Long working hours led to 745 000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 per cent increase since 2000, according to the latest estimates by the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization published in Environment International today.

You likely know the familiar expression, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” While the phrase was first coined in 1913, it was based on a Pembrokeshire proverb that originated in 1866. In fact, Notes and Queries magazine was the first to publish the original quote: “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.” Although research shows that eating more apples may not actually be associated with fewer visits to the doctor, adding apples to your diet can help improve several aspects of your health (1Trusted SourceTrusted Source). This article takes a closer look at whether eating an apple a day can truly help keep the doctor away.

Rhodiola is an herb that grows in the cold, mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. Its roots are considered adaptogens, meaning they help your body adapt to stress when consumed. Rhodiola is also known as arctic root or golden root, and its scientific name is Rhodiola rosea. Its root contains more than 140 active ingredients, the two most potent of which are rosavin and salidroside. People in Russia and Scandinavian countries have used rhodiola to treat anxiety, fatigue and depression for centuries. Today, it’s widely used as a dietary supplement for its many health benefits. Here are 7 science-based health benefits of Rhodiola rosea.

WHO’s new technical manual on tobacco tax policy and administration shows countries ways to cut down on over US$1.4 trillion in health expenditures and lost productivity due to tobacco use worldwide.

Côte d'Ivoire has successfully eliminated human African trypanosomiasis, also known as “sleeping sickness”, as a public health problem, becoming the second African country after Togo to be validated by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Some countries in the European Union have temporarily suspended use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a precautionary measure based on reports of rare blood coagulation disorders in persons who had received the vaccine. Other countries in the EU – having considered the same information - have decided to continue using the vaccine in their immunization programmes.

The WHO Department of Nutrition and Food Safety (NFS), through the work of the Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) Subgroup on Policy Actions, is providing evidence-informed WHO guidance on effective policy measures to support Member States in developing enabling food environment to promote healthy diets and nutrition. Priority policy measures include nutrition labelling policies, policies to restrict marketing to children, fiscal and pricing policies, and school food and nutrition policies.

World misses most 2020 mental health targets; extension of WHO Mental Health Action Plan to 2030 provides new opportunity for progress

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by eating or drinking food or water that is contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Cholera remains a global threat to public health and is an indicator of inequity and lack of social development. Researchers have estimated that every year, there are 1.3 to 4.0 million cases of cholera, and 21 000 to 143 000 deaths worldwide due to the infection.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and a group of global health leaders today issued an urgent call for vaccine equity globally and in Africa in particular. The leaders stressed that the worst pandemic in the last hundred years will not end unless and until, there is genuine global cooperation on vaccine supply and access. They also reiterated the WHO’s global vaccination target for 70% of the population of all countries to be vaccinated by mid- 2022.