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ISLAMABAD: More than 1 billion people worldwide affected by neglected tropical diseases are experiencing a largely invisible mental health crisis, according to a new World Health Organization (<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/who-regrets-us-notification-of-withdrawal-rejects-accusations-over-covid19-response" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">WHO</a>) report. The WHO&#39;s &quot;Essential Care Package to Address Mental Health and Stigma for Persons with Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs)&quot; reveals stark findings. People with these conditions experience depression, anxiety, and suicidal behaviors at rates significantly higher than the general population. &quot;Over 1 billion people worldwide are affected by neglected tropical diseases and a similar number are affected by mental health conditions,&quot; the report noted. &quot;These independently burdensome conditions are significantly interlinked.&quot; Stigma drives the crisis as people with NTDs face discrimination and social exclusion. They encounter barriers to employment and marriage. These experiences create distress. Worry, fear, sadness and insecurity contribute to isolation and worsening&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/over-million-users-talk-about-suicide-weekly-to-chatgpt-open-ai" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">mental health</a>. The stigma prevents affected persons from seeking treatment. Many delay care or avoid it entirely, worsening both their physical rehabilitation and mental well-being. &quot;Stigma creates barriers to participation in society,&quot; the report warned, leading to decreased quality of life and delayed help-seeking. Some NTDs directly affect the brain, including human African trypanosomiasis and neurocysticercosis. Others cause visible disfigurement. Leprosy, cutaneous leishmaniasis and lymphatic filariasis make affected people particularly vulnerable to social&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/former-australia-great-gillespie-faces-backlash-over-bangladesh-t20-world-cup-exclusion" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">exclusion</a>. Women and girls suffer more severe stigma than men. Existing societal disadvantages compound the problem. Female genital schistosomiasis is wrongly associated with sexual misconduct, leading to social ostracism. Suicide rates are elevated among people with stigmatizing conditions like leprosy while increased substance use has also been documented. Addressing this crisis requires more than health services. Social, psychological and socioeconomic factors must be tackled. This ensures inclusion and improved well-being. &quot;Historically, the intersection of mental health and NTDs has been neglected,&quot; the document states. &quot;Without its adoption the broader agenda of eliminating NTDs will be hindered.&quot; The essential care package outlines evidence-based interventions. These cover prevention, identification and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/german-president-enjoys-royal-treatment-on-uk-state-visit" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">treatment</a> of mental health conditions. The package provides strategies to reduce stigma through education, social contact and advocacy. Health workers need training to screen for mental health conditions. They must provide basic psychological support. The report recommends integrating mental health indicators into routine NTD data collection. Community-level interventions matter. Peer support groups can reduce self-stigma. They promote physical and mental self-care. The WHO calls for multisectoral collaboration. This involves education,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/ai-risks-mass-unemployment-in-london-mayor" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">employment</a>, and water and sanitation services. Policy reforms must eliminate discriminatory laws and practices. These perpetuate structural stigma. &quot;A person-centered approach is essential,&quot; the report states. This ensures people&#39;s multiple specific needs are addressed effectively. WHO developed the document through collaboration. Partners included civil society organizations and representatives of people affected by NTDs. The Coalition for Research on NTDs and UK Aid provided financial support.

More than 1 billion people worldwide affected by neglected tropical diseases are experiencing a largely invisible mental health crisis, the World Health Organization warned. (WHO)

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More than 1 billion people with neglected tropical diseases face a hidden mental health crisis driven by stigma and discrimination, a new WHO report reveals. The conditions cause depression and anxiety at rates far higher than the general population.

