The Latest Breaking News from WHO

Death toll of 47,000 expected to rise and WHO says 26 million people need assistance across both countries

As the former Sage adviser leaves Wellcome to join WHO, he talks about exhausted health workers, the UK’s sluggish response to Covid and the danger of conspiracy theories

Washington (AFP) - US biotech company Moderna said Thursday it had mixed results from a large-scale trial of its mRNA flu shot, based on the same technology used in its successful Covid-19 vaccine.

The risk to the U.S. is low, experts say. But "what happens in Africa can show up in your backyard hospital in less than 24 hours,” Dr. Luis Ostrosky, an infectious diseases specialist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, tells Fortune.

Fungal infections have received a frenzy of attention thanks to the popularity of HBO’s The Last of Us. The show depicts a fungal pandemic caused by the real-life zombie-ant fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. It imagines the outcome of society’s collapse and a brutal approach to maintaining public health.

A highly pathogenic strain of bird flu is decimating poultry, wild birds and other animals in many parts of the world, driving some countries to consider vaccination.

A strain of avian influenza, H5N1, has been reported in mammals. While there's fear the virus may jump to humans next, experts say the risk is low.

The WHO called an emergency meeting earlier this week to discuss a plan of action to tackle the often-fatal virus.

South Africa is a water scarce country. Changing rainfall patterns and the escalating electricity crisis are making the situation worse. Treating and distributing water requires electricity. Some of the country’s biggest cities have had to impose water restrictions and residents in other parts have gone months without regular water supply.…