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The latest survey from ECDC, the fourth of its kind, confirms that Candidozyma auris (formerly Candida auris) continues to spread quickly across European hospitals.

From 25–29 August , 48 fellows from European epidemiological training programmes and 34 facilitators gathered at the Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) in Lisbon, Portugal to strengthen their scientific communication skills as part of the 2025 Project Review Module.

ECDC has launched a new public dashboard for ‘Upcoming scientific outputs’. The searchable dashboard presents all the main scientific outputs currently under development by the Centre.

Mosquitoes are key vectors of diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika, making their surveillance vital for public health. Madagascar faces rising threats from arboviruses, but lacks robust monitoring systems. In December 2024, Natalia Marta Zmarlak-Feher from the Robert Koch Institute helped launch mosquito surveillance and arbovirus diagnostics as part of a global health initiative.

This year’s World Field Epidemiology Day, held on 7 September, focus on the concrete impact that field epidemiologists have in preventing, detecting, and responding to health threats.

Since the beginning of 2025, and as of 1 September 2025, 11 MERS cases have been reported in Saudi Araba with date of onset in 2025, including two fatalities.

Today, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released updated editions of its Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc), adding new treatments for various types of cancer and for diabetes with associated comorbidities such as obesity. Medicines for cystic fibrosis, psoriasis, haemophilia and blood-related disorders are among the other additions.

WHO EML and EMLc include medicines for priority health needs of populations. They are adopted in over 150 countries, serving as a basis for public sector procurement, supply of medicines and health insurance, reimbursement schemes. The revisions mark the 24th edition of WHO EML and 10th edition of EMLc.

“The new editions of essential medicines lists mark a significant step toward expanding access to new medicines with proven clinical benefits and with high potential for global public health impact,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, Assistant Director-General for Health Systems, Access and Data.

Launched in 1977 largely to promote better access to medicines in developing countries, the WHO Model Lists have become a trusted global policy tool for decisions related to the selection and universal coverage of medicines within all health systems.

The WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines reviewed 59 applications, including 31 proposals for the addition of new medicines or medicine classes. As a result, 20 new medicines were added to the EML and 15 to the EMLc, along with new use indications for seven already-listed products. The updated lists now include a total of 523 essential medicines for adults and 374 for children, reflecting the most pressing public health needs.

Cancer medicines

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, claiming nearly 10 million lives each year and responsible for almost one in three premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases. Cancer treatments have been a major focus of the WHO EML for the past decade. With cancer medicines accounting today for about half of all new drug approvals by regulatory agencies, the Expert Committee applies rigorous criteria to recommend only those therapies that offer the greatest clinical benefit. As a result, few approved cancer medicines are included – only those proven to prolong life by at least 4-6 months.

Seven applications encompassing 25 cancer medicines were evaluated. As part of broader efforts to reduce inequities in cancer care, the Committee recommended increasing access to PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitors, a class of immunotherapy medicines that help the body’s immune system recognize and attack cancer cells more effectively. Pembrolizumab was added to the EML as a first-line monotherapy for metastatic cervical cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. For the latter, atezolizumab and cemiplimab are included as therapeutic alternatives.

The Committee also considered several expert-recommended strategies – highlighted in the cancer experts report – aimed at improving access to and affordability of cancer treatments. It endorsed evidence-based clinical and health system strategies, including dose optimisation approaches, to improve access. The Committee emphasized that while health system reforms require time and government action, clinical strategies can be implemented immediately to deliver faster benefits, especially in resource-limited settings.

Medicines for diabetes and obesity

Diabetes and obesity are two of the most urgent health challenges facing the world today. Over 800 million people were living with diabetes in 2022, with half going untreated. At the same time, more than 1 billion people worldwide are affected by obesity, and rates are rising especially fast in low- and middle-income countries. These two conditions are closely linked and can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease and kidney failure.

The WHO Expert Committee reviewed strong scientific evidence showing that a group of medicines called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists can help people with type 2 diabetes – especially those who also have heart or kidney disease – by improving blood sugar control, reducing the risk of heart and kidney complications, supporting weight loss, and even lowering the risk of early death.

GLP-1 receptor agonists – semaglutide, dulaglutide and liraglutide – and the GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) dual receptor agonist (tirzepatide) have been added to the EML. They are used as glucose lowering therapy for adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus with established cardiovascular disease or chronic kidney disease and obesity (defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30kg/m2). This provides clear guidance to countries on which patients can benefit most from these therapies.

High prices of medicines like semaglutide and tirzepatide are limiting access to these medicines. Prioritizing those who would benefit most, encouraging generic competition to drive down prices and making these treatments available in primary care – especially in underserved areas – are key to expanding access and improving health outcomes. WHO will continue monitoring developments, support fair pricing strategies, and help countries improve access to these life-changing treatments.

