Rosemarie North

Healthcare worker administering oral oral cholera vaccine to a child wearing a red hoodie. A WHO banner seen on the background.

GOOD NEWS: Preventive cholera vaccination resumes as global supply reaches critical milestone, first time in 3 years https://bit.ly/4qRWDLK

First country to restart the preventive vaccination: Mozambique

This means we can move from reacting to outbreaks, to preventing them before they begin 💪🏼

In 1922, insulin co-discoverer Frederick Banting refused to profit from the discovery and offered it to the world as a global public good.

Today, many people with diabetes still don't have access to affordable and quality treatment and care.

WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States WHO regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe. The notification of withdrawal raises issues that will be con...

As a founding member of @who.int, the United States of America has contributed significantly to many of WHO’s greatest achievements, including the eradication of smallpox. WHO has always engaged with the US, and all Member States, with full respect for their sovereignty. 1/4

Emblem of the World Health Organization on a glass door.

WHO statement on notification of withdrawal of the United States

WHO regrets the United States’ notification of withdrawal from WHO – a decision that makes both the United States and the world less safe.

Full statement: bit.ly/46dT0HF

Infographic titled “7 actions decision-makers can take to reduce extreme heat stress risks for workers.” The seven numbered actions are listed: Tailor heat-health policies Protect vulnerable workers Boost heat-health awareness Co-create locally relevant strategies Design solutions for scale Embrace innovation Strengthen evidence and impact

2.4 billion workers are exposed to deadly heat globally.

The new WHO / @wmo-global.bsky.social report outlines 7 steps to protect them.

Act on heat stress with smart, scalable solutions. 🔗 bit.ly/3JvqKI1 #ClimateAction

Famine confirmed for first time in Gaza.

Famine confirmed for first time in Gaza
FAO, UNICEF, WFP & WHO reiterate call for immediate ceasefire & unhindered humanitarian access to curb deaths from hunger & malnutrition.

In the UK, pop-up walk-in primary health care clinics tailor health services to underserved communities, such as fishing towns, and offer checks and tests to stop people falling sick in the first place @jimreedbbc.bsky.social www.bbc.com/news/article...

Midwives reclaiming tikanga Māori in birthing care across Ōtautahi "Some of our whānau say they've never had friendship from previous midwives ...That connection matters."

4 graduates launch Ōhua Midwives, a Māori-led practice in Ōtautahi. Great timing: tomorrow is ōhua (full moon 🌝), symbol of fertility. www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Vaping doubles risk of serious lung disease, even without smoking history - study And the news is even worse for people who use both cigarettes and vapes.

#Vaping more than doubles the risk of serious lung disease COPD, according to a new longitudinal Oxford University study. #tobacco www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

How multinational dairy companies convinced ministers to back away from new rules for baby formula Tougher guidelines were 11 years in the making. But for multinational dairy companies, profits were at stake.

Fascinating insights into lobbying by NZ dairy giants to reduce Govt regulations that would have protected parents and babies from milk formula marketing. 
#EndExploitativeMarketing www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

New tech to help doctors reduce risks from antibiotic resistance crisis The project will prompt doctors to prescribe more safely, to reduce the looming risk of antimicrobial resistance, which one professor describes as: "A silent pandemic that is occurring globally."

I ❤️IT.
Tech firm RUSH started as a video game developer, created the #COVID tracer app & is now working with doctors to develop NZ’s first national, harmonised, digital antimicrobial guidelines system to fight #AMR. www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Meeee!!

Octopus jumps shark and goes for a ride on its back Researchers spot orange Maori octopus clinging to back of large shark off coast of New Zealand in December 2023

Nature is Healing

I am delighted to rejoin the @WHO.int Country Office in Viet Nam 🇻🇳 this week, mostly remotely. Thrilled to be back with this talented, dedicated team.
Among the items on our agenda: supporting the Government during a #measles outbreak.
#HealthForAll

Swearing is linked with increased pain tolerance and strength The science behind swearing and its impact on pain and strength is complex, but research has shown that it is linked with a number of positive effects.