One billion people with neglected diseases face mental health crisis warns WHO

ISLAMABAD: The US Secretary of Health, Robert Kennedy, on Saturday, announced US formal withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO).&nbsp; In a post on X on Saturday, Kennedy stated: &ldquo;The United States has formally withdrawn from the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/withdrawal-from-who-makes-us-world-unsafe-who-chief" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Health Organization</a>.&rdquo; &ldquo;We are reclaiming our independence, protecting American sovereignty, and putting U.S. public health policy back in the hands of the American people,&rdquo; the post stated.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 600px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2014831176695873653&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=f2b29df973d507d375ae26b5197177f518a3de63&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2014831176695873653"></iframe></div></div>In his video message accompanying the post, Secretary Kennedy stated: &ldquo;On Thursday, the United States formally withdrew from the World Health Organization. We made this decision to reclaim our independence, to protect American sovereignty, and to free our public health policy from a system that no longer serves the American people.&rdquo;&nbsp;Covid pandemic&nbsp;He said, &ldquo;The World Health Organization has lost its way. It&#39;s drifted far from its founding mission, and it&#39;s become mired in bureaucracy, in conflicts of interest, and in international power politics. During the COVID pandemic, those failures weren&#39;t just abstract. They were deadly.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;The world watched as transparency collapsed, accountability disappeared, and ordinary citizens paid the price. That hasn&#39;t changed, and it isn&#39;t improving.&rdquo;&nbsp;Kennedy said, &ldquo;President Trump recognized the problems with WHO immediately. In fact, one of his very first executive orders of his second term began the formal process of withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization. It was an early decisive signal that American health policy would answer to the American people and not to foreign bureaucracies.&rdquo;&nbsp;&lsquo;America will continue to lead&rsquo;&nbsp;He further stated: &ldquo;Going forward, US engagement with the WHO will be limited solely to completing our withdrawal and safeguarding the health and safety of the American people. All US funding has ended. All government US personnel have stopped working there.&rdquo;&nbsp;Kennedy said: &ldquo;I believe this deeply, that only the United States has the scale, the innovation, and the leadership to drive global health solutions that put people first, starting with our own citizens.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Although we are withdrawing from the WHO, America will never withdraw from its leadership in global health. America will continue to lead. We will lead with science, with integrity, and with transparency, and with accountability.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;And let me say this clearly. For the Americans who died alone in nursing homes, the small businesses that were destroyed by reckless mandates, the families whose lives were upended by unelected foreign officials who never answered to them, this decision is for you,&rdquo; he concluded.&nbsp;

US Secretary Kennedy says the WHO ‘has lost its way. It's drifted far from its founding mission, and it's become mired in bureaucracy, in conflicts of interest, and in international power politics.’ 

US formally withdraws from World Health Organization 

GENEVA: The World Health Organization chief warned Tuesday that Washington&#39;s decision to withdraw from the UN health agency was dangerous for the United States and the rest of the world alike. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order just hours after returning to the White House on January 20, 2025, ordering his country&#39;s exit from the WHO. With the one-year withdrawal process due to reach completion next week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters he deeply regretted the move. &quot;Withdrawal from WHO is a loss for the United States, and it&#39;s also a loss for the rest of the world,&quot; he said, speaking from his agency&#39;s Geneva headquarters. The withdrawal, he warned, &quot;makes the US unsafe... and makes the rest of the world unsafe, so it&#39;s not really the right decision&quot;. Tedros highlighted that &quot;there are many things that are done through WHO that benefit the US... especially the health security issues&quot;. &quot;That&#39;s why I said the US cannot be safe without working with WHO,&quot; he said. &quot;I hope the US will reconsider its decision and rejoin.&quot; WHO&#39;s chief legal officer Steve Solomon said it was a bit unclear when exactly the withdrawal would be official. He explained to reporters that the WHO constitution does not include a withdrawal clause, but that Washington made arrangements in 1948 reserving the right to withdraw, under certain conditions. One condition was that it would need to give one year&#39;s notice, and the second was that it would need to &quot;meet its financial obligations to the organisation in full for the current fiscal year&quot;, he said. But currently, &quot;the US for 2024 and 2025 is in arrears on its payments&quot;, he said, without giving figures, adding that the WHO member states would need to consider: &quot;Has the condition been fulfilled?&quot; At a time when dramatic cuts to international aid budgets have hit health systems worldwide hard, Tedros stressed that &quot;funding is very important for our organisation, for WHO to really deliver&quot;. But he insisted that when calling for the US to return to the WHO fold, &quot;it&#39;s not about money&quot;. &quot;What matters most is solidarity, cooperation and for the whole world to prepare itself for any eventualities, to a common enemy like a virus, like Covid,&quot; he insisted. &quot;The best immunity is solidarity.&quot;

WHO chief Tedros says the US exit from the World Health Organization makes both America and the world less safe, warning cooperation and solidarity are essential to confront global health threats.