“A large share of out-of-pocket spending on noncommunicable diseases goes toward medicines, including those classified as essential and that, in principle, should be financially accessible to everyone,” said Deusdedit Mubangizi, WHO Director of Policy and Standards for Medicines and Health Products. “Achieving equitable access to essential medicines requires a coherent health system response backed by strong political will, multisectoral cooperation, and people-centred programmes that leave no one behind.”

More details of the Expert Committee’s recommendations, describing the additions, changes and removal of medicines and formulations, and decisions not to recommend medicines are available in the Executive Summary here.

Note to editors

The meeting of the 25th WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines was held at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5 to 9 May 2025. The Expert Committee considered a total of 59 applications, assessing the scientific evidence on each medicine’s effectiveness, safety, comparative cost, and overall cost-effectiveness to inform its recommendations. The Committee also considered proposals relating to the definitions and update of the AWaRe (Access, Watch, Reserve) classification of antibiotics.

The Model Lists are updated every two years by an Expert Committee, made up of recognized specialists from academia, research and the medical and pharmaceutical professions, to address new health challenges, prioritize highly effective therapeutics and improve affordable access.

Mosquitoes are key vectors of diseases like malaria, dengue, and Zika, making their surveillance vital for public health. Madagascar faces rising threats from arboviruses, but lacks robust monitoring systems. In December 2024, Natalia Marta Zmarlak-Feher from the Robert Koch Institute helped launch mosquito surveillance and arbovirus diagnostics as part of a global health initiative.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) published its environmental statement (EMAS) for 2024. It shows that the implementation of EMAS had led to clear improvements in terms of ECDC’s overall environmental impact and specific targets.

More than 1 billion people are living with mental health disorders, according to new data released by the World Health Organization (WHO). The new findings published in two reports – World mental health today and Mental Health Atlas 2024 – highlight some areas of progress while exposing significant gaps in addressing mental health conditions worldwide.

More than half a million people in Gaza are trapped in famine, marked by widespread starvation, destitution and preventable deaths, according to a new Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis released today. FAO, UNICEF, WFP and WHO reiterate call for immediate ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian access to curb deaths from hunger and malnutrition.

ECDC has warned that record breaking outbreaks of West Nile virus (WNV) infection and chikungunya virus disease point to a ‘new normal’ in Europe.

The WHO and WMO have released a comprehensive technical report and guidance addressing the escalating global health and economic risks posed by extreme heat, particularly in the workplace. This guidance builds on five decades of research and responds to the record-breaking temperatures of recent years, with 2023 being the hottest year on record.

The EU Health Task Force (EUHTF) has deployed two ECDC experts to Freetown, Sierra Leone, via the DG ECHO Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to support the national response to the ongoing mpox clade IIb outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially designated Health Canada, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare/Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (MHLW/PMDA) of Japan, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of the United Kingdom as WHO-Listed Authorities (WLAs), a status granted to national authorities that meet the highest international regulatory standards for medical products.

EUDA and ECDC have jointly produced a European toolkit for the elimination of viral hepatitis in prisons.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Kenya as having eliminated human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness as a public health problem, making it the tenth country to reach this important milestone. HAT is the second neglected tropical disease (NTD) to be eliminated in Kenya: the country was certified free of Guinea worm disease in 2018.

Strengthening health systems to support breastfeeding is not just a health imperative, it is a moral and economic imperative. WHO and UNICEF remain committed to supporting countries to build resilient health systems that leave no mother or child behind.

Tribute to Dr David Nabarro

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), of which WHO is a member, today issued a Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Alert for the Gaza Strip. The details are as noted below. 

Key highlights 

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has issued a stark warning today that the worst-case scenario of Famine is now unfolding in the Gaza Strip. Amid relentless conflict, mass displacement, severely restricted humanitarian access, and the collapse of essential services, including healthcare, the crisis has reached an alarming and deadly turning point. 

Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths. Latest data indicates that Famine thresholds have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.

Recommended actions 

• End hostilities
• Ensure humanitarian access
• Protect civilians, aid workers, and civilian infrastructure
• Restore life-saving and multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance safely and with dignity
• Restore the flow of commercial goods and local production capacities.

About the IPC

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) is an innovative multi-partner initiative for improving food security and nutrition analysis and decision-making. By using the IPC classification and analytical approach, governments, UN agencies, nongovernmental organizations, civil society and other relevant actors work together to determine the severity and magnitude of acute and chronic food insecurity, and acute malnutrition situations in a country, according to internationally recognized scientific standards.

The main goal of the IPC is to provide decision-makers with a rigorous, evidence- and consensus-based analysis of food insecurity and acute malnutrition situations, to inform emergency responses as well as medium- and long-term policy and programming.