Recent Current Affairs related to WHO

The World Health Summit (WHS 2026) was held in Berlin, Germany, under the theme “From Crisis to Resilience: Innovating for Health”, led by WHS President Professor Axel R Pries. The main program of the summit was structured around 6 central topics.

During the event, the WHO launched the Hub 2030 Strategy to help countries detect and assess emerging health threats within 24 hours. Bangladesh and the European Investment Bank announced a €250 million women’s health programme, while Germany pledged €10 million for maternal and child health.

World Heart Day

Day - September 29

Theme 2026 - “Don’t Miss a Beat”

Observed by - World Heart Federation (WHF), based in Geneva, Switzerland

Observed since - 2000

Proposed by - Antoni Bayes de Luna in 1999

Union Minister JP Nadda has launched the ‘Joint Squad for Health’ (JOSH) Teams under the ‘TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The initiative aims to enhance youth-led community participation to eliminate Tuberculosis (TB) before the global target of 2030.

In the first phase, JOSH Teams are deployed across 55 districts in 11 States and Union Territories. It is to be noted that India has recorded a 21% decline in the incidence of TB, with treatment coverage reaching 92%.

According to a report titled “Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools 2015-25” released jointly by the WHO and UNICEF, India has the highest number of children globally without access to sanitation services, with 50 million. This accounts for about 20% of the 244 million children globally who lack such services as of 2025.

Based on current trends, global projections for 2030 estimate that 84% of children will have access to water services (10% with no service), 81% will have sanitation access (7% with no service), and 79% will have hygiene access (12% with no service).

World Alzheimer’s Day

Day - September 21

Theme 2026 - “The Earlier You Know, The More You Can Do: A Dementia Diagnosis Matters.”

Observed since - 1994

World Alzheimer’s Month - September

World Patient Safety Day

Day - September 17

Theme 2026 - “Safe care for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs)”

Observed by - WHO

Observed since - 2019

Slogan - “Safe care for life!”

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa has confirmed the closure of poliovirus type 2 outbreaks in Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. This decision follows a comprehensive evaluation by the Independent Outbreak Response Assessment (OBRA).

World Mosquito Day

Day - August 20

Commemorating - The discovery by Sir Ronald Ross in 1897 that female Anopheles mosquitoes transmit malaria between humans.

World Hepatitis Day

Day – July 28

Theme 2026 – “Hepatitis: Let’s Break It Down”

Observed by – WHO

Observed since – 2008

The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC), under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, participated in the 10th Anniversary Meeting of the South-East Asia Regulatory Network (SEARN) held in Kathmandu, Nepal.

During the meeting, the IPC is designated as the Regional Centre of Excellence in Pharmacovigilance and the Technical Centre in Quality. It is to be noted that the SEARN was established in 2016 by the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) as a platform to strengthen regulatory systems across its member states.

According to the report "The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI 2026): Understanding and Addressing the High Cost of a Healthy Diet" released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 645 million people (7.8% of the global population) faced hunger in 2025.

Under a quick-recovery scenario, the report projects that the number of chronically undernourished people could decrease to nearly 511 million by 2030. It is to be noted that the report was prepared by 5 specialized UN agencies: FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, World Food Programme (WFP), and WHO.

International Olympic Day

Day – June 23

Theme 2026 – 'You Can Do This. Let’s Move'

Observed since – 1948

Commemorating – The day commemorates the founding of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 1894 in Paris led by Baron Pierre de Coubertin

World Sickle Cell Day

Day – June 19

Theme 2026 – "Closing the Survival Gap: Equity in Sickle Cell Disease"

Observed by – UN and WHO

Observed since – 2009

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) have launched "AIR SUVIDHA 2.0", an upgraded contactless Passenger Health Self-Declaration Portal.

The portal aims to strengthen public health surveillance at Points of Entry in response to the ongoing Ebola disease outbreak.

World Blood Donor Day:

Day – 14 June

Theme 2026 – “One Drop of Humanity. Give Blood. Save Lives.”

Observed since – 2004

Commemorating – The birth anniversary of Karl Landsteiner, who discovered the ABO Blood Group System

World Bicycle Day:

Day – June 3

Theme 2026 – “Cycling for a Greener Future“

Observed since – 2018

Initiated by – Leszek J Sibilski, a Polish-American social scientist

Day - May 31

Theme 2026 - Unmasking the Appeal: Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction

Observed by - WHO

Observed since - 1988

The 79th edition of the World Health Assembly (WHA79) was organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, under the theme “Reshaping Global Health: A Shared Responsibility”.

The assembly was chaired by Victor Atallah Lajam, the Minister of Health of the Dominican Republic, who served as the President of the assembly. Union Minister JP Nadda addressed the plenary session of the WHA79.

During the session, member states adopted more than 20 decisions and 13 resolutions on public health issues. Notably, the assembly passed its first-ever resolution on stroke to formally recognise it as a global public health priority. The resolution was led by Egypt and co-sponsored by Chile, Georgia, Palestine, Paraguay, and Tunisia.

Professor Manindra Agrawal, the Director of the IIT Kanpur, and Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist of the WHO, have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society (FRS).

The Royal Society is one of the oldest and most prestigious scientific academies in the world.

International Nurses Day:

Day – May 12

Theme 2026 – “Our Nurses. Our Future. Empowered Nurses Save Lives”

Commemorating – The birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale