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In a landmark public health achievement, Fiji has been validated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for eliminating trachoma as a public health problem. Trachoma, a neglected tropical disease (NTD) and the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness, no longer poses a public health threat in the country.

Trachoma is the first NTD to be eliminated in Fiji. Fiji is the 26th country to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem and the 58th country globally to eliminate at least one NTD.

“WHO congratulates Fiji and its network of global and local partners on reaching this milestone,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Future generations of Fijians have been given a precious gift in being set free from the suffering that trachoma has inflicted on their ancestors.”

Trachoma is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis and spreads through personal contact, interactions with contaminated surfaces and on flies that have been in contact with eye or nose discharge of an infected person. Repeated infections can lead to scarring, in-turning of the eyelids, and ultimately blindness. Globally, the disease remains endemic in many vulnerable communities where access to clean water and sanitation is limited.

Fiji’s success story

“Fiji’s success in eliminating trachoma is a beacon of what’s possible when communities, governments, and partners unite behind a shared goal”, said Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific.  “This is a celebration of the power of Pacific leadership and the impact of sustained investment in health. WHO congratulates Fiji and is committed to supporting countries across the Region in advancing health for all so that no one is left behind.”

Trachoma was once a significant public health problem in Fiji, with medical reports from the 1930s and community-based surveys in the 1950s documenting widespread disease and risk of blindness. By the 1980s, the condition had declined markedly, with cataract and refractive error emerging as the main causes of vision loss.

Concern however was renewed in the 2000s, when rapid assessments suggested high levels of active trachoma in children, prompting the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to launch a comprehensive programme to better understand the situation and take necessary action.

Since 2012, Fiji has undertaken a series of robust, internationally supported surveys and studies, including population-based prevalence surveys and laboratory testing, to understand the local epidemiology of trachoma and distinguish it from other causes of eye disease. This sustained effort, integrated with school health, water and sanitation initiatives, and community awareness programmes, has confirmed that trachoma is no longer a public health problem in Fiji and that systems are in place to identify and manage future cases.

 “Fiji’s elimination of trachoma is a defining moment for health equity in the Pacific,” said Honourable Dr Ratu Atonio Rabici Lalabalavu, Minister of Health and Medical Services of Fiji.  “This achievement reflects years of coordinated action – across villages, health facilities and regional platforms – demonstrating unwavering commitment of our health- care workers, communities leading the change. As we celebrate this milestone, we call on our donors and partners in the Pacific and beyond to continue supporting accelerated action of neglected tropical diseases to address other diseases not only in Fiji, but across the Pacific”.  

Contribution to global progress

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of diseases and conditions associated with devastating health, social and economic consequences. They are mainly prevalent mostly among impoverished communities in tropical areas. WHO estimates that NTDs affect more than 1 billion people.

The targets included in the Road map for neglected tropical diseases 2021–2030 cover the prevention, control, elimination and eradication of 20 diseases and disease groups by 2030.

Since 2016, 13 Member States in the Western Pacific Region, which covers 38 countries and areas, have been validated by WHO for eliminating at least one NTD. Of these, six (Cambodia, China, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Viet Nam) have successfully eliminated trachoma as a public health problem. Trachoma elimination is part of broader progress on NTDs in Fiji and the rest of the Western Pacific Region.

WHO continues to support countries in their efforts to eliminate trachoma and other NTDs, ensuring healthier lives for all, particularly the most disadvantaged.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) have released two new additions to a series of European standards of care for HIV, which cover key aspects of HIV prevention, testing and treatment.

The World Bank Group, the Government of Japan, and the World Health Organization officially launched the Health Works Leaders Coalition. This global alliance brings together health and finance ministers, philanthropic organizations, business leaders, leaders of global health agencies, and civil society representatives with the aim of promoting investments in health systems as a strategy for economic growth, job creation, and improved resilience.

The Leaders Coalition is central to Health Works, a broader, global initiative led by the World Bank Group and partners to help countries reach 1.5 billion people with quality, affordable health services by 2030.

The Coalition aims to mobilize domestic and international investments, catalyse reform, and align partners behind scalable, government-led priorities. The Coalition is not a funding mechanism, but rather a coordinated effort to drive bold, high-impact action on health reform globally. During the inaugural meeting, held during the World Bank Group Annual Meetings, it was announced that an initial group of 21 countries will develop National Health Compacts – government-led agreements that will lay out bold reforms, investment priorities, shared accountability and unlock resources for expanding access to quality, affordable health care.

