Countries that embrace smoke-free alternatives such as e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches are experiencing a faster decline in cigarette smoking compared to those with restrictive policies, according to a series of international studies and historical data. A recent large-scale...
“Spot sa baga, mahina ang lungs.” These are just two of the euphemisms Filipinos use to refer to tuberculosis (TB), the disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Historically, a lot of shame and stigma have been associated with a diagnosis of tuberculosis. It is still seen as a disease of...
The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for stronger political commitment, increased innovation, and decentralized health services to end tuberculosis (TB), as it warned that millions remain affected across the Western Pacific Region. In a World Tuberculosis Day 2026 press release, the WHO...
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. has finalized its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, one year after President Donald Trump announced America was ending its 78-year-old commitment, federal officials said Thursday. But it 's hardly a clean break. The U.S. owes more than $130 million to...
The Philippine delegation to the ongoing 11th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) received strong praise from farmer groups and advocates for asserting the country’s sovereign right to assess proposed measures in accordance with national...
Consumer advocacy groups are asking the World Health Organization (WHO) to include tobacco harm reduction (THR) in its global control policies and listen to the voices of over a billion consumers at an upcoming meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)...
The Coalition of Asia Pacific Tobacco Harm Reduction Advocates (CAPHRA) warns that the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) risks undermining its own mandate by excluding harm reduction as part of its tobacco control strategy ahead of the 11th Conference of...
A total of 8,171 dengue cases nationwide from July 6 to July 19, the Department of Health (DOH) reported Saturday, August 9. The figure, according to the agency, is 33 percent lower than the 12,166 cases reported from June 22 to July 5. Despite this, the health department said the public should...
A group of tobacco harm reduction experts called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to acknowledge innovative products such as vapes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches, saying the organization’s prohibitionist approach contradicts its mission to reduce tobacco-related deaths. In an...
The United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday, July 11 expressed their support for the Department of Health’s (DOH) call to address the rising number of HIV cases and its request for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to sign an executive order...
For the first time in history, the Philippines is leading the World Health Organization’s top decision-making body, with Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa formally assuming the presidency of the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) on Monday, May 19, in Geneva,...
Underscoring its commitment to international health cooperation and the advancement of equitable healthcare systems worldwide, the Philippines has taken center stage in global health diplomacy by assuming a key leadership role during the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA). In a statement, the...
