RespiCast: the new European Respiratory Diseases Forecasting Hub
Tobacco use declines despite tobacco industry efforts to jeopardize progress
WHO launches appeal for US$ 1.5 billion for key emergencies in 2024
Preventing famine and deadly disease outbreak in Gaza requires faster, safer aid access and more supply routes
WHO certifies Cabo Verde as malaria-free, marking a historic milestone in the fight against malaria
Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Virchow ST16 infections linked to the consumption of meat products containing chicken meat
SARS-CoV-2 in animals: susceptibility of animal species, risk for animal and public health, monitoring, prevention and control
Outbreak of Shigella sonnei in the EU/EEA, the United Kingdom, and the United States among travellers returning from Cabo Verde
Threat Assessment Brief: Implications for the EU/EEA of the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-lineage
Intensified circulation of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and associated hospital burden in the EU/EEA
Multi-country outbreak of Salmonella Mbandaka ST413 possibly linked to consumption of chicken meat in the EU/EEA, Israel and the UK
WHO teams deliver supplies to hospitals in Northern and Southern Gaza
Lethal combination of hunger and disease to lead to more deaths in Gaza
WHO prequalifies a second malaria vaccine, a significant milestone in prevention of the disease
Addressing Global Health Challenges: Irish Taoiseach Varadkar and WHO Director-General in Dublin Talks
Ireland’s Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar welcomed Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, to Dublin today, to discuss strengthening the partnership between Ireland and the WHO across a range of global and domestic health areas. Dr Tedros also met with Michael Higgins, the President of Ireland.
The meetings underscores Ireland's commitment to actively address pressing health issues on both national and global fronts. The discussions delved into strategies for tackling health emergencies, enhancing healthcare infrastructure, and fostering collaborative research initiatives. The leaders also discussed the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and agreed on the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: “The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated in no uncertain terms how important the World Health Organization is, and how central a role it plays in promoting and securing health and well-being for all, on a global scale. This visit is an important opportunity to affirm and strengthen Ireland’s partnership with the WHO.”
The leaders discussed the importance of learning from the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic to be prepared for any future outbreaks. They agreed on the importance of moving forward with the instrument on pandemic preparedness to be ready for such events. They also discussed the vital need for increased medical supplies to be allowed into humanitarian settings and the disproportionate impact that violence is having on children and women. This year, Ireland announced it will invest around €10 million in supporting the work of the WHO, with funding targeted to support healthcare in emergency settings and programmes aimed at tackling child malnutrition.
“Ireland plays a powerful role in advocating for peace and equity in health globally, and has provided vital assistance to WHO’s work around the world” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
In the context of the funding, the Irish, Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) Micheál Martin T.D. commented saying it is: “recognising the importance public health measures globally, and in the light of increasing health needs arising from conflict and crisis, that Ireland is significantly increasing its support for the WHO.”
COVID-19 vaccinations shift to regular immunization as COVAX draws to a close
New South-South health cooperation initiative launched linking Africa and the Caribbean
The Health Development Partnership for Africa and the Caribbean (HeDPAC), a new initiative to strengthen South-South health cooperation between Africa and the Caribbean, was launched today.
The initiative stems from the recognition that the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic fell most heavily on developing countries, especially on women and children. The pandemic led to the reversal of health gains, including maternal mortality.
HeDPAC will focus on strengthening the health workforce in the two regions, and on sharing innovative solutions in primary health care, with a special emphasis on climate resilience, and maternal and child health.
Promoting technology transfer for pharmaceutical manufacturing, building regulatory capacity, and enhancing universal health coverage will be core HeDPAC strategies.
Dr Haileyesus Getahun will serve as the first CEO of HeDPAC. Dr Getahun has a quarter-century of experience in global health, and currently serves as Director of Global Coordination on Antimicrobial Resistance at WHO.
“COVID-19 exposed weaknesses in our health systems, but we also have the opportunity to address those challenges”, said President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who is a champion of the initiative. “The time to act is now”, he said.
