New data highlight increases in hypertension, diabetes incidence

16 May 2012 -- One in three adults worldwide has high blood pressure – a condition that causes around half of all deaths from stroke and heart disease. One in 10 adults has diabetes. The growing problem of the noncommunicable diseases burden is the focus of the World health statistics 2012 report released today.

• Read the press release
• World health statistics 2012

14 May 2012 -- For the first time, experts in the global health community who work with patient diagnosis and treatment can contribute to the development of the next version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). This WHO global standard ensures that all health professionals and information systems refer to diseases and health conditions in a consistent way. WHO is calling on health experts and stakeholders to join the global consultation.

• ICD-11: read the feature story

11 May 2012 -- Worldwide, one in five girls gives birth by the age of 18. Adolescent pregnancy is a major contributor to maternal and child mortality. This new fact sheet summarises the key causes and recommends action that countries can take to prevent adolescent pregnancies.

• Adolescent pregnancy: read the fact sheet
• Guidelines on preventing early pregnancy

9 May 2012 -- More than 900 million international journeys are undertaken every year. Global travel on this scale exposes many people to a range of health risks, which can be minimized by precautions taken before, during and after travel. The 2012 edition of International travel and health provides updated information on vaccines and their requirements, malaria and yellow fever risks, and new information for last minute travellers.

• International travel and health: new edition 2012