The World Health Organization (WHO) today released its first-ever global guideline on the management of sickle cell disease (SCD) during pregnancy, addressing a critical and growing health challenge that can have life-threatening consequences for both women and babies.SCD is a group of inherited blood disorders characterized by abnormally shaped red blood cells that resemble crescents or sickles. These cells can block blood flow, causing severe anaemia, episodes of severe pain, recurrent infections, as well as medical emergencies like strokes, sepsis or organ failures.Health risks associated with SCD intensify during pregnancy, due to heightened demands on the body’s oxygen and nutrient supply. Women with SCD face a 4- to 11-fold higher likelihood of maternal death than those without. They are more likely to experience obstetric complications like pre-eclampsia, while their babies are at greater risk of stillbirth or being born early or small.“With quality health care, women with inherited blood disorders like sickle cell disease can have safe and healthy pregnancies and births,” said Dr Pascale Allotey, Director for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO and the United Nations’ Special Programme for Human Reproduction (HRP). “This new guideline aims to improve pregnancy outcomes for those affected. With sickle cell on the rise, more investment is urgently needed to expand access to evidence-based treatments during pregnancy as well as diagnosis and information about this neglected disease.”There are around 7.7 million people living with SCD worldwide – a figure that has increased by over 40% since 2000. SCD is estimated to cause over 375 000 deaths each year. The disease is most prevalent in malaria-endemic regions, particularly sub-Saharan Africa--which accounts for around 8 in 10 cases--as well as parts of the Middle East, the Caribbean, and South Asia. With population movements and improvements in life expectancy, the sickle cell gene is also becoming more widespread globally, meaning more maternity care providers need to know how to manage the disease.Until now, clinical guidance for managing SCD in pregnancy has largely drawn on protocols from high-income countries. WHO’s new guideline aims to provide evidence-based recommendations that are also relevant for low- and middle-income settings, where most cases and deaths from the disease occur. Accordingly, the guideline includes over 20 recommendations spanning:folic acid and iron supplementation, including adjustments for malaria-endemic areas;management of sickle cell crises and pain relief;prevention of infections and blood clots;use of prophylactic blood transfusions; andadditional monitoring of the woman and the baby’s health throughout pregnancy.Critically, the guideline highlights the need for respectful, individualized care, adapted according to women’s unique needs, medical histories and preferences. It also addresses the importance of tackling stigma and discrimination within healthcare settings, which can be a major challenge for people with SCD in several countries around the world.“It’s essential that women with sickle cell disease can discuss their care options early in pregnancy—or ideally before—with knowledgeable providers,” said Dr Doris Chou, Medical Officer and lead author of the guideline. “This supports informed decisions about any treatment options to continue or adopt, as well as agree on ways of handling potential complications, so as to optimize outcomes for the woman, her pregnancy, and her baby.”Given the complex nature of these disorders, if a pregnant woman has SCD, the guideline notes the importance of involving skilled and knowledgeable personnel in her care team. These may include specialists like haemotologists as well as midwives, paediatricians and obstetrician-gynecologists who provide services for reproductive and newborn health.SCD is a neglected health condition that remains considerably under-funded and under-researched, despite its growing prevalence worldwide. While treatment options are improving for the general population, the guideline underscores the urgent need for more research into the safety and efficacy of SCD treatments for pregnant and breastfeeding women – populations that have historically been excluded from clinical trials.This publication is the first in a new WHO series on managing noncommunicable diseases in pregnancy. Future guidelines will address cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, respiratory diseases, mental health disorders and substance use. Chronic diseases are increasingly recognized as major contributors to maternal and newborn deaths and ill health.

The World Health Organization (WHO) today released new guidance to help countries adopt and expand midwifery models of care - where midwives serve as the main care provider for women and babies throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period.

Building on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence in Berlin leverages innovative tools and collaborations for more effective disease surveillance worldwide. Just over three years after its inauguration, the Hub now supports over 150 countries in detecting health threats more effectively and rapidly. The Hub’s latest annual report highlights the growing impact of this work and provides key insights into progress made in 2024.

The Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the World Health Organization (WHO) today signed a new agreement and contribution of €5.25 million to support key WHO initiatives.“Spain has long been a close and steadfast partner to WHO and global health," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "We thank Spain for its increased flexible funding of our work, in doing so helping WHO be stronger and more independent and allowing us to deliver the services that countries and communities need from us.”This year, Spain’s commitment to global health entered a new chapter as it returned to the WHO Executive Board for the 2025–2028 term, nearly two decades since its last membership. This renewed engagement is supported by the country’s new Global Health Strategy, launched on 27 May 2025.This is underscored by today’s signing of a new agreement between Spain and WHO and a growing collaboration between both partners. At the heart of this effort is the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), under the leadership of Mr Antón Leis; AECID has significantly stepped up flexible and strategic funding for WHO activities.AECID's €5.25 million contribution to WHO is part of a broader €60 million pledge announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in November 2024. Spain’s multi-year commitment also includes support for critical health programmes in countries such as Jordan, Mali, and Sudan, as well as other global initiatives. Looking forward, Spain will host the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville, 30 June–3 July 2025, where it aims to elevate health financing as a core development priority. A high-level special event – co-sponsored by WHO and featuring leaders from global health, finance, and academia – will call for bold action through the “Health financing for a safe and sustainable economy: towards Seville health financing agenda for action.”