“COVID-19 left an indelible scar on our global solidarity and the right of all people to good health”, said Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley of Barbados, who is also championing HeDPAC. “It is our shared responsibility to ensure that the inequity of the global response to COVID-19 is not repeated. This is the kind of action that will allow us to help people where they need it most.”
“The establishment of HeDPAC heralds a new global public health order to realize health equity through greater political commitment and action”, said Professor Senait Fisseha, Vice President of the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation. “Through this collaboration, vulnerable countries and groups, including women and children, stand to benefit.”
“WHO is pleased to partner with HeDPAC in its efforts to achieve universal health coverage for the people of Africa and the Caribbean”, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “South-South cooperation can play a critical role in catalysing a shared vision for health and the exchange of best practices between nations.”
Dr Getahun said, “There is no better role in global health than to contribute to health equity for the most vulnerable.”
HeDPAC media enquiries, contact info@hedpac.org
Additional media enquiries:
Rwanda: theophile.dushime@moh.gov.rw
Barbados: alex.downes@pmo.gov.bb
Time Series Analysis module in Italy
WHO delivers health supplies to Al-Shifa Hospital, appeals for continued access to address urgent needs in north Gaza
WHO staff participated in a joint UN mission to Al-Shifa Hospital in north Gaza on 16 December to deliver health supplies and assess the situation in the facility. Partners on today’s mission included OCHA, UNDSS, and UNMAS. The team delivered medicines and surgical supplies, orthopedic surgery equipment, and anesthesia materials and drugs to the hospital.
Al-Shifa Hospital, currently minimally functional, needs to urgently resume at least basic operations to continue serving the thousands in need of lifesaving health care.
Once the most important and largest referral hospital in Gaza, Al-Shifa now houses only a handful of doctors and a few nurses, together with 70 volunteers, working under what WHO staff described as “unbelievably challenging circumstances,” and calling it a “hospital in need of resuscitation.” The operating theatres and other major services remain nonfunctional due to lack of fuel, oxygen, specialized medical staff, and supplies. The hospital is only able to provide basic trauma stabilization, has no blood for transfusion, and hardly any staff to care for the constant flow of patients. Dialysis is being provided to approximately 30 patients a day, with the dialysis machines operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, using a small generator.
The team described the emergency department as a “bloodbath”, with hundreds of injured patients inside, and new patients arriving every minute. Patients with trauma injuries were being sutured on the floor, and limited to no pain management is available at the hospital. WHO staff said that the emergency department is so full that care must be exercised to not step on patients on the floor. Critical patients are being transferred to Al-Ahli Arab Hospital for surgeries.
Tens of thousands of displaced people are using the hospital building and grounds for shelter. A multi-pronged humanitarian response is needed to provide them with food, water and shelter.
Many of them asked our team to tell the world what is happening in the hope that their suffering might soon be eased. Al-Shifa Hospital continues to experience a severe shortage of food and safe water for health workers, patients, and displaced people. This reflects grave and growing concerns around persistent hunger across the Gaza Strip, and the consequences of malnutrition on people’s health and susceptibility to infectious diseases.
WHO is committed to strengthening Al-Shifa Hospital in the coming weeks, so that it can resume at least basic functionality and continue to provide the lifesaving services that are needed at this critical time. Up to 20 operating theatres in the hospital, as well as post-operative care services, can be activated if provided with regular supplies of fuel, oxygen, medicines, food, and water. Substantial additional specialized medical, nursing and support staff, including emergency medical teams are also urgently needed.
Currently, Al-Ahli Arab Hospital remains the only partially functional hospital in north Gaza along with three minimally functional hospitals – Al-Shifa, Al Awda and Al Sahaba Medical Complex - down from 24 before the conflict. WHO is also gravely concerned at the unfolding situation at Kamal Adwan Hospital and is gathering information urgently.
As hostilities continue and health needs across the Gaza Strip increase, Al-Shifa Hospital, a cornerstone of Gaza’s health system, must be urgently restored so that it can serve a besieged people trapped in a cycle of death, destruction, hunger, and disease.