Poonam Khetrapal Singh

Covid-19 is a direct threat to the health and well-being of all people in the WHO South-East Asia Region. For as long as the virus spreads, the health and well-being of the region’s near two billion people will be at risk, whatever the transmission scenario.

The WHO South-East Asia Region is entering a new phase in its pandemic response. In recent weeks, the spread of Covid-19 in the region has slowed, due in large part to the unprecedented physical distancing measures that countries implemented early and aggressively.

Nurses and mid-wives are central to the delivery of quality primary health services for all.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

On Dece-mber 26, 2004, a magnitude 9.1 earthquake struck the ocean floor off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake then triggered a tsunami that rumbled out across the Indian Ocean and onto the coastlines of surrounding countries. Almost 200,000 people were killed

Unsafe food causes a staggering range of diseases. From diarrhoea to cancer and to hepatitis, food containing harmful bacteria,

The promise of universal health coverage (UHC) is bold: that all people can access quality health services, when and where they need them, without suffering financial hardship. UHC's benefits are clear. UHC is central to improving health and well-being—a fundamental human right. Healthier populations in turn create more productive economies that raise living standards.

Climate change is happening. In recent years average temperatures across the globe have increased, with significant impact on humanity's most precious resource—the environment. Water systems are being stressed. Food sources are being imperilled. And areas once safe for settlement are being threatened and erased.

Mosquitoes are a pest with no equal. Though not all mosquitoes transmit life-threatening diseases, those that do kill approximately 725,000 people worldwide every year. When not fatal, the diseases mosquitoes spread can result in bouts of debilitating fever, nausea and vomiting, compromising immune systems and disrupting economies. The WHO South-East Asia Region is particularly affected.