World Health Organization

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A satellite image shows the Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East, in Irkutsk, Russia, on May 8, 2025.

Russia's Suspected Plague Incident and the Limits of Disease Reporting

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The Irkutsk incident highlights the shortcomings of international law around potentially harmful disease events, according to an expert in the region

Delegates attend the 79th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization, in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 18, 2026.

WHO Elections: Reform Without Reckoning

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The organization cannot be reshaped without confronting its internal structure, partnership rules, and expanding operational role

Reforming WHO: Five Considerations for the Next Director General

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The World Health Organization's next chapter could become more focused, technically authoritative, and strategically disciplined through strategic reforms

The World Health Organization headquarters is seen in Geneva, Switzerland, on January 28, 2025.

A Roadmap to Effective Gun Violence Policy

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Countries like Australia and Colombia show paths to reducing preventable gun-violence homicides and suicides

Guns that will be destroyed are displayed during an event for the International Day for the Destruction of Firearms, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Mexico City, Mexico, on July 9, 2025.

Charting Ebola Responses: How 2026 Stacks Up After Aid Cuts

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An Ebola outbreak circulating undetected for weeks or months is a collective failure of global health security, regardless of cause

A map titled "Where the 2026 Ebola Outbreak is Spreading" shows confirmed and suspected cases of Bundibugyo virus disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda as of June 1, 2026. Affected regions are shaded in salmon/orange-red, and affected cities are marked with black dots. Ituri Province in northeastern DRC is labeled as having seen the most cases and is the largest highlighted region. Additional affected areas in DRC include militia-controlled Goma in North Kivu and areas near Bukavu in South Kivu. In Uganda, Kampala is marked as having confirmed nine cases. A small inset map shows the location of the outbreak region within the broader African continent. Source: Ministry of Health, Democratic Republic of Congo.

World Health Assembly Recap: Financial Crunch, Affected Mandates, and Future Leadership

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This year's assembly revealed competing visions for the future as global health architecture faces forced transformation

Delegates attend the 79th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization, in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 18, 2026.

The World Health Assembly Reacts to the Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak

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A Chatham House fellow reports from WHA79 about how the new Ebola emergency has advanced conversations about actionable health reform

The regional supply chain lead for emergencies at the World Health Organization's Regional Office for Africa pastes stickers on shipment pallets that are being sent in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 18, 2026.

Busting 10 Myths About Health Taxes

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Ahead of the World Health Assembly, Resolve to Save Lives CEO Tom Frieden discusses how health taxes can raise money and improve physical well-being

A street vendor selects cigarettes for a customer, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, on May 27, 2024.

Hantavirus Outbreak Tests Global Health Law Amid WHO Crisis

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As international negotiations stall around pathogen access and benefit sharing, the Andes virus outbreak exemplifies why the system is needed

Civil guard members approach the cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, on a motorboat, at the port of Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, Spain, on May 11, 2026.

Argentina, the WHO, and an Exit Door That Doesn't Exist

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Argentina's proposed departure from the World Health Organization raises complex legal questions about treaty withdrawal and global health governance

Argentinian President Javier Milei speaks at an event, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on April 29, 2026.

How African Regional Agencies Can Shape Global Health Reform

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WHO Africa regional specialists explain why continental players need to be coauthors in the reform of global health architecture

World Health Organization officials and Ugandan health workers inform the community of Kirembo village about the ebola vaccine, in Kasese district, Uganda, on June 15, 2019.

Sustaining Tuberculosis Innovations to Counter Foreign Aid Cuts

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A new World Health Organization policy allows for portable TB testing, which could help close massive gaps in disease surveillance

A man is treated for tuberculosis, at the Muniz public hospital, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on January 11, 2019.