❗️F**k
In addition to improving pain tolerance, #swearing has been linked to bolstered social bonds, improved memory, more physical strength and alleviation of the social pain of exclusion or rejection. www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/202...

People riding in a bike-lane.

“Every $1300 New York invested in building bike-lanes in 2015 provided benefits equivalent to 1 additional year of life at full health over the lifetime of all city residents, according to a new economic assessment.”

Among many other benefits, bike-lanes are a really smart public health investment.

US hiker rescues dog from coal pit after week-long search A tear came into a hiker’s eye when he spotted a pup in distress. He knew it was Freddy, a golden retriever whose disappearance had sparked a large search.

In other news: Freddy, a 6-month-old golden retriever, has been rescued from a snowy US coal mine. #GoodDoggy

Rainbow, trans, intersex & other flags in front of the Bridge of Remembrance in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Gorgeous day & cheerful turnout for Ōtautahi Christchurch #Pride 🏳️‍🌈

“Auschwitz… began with small forms of persecution. Do not be indifferent when you hear… lies. Do not be indifferent when you see the past is stretched to fit the current political needs. Do not be indifferent when any minority is discriminated against.” www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2...

Fiona Clapham Howard holds her book

Coming in from the Cold - stories of male survivors of #sexualviolence in Aotearoa. Launched at Scorpio Books last night in a moving & hopeful session with the authors. www.ketebooks.co.nz/en/events/bo...

Great story! This kind of botany of great interest to Māori plant lovers on the east coast of Aotearoa New Zealand - potentially good contacts for a follow up story? www.facebook.com/share/p/1ETD...

WHO statement on potential global threat to people living with HIV

🧵 STATEMENT: WHO expresses deep concern on the implications of the immediate funding pause for #HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries.

These programmes provide access to life-saving HIV therapy to more than 30 million people worldwide.

Read more bit.ly/42yxxIz

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WHO comments on United States announcement of intent to withdraw The World Health Organization regrets the announcement that the United States of America intends to withdraw from the Organization. WHO plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go. The United States was a founding member of WHO in 1948 and has participated in shaping and governing WHO’s work ever since, alongside 193 other Member States, including through its active participation in the World Health Assembly and Executive Board. For over seven decades, WHO and the USA have saved countless lives and protected Americans and all people from health threats. Together, we ended smallpox, and together we have brought polio to the brink of eradication. American institutions have contributed to and benefited from membership in WHO. With the participation of the United States and other Member States, WHO has over the past 7 years implemented the largest set of reforms in its history, to transform our accountability, cost-effectiveness, and impact in countries. This work continues. We hope the United States will reconsider and we look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue to maintain the partnership between the USA and WHO, for the benefit of the health and well-being of millions of people around the globe.

WHO comments on United States announcement of intent to withdraw bit.ly/4hrbeJ7

Tree branches with many nearly orange apricots

Is there a word for the feeling evoked by ripening apricots that you will never taste because birds?

New research shows modern humans leaving Africa went extinct multiple times and they may have been helped to survive by interbreeding with Neanderthals - whose may have impimproved our immune system, healing, focus and ability to be morning people! 🧪https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwydgyy8120o

The Psychological Traps That Keep Us Stuck Commuting Via Car Even when better options are available, switching modes is tough.

“Moments of change.”

Slate just published an article covering a number of behavioral interventions that have been tried.

There’s a crucial role for BE in urban planning.

slate.com/technology/2...

If you don't have time to read the Royal Commission of Inquiry report into NZ's response to the #COVID pandemic, here's a 🧵 to summarise its 39 recommendations 🧪🌎

OMG stop it, you tease!

😂😂😂

Loving the blue sky in your photo, @brynnkelly.bsky.social !