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), following the fourth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024, held on 5 June 2025, from 12:00 to 17:00 CEST, concurs with its advice that the event continues to meet the criteria of a public health emergency of international concern and, considering the advice of the Committee, he is hereby issuing a revised set of temporary recommendations.The WHO Director-General expresses his most sincere gratitude to the Chair, Members, and Advisors of the Committee. The proceeding of the fourth meeting of the Committee will be shared with States Parties to the IHR and published in the coming days.---------Temporary recommendationsThese temporary recommendations are issued to States Parties experiencing the transmission of monkeypox virus (MPXV), including, but not limited to, those where there is sustained community transmission, and where there are clusters of cases or sporadic travel-related cases of MPXV clade Ib.They are intended to be implemented by those States Parties in addition to the current standing recommendations for mpox, valid until 20 August 2025.In the context of the global efforts to prevent and control the spread of mpox disease outlined in the WHO Strategic framework for enhancing prevention and control of mpox: 2024–2027, the aforementioned standing recommendations apply to all States Parties.All current WHO interim technical guidance can be accessed on this page of the WHO website. WHO evidence-based guidance has been and will continue to be updated in line with the evolving situation, updated scientific evidence, and WHO risk assessment to support States Parties in the implementation of the WHO Strategic Framework for enhancing mpox prevention and control.Pursuant to Article 3 Principle of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), the implementation of these temporary recommendations, as well as of the standing recommendations for mpox, by States Parties shall be with full respect for the dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons, in line with the principles set out in Article 3 of the IHR.---------Note: The text in backets next to each temporary recommendation indicates the status with respect to the set of temporary recommendations issued on 27 November 2024. Emergency coordinationSecure political commitment and engagement to intensify mpox prevention and response efforts, including resource allocation, for the lowest administrative and operational level reporting mpox cases (hotspots) in the prior 4 weeks. (EXTENDED)Establish or enhance national and local emergency prevention and response coordination arrangements as recommended in the WHO Mpox global strategic preparedness and response plan (2025), and its upcoming iteration, and in line with the WHO Strategic framework for enhancing prevention and control of mpox: 2024–2027. (EXTENDED, with updated reference)Establish or enhance coordination among all partners and stakeholders engaged in or supporting mpox prevention and response activities through cooperation, including by introducing accountability mechanisms. (EXTENDED)Establish a mechanism to monitor the effectiveness of mpox prevention and response measures implemented at lower administrative levels, so that such measures can be adjusted as needed. (EXTENDED)Engage with and strengthen partner organizations for collaboration and support for mpox response, including humanitarian actors in contexts with insecurity, humanitarian corridors, or areas with internal or refugee population displacements and in hosting communities in insecure areas. (EXTENDED, with re-phrasing) Collaborative surveillanceEnhance mpox surveillance, by increasing the sensitivity of the approaches adopted and ensuring comprehensive geographic coverage. (EXTENDED)Expand access to accurate, affordable and available diagnostics to test for mpox, including through strengthening arrangements for the transport of samples, the decentralization of testing and arrangements to differentiate MPXV clades and conduct genomic sequencing. (EXTENDED)Identify, monitor and support the contacts of persons with suspected, clinically-diagnosed or laboratory-confirmed mpox to prevent onward transmission. (EXTENDED)Scale up efforts to thoroughly investigate cases and outbreaks of mpox to better understand the modes of transmission and transmission risk, and prevent its onward transmission to contacts and communities. (EXTENDED)Report to WHO suspected, probable and confirmed cases of mpox in a timely manner and on a weekly basis. (EXTENDED) Safe and scalable clinical careProvide clinical, nutritional and psychosocial support for patients with mpox, including, where appropriate and possible, isolation in care centres and/or access to materials and guidance for home-based care. (EXTENDED)Develop and implement a plan to expand access to optimized supportive clinical care for all patients with mpox, including children, pregnant women, and persons living with HIV, recognising the association of mpox-related morbidity and mortality in persons living with HIV with untreated or advanced HIV. This includes prompt identification and effective management of endemic co-infections, such as malaria, chickenpox or measles. This also includes offering HIV tests to adult patients who do not know their HIV status and to children as appropriate, testing and treatment for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among cases linked to sexual contact and referral to HIV/STIs treatment and care services when indicated. (EXTENDED, with re-phrasing)Strengthen health and care workers’ capacity, knowledge and skills in clinical and infection and prevention and control pathways – screening, diagnosis, isolation, environmental cleaning, discharge of patients, including post discharge follow up for suspected and confirmed mpox –, and provide health and