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Displaying 60 of about 140 resultsOne of the toughest tasks in responding to a major public health emergency is getting accurate information about infectious disease outbreaks.
Infections can spread even more quickly than rumours, particularly when there is a lack of reliable, up-to-date information to detect, track and respond to outbreaks.
Without a rapid response, infectious diseas…
By Liz Wells and Holly Bennett
A forecasting tool that uses data routinely collected by state health departments could be used to forecast disease in the event of a bioterrorist attack or new influenza pandemic.
EpiFX, which was co-developed by researchers at the University of Melbourne and the Defence Science Technology (DST) Group, is already p…
For most of human history, when the world’s population was small and sparsely distributed, infectious diseases were lethal but local. Since then, rising populations and globalisation have turned viruses and bacteria into mass killers.
A century ago, the Spanish flu pandemic killed approximately 50m, recording more deaths than World War I. Although impr…
Cholera outbreaks continue to take thousands of lives year after year. Using satellite data and specialized algorithms, one group was able to accurately predict an outbreak weeks in advance. This tool could give communities time to prepare.
The outbreak of disease is the life-threatening start of a worst-case scenario, with the potential to become an e…
Policy-makers are increasingly concerned about the impact of climate variability and change on the health of vulnerable populations. Variations and trends in climatic factors and extreme weather events impact many health outcomes, including malaria, heat stress and undernutrition.
Climate Information for Public Health Action is based on the premise tha…
This study finds that 17 million people were newly displaced by sudden-onset disasters worldwide in 2009, and over 42 million people in 2010. To meet this challenge, the study recommends that greater collaboration is required between those working in the fields of humanitarian action, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation and development. I…
This brochure stresses that adapting food systems to climate change is essential for promoting food security and poverty alleviation, as well as for the sustainable management and conservation of natural resources. It also presents how the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports countries in addressing climate change, with…
Google engineers are working with U.N. child agency UNICEF to analyse data in an effort to map and anticipate the spread of the Zika virus, linked to birth defects among children in Brazil, the company said on Thursday.
Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, said in a statement it was providing a $1 million grant to the United Nations Children's Emergency Fun…
By Mr. Francis Talasasa
Nuku’alofa, Tonga - Solomon Islands is the first Pacific island nation to set up a Malaria Early Warning System.
The Director of Solomon Islands Meteorological Service, Mr. David Hiriasi said the Malaria Early Warning System module was introduced on the main island of Guadalcanal.
“The malaria early warning system was created…
BANGKOK - The COVID-19 pandemic poses unique challenges in response and recovery. Governments are trying to manage the shock in the face of existing societal threats like poverty and inequality. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 recovery process has the potential to be a transformational event for many countries. The road to recovery offers cou…
Bangkok - For decades, governments and NGOs have relied on private sector solutions to gather and interpret emergency data for crisis response, but a growing number of them have warmed in recent years to much cheaper "open-source" (OS) technology. IRIN spoke to experts around the world about their search for the most appropriate mix of technology to man…
Dakar - Partnerships between aid agencies and climate experts are finally paying off by helping NGOs’ disaster prevention and response, but specialists question why it took so long.
“The question is not why meteorological services and humanitarian organizations are talking to each other today, but why they have not been talking for one-and-a-half centu…
By Lindsey Fair
Cities as we know them are under attack thanks to COVID-19. Their growth, sustainability and ability to attract investment, tourism and talent are extremely vulnerable during times of crisis. In the last hundred years, cities have seen an increase in crises, pandemics and economic pressures — but not all are hit equally.
Large global c…
Children at the Public Health Initiative in Karnataka, India. Researchers in India found that COVID-19 infections in the country, had been grossly underestimated and could be up to 95 times higher than the official numbers. Copyright: Trinity Care Foundation, (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).
Data on COVID-19 deaths and cases goes underreported in many countries…
GENEVA, 22 May 2013 - The inventor of the world's first interactive digital globe that graphically depicts the vulnerability of our planet to disasters today challenged global policymakers to show more leadership in tackling the growing risks facing populations worldwide.
"What is important is not the technology but our vision for the future of the pla…