The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the Gaza ceasefire, hostage and prisoner release deal, which brings hope for millions of people whose lives have been ravaged by the conflict.
The health challenges ahead are immense. The entire population of Gaza has faced multiple displacements. More than 46 600 people have been killed and over 110 000 have been injured. The real figures are likely much higher. Only half of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remain partially operational, nearly all hospitals are damaged or partly destroyed, and just 38% of primary health care centres are functional. An estimated 25% of those injured – around 30 000 people – face life-changing injuries and will need ongoing rehabilitation. Specialized health care is largely unavailable, medical evacuations abroad are extremely slow. Transmission of infectious diseases has massively increased, malnutrition is rising, and the risk of famine persists. The breakdown of public order, exacerbated by armed gangs, raises further concerns.
Addressing the massive needs and restoring the health system will be an extremely complex and challenging task, given the scale of destruction, operational complexity and constraints involved. Billions in investment are needed to support recovery of the health system, which will require the unwavering commitment of donors and the international community.
WHO is ready to scale up the response together with UN health partners including UNFPA, UNICEF, UNRWA and 67 Health Cluster partners. However, it is critical that the security obstacles hindering operations are removed. WHO will need conditions on the ground that allow systematic access to the population across Gaza, enabling the influx of aid via all possible borders and routes, and lifting restrictions on the entry of essential items. Also essential are active protection of civilians and health-care workers, expediting medical evacuations through all possible routes for over 12 000 patients (and their companions) who urgently require specialized care, strengthening and speeding up the referral system to East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and addressing road repairs, rubble removal, and the remediation of unexploded ordnances.
WHO and partners will need a massive scale-up of funding to meet immediate health needs, and to begin to restore the heath system, including the workforce, supply chain and infrastructure.
WHO and partners will implement a 60-day plan to support the urgent restoration and expansion of the health system. Focus will be on key priority response areas, including trauma and emergency care, comprehensive primary health care, child health, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), rehabilitation, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS).
Given the immense needs, WHO is scaling up operations and mobilizing critical supplies and resources for delivery into Gaza. A priority will be the assessment and rehabilitation of partially damaged health facilities in high-need areas. Work is ongoing to urgently increase bed capacity across selected hospitals in northern and southern Gaza, together with the expansion of operational capacities, supporting the hiring and redistribution of national health workers, and increasing deployment of international health workers to fill gaps. Plans are underway to integrate prefabricated clinics and hospitals with existing health facilities to enhance service delivery in underserved and newly accessible areas.
Efforts also are underway to strengthen referral processes for critical care within Gaza and facilitate cross-border medical evacuations. Given the high level of malnutrition and disease outbreaks, WHO is working with partners to expand infant and young child feeding programmes, enhance immunization efforts and reinforce disease surveillance systems for timely prevention, reporting, and outbreak management.
WHO calls on all parties to uphold their commitment to fully implement the ceasefire agreement and to continue working towards a political solution to address the protracted crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory, which is essential for lasting peace.
Conflict, climate change, epidemics, and displacement are converging to create an unparalleled global health crisis, with 305 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance in 2025. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for US$ 1.5 billion for its 2025 Health Emergency Appeal (HEA), to support life-saving health interventions worldwide.
The appeal, launched today by WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, outlines the critical priorities and resources needed to address 42 ongoing health emergencies, including 17 Grade 3 crises – the most severe emergencies requiring the highest level of response. With health systems stretched to their limits and global financial resources dwindling, the US$ 1.5 billion are needed to help people facing the most difficult situations
“Conflicts, outbreaks, climate-related disasters and other health emergencies are no longer isolated or occasional – they are relentless, overlapping and intensifying,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "From controlling cholera outbreaks to providing mental health support in conflict zones, WHO’s work extends beyond the immediate care we provide. We empower communities to protect themselves, prioritize equity, and build a legacy of preparedness. This appeal is about enabling WHO to save lives, protect the right to health, and provide hope where there is none.”
