World Health Organization Podcast

About 16 million teenage girls become mothers every year. In this episode we talk about the risks and consequences of teenage pregnancies.

On the occasion of World Cancer Day this week, this episode looks at how an active healthy childhood can prevent cancer later in life.

The financial and economic crisis is in the news everywhere. What kind of impact can it have on global health? We bring you some views from the health sector.

Can lifestyle changes really improve people's health? In this episode we look at the evidence from new research.

More than 2000 children die every day as a result of unintentional or accidental injuries. In this episode, we look at how these deaths and many more lifelong disabilities can be prevented.

The spread of Cholera continues in Zimbabwe, with more than 12 000 cases reported, out of which 560 have died. WHO is helping the country to manage the emergency and improve its overall health system.

In the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, renewed hostilities are putting health facilities under extreme pressure. We find out what is being done to provide essential health services for the people pushed out of their homes and forced to abandon their communities.

WHO publishes a new a study on the global burden of disease, with comparisons between deaths, diseases and injuries by region, age, sex and country income.

WHO launches a new programme to help millions with mental disorders in the developing world.

The World Health Report calls for a revival of the primary health care approach to steer health systems towards better performance and greater equity.

WHO update on the situation of melamine in baby food in China.

WHO says there is no evidence that the electronic cigarette helps smokers to quit smoking. WHO this week asked manufacturers and marketers to stop their unproved therapy claims.

The "World malaria report 2008" finds that progress in malaria control has accelerated since 2006. We look at the main findings of the report and their implications.

Heavy rains and flooding have made thousands of people in Pakistan and Haiti homeless and cut off their access to health care. In this episode, we find out what WHO is doing to provide emergency health care in these two countries.

A new meningitis vaccine is being introduced to prevent epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa. We find out how big a problem meningitis is and how the vaccine will help.

The WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health submits its final report to the WHO Director-General.

The XVII International AIDS Conference which was held in Mexico City in early August was truly an international event with participants from every corner of the world. With over 20 000 participants, this meeting was the second largest International AIDS Conference, and the largest health-related summit ever held in the southern hemisphere.

The role of ethics in global public health and the key ethical questions that arise during demographic and health surveillance discussed, in the context of this month's Bulletin of the World Health Organization.

The International AIDS conference opens today in Mexico City. One focus of the conference will be the status of the pandemic in the Americas. World Breastfeeding week raises awareness of the importance of breastfeeding for both mothers and babies; this year the focus is particularly on supporting mothers to breastfeed successfully.

New funding announced to expand the fight against the growing use of tobacco products, specifically in the developing world; WHO and its partners shift emphasis in Myanmar from relief to early recovery, focusing particularly on rebuilding health facilities and restoring essential health services after Cyclone Nargis.