock of progress with the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Assessments* (PHEPA) that are being conducted by ECDC across the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) countries.

WHO reports a major shift in how countries are responding to the health needs of refugees and migrants, with new data showing more than 60 countries – two thirds of those surveyed – now include them in their national health policies and laws.