WHO is committed to delivering emergency health assistance, including in conflict zones such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the occupied Palestinian territory and Sudan. WHO’s response in emergencies is aligned with wider humanitarian efforts and prioritizes providing essential care and medical supplies; treating malnutrition and supporting maternal and child health; conducting vaccination campaigns to prevent disease outbreaks; and offering mental health support to populations impacted by trauma.
The Appeal highlights four key challenges facing the world currently: climate change, conflict, displacement and disease outbreaks. These are responsible for fueling deeper, longer lasting health crises and putting the world’s most vulnerable at greater risk.
The appeal further details the priorities and financial needs for each of the Grade 3 emergencies that WHO is responding to.
With the support of donors and partners, WHO aims to fulfill its unique role in health emergencies, while upholding the principles of international humanitarian law, ensuring that no one is left behind even in the most challenging circumstances.
This appeal is about more than just funding – it is a call to action. As crises grow more frequent and severe, the gap between global needs and available resources continues to widen. Supporting WHO’s Health Emergency Appeal is a vital investment in global solidarity and health equity.
On 18 December 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) prequalified the first diagnostic test for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency which can help to safely deliver WHO-recommended treatments to prevent relapse of Plasmodium vivax (P. vivax) infection.
The prequalification of this G6PD diagnostic test marks a significant milestone in facilitating safe and effective P. vivax malaria treatment, reaffirming WHO’s dedication to ensuring equitable access to life-saving health solutions globally. Some 500 000 people die each year from malaria, most of them children.
The prequalification of this test immediately followed the prequalification, in early December, of two new tafenoquine products for anti-relapse treatment of P. vivax malaria, and these therapeutics were recommended in updated WHO malaria guidelines released a few days earlier, in late November.
This package of actions by WHO reflects the organization’s recent adoption of synchronized and parallel processes for two key functions: developing recommendations for essential health products and overseeing their prequalification.
While these processes remain entirely independent, their alignment aims to significantly reduce the time required to bring vital health products to low- and lower-middle-income countries. This streamlined approach underscores WHO’s commitment to improving global health equity by expediting access to life-saving products.
P. vivax malaria is endemic in all WHO Regions except the European Region, with an estimated 9.2 million clinical cases occurring in 2023. P. vivax is the dominant malaria parasite in most countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa.
G6PD deficiency, a genetic condition, affects more than 500 million people. While most people are unaware of their G6PD deficiency and go through life without suffering ill effects, certain drugs administered to prevent malaria relapse caused by P. vivax can result in acute haemolysis (destruction of red blood cells). Without accessible and reliable G6PD testing, it has been challenging to safely provide anti-relapse treatments, limiting the widespread use of this effective therapy.
“The prequalification of this G6PD enzyme test for patients with P. vivax malaria can help countries in enhancing access to much-needed quality-assured tests, enabling safe and effective treatment and prevention of this type of relapsing malaria,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products. “Currently, no other prequalification applications are received for this type of tests. We encourage the submission of additional products to expand the range of effective diagnostic tools available to countries in need.”
“Wider availability of the test can help strengthen the global malaria response by reducing the number of P. vivax infections due to relapse and in turn reduce onward transmission,” said Dr Daniel Ngamije Madandi, Director of WHO’s Global Malaria Programme.
Testing devices that can accurately distinguish patients with G6PD activity levels above and below the normal levels provide critical information to clinicians to decide which of P. vivax anti-relapse treatment regimens is most appropriate, including low- and high-dose primaquine and single-dose tafenoquine.
The STANDARD G6PD System diagnostic tool manufactured by SD Biosensor, Inc., is a semi-quantitative, near-patient solution designed for the measurement of G6PD enzyme activity in capillary or venous whole blood. The device is intended for use in both laboratory and non-laboratory settings and operates with the STANDARD G6PD Analyzer, a hand-held device, delivering results in a few minutes.
