WHO | Week Ahead for media - 06 February

No images? Click here Friday, 06 February 2026  | Issue 339   Subscribe to receive this weekly update   Eye care, Kyrgyzstan © WHO / Sadyk Abylkasymov  9 to 14 February Fifth meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on the WHO Pandemic Agreement Member States will continue negotiations on the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system at the fifth meeting of the IGWG in Geneva, Switzerland.  The PABS system will form an annex of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, which was adopted by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2025. The outcome of IGWG's work will be presented to the next WHA in May 2026 for its consideration. Open sessions of the meeting will be livestreamed on WHO's website. Related: Provisional agenda and other documents WHO Director-General's remarks at the IGWG briefing to the WHO Executive Board – 4 February 2026 Wednesday, 11 February New data on cataract WHO and partners will release new global data on cataract surgery on 11 February.  An estimated 17 million people are blind due to cataract worldwide.  The World Health Assembly has set a global target to increase effective cataract surgical coverage by 30% by 2030. An embargoed press briefing will be held on 10 February; further information will be provided in a media advisory to be sent later.  Further information: WHO's work on Eye care, vision impairment and blindness *********** Release of 2025 measles data for Europe and Central Asia WHO will release the latest data on measles cases in 2025 in the WHO European Region on Wednesday, 11 February. Measles cases dropped in Europe and Central Asia in 2025 compared to the previous year, but the WHO Regional Office for Europe and UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia warn that the risk of outbreaks remains. Outbreak response measures, including immunization campaigns, helped reduce measles cases in 2025, but progress is fragile, as the virus continues to spread. Contact: Catharina Reynen-de Kat, reynendekatc@who.int Other WHO events of interest (full list here) Ship inspection and issuance of ship sanitation certificates (WHO EPI-WIN webinar), 11 and 12 February Look ahead (the following week): Childhood Cancer Day, 15 February Impact of the Sudan conflict on vector-borne and neglected tropical diseases and pathways forward, 07.00 to 09.30 CET on 16 February  Maternal Mortality in Conflict, an analysis from the wider maternal mortality report with specific stats and case studies on countries in conflict   Latest news from WHO here WHO events here Sign up for our newsletters here WHO photos available for media use here WHO media contacts: mediainquiries@who.int You are receiving this NO-REPLY email because you are included on a WHO mail list. If you have been forwarded this update you can click here to subscribe. Do not reply to media@campaign.who.int as it is an unmonitored mailbox. Journalists may write to mediainquiries@who.int.         Share    Tweet    Share    Forward  World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 20, 1202 Geneva 27, Switzerland  Unsubscribe