Reform priorities range from free health checkups and expansion of health insurance in Indonesia to developing a pharmaceutical strategy in Mexico aimed at creating 60 000 jobs through private sector partnerships.

The first compacts, representing a range of income levels and geographic regions, are scheduled for formal launch at the UHC High-Level Forum in Tokyo in December 2025.

The Government of Japan also announced the first group of eight countries participating in the inaugural programme of the UHC Knowledge Hub in Tokyo – a new platform designed to support national policy-makers from developing countries through capacity-building and knowledge sharing.

“Strengthening health systems in developing countries depends on cultivating health financing expertise within both health and finance ministries,” said Atsushi Mimura, Vice Minister of Finance for International Affairs at Japan’s Ministry of Finance. “Through targeted training programmes, the UHC Knowledge Hub will share Japan’s experience to build institutional capacity and support tangible reforms in health financing.”

“Sharp cuts in overseas aid are impacting health services in many nations,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “But affected countries are rising to the challenge, shifting from heavy reliance on overseas assistance to greater ownership over their health systems and futures. We must support countries to mobilize domestic resources for their health systems, especially for primary care services, and to protect the poorest from financial hardship by reducing out-of-pocket spending.”

“Our goal is ambitious: to help countries deliver quality, affordable health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030. No single institution, government, or philanthropist can achieve that alone,” said Ajay Banga, World Bank Group President. “But with aligned purpose and shared effort, it is possible. If we get this right, we can make real impact – improving health, transforming lives, strengthening economies – and creating jobs. This effort is as much an ingredient of our jobs agenda as it is a health initiative.”
 

Health Work Leaders Coalition Members:

• Egypt
• Ethiopia
• GAVI, The Vaccine Alliance
• Indonesia
• Kenya
• Nigeria
• Philippines
• Seed Global Health
• Sierra Leone
• Saint Lucia
• The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
• The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation
• United Kingdom
• WACI Health
• Wellcome Trust

National Health Compact Countries:

·         Bangladesh
·         Cambodia
·         Cote D’Ivoire
·         Egypt
·         Ethiopia
·         Fiji
·         India ·         Indonesia
·         Kenya
·         Mexico
·         Morocco
·         Nigeria
·         Philippines
·         Saint Lucia
  ·         Sierra Leone
·         Syria
·         Tajikistan
·         Tanzania
·         Uganda
·         Uzbekistan
·         Zambia
 

Initial UHC Knowledge Hub Countries:

Cambodia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Philippines

 

The meeting was held in a hybrid format at ECDC and brought together experts from the Public Health Centre of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and ECDC specialists.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) announced today a new agreement to support the digital transformation of health systems and wider adoption of WHO’s Global Digital Health Certification Network (GDHCN) in sub-Saharan Africa. This EU–WHO partnership will improve pandemic preparedness and accelerate progress towards better health and well-being for all.

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with key partners and supporters, launched version 2.0 of the Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) system, used globally for the early detection of public health threats.

Every month ECDC provides detailed epidemiological overview of the worldwide transmission of mpox in its weekly threat report.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today warns that less than one in three countries around the world has a national policy to address the growing burden of neurological disorders, responsible for over 11 million deaths globally each year. The WHO’s new Global status report on neurology released today shows that neurological conditions now affect more than 40% of the global population – over 3 billion people.

In a landmark public health achievement, the World Health Organization (WHO) has validated the Maldives for eliminating mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of hepatitis B, while maintaining its earlier validation (in 2019) for EMTCT of HIV and syphilis.

One in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections causing common infections in people worldwide in 2023 were resistant to antibiotic treatments, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report launched today. Between 2018 and 2023, antibiotic resistance rose in over 40% of the pathogen-antibiotic combinations monitored, with an average annual increase of 5–15%. 

Data reported to the WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) from over 100 countries cautions that increasing resistance to essential antibiotics poses a growing threat to global health. 

The new Global antibiotic resistance surveillance report 2025 presents, for the first time, resistance prevalence estimates across 22 antibiotics used to treat infections of the urinary and gastrointestinal tracts, the bloodstream and those used to treat gonorrhoea. The report covers 8 common bacterial pathogens – Acinetobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, non-typhoidal Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae – each linked to one or more of these infections.

