Worldwide, 3.3 million deaths in 2012 were due to harmful use of alcohol, says a new report launched by WHO. Alcohol consumption can not only lead to dependence but also increases people’s risk of developing more than 200 diseases including liver cirrhosis and some cancers. In addition, harmful drinking can lead to violence and injuries.

Since 1990, almost 2 billion people globally have gained access to improved sanitation and 2.3 billion have gained access to drinking-water from improved sources.

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 Target 5A calls for the reduction of maternal mortality ratio by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. It has been a challenge to assess the extent of progress due to the lack of reliable and accurate maternal mortality data – particularly in developing-country settings where maternal mortality is high.

The first global report by WHO on antimicrobial resistance finds that the problem is no longer just a serious prediction for the future, but is happening now.

On World Malaria Day (25 April), WHO is launching a manual to help countries to assess the technical, operational and financial feasibility of moving towards malaria elimination.

Ebola virus disease (formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever) is a severe, often fatal illness, with a death rate of up to 90%. The illness affects humans and nonhuman primates (monkeys, gorillas, and chimpanzees).

This is the second edition of WHO guidelines for national tuberculosis programmes on the management of tuberculosis in children. Like the first edition published in 2006 this document is targeted at national TB programmes,
paediatricians and other health workers in low- and middle-income countries; it does not aim to outline recommendations for high-income countries with low TB prevalence.

WHO estimates that around 7 million people died in 2012 - 1 in 8 of total global deaths – as a result of air pollution exposure. The estimates confirm that air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk. The new data reveal a stronger link between both indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure and cardiovascular diseases, such as strokes and ischaemic heart disease, as well as between air pollution and cancer.