Five years ago on 31 December 2019, WHO’s Country Office in China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of ‘viral pneumonia’ in Wuhan, China. In the weeks, months and years that unfolded after that, COVID-19 came to shape our lives and our world.
At WHO, we went to work immediately as the new year dawned. WHO employees activated emergency systems on 1 January 2020, and informed the world on 4 January. By 9-12 January, WHO had published its first set of comprehensive guidance for countries, and on 13 January, we brought together partners to publish the blueprint of the first SARS-CoV-2 laboratory test.
All along, we convened experts and ministries of health from around the world, gathered and analysed data, and shared what was reported, what we learned and what it meant for people. Read about WHO’s actions in this interactive timeline.
As we mark this milestone, let’s take a moment to honour the lives changed and lost, recognize those who are suffering from COVID-19 and long COVID, express gratitude to the health workers who sacrificed so much to care for us, and commit to learning from COVID-19 to build a healthier tomorrow.
We continue to call on China to share data and access so we can understand the origins of COVID-19. This is a moral and scientific imperative. Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.
As we pose the question, “Is the world better prepared for the next pandemic than we were for COVID-19?” see WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s response at a recent press conference: https://who.canto.global/b/SHEJL
WHO is appalled by yesterday’s raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital, which put the last major health facility in North Gaza out of service. The systematic dismantling of the health system and a siege for over 80 days on North Gaza puts the lives of the 75,000 Palestinians remaining in the area at risk.
Initial reports indicate that some areas of the hospital were burnt and severely damaged during the raid, including the laboratory, surgical unit, engineering and maintenance department, operations theatre, and the medical store. Earlier in the day, twelve patients and a female health staff were reportedly forced to evacuate to destroyed and non-functional Indonesian Hospital where it is not possible to provide any care, while the majority of the staff, stable patients and companions were moved to a nearby location. Additionally, some people were reportedly stripped and forced to walk toward southern Gaza. Over the last two months, the area around the hospital has remained highly volatile and attacks on the hospitals and on health workers have occurred almost daily. This week, bombardments in its vicinity reportedly killed 50 people, including five health workers from Kamal Adwan Hospital.
Kamal Adwan is now empty. Yesterday evening, the remaining 15 critical patients, 50 caregivers and 20 health workers were transferred to Indonesian Hospital, which lacks the necessary equipment and supplies to provide adequate care. The movement and treatment of these critical patients under such conditions pose grave risks to their survival. WHO is deeply concerned for their wellbeing, as well as for the Kamal Adwan Hospital director who has been reportedly detained during the raid. WHO lost contact with him since the raid began.
WHO and partners' efforts to sustain the hospitals’ operations have been undone. With Kamal Adwan and Indonesian hospitals entirely out of service, and Al-Awda Hospital barely able to function, and severely damaged due to recent airstrikes, the healthcare lifeline for those in North Gaza is reaching a breaking point.
WHO calls for urgently ensuring that hospitals in North Gaza can be supported to become functional again.
Hospitals have once again become battlegrounds, reminiscent of the destruction of the health system in Gaza City earlier this year.
Since October 2023, WHO has repeatedly issued urgent calls to protect health workers and hospitals as per international humanitarian law —yet these calls remain unheard. Health facilities, workers and patients are always off limits. They must be actively protected and never be attacked, nor used for military purposes. The principles of precaution, distinction and proportionality under International Humanitarian Law are absolute and always apply.
Our mission to negotiate the release of the United Nations staff detainees and to assess the health and humanitarian situation in Yemen concluded today.
We continue to call for the detainees' immediate release.
As we were about to board our flight from Sana’a, about three hours ago (around 5 pm local time), the airport came under aerial bombardment. One of our plane’s crew members was injured. At least two people were reported killed at the airport.
The air traffic control tower, the departure lounge — just a few meters from where we were — and the runway were damaged. We will need to wait for the damage to the airport to be repaired before we can leave.
