A recent publication by the World Health Organisation makes sobering reading.

The world is facing multiple health challenges. These range from outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and diphtheria, increasing reports of drug-resistant pathogens, growing rates of obesity and physical inactivity to the health impacts of environmental pollution and climate change and multiple humanitarian crises.

Here are 10 of the many issues that will demand attention from WHO and health partners in 2019.

• Air pollution and climate change
• Noncommunicable diseases (diabetes, cancer and heart disease)
• Global influenza pandemic
• Fragile and vulnerable settings (combination of drought, famine, conflict, and population displacement)
• Antimicrobial resistance
• Ebola and other high-threat pathogens
• Weak primary health care
• Vaccine hesitancy (the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccine)
• Dengue
• HIV