The risk of antibiotic resistance varies across the world 

WHO estimates that antibiotic resistance is highest in the WHO South-East Asian and Eastern Mediterranean Regions, where 1 in 3 reported infections were resistant. In the African Region, 1 in 5 infections was resistant. Resistance is also more common and worsening in places where health systems lack capacity to diagnose or treat bacterial pathogens. 

“Antimicrobial resistance is outpacing advances in modern medicine, threatening the health of families worldwide,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “As countries strengthen their AMR surveillance systems, we must use antibiotics responsibly, and make sure everyone has access to the right medicines, quality-assured diagnostics, and vaccines. Our future also depends on strengthening systems to prevent, diagnose and treat infections and on innovating with next-generation antibiotics and rapid point-of-care molecular tests.”

Gram-negative bacterial pathogens are posing the greatest threat

The new report notes that drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria are becoming more dangerous worldwide, with the greatest burden falling on countries least equipped to respond. Among these, E. coli and K. pneumoniae are the leading drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria found in bloodstream infections. These are among the most severe bacterial infections that often result in sepsis, organ failure, and death. Yet more than 40% of E. coli and over 55% of K. pneumoniae globally are now resistant to third-generation cephalosporins, the first-choice treatment for these infections. In the African Region, resistance even exceeds 70%. 

Other essential life-saving antibiotics, including carbapenems and fluoroquinolones, are losing effectiveness against E. coli, K. pneumoniae, Salmonella, and Acinetobacter. Carbapenem resistance, once rare, is becoming more frequent, narrowing treatment options and forcing reliance on last-resort antibiotics. And such antibiotics are costly, difficult to access, and often unavailable in low- and middle-income countries.

Welcome progress in AMR surveillance – but more action needed

Country participation in GLASS has increased over four-fold, from 25 countries in 2016 to 104 countries in 2023. However, 48% of countries did not report data to GLASS in 2023 and about half of the reporting countries still lacked the systems to generate reliable data. In fact, countries facing the largest challenges lacked the surveillance capacity to assess their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) situation. 

The political declaration on AMR adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in 2024 set targets to address AMR through strengthening health systems and working with a ‘One Health’ approach coordinating across human health, animal health, and environmental sectors. To combat the growing challenge of AMR, countries must commit to strengthening laboratory systems and generating reliable surveillance data, especially from underserved areas, to inform treatments and policies.

WHO calls on all countries to report high-quality data on AMR and antimicrobial use to GLASS by 2030. Achieving this target will require concerted action to strengthen the quality, geographic coverage, and sharing of AMR surveillance data to track progress. Countries should scale up coordinated interventions designed to address antimicrobial resistance across all levels of healthcare and ensure that treatment guidelines and essential medicines lists align with local resistance patterns.

The report is accompanied by expanded digital content available in the WHO’s GLASS dashboard, which provides global and regional summaries, country profiles based on unadjusted surveillance coverage and AMR data, and detailed information on antimicrobial use.

 

From 7 to 9 October 2025, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), under the framework of the EU Health Task Force (EUHTF), organised a three-day training course on outbreak investigation tools using the R software environment.

The world is smoking less, but the tobacco epidemic is far from over. A new WHO global report shows the number of tobacco users has dropped from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024. Since 2010, the number of people using tobacco has dropped by 120 million – a 27% drop in relative terms. Yet, tobacco still hooks one in five adults worldwide, fuelling millions of preventable deaths every year.

“Millions of people are stopping, or not taking up, tobacco use thanks to tobacco control efforts by countries around the world,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “In response to this strong progress, the tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine products, aggressively targeting young people. Governments must act faster and stronger in implementing proven tobacco control policies.”

For the first time, WHO has estimated global e-cigarette use – and the numbers are alarming: more than 100 million people worldwide are now vaping. This includes:

• Adults: at least 86 million users, mostly in high-income countries.
• Adolescents: at least 15 million children (13–15 years) already using e-cigarettes. In countries with data, children are on average nine times more likely than adults to vape.

The tobacco industry is introducing an incessant chain of new products and technologies for its aim to market tobacco addiction with not just cigarettes but also e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco products among others, which all harm people’s health, and more worryingly the health of new generations, youth and adolescents.

“E-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction,” said Etienne Krug, WHO Director of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention Department. “They are marketed as harm reduction but, in reality, are hooking kids on nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress.”