Withdrawal from WHO makes US, world 'unsafe': Agency chief

GENEVA: The World Health Organization said Monday that 114 people, including 63 children, were killed in &quot;senseless&quot; strikes on a hospital and kindergarten in Sudan&#39;s South Kordofan state last week.&nbsp;Local official Essam al-Din al-Sayed, head of the Kalogi administrative unit, told AFP that Thursday&#39;s paramilitary drone attack on the army-held town hit &quot;first a kindergarten, then a hospital and a third time as people tried to rescue the children&quot;.&nbsp;Since April 2023, Sudan&#39;s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced nearly 12 million.&nbsp;Following their late-October capture of El-Fasher, the army&#39;s last stronghold in western Sudan the RSF have pushed eastward into the oil-rich Kordofan region, divided into three states.&nbsp;The strikes &quot;hit a kindergarten and, at least three times, the nearby Kalogi Rural Hospital, killing 114 people, including 63 children, and injuring 35 people,&quot; WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, citing the UN health agency&#39;s Attacks on Health Care monitoring system.&nbsp;Survivors from Thursday&#39;s attack were moved to Abu Jebaiha Hospital in South Kordofan for treatment, while urgent calls have gone out for blood donations and other medical support, Tedros said.&nbsp;&quot;Disturbingly, paramedics and responders came under attack as they tried to move the injured from the kindergarten to the hospital,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&quot;WHO deplores these senseless attacks on civilians and health facilities, and calls again for an end to the violence, and increased access to humanitarian aid, including health.&nbsp;&quot;Sudanese have suffered far too much. Ceasefire now!&quot;&nbsp;While the WHO counts and verifies attacks on health care, it does not attribute blame as it is not an investigation agency.&nbsp;The WHO says health care facilities and patients were hit in the attacks, which took place between 6:00 am and noon.&nbsp;Its record of the incident lists violence with heavy weapons, obstruction to health care delivery and &quot;Psychological violence/threat of violence/intimidation&quot;.&nbsp;In total, the WHO has recorded 63 attacks on health care in Sudan this year, resulting in 1,611 deaths and 259 injuries. Of those attacks, 52 impacted personnel, 45 impacted facilities and 32 impacted patients.&nbsp;UN chief Antonio Guterres was &quot;appalled&quot; by reports of Thursday&#39;s fatal attack, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York.&nbsp;&quot;The secretary-general calls on all states with influence over the parties to take immediate action and use their leverage to compel an immediate halt to the fighting and stop the arms flows that are fuelling the conflict,&quot; he said.

World Health Organization says 114 people, including 63 children, were killed when a kindergarten and hospital in South Kordofan, Sudan, were hit by strikes. Survivors need urgent medical help, and the UN is calling for the fighting to stop.

WHO says 114 killed in strikes on Sudan kindergarten, hospital

GENEVA: Nearly one in three women has experienced intimate partner or sexual violence, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, warning no society &quot;can call itself fair, safe or healthy while half its population lives in fear.&quot; &quot;Violence against women is one of humanity&#39;s oldest and most pervasive injustices, yet still one of the least acted upon,&quot; WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. In a fresh report, the UN health agency estimated that 840 million women globally -- nearly a third -- have experienced violence by an intimate partner, meaning someone they are in a romantic relationship with, or sexual violence in their lifetime. In the past year alone, 316 million women &ndash; 11% &nbsp;of those over the age of 15 -- faced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, the report showed. Progress had been &quot;painfully slow,&quot; WHO said, pointing out that intimate partner violence had declined by only 0.2% annually over the past two decades. LynnMarie Sardinha, with WHO&#39;s department of sexual, reproductive, maternal, child, and adolescent health and ageing, warned that the number of reported cases might even begin to rise. &quot;Increased awareness will likely lead to more reports of violence,&quot; she told reporters. &#39;Stark picture&#39; For the first time, the WHO report also includes national and regional estimates of sexual violence committed by someone other than an intimate partner. It determined that 263 million women had experienced non-partner sexual violence since the age of 15, cautioning that the problem was &quot;significantly under-reported due to stigma and fear.&quot; Wednesday&#39;s analysis covers data collected between 2000 and 2023 across 168 countries, &quot;revealing a stark picture of a deeply neglected crisis,&quot; WHO said. The report lamented that despite mounting evidence on effective strategies to prevent violence against women, funding for such initiatives was &quot;collapsing.&quot; In 2022, for instance, just 0.2% of global development aid went to programs focused on preventing violence against women. Funding has fallen further since the start of this year, after US President Donald Trump led the way on halting foreign aid globally. The report underscored that violence against women begins early. For example, WHO pointed out that in the past 12 months alone, 12.5 million adolescent girls &ndash; 16% of those between the ages of 15 and 19 -- have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner. Conflicts, climate impact Women everywhere are at risk. &quot;The results highlight a tragic reality for women and girls worldwide ... in almost essentially every community,&quot; Jeremy Farrar, WHO&#39;s assistant director-general for health promotion, disease prevention and care, told reporters. However, the data indicates that women in poorer countries and those affected by conflict or global warming are disproportionately affected. Climate change &quot;can result in floods, it can result in famines, it can result in other types of natural disasters,&quot; explained Avni Amin, head of WHO&#39;s rights and equality unit. As with war and conflict, this can drive people from their homes or create economic insecurity, which can increase stress at home and disrupt law and order -- all of which &quot;increases the risk,&quot; Amin said. The worst situation is found in Oceania &mdash; the island countries of the Pacific, excluding Australia and New Zealand. There, 38% of women reported intimate partner violence in the past year -- more than three times the global average of 11%, the report showed. In southern Asia, that figure was 19%, while in Africa it ranged from 14% to 17%. In Europe and North America, meanwhile, 5% of women reported experiencing violence, while 7% did in Latin America and the Caribbean, the report showed.

