World Health Organization Podcast

Infectious disease outbreaks are no longer just about bacteria and viruses, but also the social and economic world we create.

Research can put a human face on health emergencies and help us respond to them more effectively.

Evidence is not enough to shape health policy and practice. We also need to consider bioethics to take the right action for society.

Is microcephaly just the tip of an enormous iceberg? Dr Vanessa van der Linden was the first doctor to make the connection between Zika virus infection and babies born with microcephaly.

How can epidemiology help solve some of the mysteries around Zika virus transmission and the rare but serious neurological disorders associated with it, in particular Guillain-Barr頳yndrome and microcephaly?

One in four people develop some kind of mental illness at some point in their lives. WHO's Mental health atlas 2011 examines the extent of mental health needs and services around the world.

World Health Organization has declared the 28th July as World Hepatitis Day. The slogan for this first year is "Know it. Confront it. Hepatitis affects everyone, everywhere".

In New York this week, the World Health Organization, together with the World Bank, launched the first ever World report on disability.

This year's World Health Day focuses on the dangers of resistance to today's infection-fighting wonder drugs. The world is on the brink of losing these miracle cures.

New and comprehensive study on the consumption of alcohol reveals worrying trends on alcohol use around the world.

Low levels of physical activity are associated with a high risk of colon cancer and breast cancer.

A newly formed Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health will track resources pledged to actual results. The Commission will provide evidence of which programmes are most effective in saving the lives of women and children and ensure that the money doesn't get swallowed up through inefficiency or corruption.

The World health report 2010 focuses on how to pay for health care. The report looks at how to raise sufficient funds, how to raise funds fairly and how to get better value for money by becoming more efficient.

Three-quarters of cancer deaths occur in developing countries where the resources needed to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer are severely limited. As a result WHO and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have created a Joint Programme on Cancer Control focusing on the needs of developing countries.

WHO estimates that over 75% of people living in developing countries do not receive any mental health treatment or care. A new, easy-to-use guide to identify and provide care for mental health disorders will help expand care at a cost that is affordable, even for low- and middle-income countries.

The floods in Pakistan have had an enormous consequences for the health of millions of people. They have also impacted the ability to deliver emergency and routine health care across the country.

Thousands of humanitarian workers, either with local organizations or international bodies like WHO, strive during crises, to ensure survivors have access to the most basic human rights, including health, shelter and food.

Many young people engage in behaviours that are dangerous not only to their current state of health, but also puts their health at risk for years to come.

Demand for organs outstrips supply in almost every country of the world. In many places the wait for an organ can be measured in years. One way to improve the situation is by donors making sure their families understand their wishes, which allows doctors to proceed with the donation process.

High-income countries are increasingly dependent on doctors and nurses who have been trained abroad. But the migration of health workers weakens the health systems in the countries of origin. WHO's Code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel aims to achieve a balance between the interests of health workers, source countries and destination countries.