News headlines for “Health Issues”, page 8
Millions at Risk in 2026 as Aid Budgets Hit Historic Lows
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, December 16 (IPS) - 2025 has been an especially turbulent year for humanitarian aid operations as global aid budgets have experienced record declines in funding. As conflicts, environmental disasters, and economic crises intensify and disproportionately impact the world’s most vulnerable communities, the resources available in global emergency funds are falling far short of rapidly growing needs.
World News in Brief: Landmark disease and mental health declaration, Afghan hunger deepens, DR Congo refugee crisis
- UN News

World leaders meeting at the UN General Assembly have adopted a historic global declaration to tackle noncommunicable diseases and mental health conditions together, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Tuesday.
New influenza variant is surging, but vaccination still our best bet: WHO
- UN News

Amid an early start to the Northern Hemisphere influenza season a new variant of the virus is rapidly gaining ground - but vaccination remains the “most effective defence”, the UN health agency said on Tuesday.
From farm to classroom: Feeding children and supporting farmers in Timor-Leste
- UN News

It’s a win-win recipe: schoolchildren eat a free, nutritious meal every day and local farmers gain reliable access to local markets.
From Law to Lives Saved: How the Maternal Newborn and Child Health Bill Can Deliver Universal Health Coverage
- Inter Press Service

NAIROBI, Kenya, December 12 (IPS) - For women in labour across Kenya, reaching a health facility, finding skilled health workers, and affording care can be a matter of life and death. These challenges are not rare, but daily realities for many families.
CIVICUS 2025 Report Reveals Widespread Attacks on Civic Freedoms Worldwide
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, December 11 (IPS) - Over the course of 2025, global civic space conditions have deteriorated sharply, with most countries experiencing some degree of obstructed civil liberties. As authoritarian governments strengthen their hold and have even escalated the use of military force to suppress public dissent, civilians report facing increasing limitations of freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, petition and religion, as well as notable crackdowns on press freedoms.
Gaza’s maternal and newborn health system ‘decimated’, UN warns
- UN News

Gaza’s health system for mothers and newborns has been “decimated”, the UN said on Thursday, with Israeli attacks destroying almost all hospitals, cutting off medical supplies and driving sharp rises in maternal deaths, miscarriages and newborn fatalities amid mass displacement and hunger.
WHO expert group reaffirms no link between vaccines and autism
- UN News

A World Health Organization (WHO) expert committee has again confirmed that there is no causal link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), following a new review of global scientific evidence.
Traditional medicine is now a global reality: WHO
- UN News
The vast majority of World Health Organization (WHO) member States say 40 to 90 per cent of their populations now use traditional medicine.
Cyclone Ditwah Leaves Millions Affected as Sri Lanka Faces Widespread Flooding, Displacement, and Rising Health Risks
- Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, December 9 (IPS) - In late November, Cyclone Ditwah made landfall in Sri Lanka and southern India, bringing heavy rainfall that triggered widespread flooding and devastating landslides. The storm caused extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and resulted in a significant loss of life. Communities have been severely impacted, with limited access to essential services, while humanitarian agencies face challenges in reaching the most vulnerable populations.

