Imperial WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education and Training

🌍 WHA79 Recap #4 — Promote Health

The 79th World Health Assembly highlighted the importance of promoting health through stronger preparedness, more equitable systems, and renewed trust in science.

This included action on radiation and health, the adoption of the Economics of Health for All Strategy 2026–2030, and a strategic discussion on tackling health mis- and disinformation.

These discussions remind us that health promotion is not only about individual behaviour. It also requires resilient systems, informed communities, cross-sectoral collaboration, and policies that place health and wellbeing at the centre of decision-making.

Blood Donation Drive | 17, 18, and 21 June | Register to donate

We are pleased to share details of an upcoming Blood Donation Drive organised in collaboration with the African Caribbean Society, as part of efforts to encourage more people to donate blood and increase the number of Black heritage donors. Giving blood saves lives. Your donation can be a lifeline in an emergency and for people who need long-term treatment. Blood donation remains urgently needed across the NHS....

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🚭 World No To***co Day this year is a very special one, given the recent news of the passing of the generational smoking ban here in the UK.

Today, we come to you with a question: Could a smoke-free generation become reality?

Traditional smoking rates continue to decline globally, and policymakers face a new challenge: how to protect young people from new, youth-targeted ni****ne products?

Could this new policy reduce smoking uptake among young people? Could it improve population health in the long term? And what role should emerging ni****ne products play in this conversation?

This World No To***co Day, we're exploring the evidence and the questions that remain.

🎙 We are also inviting you to revisit our previous post regarding the topic and hear from Professor Prof Lisa McNally, Worcestershire County Council Director of Public Health, Collaborator, and Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham.

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7457836586957717505

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

🚭 Material and post prepared by Karolina Cieścińska, Medical student at Medical University of Gdańsk and WHO CC Intern & Celine Tabche, FHEA, ANtr

📹 Interview and video editing done by Kendall McBride, MPH student at Imperial College London and WHOCC Intern
Watch the full interview on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/dSWdnaiY

Learn more about our team of experts at the WHOCC: https://lnkd.in/edFrJwB3

***coDay Imperial College London World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Organization (Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office) Quit Smoking Support Group The Guardian BBC News BBC Sky News

⚕️ WHA79 Recap #3 — Protect Health

This week at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, delegates focused on one of the most urgent principles in global health: protecting healthcare in conflict.

Across Lebanon, Gaza and Ukraine, hospitals, ambulances, health workers and essential services have come under severe pressure. Delegates called for stronger protection of patients, staff and facilities, urgent support for health system recovery, and respect for international humanitarian law.

The Assembly’s message was clear: the world cannot look away when health systems are under attack.

Follow us for more WHA79 updates.



Post by: Shazbah Ahmed, WHOCC intern and MPH student

We are back with our recap for those who couldn't attend! 💫

As the Assembly concluded on Saturday, we now take this opportunity to highlight some of the main resolutions from the event that will drive work over the next year.

First, we focus on discussions linked to the WHO 14th General Programme of Work’s goal of providing health. This theme centres on health systems strengthening and action against ongoing health threats, like noncommunicable diseases and mental health.

Key strategies adopted include:

➡️ Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (GAP-AMR), 2026-2036
➡️ Global Code of Practice on International Recruitment of Health Personnel
➡️ Resolution on Reducing the Burden of Stroke
➡️ Global Strategy for Integrated Emergency, Critical and Operative (ECO) Care, 2026-2035
➡️ Resolution on Steatotic Liver Disease (SLD): A Missing Piece in the Global Noncommunicable Disease Response

These initiatives collectively emphasise the importance of high-quality, person-centred care and the need for strong coordination within and between various health services.

Swipe through to also learn how the research we have supported has contributed to informing several of these resolutions. Look out for more news as well about the development of the new WHO Collaborating Centre on Steatotic Liver Disease ( ), led by Professor Mark Thursz and Dr Penny Manousou, at Imperial College London.

We will return to reflect on updates on how the WHO will continue to work to protect health. 👀

Post by Kendall McBride, WHOCC Intern and MPH Student at Imperial College London Celine Tabche, FHEA, ANtr

Yesterday marked Cervical Cancer Prevention Day, a reminder that cervical cancer prevention is possible when people have access to HPV vaccination, screening, early detection and timely care.

We are pleased to share our new systematic review on cervical cancer prevention in Arab countries, focusing on HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening uptake.

The review included 34 studies, covering 22 Arab countries and 42,781 participants.

Our findings showed that prevention gaps remain substantial:

✅ HPV vaccination uptake ranged from 4.6% to 18.9%
✅ cervical cancer screening uptake remained low and varied widely between countries
✅ knowledge of HPV and the HPV vaccine was limited
✅ barriers included safety concerns, misinformation, socio-cultural barriers and conspiracy beliefs
✅ healthcare provider engagement was often suboptimal

However, educational interventions showed promise. In one Saudi intervention, student knowledge increased from 29.3% to 82% after education.

Our review concludes that improving awareness, addressing misinformation and strengthening healthcare provider engagement are critical to improving HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening uptake across the region.

Read the publication here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctarc.2026.101250

Please share to support cervical cancer prevention beyond one awareness day.

Post by: Celine Tabche
Imperial College London World Health Organization (WHO) World Health Organization (Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office) Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network

Redirecting

🌍 On Monday, the 79th World Health Assembly ( ) officially began, bringing together the WHO’s 194 Member States to shape key global health priorities.

This year’s theme is “Reshaping global health: a shared responsibility,” reflecting a critical moment in international collaboration, action, and resilience.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed this message in his assembly welcome and emphasised the importance of multilateralism in responding to public health threats. He provided key updates, including those about:

➡️ The Declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda due to the Ebola epidemic

Main concerns related to the potential spread include:
-Healthcare-associated transmission
-Cases in urban areas including Kampala and Goma
-Numbers of suspected cases and deaths outside of those confirmed
-Population displacement and movement in affected areas
-The Bundibugyo virus strain, a species for which there are currently no vaccines or therapeutics

➡️ Hantavirus
-The MV Hondius cruise ship has arrived in Rotterdam, where it will remain for a period of quarantine until the 29th of June
-The global risk of hantavirus remains low

Both situations highlight the continued need for partnership and coordinated response among Member States to support the health of populations impacted. In reflecting on this, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed:

“The cruise ship is a lot like our world. The passengers on the ship were from many different countries. But they faced a shared threat. Our mission was just to keep everyone safe, and to get everyone home, because that’s what we do as WHO. It’s the same with our world. We are all in the same boat. We are stronger and safer together – as one world.”

In the coming days, we will be sharing key insights, decisions, and developments emerging from the and consider how they connect to our work in public health education and training. We will explore the WHO’s main goal, to function to:

-Protect health
-Provide health
-Promote health

Stay tuned and follow along for updates on the main discussions and strategies in each of these areas.



Post by Kendall McBride, WHOCC Intern and MPH Student at Imperial College London