More women are quitting tobacco than men

While there has been a steady decline in tobacco use for both men and women across all age-groups during 2000–2024, women have been leading the charge to quit tobacco. They hit the global reduction target for 2025 five years early, reaching the 30% milestone back in 2020. Prevalence of tobacco use among women dropped from 11% in 2010 to just 6.6% in 2024, with the number of female tobacco users falling from 277 million in 2010 to 206 million in 2024.

By contrast, men are not expected to reach the goal until 2031. Today, more than four out of five tobacco users worldwide are men, with just under 1 billion men still using tobacco. While prevalence among men has fallen from 41.4% in 2010 to 32.5% in 2024, the pace of change is too slow.

Regional picture

• South-East Asia: Once the world’s hotspot, prevalence among men nearly halved – from 70% in 2000 to 37% in 2024. The Region alone accounts for over half of the global decline.
• Africa: Prevalence is the lowest of all regions at 9.5% in 2024, and the Region is on track to meet the 30% target. However, because of population growth, the absolute number of tobacco users continues to rise.
• Americas: The Region has achieved a 36% relative reduction, with prevalence dropping to 14% in 2024, though some countries still lack sufficient data.
• Europe: This is now the highest-prevalence Region globally, with 24.1% of adults using tobacco in 2024, with women in Europe having the highest global prevalence at 17.4%.
• Eastern Mediterranean: Prevalence is 18%, with tobacco use continuing to rise in some countries.
• Western Pacific: With 22.9% of adults using tobacco in 2024, down from 25.8% in 2010, the progress in this Region is the slowest. While women have low prevalence at 2.5%, men have the highest prevalence of all regions at 43.3%.

Actions needed

WHO is urging governments everywhere to step up tobacco control. This means fully implementing and enforcing the MPOWER package and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, closing loopholes that allow the tobacco and nicotine industries to target children, and regulating new nicotine products like e-cigarettes. It also means raising tobacco taxes, banning advertising, and expanding cessation services so that millions more people can quit.

“Nearly 20% of adults people still use tobacco and nicotine products. We cannot let up now,” said Jeremy Farrar, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Care. “The world has made gains, but stronger, faster action is the only way to beat the tobacco epidemic.”
 

Note to editors

Findings of the new report titled, “WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2024 and projections 2025–2030” are based on 2034 national surveys, covering 97% of the global population. The data underpin global reporting on SDG Target 3.a and the WHO NCD Global Action Plan, which aimed for a 30% relative reduction in tobacco use by 2025. Current progress: 27% reduction, falling short by 50 million users.

 

Through landmark new guidelines released today, leading reproductive health agencies are calling for a major shift in how postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is prevented, diagnosed and treated. The recommendations highlight the urgent need for earlier detection and faster intervention – steps that could save the lives of tens of thousands of women each year.

Defined as excessive bleeding after childbirth, PPH affects millions of women annually and causes nearly 45 000 deaths, making it one of the leading causes of maternal mortality globally. Even when not fatal, it can lead to lifelong physical and mental health impacts, from major organ damage to hysterectomies, anxiety and trauma.

“Postpartum haemorrhage is the most dangerous childbirth complication since it can escalate with such alarming speed. While it is not always predictable, deaths are preventable with the right care,” said Dr Jeremy Farrar, Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Care. “These guidelines are designed to maximize impact where the burden is highest and resources are most limited – helping ensure more women survive childbirth and can return home safely to their families.”

New diagnostic criteria for rapid action

Published by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) and the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), the guidelines introduce new objective diagnostic criteria for detecting PPH, based on the largest study on the topic to date – also published today in The Lancet.

Many PPH cases occur without identifiable risk factors, meaning early detection and rapid response is critical. Yet in many settings, especially where healthcare resources and labour wards are overstretched, delays in treatment result in devastating consequences.

Typically, PPH has been diagnosed as a blood loss of 500 mL or more. Now, clinicians are also advised to act when the blood loss reaches 300 mL, and any abnormal vital signs have been observed. To diagnose PPH early, doctors and midwives are advised to monitor women closely after birth and use calibrated drapes – simple devices that collect and accurately quantify lost blood – so that they can act immediately when criteria are met.

The guidelines recommend the immediate deployment of the MOTIVE bundle of actions once PPH has been diagnosed. This includes:

• Massage of the uterus;
• Oxytocic drugs to stimulate contractions;
• Tranexamic acid (TXA) to reduce bleeding;
• Intravenous fluids;
• Vaginal and genital tract examination; and
• Escalation of care if bleeding persists.

