Dispelling vaccine doubts

17 February 2014 -- Why is the same vaccine accepted in one part of the world and rejected in another? This WHO Bulletin article explains why communicating the benefits versus the risks of vaccination is just part of the battle to gain public confidence in vaccines.

• Read the WHO Bulletin on dispelling vaccine doubts

14 February 2014 -- Yaws is a neglected tropical disease that affects the skin, bone and cartilage and mainly occurs in children under 15 years old. A single-dose of oral azithromycin cures the disease and is now the basis for WHO's renewed eradication strategy. The “WHO Roadmap for NTDs” sets 2020 for the eradication of yaws from the remaining 12 endemic countries and WHO has initiated pilot treatment campaigns in 7 countries.

• Read the updated fact sheet on yaws

7 February 2014 -- In addition to winter sports achievements, visitors to the Olympic Winter Games 2014 will be expecting innovative sport facilities, modernized transportation infrastructure and traditional hospitality in Sochi on Russia’s Black Sea coast. But cigarette smokers may find something unexpectedly missing: somewhere to smoke. During the Olympic Games smoking will be forbidden in all Olympic and Paralympic venues, including all bars and restaurants in the Olympic park. No tobacco products will be sold at any of the Olympic sites.

• Read the feature story on the tobacco control efforts

7 February 2014 -- New mortality estimates from WHO show that annual measles deaths have reached historic lows, dropping 78% from more than 562 000 in 2000 to 122 000 in 2012. During this time period, an estimated 13.8 million deaths have been prevented by measles vaccination. Despite the impressive gains made, progress towards measles elimination remains uneven with some populations still unprotected.

• Read the note for media on measles
• A vaccination campaign in the Central Africa Republic