World Health Organization (WHO)

Reports of attacks on civilians in #Ethiopia's Amhara and Tigray regions are deeply disturbing. Among those reportedly killed in the Jaari 2 displacement camp in Amhara were children, including a newborn. In another attack in Rama, Tigray, several people were reportedly killed while trying to get food. While these are the latest incidents, drone attacks and civilian casualties have tragically become frequent across Ethiopia. The violence in northern Ethiopia is pushing an already fragile health system closer to collapse. Hospitals face shortages of health workers, medicines, and equipment. Ambulance services are severely limited. Insecurity is obstructing the delivery of life-saving medical supplies to some areas. @WHO and @UN partners are working around the clock to deliver additional much needed medical supplies to all the affected regions. As fighting continues, more people are likely to lose access to essential health care, including emergency services, maternal and child health care, and treatment for diseases. Civilians must be protected. Health workers and humanitarian supplies must be allowed to reach those in need. The most courageous choose peace. The best medicine is peace. reuters.com/world/africa/str…

Half the people in Haiti are struggling to feed themselves and their families and it’s expected to get worse. @pahowho is supporting the country efforts to prevent and treat medical complications in severely malnourished children. But the needs are much larger. We call for urgent humanitarian access and donor support to scale up the response. No one should have to live in hunger. Above all, what the people of Haiti need is peace. nitter.cf/theIPCinfo/status/2115…

As we mark the first African Medicines Agency (AMA) Week, I urge all remaining countries to ratify its treaty, and Member States and partners to provide sustained political and financial support. A strong AMA means faster access to safe, effective and quality-assured health products, and stronger African health security. @WHO remains committed to supporting AMA and building a healthier, safer and fairer Africa.

More than 10,000 people been infected and reported with #Ebola in the #DRC, and, sadly, close to half have died. In some families, more than one life has been lost. The devastation is immense. It remains clear that the government-led and partner supported response must continue to scale up and out across all affected areas as well as those at risk. But there are encouraging signs of progress: -Close to 2700 people have recovered so far and over 1000 are currently receiving clinical care; -Science, collaboration and communities are offering new vaccine and treatment candidates to prevent and treat Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus. @WHO is working with partners on several clinical trials currently underway; -Capacity to provide optimised clinical care to Ebola patients by protected health workers has expanded to over 2100 beds across 109 Ebola transit and treatment centres; -Engagement of private health service providers, traditional healers and community leaders into the response is opening up new opportunities to detect patients early; -With the outbreak spreading to hard to reach and conflict affected areas, we are expanding our operations through rapid response teams who can reach communities where they are. These efforts and progress give us more than hope, the outbreak can and will be brought under control and ended. We call for continued global solidarity and support to sustain the response. We will not let up.

My first mission as @WHO Director-General in 2017 was to #Yemen, where I said that the only solution was a political one. Nine years on, that remains the case in Yemen and in so many other trouble spots across the @WHOEMRO Eastern Mediterranean Region. There can be no health without peace.

My heartfelt condolences to everyone who lost a loved one in this tragedy. A heartbreaking day for #Spain. Out of respect and to focus on supporting the families of the victims, we have decided to cancel today’s events at the Global Obesity Summit in Madrid. nitter.cf/sanchezcastejon/status…

#Cholera is an ancient disease we know how to prevent, yet it continues to devastate the poorest countries. Vaccines are vital to preventing and controlling outbreaks. Earlier this week, I visited EuBiologics in Chuncheon, #Korea, currently the only manufacturer producing oral cholera vaccines at the scale needed for mass vaccination campaigns, supplying around 93% of doses to the global stockpile. Thanks to international efforts, including EuBiologics’ contribution, global vaccine production more than doubled between 2022 and 2025, from 30 million to 80 million doses annually. I commend EuBiologics for its commitment to producing life-saving vaccines for people worldwide.

Yesterday, a nurse was killed and a health worker severely injured after they were attacked while responding to an #Ebola alert in the town of Bafwasende, Tshopo province, #DRC. Our deepest condolences go to the family, colleagues and friends of the lost nurse. We also wish a swift and full recovery to his injured colleague who remains hospitalized. Everyone working to protect communities from this deadly disease must be able to work in dignity and safety. Healthcare must always be protected.