In rare cases where bleeding continues, the guidelines recommend effective interventions such as surgery or blood transfusion to safely stabilize a woman’s condition until further treatment becomes available.

“Women affected by PPH need care that is fast, feasible, effective and drives progress towards eliminating PPH-related deaths,” said Professor Anne Beatrice Kihara, President of FIGO. “These guidelines take a proactive approach of readiness, recognition and response. They are designed to ensure real-world impact – empowering health workers to deliver the right care, at the right time, and in a wide range of contexts.”

Reducing risks through effective prevention

The guidelines emphasize the importance of good antenatal and postnatal care to mitigate critical risk factors such as anaemia, which is highly prevalent in low- and lower-middle income countries. Anaemia increases the likelihood of PPH and worsens outcomes if it occurs. Recommendations for anaemic mothers include daily oral iron and folate during pregnancy and intravenous iron transfusions when rapid correction is needed, including after PPH, or, if oral therapy fails.

The publication also discourages unsafe practices such as routine episiotomies while promoting preventive techniques like perineal massage in late pregnancy, so as to reduce the likelihood of trauma and severe bleeding after birth.

During the third stage of labour, the guidelines recommend administering a quality-assured uterotonic to support uterine contraction, preferably oxytocin or heat-stable carbetocin as an alternative. If intravenous options are not available and the cold chain is unreliable, misoprostol may be used as a last resort.

“Midwives know first-hand how quickly postpartum haemorrhage can escalate and cost lives,” said Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE, ICM’s Chief Midwife. “These guidelines are a game-changer. But to end preventable deaths from PPH, we need more than evidence and protocols. We call on governments, health systems, donors, and partners to step up, adopt these recommendations, adopt them quickly, and invest in midwives and maternal care so that postpartum haemorrhage becomes a tragedy of the past.”

The guidelines are accompanied by a suite of training and implementation resources, developed with partners including UNFPA. These tools consist of practical modules for frontline health workers, national-level guides for introducing new practices, and simulation-based training to strengthen emergency response.

These consolidated guidelines – the first to uniquely focus on PPH – are being launched at the 2025 FIGO World Congress in Cape Town, South Africa. They are a crucial step in the implementation of the Global roadmap to combat postpartum haemorrhage between 2023 and 2030.
 

Notes for editors

The guidelines contain 51 recommendations, drawing together existing and new evidence-based recommendations relevant to preventing, diagnosing and treating PPH.

A new study from WHO and the UN Special Programme on Human Reproduction (HRP) on diagnostic accuracy of indicators of serious postpartum bleeding involving over 300 000 women across 23 countries was also published today in The Lancet:

Gallos I, Williams CR, Price MJ, Tobias A, Devall A, Allotey J et al. Prognostic accuracy of clinical markers of postpartum bleeding in predicting maternal mortality or severe morbidity: a WHO individual participant data meta-analysis. Lancet. 2025 (https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01639-3).

A commentary on the guidelines is also published today in the Lancet Global Health: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(25)00404-8/fulltext 

Funding for the guideline was provided through the Gates Foundation.

 

Are you interested in a career in field epidemiology or public health microbiology? Apply now for the ECDC Fellowship Programme (EPIET/EUPHEM) Cohort 2026.

Vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) reduce the risk of infection in older adults and infants, according to a new Cochrane review.

ECDC publishes first-ever guidelines for the EU/EEA to ensure the safety of all blood, tissue, and cell donations.

ECDC has released a new form for clinicians to help ensure patients with tuberculosis (TB) can continue their treatment without interruption when moving between countries. This form provides a standardised communication channel across the EU/EEA.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced its recommendations for the viral composition of influenza vaccines for use in the 2026 influenza season in the southern hemisphere. The announcement was made at an Information Meeting after a 4-day Consultation on the Composition of Influenza Virus Vaccines.

WHO Member States are actively progressing with the development of the Pathogens Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system, a key component of the WHO Pandemic Agreement aimed at ensuring equitable and timely sharing of pathogen materials and related benefits. This work follows the historic adoption of the WHO Pandemic Agreement and amendments to the International Health Regulations, marking significant steps toward global pandemic preparedness.

World leaders have expressed overwhelming support for the text of the first United Nations global political declaration on responding to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health in an integrated manner. The declaration, negotiated during a five-month intergovernmental process, will be considered at the 80th session of the General Assembly for final approval in October 2025.