The disease wasn’t known to spark big outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread easily among people until last May,when dozens of epidemics emerged in Europe,North America and elsewhere.
In its weekly report on the pandemic,the UN health agency said deaths fell by 22 per cent in the past week,at just over 11,000 reported worldwide.
To help end the emergency,WHO called on countries to continue or increase virus surveillance capabilities to allow for early warning signs of significant changes in the virus.
The head of the World Health Organisation says conditions remain ideal for more coronavirus variants to emerge and that it’s dangerous to assume Omicron will be the last one.
The decision means a legally binding response convention that would determine a fairer production and distribution of vaccines for the next pandemic could be implemented in early 2024.
Member states are meeting next week to begin discussions on a new pandemic treaty that former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark says could be agreed in as soon as six months.
Australia is on track to eliminate cervical cancer by 2035,but is being called upon to do more to help prevent the deaths of a woman every 30 seconds from the disease.
Dr Tedros will retain the top job at the WHO despite coming under heavy criticism for the body’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The WHO recommended that the world’s first malaria vaccine be given to children across Africa,in a move officials hope will spur stalled efforts to curb the spread of the parasitic disease.
The World Health Organisation’s director-general said the report made “harrowing reading” and apologised to the victims.
The WHO’s initial study was panned by the international community,which said it had been frustrated by China.