At a time when our world seem increasingly divided, effort to #EndPolio reminds us of what is possible when we unite behind a common purpose. One day soon, we will mark the final #WorldPolioDay. And then we will have something truly worth celebrating: a polio-free world. Let’s make it happen!

Science gives us hope. Today, in Bunia #DRC, the first participants were vaccinated in a new #Ebola vaccine trial called TUMAINI, which means “hope” in Swahili. There is currently no approved vaccine against the Bundibugyo virus causing the outbreak. This trial will help us understand whether any of the vaccine candidates designed for Bundibugyo virus work. In the meantime, the existing Everbo vaccine (licensed for use in preventing other Ebola virus disease) will be tested. @WHO is supporting this DRC-led effort to find answers and save lives.

Artificial intelligence holds enormous promise for health. @WHO welcomes today’s announcement of the Seoul Declaration on #AI in Healthcare for Responsible Innovation and Global Solidarity: cdn-auth-cms.who.int/media-a… Safe and sustainable AI depends on strong foundations: secure infrastructure, well-governed data, capable regulators, sustainable financing and stronger cybersecurity. @WHO is supporting countries in building these foundations through the Global Initiative on AI for Health and the upcoming Global Strategy on Digital Health 2028–2033. Guided by the Seoul Declaration’s principles of human dignity and global equity, our collective responsibility is to translate this promise into AI for health systems that are safe, effective and worthy of patients’ trust.

#France has reported the first documented case of a human infection with #Shamonda virus, a virus only previously detected in animals. The patient was immunocompromised, which made them more vulnerable to infection and severe disease, and unfortunately died. My heartfelt condolences to their loved ones. Shamonda virus primarily affects animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and horses. The virus is thought to spread between animals by the bites of a midge, which is a small fly-like insect. Further studies are needed to fully understand transmission. The French patient was in an area where the Shamonda virus was circulating in animals and where Culicoides midges were also present. @WHO is in contact with French authorities who are collecting information to better understand the source of infection in the first human patient, possible routes of transmission and any potential risk to public health.

Vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives over the past 50 years. But this progress is under threat from funding cuts, conflicts, climate change and misinformation. With #measles outbreaks in dozens of countries, immunity gaps anywhere can threaten health security everywhere. At the same time, innovation offers new hope: malaria vaccines are being rolled out, promising tuberculosis vaccines are in development, and new Ebola vaccines against Bundibugyo virus are approaching trials. But vaccines only save lives when people can access and trust them. @WHO calls on governments, scientists, health workers, industry, technology companies and communities to work together to ensure everyone has access to accurate, evidence-based vaccine information. Everyone, everywhere, at every age deserves the protection vaccines offer. #VaccinesWork

My sincere thanks to Republic of #Korea's President @Jaemyung_Lee for his warm welcome and 🇰🇷's steadfast partnership with @WHO. We discussed the WHO Biomanufacturing Training Hub in Seoul, which has trained over 4,000 professionals from 100 countries. It was an honour to inaugurate its first building yesterday, with the President's strong support. We also discussed harnessing AI for better health, including through today's Seoul Declaration on #AI in Healthcare, with a focus on equity in healthcare delivery and local production of medical products. Our discussions also covered the Pandemic Agreement negotiations on Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing, the #Ebola response in #DRC, and Korea's role in strengthening global preparedness and multilateral cooperation. nitter.cf/Jaemyung_Lee/status/21…

Honored to inaugurate the building of the @WHO Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing in Incheon, Republic of #Korea. The Hub has already trained more than 4,000 participants from more than 100 low and middle income countries, offering them hands-on skills that will help their home countries improve manufacturing processes and strength local production capacities. My gratitude to 🇰🇷 Health Minister @jeong_eunkyeong and the Korean Government for their substantial investment of $30 million in the Hub, to provide tuition-free health education. This commitment is key to reaching our common goal of living in a healthier world.