Health and energy are inextricably linked.  A warm meal. A warm room. A light for which to read or work at night. These needs are universal. For half the world, this is simple as flipping a light switch or turning a stove dial. But for the other half, meeting these needs require much more and puts their health and safety at risk.

WHO works with Member States and partners to prevent and reduce the harmful use of alcohol as a public health priority. The 2010 WHO Global strategy to reduce the harmful use of alcohol is the most comprehensive international alcohol policy document, endorsed by WHO Member States, that provides guidance on reducing the harmful use of alcohol at all levels.

Alcohol as an intoxicant affects a wide range of structures and processes in the central nervous system and increases the risk for intentional and unintentional injuries and adverse social consequences. Alcohol has considerable toxic effects on the digestive- and cardiovascular systems.  Alcoholic beverages are classified as carcinogenic by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and increase the risk of several cancer types. Alcohol as an immunosuppressant increases the risk of communicable diseases, including tuberculosis and HIV.

Air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year. WHO data shows that 9 out of 10 people breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits containing high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures. WHO is supporting countries to address air pollution. 

From smog hanging over cities to smoke inside the home, air pollution poses a major threat to health and climate.  Ambient air pollution accounts for an estimated 4.2 million deaths per year due to stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, acute and chronic respiratory diseases. 

The biologist Andrew Steele thinks ageing is a disease that can be treated. But if we had a cure for getting old, what would that mean for us?

Every individual has the right to decide freely and responsibly – without discrimination, coercion and violence – the number, spacing and timing of their children, and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health (ICPD 1994). 

Access to legal, safe and comprehensive abortion care, including post-abortion care, is essential for the attainment of the highest possible level of sexual and reproductive health. 

Use of the Internet, computers, smartphones and other electronic devices has dramatically increased over recent decades, and this increase is associated not only with clear and tremendous benefits to the users and societies, but also with documented cases of excessive use which often has negative health consequences.

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. However, nearly 2 out of 3 infants are not exclusively breastfed for the recommended 6 months—a rate that has not improved in 2 decades. 

Buruli ulcer is a chronic debilitating disease that mainly affects the skin and sometimes bones. First described by Sir Albert Cook in 1897 in Uganda, it was not until the 1930s that Australian scientists led by Peter MacCallum first succeeded in culturing the organism from lesions of patients from the Bairnsdale region. The name Buruli comes from an area of Uganda where many cases were reported in the 1960s. In Africa, about half of the patients are children under 15 years. In Australia, the average age is around 60 years.

Symptoms of Buruli ulcer begin with painless nodules and swelling, usually on the arms and legs and sometimes on other parts of the body. These areas can then develop into large ulcers with a white and yellow base. M. ulcerans produces the toxin mycolactone. This has local immunosuppressive properties that enable the disease to progress rapidly with no pain and fever, making early detection difficult. However, if the ulcers are treated quickly, most will heal completely. 

Between 30% and 50% of cancer deaths could be prevented by modifying or avoiding key risk factors and implementing existing evidence-based prevention strategies. The cancer burden can also be reduced through early detection of cancer and management of patients who develop cancer. Prevention also offers the most cost-effective long-term strategy for the control of cancer.

Modifying or avoiding the following key risk factors can help prevent cancer:

A chemical incident is the uncontrolled release of a toxic substance, potentially resulting in harm to public health and the environment. Chemical incidents can occur as a result of natural events, or as a result of accidental or intentional events. These incidents can be sudden and acute or have a slow onset when there is a ‘silent’ release of a chemical. They can also range from small releases to full-scale major emergencies.

The term “chemical incident” might refer to anthropogenic or technological events, including:

The Seventieth World Health Assembly approved the Road map to enhance health sector engagement in the strategic approach to international chemicals management towards the 2020 goal and beyond. The WHO Secretariat has developed a workbook that offers a structured way to assist Member States to work through the road map, choose priorities and plan activities.