An infodemic is too much information including false or misleading information in digital and physical environments during a disease outbreak. It causes confusion and risk-taking behaviors that can harm health. It also leads to mistrust in health authorities and undermines the public health response. An infodemic can intensify or lengthen outbreaks when people are unsure about what they need to do to protect their health and the health of people around them. With growing digitization – an expansion of social media and internet use – information can spread more rapidly.

Member States have recognized the importance and need of an infodemic response through recent resolutions, coming together in solidarity and responding to calls for actions. Therefore, WHO is building partnerships across all societies to respond to the COVID-19 infodemic and is developing country tools for infodemic management that can be used now and for future infodemics.

WHO is working with partners across society to strengthen the scientific discipline of infodemiology. The purpose is to build and deliver sustainable tools that health authorities and communities can use to prevent and overcome the harmful impacts caused by infodemics.

Through partnerships, WHO works to bolster digital capabilities and leverage social inoculation principles to foster higher digital and health literacy, build resilience to misinformation, and deliver innovative ways to reach communities with reliable health information. Here are a few of those innovations:

Lassa fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic illness caused by Lassa virus, a member of the arenavirus family of viruses.  

Humans usually become infected with Lassa virus through exposure to food or household items contaminated with urine or faeces of infected Mastomys rats. The disease is endemic in the rodent population in parts of West Africa.  

Lassa fever is known to be endemic in Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Togo and Nigeria, but probably exists in other West African countries as well.  

The magnitude of the physical and human costs from landslides can be reduced if adequate emergency prevention, preparedness, response and recovery measures are implemented in a sustainable and timely manner. 

WHO works with Member States to build resilient and proactive health systems that can anticipate the needs and challenges during emergencies so that they are more likely to reduce risks and respond effectively when needed. 

As the health cluster lead for global emergencies, WHO works with partners to respond to:

Landslides are more widespread than any other geological event, and can occur anywhere in the world. They occur when large masses of soil, rocks or debris move down a slope due to a natural phenomenon or human activity. Mudslides or debris flows are also a common type of fast-moving landslide.

Landslides can accompany heavy rains or follow droughts, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. Areas most vulnerable to landslides include:

Access to good quality, affordable, and appropriate health products is indispensable to advance universal health coverage, address health emergencies, and promote healthier populations – the three strategic priorities of the World Health Organization (WHO) Thirteenth General Programme of Work 2019–2023.

To support countries in strengthening and maintaining their capacities for ensuring rapid detection, verification and response to public health risks, WHO develops and provides tools, guidance and training.

WHO’s support focuses on the priority needs identified by the WHO Regional and Country Offices, in order to help each country meet its IHR commitment. This includes:

The responsibility for implementing the IHR rests upon all States Parties that are bound by the Regulations and on WHO. Governments  are responsible, including all of their sectors, ministries, levels, officials and personnel for implementing IHR at the national level.

WHO plays the coordinating role in IHR implementation and, together with its partners, helps countries to build capacities.

The IHR require that all countries have the ability to do the following:

Intellectual property refers to intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific, literary and artistic fields. In the context of health care, the concept relates to topics such as the use of generic medicines, specifically how companies can market and sell these products within specific geographic regions. Intellectual property rights and the laws that govern them are important both to the control of standards and access to medicines, but also as an incentive for the development of new pharmaceuticals and health care products.

After infection, trypanosomes multiply in the blood and lymph (first-stage, haemolymphatic) and, following a variable incubation period (from days to months), unspecific symptoms and signs such as headache, fever, weakness, joint pain, and lymphadenopathy appear.

Salmonella Typhi lives only in humans. In persons with typhoid fever the bacteria initially enter through the intestinal tract and eventually invade the  bloodstream. The resulting illness is often non-specific and clinically non-distinguishable from other febrile illnesses. Symptoms include:

prolonged high fever
fatigue
headache
nausea
abdominal pain
constipation or diarrhoea
rash, in some cases.
Severe cases may lead to serious complications or even death.

The rise in the number of cases of skin cancer over the past decades is strongly related to increased exposure to the sun during outdoor activities and to artificial sources of UV radiation such as sunlamps and tanning beds. Overexposure is also the underlying cause of harmful effects on the eyes and immune system.

Adopting a few simple precautions can greatly reduce the risk of these health conditions:

WHO works with Member States and partners to increase public understanding of the effects of overexposure to ultraviolet radiation.