Since May 2018, the EU has been trying to tackle the top 10 types of litter found on Europe’s beaches – the second most common being cigarette butts. As part of the European Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy, it introduced a major directive aiming to phase out unnecessary single-use plastics. This directive takes…
In Spain, a powerful campaign is paving the way to ban cigarette smoking on beaches. The motivations are not just for health, but also for the environment. Long after a cigarette has been extinguished, it continues to cause damage in the form of non-biodegradable cigarette butts – millions of kilograms of which are discarded every…
On 31 May, World No Tobacco Day 2022 focuses on how tobacco throughout its lifecycle pollutes the environment we live in and damages the health of people.Each year, WHO presents awards to organizations and individuals who promote and enforce tobacco control in the Region. WHO carefully selects the recipients in recognition of their long-term commitment…
A new video recently launched by WHO/Europe tells the story of a long battle that united public health specialists, civil society activists, journalists and politicians against a powerful global industry that produces a highly addictive and harmful product. It describes how the fight against tobacco gained momentum in Georgia, and how the country continues to…
WHO Top: Professor Haberal is just one of the recipients of a WHO public health prize from the WHO European Region.Bottom: Dr Kosiński accepts the Dr LEE Jong-wook Memorial Prize for Public Health on behalf of the Severe Hypothermia Treatment Centre at the 75th World Health Assembly. The Severe Hypothermia Treatment Centre in Krakow, Poland,…
Adequate menstrual hygiene facilities with free hygiene products and timely education for boys and girls on menstrual health are crucial school interventions to ensure health, well-being and equal learning opportunities. On Menstrual Hygiene Day, celebrated on 28 May, WHO/Europe calls on countries to redouble efforts to strengthen menstrual hygiene measures in schools to prevent adverse…
22-05-2022Since 13 May 2022, cases of monkeypox have been reported to WHO from 12 Member States that are not endemic for monkeypox virus, across three WHO regions. Epidemiological investigations are ongoing, however, reported cases thus far have no established travel links to endemic areas. Based on currently available information, cases have mainly but not exclusively…
For further information, contact: Bhanu Bhatnagar (he/him) Spokesperson / Media Relations on deployment in Ukraine WHO Regional Office for Europe Mobile: +380 93 612 4170 Email: eupress@who.int; bbhatnagar@who.int Press office WHO Regional Office for Europe Email: eupress@who.int Kyiv, 20 May 2022This week, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge led a delegation…
Statement by Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe20 May 2022To date, at least eight countries in the WHO European Region – Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom – have reported cases of monkeypox in recent days. Outside of countries where monkeypox is known to be endemic,…
Luigi Ciesco came from a small village in southern Italy, growing up in real poverty, before meeting his wife-to-be Vincenza, and emigrating to the United Kingdom in the 1960s. A husband for 57 years, a father of 4 and a grandfather of 8, Luigi worked for the National Health Service in England. Twenty years ago…