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Researchers work in a lab at the Wuhan Institute of Virology

US has provided no proof to back Wuhan lab claims - WHO

The World Health Organization has said the United States has provided no evidence to support "speculative" claims by President Donald Trump that the new coronavirus originated in a Chinese lab.

Coronavirus • 06 May 20

The WHO said it is 'battling misinformation' on social media 'every day'

WHO targets teens on social media to expose virus myths

The World Health Organization has said it is working with social media companies in a bid to quash misinformation about the coronavirus pandemic - including on more light-hearted apps popular with teenagers.

Coronavirus • 01 May 20

Dr Michael Ryan and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the World Health Organization

WHO and President Trump at odds over Covid-19 origin

The World Health Organization has reiterated that the new coronavirus was of natural origin after US President Donald Trump claimed he had seen evidence it originated in a Chinese lab.

Coronavirus • 01 May 20

Global coronavirus death toll passes 200,000

Global deaths linked to the coronavirus have now passed 200,000, while confirmed cases of the virus are expected to hit three million in coming days.

Coronavirus • 25 Apr 20

The resolution calls for strengthening the 'scientific international co-operation necessary to combat Covid-19'

UN call for 'equitable' access to any Covid-19 vaccine

The 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly have adopted a resolution calling for "equitable, efficient and timely" access to any future vaccines developed to fight coronavirus.

Coronavirus • 21 Apr 20

Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne believes there is no place for the WHO on any review panel investigating the response to the pandemic

Australia calls for a Covid-19 probe

Australia has called for an independent investigation into the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, including the World Health Organization's handling of the crisis.

Coronavirus • 20 Apr 20

A physician wearing personal protective equipment in Germany

'No evidence' of immunity in recovered patients - WHO

There is currently no evidence to support the belief that people who have recovered from coronavirus then have immunity, the World Health Organization has said.

Coronavirus • 18 Apr 20

World Health Organization is part of the United Nations

What is the World Health Organization?

US president Donald Trump has said he will halt payments to the World Health Organization.

Coronavirus • 15 Apr 20

Social distancing will be 'a very big part of life' for some time to come

WHO: 'We need to learn to protect ourselves' from virus

The WHO's special envoy on Covid-19 has said the world cannot wait for universal testing or a vaccine to "come out of lockdown" and people will have to find new ways to live with the threat of the virus in their lives.

Coronavirus • 14 Apr 20

The US is the biggest financial contributor to the UN body

WHO head defends handling of coronavirus pandemic

The head of the World Health Organization has given a strong defence of his agency's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, in response to President Donald Trump's suggestion that the US could review its funding for the agency.

Coronavirus • 08 Apr 20

The WHO said masks should only ever be used as part of a comprehensive package of intervention

WHO warns masks are no 'silver bullet' to end pandemic

The World Health Organization has warned that wearing masks alone will not be enough to defeat the global Covid-19 pandemic, which has now left more than 70,000 people.

Coronavirus • 06 Apr 20

For the first time, the daily death toll globally from Covid-19 has passed 4,000

At a glance: Latest global Covid-19 developments

The coronavirus pandemic is the worst global crisis since World War II, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres says, expressing concern that it could trigger conflicts around the world

Coronavirus • 01 Apr 20

The WHO says fake news spreads faster and more easily than the virus itself

'Fake news' undermining world's coronavirus response

Disinformation, or 'fake news' is not just harmless gossip, it is helping to spread the coronavirus.

Coronavirus • 18 Mar 20

The deadly virus has now spread to dozens of countries, prompting fears of a pandemic

WHO says coronavirus epidemic is at 'decisive point'

The World Health Organization has declared that the new coronavirus epidemic is at a "decisive point" as countries across the globe battled to contain the deadly outbreak.

World • 27 Feb 20

The World Health Organization has yet to declare the current outbreak a pandemic

When does an epidemic become a pandemic?

When does an epidemic become a pandemic? As the Covid-19 coronavirus continues its spread across the globe, what does the designation mean to world healthcare systems as they try to rein in the deadly disease?

News Lens • 26 Feb 20

People wear protective face masks in front of a closed elementary school in Vo' Euganeo, Padua, Italy

Coronavirus death toll in northern Italy rises to 11

Four more people have died due to the coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy, bringing the death toll in the country because of the virus to 11.

World • 25 Feb 20

Medical staff at work in the intensive care unit in a hospital in Wuhan

No major change in 'trajectory' of coronavirus - WHO

The World Health Organization has said a sharp rise in reported COVID-19 cases in China, due to a change in counting methods, did not represent a big shift in the epidemic.

China • 13 Feb 20

A WHO-led team will travel to China 'soon' to work with Chinese authorities in tackling the outbreak

WHO experts to meet to set coronavirus research agenda

Hundreds of experts will meet in Geneva next week to set research and development priorities for coronavirus drugs, diagnostics and vaccines to combat the outbreak, the World Health Organization has said.

World • 05 Feb 20

The disease has killed hundreds of people, mostly in China

Dept says Irish citizens should consider leaving China

The Department of Foreign Affairs is advising Irish citizens in China whose presence "is not essential" to leave the country, amid the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus.

World • 05 Feb 20

The report warns that an influenza pandemic could today spread around the world in just 36 hours and kill
millions

World at risk of pandemics 'that could kill millions'

The world is facing a mounting threat of disease pandemics that could kill millions and wreak havoc on the global economy, a international expert panel has warned

World • 18 Sep 19

The World Health Organization is also calling for an urgent reducation in plastic pollution

More research needed over microplastics in water - WHO

The World Health Organization is calling for further research into the health risks posed by microplastics in drinking water.

Health • 22 Aug 19

DR Congo is experiencing the second worst outbreak of Ebola on record

Rwanda says border with DRC not closed over Ebola fears

Rwanda's health minister has said the border with Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of Congo remains open, appearing to contradict an earlier statement that the frontier was closed near the border city of Goma.

World • 01 Aug 19

Medical staff in Goma wearing protective gear before entering an isolation area at an Ebola treatment centre

Second Ebola death in DR Congo's Goma

A second case of Ebola has been detected in the border city of Goma in the Democratic Republic Congo.

World • 31 Jul 19

The World Health Organization says e-cigarettes pose 'health risks' to users

WHO says e-cigarettes 'undoubtedly harmful'

Electronic cigarettes are "undoubtedly harmful" and should be regulated, the WHO said as it warned against the use of vaping products by smokers trying to quit their deadly habit.

World • 26 Jul 19

Around 149 million children suffer from hunger-related growth delays

World hunger rises for third successive year - UN

More than 821 million people suffered from hunger worldwide last year, according to a new United Nations report - the third year in a row that the number has risen.

World • 16 Jul 19