care workers with personal protective equipment (PPE). (EXTENDED)Strengthen adherence to infection prevention and control (IPC) measures and availability of water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and waste management services and infrastructure in healthcare facilities and treatment and care centers to ensure quality healthcare service delivery and protection of health and care workers, caregivers and patients. (EXTENDED, with re-phrasing) International trafficEstablish or strengthen cross-border collaboration arrangements for surveillance, management and support of suspected cases and contacts of mpox, and for the provision of information to travellers and conveyance operators, without resorting to travel and trade restrictions that unnecessarily impact local, regional or national economies. (EXTENDED) VaccinationContinue to prepare for and implement targeted use of vaccine for “Phase 1-Stop the outbreak” (as defined in the WHO Mpox global strategic preparedness and response plan (2025)) through the identification of the lowest administrative level reporting cases (hotspots) and targeting those groups at high risk of mpox exposure to interrupt sustained community transmission. (EXTENDED, with rephrasing and updated reference)Develop and implement plans for vaccination in the context of an integrated response at the lowest administrative level reporting cases for people at high risk of exposure (e.g., contacts of cases of all ages, health and frontline workers, and other groups at risk such as those with multiple sexual partners and sex workers in endemic and non-endemic areas). This entails a targeted integrated response, including active surveillance and contact tracing; agile adaptation of immunization strategies and plans to the local context including dose-sparing options (single dose/fractional dosing) in the context of limited availability of vaccines; proactive community engagement to generate and sustain demand for and trust in vaccination; close monitoring of mpox vaccination activities, coverage and adverse events following immunization (AEFI); assessment of vaccine effectiveness; and documenting lessons learned and their implementation. (MODIFIED) Community protectionStrengthen risk communication and community engagement in affected communities and local workforces for outbreak prevention, response and vaccination strategies, particularly at the lowest administrative levels reporting cases. Key actions include training, mapping high risk and vulnerable populations for tailored interventions, data driven approaches for social listening, community feedback and dialogue, and managing misinformation. This entails, inter alia, communicating effectively the uncertainties and new information regarding the natural history of mpox and modes of transmission, the effectiveness of mpox vaccines and duration of protection following vaccination, and about any clinical trials to which the local population may have access, as appropriate. (EXTENDED, with re-phrasing)Address stigma and discrimination of any kind via meaningful community engagement, particularly in health services and during risk communication activities, and through engagement with civil society groups, such as HIV networks. (EXTENDED, with re-phrasing)Promote and implement IPC measures and basic WASH and waste management services in household settings, congregate settings (e.g. prisons, internally displaced persons and refugee camps, etc.), schools, points of entry and cross border transit areas. (EXTENDED) Governance and financingGalvanize and scale up national funding and explore external opportunities for targeted funding of mpox prevention, readiness and response activities, advocate for release of available funds and take steps to identify potential new funding partners for emergency response. (EXTENDED)Optimize the use of resources, in the context of global and local external funding shortfalls, by allocating available resources to the implementation of core mpox response interventions needed in the medium term; maximizing their cost-efficiency through cross-programmatic synergetic approaches; and by engaging partners in resource-sharing arrangements to maintain the delivery of essential health services. (NEW)Integrate mpox prevention and response measures, including enhanced surveillance, in existing programmes for prevention, control and treatment of other endemic diseases – especially HIV, as well as STIs, malaria, tuberculosis and other vaccine-preventable diseases, and/or non-communicable diseases – striving to identify activities which will benefit the programmes involved and lead to better health outcomes overall. (EXTENDED) Addressing research gapsInvest in addressing outstanding knowledge gaps and in generating evidence, during and after outbreaks, as defined in A coordinated research roadmap – Mpox virus - Immediate research next steps to contribute to control the outbreak (2024), including for vaccine effectiveness in different contexts. (EXTENDED, with re-phrasing)Invest in field studies to better understand animal hosts and zoonotic spillover in the areas where MPXV is circulating, in coordination with the animal health sector and One Health partners. (EXTENDED)Strengthen and expand use of genomic sequencing to characterize the epidemiology and chains of transmission of MPXV to better inform control measures, particularly regarding the emergence and circulation of new virus strains. (EXTENDED, with re-phrasing) Reporting on the implementation of temporary recommendationsReport quarterly to WHO on the status of, and challenges related to, the implementation of these temporary recommendations, using a revised standardized tool and channels that will be made available by WHO, also allowing for the monitoring of progress and the identification of gaps of the national response. (EXTENDED, with re-phrasing)