In a fresh report, the UN health agency estimated that 840 million women globally have experienced violence by an intimate partner.

Nearly a third of women face partner or sexual violence: WHO

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ISLAMABAD: The World Health Organization (WHO) and global partners released the 2025 Lancet Countdown report, urging that protecting human health must drive climate action amid rising heat deaths and fossil fuel dependence worldwide.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The report warns that continued reliance on fossil fuels and inadequate adaptation to rising temperatures are taking a devastating toll on lives, economies, and health systems worldwide.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;This report, produced with WHO as a strategic partner, makes clear that climate inaction is killing people now in all countries. However, climate action is also the greatest health opportunity of our time. Cleaner air, healthier diets, and resilient health systems can save millions of lives now and protect current and future generations.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The findings show 12 of 20 key indicators tracking health threats have reached record levels. Climate inaction is costing lives, straining health systems, and undermining economies.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;The climate crisis is a health crisis. Every fraction of a degree of warming costs lives and livelihoods,&rdquo; said Dr Jeremy Farrar, Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Care at the World Health Organization.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The report identifies Asia among the regions with the most significant rise in heatwave exposure due to climate change, alongside Africa and Small Island Developing States.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It adds that the climate suitability for dengue transmission &mdash; spread by Aedes mosquitoes &mdash; has risen by 48.5% since the 1950s, contributing to millions of new cases globally.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heat exposure threat&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The report highlights a 23% rise in heat-related deaths since the 1990s, with an average of 546,000 people dying annually due to heat exposure. Infants and older adults each experienced over 20 heatwave days per person in 2024, four times as many as two decades ago. Droughts and heatwaves have pushed an additional 124 million people into food insecurity.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Economic losses are also mounting. Heat exposure resulted in 640 billion potential labor hours lost in 2024, with productivity losses estimated at $1.09 trillion.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Governments spent $956 billion on fossil fuel subsidies in 2023 &mdash; more than triple the annual amount pledged to support climate-vulnerable countries. In 15 nations, fossil fuel subsidies exceeded entire national health budgets.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite these challenges, the report highlights progress. Between 2010 and 2022, reduced coal-derived air pollution prevented 160,000 premature deaths annually.&nbsp;Global surge in droughtThe Lancet Countdown warns that the &ldquo;percentage of the global land area affected by at least 1 month of extreme drought reached a record-breaking 60&middot;7% in 2024, 299% above the average&rdquo; since the 1950s.&nbsp; Researchers said the rise in global droughts reflects how higher temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns are disrupting water and food systems. &ldquo;Droughts threaten food productivity and water security, and heighten the risk of infectious diseases,&rdquo; the report noted. It added that prolonged dry periods are also worsening air quality by increasing dust exposure and wildfire risks, while disrupting power generation and river transport in several regions.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/c35cf4c5-b5b4-4451-90b2-843ef423bdfe-Drought in Pakistan .png" alt="Annual number of months of extreme drought on average in 1951–1960 (A) and 2024 (B) (Lancet Countdown report 2025)" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 680px;"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic" style="line-height: 2;">Annual number of months of extreme drought on average in 1951&ndash;1960 (A) and 2024 (B) (Lancet Countdown report 2025)</figcaption></figure> <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Global energy&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Renewable energy generation reached a record 12% of global electricity, creating 16 million jobs. Two-thirds of medical students received climate and health education in 2024.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;We already have the solutions at hand to avoid a climate catastrophe,&rdquo; said Dr Marina Romanello, Executive Director of the Lancet Countdown at University College London. &ldquo;Rapidly phasing out fossil fuels in favor of clean renewable energy and efficient energy use remains the most powerful lever to slow climate change and protect lives.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&lsquo;Leading the way&rsquo; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;While some governments have slowed their climate commitments, the report shows that cities, communities, and the health sector are leading the way,&rdquo; WHO official,&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap" id="isPasted">Dr Jeremy Farrar&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">said.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nearly all reporting cities have completed or plan to complete climate risk assessments, while health-related greenhouse gas emissions fell 16% globally between 2021 and 2022.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The 2025 Lancet Countdown report said weather-related extreme events caused $304 billion in global economic losses in 2024, which is 0.27% of global GDP.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As preparations for COP30 in Bel&eacute;m, Brazil, advance, the WHO said the report provides key evidence for placing health at the center of climate action. The organization will expand on these findings through its forthcoming COP30 Special Report on Climate Change and Health, focusing on the policies and investments needed to protect global health and equity.

