World Health Organization

Associations of food processing and dietary risk factors with colorectal cancer incidence in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study: A cohort study

Background Ultra-processed foods (UPF) account for >50% of energy intake by US adults. UPF intake can include dietary components linked to lower colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, such as whole grain and dairy products, and others linked to higher CRC risk, such as processed meats, po...

Rethinking Disability for Sustainable Rehabilitation and OT Development in Armenia

Date presented: April 24, 2026 Primary Author and Speaker: V. Armineh Babikian, babikian@therapistsforarmenia.org

Near point-of-care nucleic acid amplification tests (NPOC-NAATs) using respiratory specimens for detection of pulmonary tuberculosis

RATIONALE: Near point-of-care nucleic acid amplification tests (NPOC-NAATs) are a new class of diagnostics that can be used for tuberculosis diagnosis. NPOC-NAATs are suitable for use in peripheral levels of healthcare systems as they are battery-operated instrument-based tests w...

Spatiotemporal patterns of antimicrobial resistance in shared human-animal waterpoints in the Maasai Mara Ecosystem, Kenya

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) presents an existential One Health threat. The spread of AMR in arid and semi-arid landscapes is modulated by ecological interactions and exacerbated by endemicity of livestock diseases and poor sanitation in shared human-animal systems leading to m...

Where is the evidence? A global systematic review of sanitation system resilience to climate hazards

Despite sustained efforts over several decades, no region is projected to achieve universal sanitation access by 2030, according to international monitoring frameworks. Climate change is increasingly disrupting human and ecological systems, in turn deepening existing inequalities...

The Framework for Policy Decision on the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine: the use of emerging data to inform global policy on the first malaria vaccine

The World Health Organization (WHO)-coordinated Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programme (MVIP) supported pilot introductions of the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine by the ministries of health through the childhood immunization programmes in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi from 2019 through 2...

Mapping the evidence base of kidney, prostate and urinary tract tumours to inform the WHO classification of tumours

Background The project ‘World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumours (WCT): a Living Evidence Gap Map by Tumour Type’ applies the Evidence and Gap Map (EGM) methodology to systematically synthesise evidence to support iterative refinements of the WCT. As part of this...

Political Economy of Budgeting Reforms: A Comparative Analysis of the Adoption and Implementation of Programme‐Based Budgeting in Health Across Seven LMIC Countries

Despite its widespread application in public financial management reforms across low- and middle-income countries, programme-based budgeting (PBB) implementation often remains relatively superficial. The technical weaknesses of the reform have been widely documented; however, the...

When the system fails, the community leads: field insights from the self-efficacy and knowledge (SEEK) trial during Lebanon’s 2024 active conflict

Adolescent girls and young women affected by conflict experience persistent sexual and reproductive health challenges along with poorer mental health and wellbeing. Among Syrian adolescent girls and young women living in Lebanon, these challenges are exacerbated by displacement,...

Profiling in vitro diagnostics that achieved WHO prequalification or emergency use listing and mapping manufacturers’ challenges through WHO specialized technical assistance

Abstract Equitable access to quality-assured in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) is essential for health security, universal health coverage, and effective responses to public health emergencies. The World Health Organization provides mechanisms, most prominently the Prequalification (PQ...

Prevalence of HIV and recent infection among people aged 15 to 54 years in post conflict Tigray Ethiopia

The Tigray region of Ethiopia has been affected by a prolonged conflict that significantly disrupted public health services and led to widespread population displacement. While these events raised important concerns about their potential impact on HIV transmission, current eviden...

Udaan: scaling up health system response to and prevention of domestic violence: Protocol of a cluster randomised trial

Violence against women is a public health problem, a gender inequality issue, and a human rights violation. WHO’s Clinical and Policy Guidelines on Responding to intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women (2013) recommends integration of response to violence agai...

Sexual health and healthy aging: the five ‘I’s conceptual framework

Sexual health remains important throughout life, including in older age. This special collection shows that older adults need respectful, inclusive, and culturally appropriate sexual health services. The five ’I’s framework – importance, individuality, inclusion, involvement, and...

Co-designing and optimising a primary care implementation model for childhood pneumonia management in a low-resource setting using principles of implementation research

Abstract Background Pneumonia remains the leading infectious cause of under-five mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where translation of evidence-based guidelines into practice faces systemic barriers. Although India launched the Childhood Pneumon...

Rethinking family planning indicators: findings from a global expert consultation

The global family planning field has long relied on a few standard measures to assess program effectiveness and population-level outcomes, such as modern contraceptive prevalence, unmet need for family planning, and demand satisfied. Recognizing that these measures have substanti...

Effects of heat exposure on self-reported heat strain symptoms among pregnant and postpartum women in South Africa

Abstract Heat exposure can harm pregnant and postpartum women, yet heat strain symptoms in this population remain underexplored. This study implemented a novel mobile application and assessed the environmental context of five self-reported heat strain symptoms: skin rashes, sleep...

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Musculoskeletal Outcomes: A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) are increasingly used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, but their effects on musculoskeletal health remain completely misunderstood. This systematic review/meta-analysis aims to synthesise clinical data on the...

Implementation and evaluation of a technical support center for the Research to Enhance the Adaptation and Implementation of Health Systems Guidelines in LMICs [RAISE] initiative

Abstract Background Capacity-strengthening initiatives for health policy and systems research (HPSR) in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) are often designed with little consideration of LMIC stakeholder needs. We formed a Technical Support Centre to support research teams...

Adapting and implementing health systems guidelines: learning lessons from countries

Adapting and implementing evidence-based health system guidelines presents numerous challenges, particularly when they are introduced in settings that differ from those in which they were originally developed [ 1 ]. Effective implementation requires careful consideration of local...

A narrative review of progress and lessons from a decade of implementing infection prevention and control in Sierra Leone following the Ebola epidemic

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) is essential for resilient health systems and emergency preparedness. In Sierra Leone, inadequate IPC practices during the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic catalysed the establishment of a national IPC programme. This review examines a d...