World Health Organization: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026

News •

PAHO/WHO appoints new representative for Jamaica, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands • Nov. 11, 2026, 1:06 AM ET (The Gleaner)

Pennsylvania tops 1,500 measles cases as the U.S. could lose its measles elimination status this week • Nov. 9, 2026, 4:02 PM ET (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

In a heartbeat: UPMC infectious disease expert explains pneumonic plague • Nov. 7, 2026, 6:06 AM ET (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Delhi braces for ‘pollution season’ as smog shrouds India’s capital – in pictures • Nov. 6, 2026, 1:41 AM ET (The Guardian)

Ethiopia attacks kill civilians as health system nears collapse, WHO chief says • Nov. 2, 2026, 8:05 AM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	WHO • Organisation Mondiale de la Santé
Date	1948 - present
Headquarters	Geneva
Areas Of Involvement	public health • Today in History—May 8: The End of Smallpox • Who Can Declare a Pandemic and What Criteria Are Required for an Outbreak to Be Called a Pandemic?
Related People	Hiroshi Nakajima • Margaret Chan • Tedros Adhanom • Zsuzsanna Jakab • Jim Yong Kim • Gro Harlem Brundtland • Sune K. Bergström

Photos and Videos

Vaccination program led by the World Health Organization

World Health Organization

Margaret Chan, 2016

last known case of smallpox

Gloved hands draw liquid from a vial into a syringe, overlaid on a digitally colored microscopic image of a virus with round particles in clusters.

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Topics

European Union United Nations North Atlantic Treaty Organization OPEC Commonwealth International Monetary Fund League of Nations World Trade Organization United Nations Security Council ASEAN