World Health Organization Podcast

WHO international staff return to work in Iraq after five years; and a new report says more than 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.

Health ministers from the 53 countries of the WHO European Region have signed a new charter on health systems, committing themselves to improving the health and wealth of people in Europe.

World leaders call for action to reduce tuberculosis deaths among people living with HIV; a new report highlights how much disease can be prevented by improving access to safe water and better sanitation and hygiene; and, a look at the achievements of the Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative since its launch in 1991.

WHO makes polio eradication top operational priority; an update on the situation in Myanmar six weeks after Cyclone Nargis; and why there is a need for volunteer blood donors.

Nearly 3 million HIV-positive people are now receiving anti-retroviral therapy; a look at what WHO is doing to address health impacts of climate change; and a new campaign for a total ban on all forms of tobacco advertisements.

Two founding pioneers recount WHO's birth 60 years ago and reflect on its role today.

WHO sends emergency help to people affected by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar; the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities comes into force; and volunteers help improve treatment coverage for malaria and river blindness in Africa.

In this episode, Experts assess progress in tackling extensively drug-resistant TB; and Countdown 2015 conference identifies steps to further reduce maternal and child deaths.

In this episode, On World Health Day, a look at how climate change is going to affect human health in different parts of the world.

In this episode, With no new cases reported in a year, Somalia is again polio-free; and why is history important for public health today?

In this episode, The Global Tuberculosis Control 2008 report is launched; an emergency vaccination campaign takes place in Iraq; and a new edition of the International Medical Guide for Ships is published.

In this episode, Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has been recorded at the highest rate ever; and WHO and its partners ship vaccines to Paraguay in response to the yellow fever outbreak.

In this episode, WHO releases the first comprehensive analysis of tobacco use and efforts to control the tobacco epidemic, and marks 6 February as International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.

In this episode, new research by WHO and the Iraqi government estimates that 151 000 Iraqis died from violence in the three years following the March 2003 invasion of the country.

In this episode, putting health at the centre of the climate change agenda; help for west Africa to recover from flooding; avian flu updates; Ebola outbreak in Uganda; and a new campaign to make medicines child-size.

In this episode, measles vaccination in Africa results in a 90% reduction in deaths; WHO investigates bromide poisoning in Angola; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Rotary International team up against polio; and keeping women and Africa in clear view on World AIDS Day.

In this episode, governments negotiate a plan to ensure people in poor countries have better access to medicines; researchers find interesting trends in diabetes along the US-Mexico border; and a field report on efforts to control a polio outbreak in Sudan.

In this episode, why half a million women still die every year giving birth - and what can be done about it; getting medicines to people with drug-resistant tuberculosis; and how peanut butter could be the best recipe for malnourished children.

In this episode, a frontline report from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; WHO and partners respond to cholera in Iraq; and, one year on, UNITAID announces success in lowering the cost of medicines.

In this episode, The world health report 2007 highlights threats to global public health security, including the emerging diseases that spread from animals to humans; and tracking a killer virus in the mines of Uganda, WHO scientists believe they may have new information about Marburg fever.