Climate

The report on 'Health and climate change' urges global measures to safeguard health as rising temperatures, pollution, and fossil fuel use drive record heat deaths, disease spread, and economic losses, while highlighting progress in renewable energy and health system resilience.

Climate change claims millions of lives every year, Lancet report finds

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched a nationwide vaccination campaign against human papillomavirus (HPV), aiming to immunize 4.1 million girls aged nine to 14 across all four provinces to prevent cervical cancer, health officials said on Monday.&nbsp;The vaccination drive will run from September 15-27. It will focus on immunizing both, school-going and out-of-school girls. Vaccinations will be administered at Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI) centers, schools, and through mobile outreach teams; supported by over 3,000 mostly female vaccinators, data operators, social mobilizers, and assistants.&nbsp;A digital tracking system, called the Sindh Immunisation Electronic Record System, was deployed in southern Pakistan to enroll girls and monitor vaccination status over time. This will ensure a long-term assessment of vaccine effectiveness, officials said. Emergency medical support, including ambulances, will accompany teams to handle rare adverse reactions.&nbsp;Cervical cancer cases risingHPV causes 80-90% of cervical cancer cases. Its cases have been increasing each year in Pakistan, where about 5,000 new cervical cancer cases are diagnosed annually. Over 3,000 preventable deaths occur each year.&nbsp;The vaccine will be offered free of charge as a single dose to reduce dropout rates. It will become part of Pakistan&rsquo;s routine immunization schedule in 2026, starting with nine-year-old girls.&nbsp;&nbsp;Health experts talked about the importance of screening in addition to vaccination, recommending women undergo cervical cancer screening twice in their lifetime, at ages 35 and 45. Tests such as pap smears and HPV DNA testing are encouraged.&nbsp;The World Health Organization (WHO) reported last month that it has trained over 49,000 health workers across Pakistan. The effort covers Punjab, Sindh, the Islamabad Capital Territory, and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Expansion to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is planned for 2026, with Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan to follow in 2027.&nbsp;WHO officials described the vaccination campaign as a critical step towards the global goal of eliminating cervical cancer by 2030, which calls for 90% of girls vaccinated by age 15, 70% of women screened, and 90% of cancer cases receiving treatment.&nbsp;&ldquo;By protecting girls today, Pakistan is reducing future cervical cancer deaths,&rdquo; said a WHO representative.&nbsp;

Pakistan launches nationwide HPV vaccination campaign targeting young girls

Health

The vaccination drive will run from September 15-27, focusing on immunizing 4.1 million girls aged nine to 14 across Pakistan.

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