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WHO taps WhatsApp to share accurate COVID-19 info via new chatbot

Brittany A. Roston | Mar 20, 2020

WhatsApp has become a hive of misinformation related to the novel coronavirus, the COVID-19 disease it causes, and the state of outbreaks around the world. The World Health Organization is combating this fake news by launching its own chatbot called WHO Health Alert to spread accurate, timely information. The chatbot will provide direct information on the latest case numbers, myths related to the disease, and more.

Coronavirus pandemic official: WHO chief criticizes “alarming levels of inaction”

Chris Davies | Mar 11, 2020

Coronavirus is officially a pandemic, the World Health Organization has confirmed today, as COVID-19 cases exceed 118,000 across 114 countries around the world. At the same time, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the WHO, expressed concerns that the situation was not being taken seriously by every country.

WHO Coronavirus global risk upgraded to Very High, map tracker update

Chris Burns | Feb 28, 2020

Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19, 2019-nCoV) was given a risk upgrade from the World Health Organization on Friday, February 28, 2020. "The continued increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, and the number of affected countries over the last few days, are clearly of concern," said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "Our epidemiologists have been monitoring these developments continuously, and we have now increased our assessment of the risk of spread and the risk of impact of COVID-19 to very high at a global level."

WHO: Coronavirus isn’t a pandemic yet, but the potential exists

Brittany A. Roston | Feb 24, 2020

In its latest briefing on the ongoing novel coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that at this time, COVID-19 cases do not indicate that the virus has reached pandemic status. However, the agency acknowledges that there is the potential for the disease to become a pandemic, something that would be based on a variety of criteria, including things like severity and its overall societal impact.

Coronavirus fatality rate modeled by WHO: Best practice and biggest risks

Chris Davies | Feb 20, 2020

Efforts to model the spread of coronavirus have begun to pinpoint a likely fatality rate, the World Health Organization has announced, as well as casting doubt onto the effectiveness of travel bans for preventing COVID-19 cases. The latest information from the WHO highlights best-practice for avoiding infection, but also highlights an unexpected hurdle as large sections of China remain on lockdown.

WHO gives coronavirus outbreak an official name: COVID-19

Eric Abent | Feb 11, 2020

As coronavirus continues to spread, the World Health Organization has officially given it a name: COVID-19. Previously referred to as the "2019 novel coronavirus," this new name should not only help scientists and media organizations refer to this specific outbreak, but it also lays down a model for future coronavirus outbreaks that may occur.

CDC confirms second case of coronavirus in the US, expects more soon

Brittany A. Roston | Jan 24, 2020

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced the second confirmed case of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the United States. The agency says that it expects there will be additional reports of the virus in the US in coming weeks, but that it considers the overall risk of this outbreak to the American public to be 'low' at this point in time.

China coronavirus: What we know and what to do

Brittany A. Roston | Jan 23, 2020

Though it been managed far better than the SARS outbreak that happened years ago, the ongoing outbreak of a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China has raised global concerns over the potential for the virus to spread internationally and infect a large number of people. Health agencies and organizations around the world have mobilized to address the matter; here's the latest on what they're doing and what you can expect in the immediate future.

Mystery SARS-like virus outbreak in China raises travel concerns

Brittany A. Roston | Jan 9, 2020

Chinese state media has announced the outbreak of a new type of coronavirus that is causing cases of pneumonia in the nation's Wuhan province. The scientist who led an investigation into the condition, Xu Jianguo, claims the outbreak is resulting from a new version of the virus that differs from the ones behind MERS and SARS, both of which are severe and often deadly conditions.

Ebola vaccine approved by WHO for first time ever

Chris Burns | Nov 13, 2019

Ebola is now officially preventable and treatable. Today the World Health Organization (WHO) prequalified an Ebola vaccine for the first time in the history of the world. The Ervebo vaccine is now recommended by the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) as a key tool in treating Ebola, as it's been officially shown to be effective in protecting humans from the Ebola Zaire virus.

Second Ebola vaccine will be deployed in the DRC next month

Brittany A. Roston | Sep 23, 2019

An experimental Ebola vaccine from Johnson & Johnson will be deployed in mid-October to treat at-risk populations in regions that don't have active Ebola transmission, according to the World Health Organization. This vaccine is the second to be used in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has been dealing with a deadly Ebola outbreak for more than a year.

WHO reveals huge plan for human genome editing research registry

Chris Davies | Aug 30, 2019

Human genome editing will be the subject of a new global registry, the World Health Organization has confirmed, tracking the controversial research as scientists navigate both practical and ethical concerns. While the potential benefits from gene editing could include curing diseases and reducing healthcare costs, critics argue DNA manipulation could just as easily lead to irreversible damage.