My UN and WHO colleagues and I are safe.
Our heartfelt condolences to the families whose loved ones lost their lives in the attack.
The WHO Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC) continues to closely monitor the genetic and antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants, immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination, and the performance of COVID-19 vaccines against circulating variants. Based on these evaluations, WHO advises vaccine manufacturers and regulatory authorities on the implications for future updates to COVID-19 vaccine antigen composition. In April 2024, the TAG-CO-VAC recommended the use of a monovalent JN.1 lineage vaccine antigen as one approach to induce enhanced neutralizing antibody responses to JN.1 and its descendent lineages. Several manufacturers (using mRNA and recombinant protein-based vaccine platforms) have updated COVID-19 vaccine antigen composition to monovalent JN.1 lineage formulations (JN.1 or KP.2) and some of these have been approved for use by regulatory authorities. Previous statements from the TAG-CO-VAC can be found on the WHO website.
The TAG-CO-VAC reconvened on 10-12 December 2024 to review the genetic and antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2; immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or COVID-19 vaccination; the performance of currently approved vaccines against circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants; and the implications for COVID-19 vaccine antigen composition.
The published and unpublished evidence reviewed by the TAG-CO-VAC included: (1) SARS-CoV-2 genetic evolution with additional support from the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE); (2) Antigenic characterization of previous and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants using virus neutralization tests with animal antisera and further analysis of antigenic relationships using antigenic cartography; (3) Immunogenicity data on the breadth of neutralizing antibody responses elicited by currently approved vaccine antigens against circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants using animal and human sera; (4) Preliminary immunogenicity data on immune responses following infection with circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants; (5) Available vaccine effectiveness (VE) estimates of currently approved vaccines during periods of circulation of XBB.1 and JN.1 lineages; and (6) Preliminary preclinical and clinical immunogenicity data on the performance of candidate vaccines with updated antigens shared confidentially by vaccine manufacturers with TAG-CO-VAC. Further details on the publicly available data reviewed by the TAG-CO-VAC can be found in the accompanying data annex. Unpublished and/or confidential data reviewed by the TAG-CO-VAC are not shown.
Summary of available evidence
The TAG-CO-VAC acknowledges several limitations of the available data:
Given the breadth in immune responses demonstrated by monovalent JN.1 lineage vaccines against circulating variants, the TAG-CO-VAC advises retaining the current COVID-19 vaccine antigen composition, i.e. a monovalent JN.1 lineage variant (NextStrain: 24A, GenBank: PP298019, GISAID: EPI_ISL_18872762) as one approach to induce enhanced neutralizing antibody responses to JN.1 and its descendent variants (e.g., KP.3.1.1 and XEC).
Other approaches that demonstrate broad and robust neutralizing antibody responses against currently circulating JN.1 descendent lineage variants, such as vaccine antigens derived from more recent variants or alternative formulations, could also be considered.
As per the WHO Director General’s standing recommendations for COVID-19, Member States are recommended to continue to offer COVID-19 vaccination based on the recommendations of the WHO SAGE. Vaccination should not be delayed in anticipation of access to vaccines with an updated composition; vaccination programmes can continue to use any available WHO emergency-use listed or prequalified COVID-19 vaccines.
Given the limitations of the evidence upon which the recommendations above are derived and the anticipated continued evolution of the virus, the TAG-CO-VAC strongly encourages generation of the following data (in addition to the types of data outlined in October 2024):
As previously stated, the TAG-CO-VAC continues to encourage the further development of vaccines that may improve protection against infection and reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
The TAG-CO-VAC will continue to closely monitor the genetic and antigenic evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants, immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination, and the performance of COVID-19 vaccines against circulating variants. The TAG-CO-VAC will also continue to reconvene every six months to evaluate the implications for COVID-19 vaccine antigen composition. At each meeting, recommendations to either maintain current vaccine composition or to consider updates will be issued.