What health topics and indicators does the WHO GHO cover?

The GHO covers 2,200+ indicators across 40+ themes: life expectancy, child and maternal mortality, infectious diseases (HIV, TB, Malaria, COVID-19), non-communicable diseases (cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular), mental health, immunization coverage, nutrition, water/sanitation, air quality, road safety, tobacco use, and the full Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) monitoring framework.

Is the WHO GHO API free and does it require authentication?

Yes, the GHO OData API is completely free and open without any authentication. The data is published by the World Health Organization as a public good. There are no API keys, no registration, and no rate limits for reasonable usage. The data is updated regularly with the latest country reports.

Which countries are covered and what country codes should I use?

All 194 WHO member states plus territories are covered. Use ISO-3 country codes: BRA (Brazil), USA (United States), GBR (United Kingdom), JPN (Japan), DEU (Germany), IND (India), CHN (China), FRA (France), AUS (Australia), ZAF (South Africa), etc. Data availability varies by indicator and country reporting.

WHO GHO MCP Server for VS Code Copilot 3 tools — connect in under 2 minutes

Name: WHO GHO
Availability: InStock
Author: Vinkius

code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/mcp-servers

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GitHub Copilot in VS Code is the most widely adopted AI coding assistant, embedded directly into the world's most popular code editor. With MCP support in Agent mode, Copilot can access external data and APIs to generate context-aware code grounded in real-time information.

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Classic Setup·json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "who-gho": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/[YOUR_TOKEN_HERE]/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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About WHO GHO MCP Server

Connect your AI agent to the WHO Global Health Observatory — the authoritative source for health statistics from all 194 member states of the World Health Organization.

GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings WHO GHO data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 3 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.

What you can do

Indicator Search — Find among 2,200+ health indicators across topics: life expectancy, child mortality, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, obesity, mental health, immunization, water quality, air pollution, and more
Country-Level Data — Retrieve time-series data for any indicator filtered by country (ISO-3 codes), with sex disaggregation where available
Country Health Profiles — Get instant health snapshots for any country with key metrics: life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, child mortality, obesity prevalence, and alcohol consumption

The WHO GHO MCP Server exposes 3 tools through the Vinkius. Connect it to VS Code Copilot in under two minutes — no API keys to rotate, no infrastructure to provision, no vendor lock-in. Your configuration, your data, your control.

How to Connect WHO GHO to VS Code Copilot via MCP

Follow these steps to integrate the WHO GHO MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Create MCP config

Create a .vscode/mcp.json file in your project root

Add the server config

Paste the JSON configuration above

Enable Agent mode

Open GitHub Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode using the dropdown

Start using WHO GHO

Ask Copilot: "Using WHO GHO, help me...". 3 tools available

Why Use VS Code Copilot with the WHO GHO MCP Server

GitHub Copilot for Visual Studio Code provides unique advantages when paired with WHO GHO through the Model Context Protocol.

VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor

Project-scoped MCP configs (`.vscode/mcp.json`) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access

Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop

GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services

WHO GHO + VS Code Copilot Use Cases

Practical scenarios where VS Code Copilot combined with the WHO GHO MCP Server delivers measurable value.

Live API integration: Copilot can query an MCP server, inspect the response schema, and generate typed API client code in the same step

DevSecOps workflows: security teams can give developers access to domain intelligence tools directly in their editor for real-time vulnerability assessment during code review

Data pipeline development: Copilot fetches sample data via MCP and generates transformation scripts, validators, and test fixtures from actual API responses

Documentation generation: Copilot queries available tools and auto-generates README sections, API reference docs, and usage examples

WHO GHO MCP Tools for VS Code Copilot (3)

These 3 tools become available when you connect WHO GHO to VS Code Copilot via MCP:

get_who_country_profile

Use ISO-3 country codes (BRA, USA, JPN, DEU, IND). Get a health snapshot for any country from WHO data

get_who_indicator_data

Returns values by year with sex disaggregation where available. Use search_who_indicators first to find codes. Get country-level data for a WHO health indicator

search_who_indicators

Returns indicator codes for further data retrieval. Search 2200+ global health indicators from the World Health Organization

Example Prompts for WHO GHO in VS Code Copilot

Ready-to-use prompts you can give your VS Code Copilot agent to start working with WHO GHO immediately.

"What is the life expectancy in Japan and how does it compare globally?"

"Search for WHO indicators related to tuberculosis worldwide."

"Give me a complete health snapshot for Brazil."

Troubleshooting WHO GHO MCP Server with VS Code Copilot

Common issues when connecting WHO GHO to VS Code Copilot through the Vinkius, and how to resolve them.

MCP tools not available

Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.

WHO GHO + VS Code Copilot FAQ

Common questions about integrating WHO GHO MCP Server with VS Code Copilot.

Which VS Code version supports MCP?

MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.

How do I switch to Agent mode?

Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.

Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?

Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.

Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?

Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.