Thursday, 10 April 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) issues warning on health service disruptions reported in 70% of its surveyed country offices as a result of sudden suspensions and reductions in official development assistance (ODA) for health.
The findings, based on rapid WHO assessment of the fast-evolving situation, raise concern for potentially deeper and prolonged effects on health systems and services across the world, especially in vulnerable and fragile settings. This requires urgent action and international response.
The new rapid stock take conducted in March–April 2025 with 108 WHO country offices, primarily in low- and lower-middle-income countries, shows that many countries are working to increase or reallocate funding from domestic and alternative external sources to address gaps. However, up to 24% of WHO Country Office responses suggest budget cuts are already translating into increased out-of-pocket payments. The poor and vulnerable likely risk bearing the additional brunt of these impacts.
“These results paint a worrying picture about the impact of the sudden and unplanned cuts to aid on the health of millions of people,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Although these cuts are a shock, they are also driving an accelerated transition away from aid dependency to a more sustainable self-reliance, based on domestic resources. Many countries are asking for WHO’s support, and WHO is working with them to identify and tailor the most effective measures.”
The stock take reports provide an early snapshot and insights from WHO country offices that work closely with ministries of health, providing regular support on health systems policies and planning. The stock take aimed at identifying the urgent support countries need to avoid catastrophic impacts on the health of the populations and to guide monitoring of the rapidly evolving situation.
Key findings from the stock take show the following.
- The suspensions and reductions in ODA are disrupting all health system functions, with the most frequently reported impacts being on health emergency preparedness and response (70%), public health surveillance (66%), service provision (58%), humanitarian aid (56%), and the health and care workforce (54%).
- Health services are being disrupted across the board in at least one third of the responding countries, with high levels of disruptions reported in outbreak detection and response, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, family planning, and maternal and child health services.
- The nature and scale of service disruptions are comparable to those observed during the peak periods of the COVID-19 pandemic in some settings.
- Critical shortages in the availability of medicines and health products are leaving one third of responding countries without commodities for major service areas.
- The pause in ODA has led to job losses for health and care workers in over half of responding countries, and significant disruptions to trainings.
- Information systems are particularly impacted as key health data collection is disrupted. Over 40% of countries experienced disruptions to key information systems, including collaborative surveillance and emergency systems, health management information systems, disease-specific reporting systems, lab information systems, and household/population surveys.
- Eighty-one of the 108 WHO country offices have expressed the need for support across a broad range of health areas, including innovative funding and resource mobilization, targeted technical assistance and support.
Given the rapidly evolving context, WHO will be monitoring the situation over time and will engage the global health community, including partners and donor agencies, to inform urgent response plans to mitigate deepening country impacts and enable greater sustainability.
WHO launches first-ever guidelines on meningitis diagnosis, treatment and care
-Geneva
The World Health Organization (WHO) has today published its first-ever global guidelines for meningitis diagnosis, treatment and care, aiming to speed up detection, ensure timely treatment, and improve long-term care for those affected. By bringing together the latest evidence-based recommendations, the guidelines provide a critical tool for reducing deaths and disability caused by the disease.
Despite effective treatments and vaccines against some forms of meningitis, the disease remains a significant global health threat. Bacterial meningitis is the most dangerous form and can become fatal within 24 hours. Many pathogens can cause meningitis with an estimated 2.5 million cases reported globally in 2019. This includes 1.6 million cases of bacterial meningitis which resulted in approximately 240 000 deaths.
Around 20% of people who contract bacterial meningitis develop long-term complications, including disabilities that impact quality of life. The disease also carries heavy financial and social costs for individuals, families, and communities.
“Bacterial meningitis kills one in six of the people it strikes, and leaves many others with lasting health challenges,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Implementing these new guidelines will help save lives, improve long-term care for those affected by meningitis, and strengthen health systems.”
Meningitis can affect anyone anywhere, and at any age, however the disease burden remains particularly high in low- and middle-income countries and in settings experiencing large-scale epidemics. The highest burden of disease is seen in a region of sub-Saharan Africa, often referred to as the ‘meningitis belt’, which is at high risk of recurrent epidemics of meningococcal meningitis.
Recommendations for the clinical management of meningitis in children and adults
Improving clinical management of meningitis is essential to reducing mortality and morbidity, minimizing long-term complications and disability, and improving quality of life for affected individuals and communities.
The new guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for the clinical management of children over one month of age, adolescents, and adults with acute community-acquired meningitis.
They address all aspects of clinical care, including diagnosis, antibiotic therapy, adjunctive treatment, supportive care, and management of long-term effects. Given the similarities in clinical presentation, diagnosis and management approaches across different forms of acute community-acquired meningitis, the guidelines address both bacterial and viral causes.
The guidelines provide recommendations for both non-epidemic and epidemic settings, the latter superseding previous 2014 WHO guidelines, which covered meningitis outbreak response.
As resource-limited settings bear the highest burden of meningitis, these guidelines have been specifically developed to provide technical guidance suitable for implementation in low- and middle-income countries.
The guidelines are intended for use by health-care professionals in first- and second-level facilities, including emergency, inpatient, and outpatient services. Policymakers, health planners, academic institutions, and civil society organizations can also use them to inform capacity-building, education, and research efforts.
Defeating meningitis by 2030
The guidelines contribute to the broader Defeating Meningitis by 2030 Global Roadmap, adopted by WHO Member States in 2020, which aims to: eliminate bacterial meningitis epidemics, reduce cases of vaccine-preventable bacterial meningitis by 50% and deaths by 70%, and reduce disability and improve quality of life after meningitis.
Achieving these goals requires coordinated action across five key areas:
- Diagnosis and treatment: Faster detection and optimal clinical management.
- Prevention and epidemic control: Developing new affordable vaccines, achieving high immunization and coverage, and improving outbreak preparedness and response.
- Disease surveillance: Strengthening monitoring systems to guide prevention and control.
- Care and support for those affected by meningitis: Ensuring early recognition and improved access to care and support for after-effects from meningitis.
- Advocacy and engagement: Increasing political commitment and inclusion in country plans, better public understanding of meningitis, and increased awareness of right to prevention, care and after-care services.
With these guidelines, WHO provides countries with a critical tool to close gaps in meningitis diagnosis, treatment and care, ensuring that more people receive timely treatment and long-term support.
