WHO/Europe News highlights: October 2024

Public health news from around the WHO European Region.

News highlights
October 2024

Teens, screens and mental health

25-09-2024

New WHO report indicates need for healthier online habits among adolescents

New data from the WHO Regional Office for Europe reveals a sharp rise in problematic social media use among adolescents, with rates increasing from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022. This, coupled with findings that 12% of adolescents are at risk of problematic gaming, raises urgent concerns about the impact of digital technology on the mental health and well-being of young people. These findings come from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, which surveyed almost 280 000 young people aged 11, 13 and 15 across 44 countries and regions in Europe, central Asia and Canada in 2022. The report defines problematic social media use as a pattern of behaviour characterized by addiction-like symptoms. These include an inability to control social media usage, experiencing withdrawal when not using it, neglecting other activities in favour of social media, and facing negative consequences in daily life due to excessive use. Read more

SAVE THE DATE

74th session of the
WHO Regional Committee for Europe

29–31 October 2024, Copenhagen, Denmark

Health ministers and high-level delegates from the 53 Member States of the WHO European Region, as well as representatives of partner organizations and civil society, will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 29–31 October 2024 for the 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC74).

Go to the RC74 site

COVID-19 vaccines
From the global site

Increasing Recognition, Research and Rehabilitation for Post COVID-19 Condition (long COVID)
WHO remains committed to learning more about long COVID and to finding ways to improve the medium- and long-term outcomes for people affected by it.

Partnering with the European Union to support deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination
The EU and WHO/Europe together provide critical assistance to Member States of the WHO European Region to ensure local readiness for safe and effective vaccination campaigns against COVID-19

CLIMATE CRISIS: EXTREME WEATHER

Heavy rainfall is causing rivers to burst their banks, leaving huge swathes of central Europe reeling
18-09-2024

NEWSROOM

Redefine alcohol: WHO’s urgent call for Europe to rethink alcohol’s place in society

02-09-2024

Alcohol accounts for nearly 1 in 11 deaths in the WHO European Region. The new campaign from the WHO Regional Office for Europe aims to change that. Alcohol is linked to over 200 diseases, among them at least seven types of cancer, including breast and colon cancers. Alcohol is currently directly responsible for 8.8% – 1 in 11 – of total deaths in the European Region. Yet despite these serious health risks and damaging outcomes, less than half of Europeans are aware of the link between alcohol and cancer.

As the world marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is worth noting that according to a recent study, only 21% of women across 14 European countries were aware of the connection between alcohol consumption and the risk of developing breast cancer – a risk that starts already with low levels of drinking. Read more

Global leaders set first targets to control antimicrobial resistance crisis
27-09-2024

Data for a healthier future: how countries can protect people from noncommunicable diseases
10-09-2024

West Nile Virus in the WHO European Region: Q and A
12-09-2024

Alarming decline in adolescent condom use, increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancies, reveals new WHO report
29-08-2024

See more news

REGIONAL DIRECTOR

Statement – Bold action on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) needed

25-09-2024

Two weeks ago, I was with Minister Liashko and Deputy Minister Dubrov at the frontline in wartime Ukraine, where doctors have to make decisions that mean life or death. Under relentless bombing, I met doctors and nurses trying to access vital drugs for their patients that are just not available – treating wounds that will not heal as a consequence of AMR.

Thank you, Sweden and Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson, and all co-hosts, for spearheading progress. For, unless we act quickly, we expect 39 million people to die over the next 25 years due to AMR globally: 3 deaths every minute. The estimated financial burden for countries of the European Union and European Economic Area alone is a mammoth 11.7 billion euros annually.

COUNTRIES

Pedal for Life: cycling to raise awareness on suicide prevention at Lake Eymir, Türkiye

02-10-2024

Nearly 100 cyclists pedaled around Lake Eymir in Türkiye to raise awareness on suicide prevention and call for a greater focus on mental well-being. As part of World Suicide Prevention Day, “Pedal for Life: Together We Can Prevent Suicide” was organized under the Social Inclusion of Persons with Mental Disabilities Project, which is co-funded by the European Union and WHO. The natural landmark just outside Türkiye’s capital saw cyclists from various sectors and age groups gather together to increase awareness around suicide as a critical public health issue and promote social solidarity in support of mental health.
Read more

Empowering new mothers through song in Denmark
04-10-2024

Bridging the health gap in Portugal’s prisons
04-10-2024

North Macedonia’s health system strengthened by USAID project’s immunization efforts
30-09-2024

Caring Neighbourhoods: an overall vision of integrated care
13-09-2024

Bringing healthy food to every neighbourhood – Cork City, Ireland
05-09-2024

Walking football in Portugal adds life to years
29-08-2024