Key health issues in 2014

Health headlines have recently been dominated by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and humanitarian emergencies in many other countries. 2014 also saw major public health successes, and a clearer understanding of a number of public health threats. The World Health Organisation (WHO) produced reports on a range of critical health issues and provided new advice to help countries improve their people's health. Here are a few highlights:

•  Nicaragua is first country to ratify new international protocol to eliminate illicit tobacco trade
•  WHO ensures wounded in South Sudan get to hospital for life-saving treatment
•  Medical supplies air-delivered to north-east Syria
•  Immunising against measles in the Central African Republic
•  WHO opens public consultation on draft sugars guideline
•  7 million premature deaths annually linked to air pollution
•  WHO South-East Asia Region certified polio-free
•  WHO supplies arrive in Guinea to support the Ebola outbreak response
•  WHO issues its first hepatitis C treatment guidelines
•  WHO’s first global report on antibiotic resistance reveals serious, worldwide threat to public health
•  WHO concludes MERS-CoV mission in Saudi Arabia
•  Director-General announces new initiative to end childhood obesity
•  World Health Assembly
•  Safe blood and blood products are crucial for saving mothers’ lives in most critical moments during childbirth and pregnancy
•  Ebola challenges West African countries as WHO ramps up response
•  Bangladesh expands training of midwives to improve maternal and neonatal health
•  Eight small countries in Europe join forces to improve health
•  Mongolia certified measles free
•  People most at risk of HIV are not getting the health services they need
•  WHO Statement on the Meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee regarding the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa
•  Urgently needed health supplies arrive in Gaza
•  WHO calls for stronger action on climate-related health risks
•  First WHO report on suicide prevention calls for coordinated action to reduce suicides worldwide
•  PAHO urges countries to eliminate mosquito breeding sites to prevent the spread of dengue and chikungunya
•  Record every birth and death, make every life count
•  Europe leads the world in eliminating trans fats
•  Health officials from the Americas chart a path toward universal health coverage
•  Improved data reveals higher global burden of tuberculosis
•  WHO convenes industry leaders and key partners to discuss trials and production of Ebola vaccine
•  Naloxone: A take-home antidote to drug overdose that saves lives
•  “Ageing well” must be a global priority
•  Ukraine conflict: upholding the right to health for all
•  New WHO guide to prevent and control cervical cancer
•  Scale-up in effective malaria control dramatically reduces deaths
•  New study highlights need to scale up violence prevention efforts globally
•  Health partners unite to build stronger systems for health in Ebola-affected countries

To learn details about each points, you can visit http://bit.ly/2014-health-in-review

Source: World Health Organisation