3 February 2012 -- Current WHO guidelines call on health service providers to remind patients, that neither hormonal contraceptives nor intrauterine devices known as IUDs offer protection against HIV or other sexually transmitted infections. Protection against both unwanted pregnancy and STIs including HIV is called "dual protection" and condoms are the mainstay of dual protection.

18 January 2012 -- Dr Margaret Chan was nominated today by the WHOs Executive Board for a second term as Director-General of the Organization. If confirmed by the World Health Assembly, Dr Chan's new term will begin on 1 July 2012 and continue until 30 June 2017.

17 January 2012 -- Dr Ala Alwan will take up his appointment as the Regional Director of WHO's Eastern Mediterranean Region (WHO/EMRO) for a five-year term starting on 1 February 2012.

12 January 2012 -- India appears to have completed one year without polio since its last case on 13 January 2011. This is a momentous achievement because India was once recognized as the world’s epicentre of polio. However, there remains no room for complacency. India must maintain surveillance and high childhood immunity against wild poliovirus until eradication is achieved globally.

6 January 2012 -- Six Gulf States detail how they plan to tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) during the coming years. The regional strategy by Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates lays out details on setting targets and measuring results, advancing multisectoral action, and strengthening national capacity to combat NCDs.

30 December 2011 -- WHO takes note that studies undertaken by several institutions on whether changes in the H5N1 influenza virus can make it more transmissible between humans have raised concern about the possible risks and misuses associated with this research. WHO is also deeply concerned about the potential negative consequences. However, WHO also notes that studies conducted under appropriate conditions must continue to take place so that critical scientific knowledge needed to reduce the risks posed by the H5N1 virus continues to increase.

15 December 2011 -- About 358 000 women still die each year during pregnancy and childbirth; 7.6 million children die before the age of 5 annually. A new global consensus has agreed on the key evidence-based interventions that will sharply reduce these numbers. The study, Essential interventions, commodities and guidelines for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, is designed to facilitate decision-making in low- and middle-income countries about how to allocate limited resources for maximum impact on the health of women and children.

13 December 2011 -- Malaria mortality rates have fallen by more than 25% globally since 2000 according to the World malaria report 2011, issued today. This is the result of a significant scaling-up of malaria prevention and control measures in the last decade, including the widespread use of bed nets, better diagnostics and a wider availability of effective medicines to treat malaria.

30 November 2011 -- The Report on the global HIV/AIDS response shows that increased access to HIV services resulted in a 15% reduction of new infections over the past decade and a 22% decline in AIDS-related deaths in the last five years. While there is still much to be done, 2011 was a game changing year, in terms of current progress and innovations creating hope for substantial future advances.

21 November 2011 -- Only one candidate has been proposed for the election of WHO Director-General. The candidate is Dr Margaret Chan, the current Director-General, whose name has been submitted by China.

4 November 2011 -- The Executive Board of WHO ended a three-day special session with Member States expressing strong support for WHO's work. Agreement was reached on broad proposals for reform, which aim to better position WHO to improve health outcomes.

3 November 2011 -- The Executive Board of WHO ended a three-day special session with Member States expressing strong support for WHO's work. Agreement was reached on broad proposals for reform, which aim to better position WHO to improve health outcomes.