Agregator de ştiri

ECDC concludes technical visit to Albania to enhance surveillance of communicable diseases

ECDC - News - Joi, 02/29/2024 - 01:45
ECDC completed a technical visit to Albania as part of its efforts to bolster the surveillance of communicable diseases in the country.
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

One in eight people are now living with obesity

WHO news - Mie, 02/28/2024 - 15:25
New study released by the Lancet shows that, in 2022, more than 1 billion people in the world are now living with obesity. Malnutrition, in all its forms, includes undernutrition, inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight and obesity. Undernutrition is responsible for half of the deaths of children under 5 and obesity can cause noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and some cancers.

Continued efforts needed to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in humans and animals

ECDC - News - Mie, 02/28/2024 - 13:44
Resistance of Salmonella and Campylobacter bacteria to commonly used antimicrobials continues to be observed frequently in humans and animals, according to a report issued today by EFSA and ECDC.
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

Robert Koch Institute hosts Multivariable Analysis Module

ECDC - News - Mie, 02/28/2024 - 01:00
The Multivariable Analysis Module, held from 19-23 February 2024, strengthened public health practitioners’ epidemiological data analysis skills.
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

Call for expression of interest – NGO representatives for ECDC’s Advisory Forum

ECDC - News - Lun, 02/26/2024 - 23:26
The European Commission has launched a call for expression of interest aiming at the selection of the ECDC Advisory Forum members.
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

Inclusion of noncommunicable disease care in response to humanitarian emergencies will help save more lives

WHO news - Lun, 02/26/2024 - 23:07

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes, are responsible for 75% of deaths worldwide. People affected by humanitarian emergencies are at increased risk of NCDs. It is estimated that strokes and heart attacks are up to 3 times more likely following a disaster. However, care and treatment for NCDs are often not included as a standard part of humanitarian emergency preparedness and response, which focus on the most immediate needs. 

To support integration of essential services for NCDs into emergency preparedness and humanitarian response, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Kingdom of Denmark, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Kenya, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, are jointly convening a global high-level technical meeting on NCDs in humanitarian settings on 27-29 February in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Humanitarian emergencies in recent years are becoming more complex and interconnected. Hunger and shortages of essential goods exacerbate geopolitical conflicts, ecological degradation and climate change, resulting in more frequent and extreme natural disasters.

The number of crises impacting people’s health has been increasing. During 2023, WHO responded to 65 graded health emergencies worldwide, up from 40 a decade earlier. In the same year, UNHCR issued 43 emergency declarations to scale up support in 29 countries – the highest number in decades. United Nations estimates show that 300 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2024 with over half (165.7 million) in need of emergency health assistance.  

“People living with NCDs in humanitarian crises are more likely to see their condition worsen due to trauma, stress, or the inability to access medicines or services. The needs are enormous, but the resources are not,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We must find ways to better integrate NCD care in emergency response, to protect more lives from these avoidable tragedies and improve health security.”

Refugees often face limited access to health care, which can be compounded by poor living conditions, financial difficulties, and precarious legal status. NCDs accounted for a significant proportion of all deaths in the top countries of origin of refugees under UNHCR's mandate: 75% in the Syrian Arab Republic, 92% in Ukraine, 50% in Afghanistan and 28% in South Sudan.

“As forced displacement grows, we must work to ensure the right to health of refugees, other forcibly displaced people and host communities. It is imperative that the policies, and resources are in place to support the inclusion of refugees in national health systems, including for access to care for noncommunicable diseases,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “We must be innovative, and work with governments and partners to respond to such challenges.”   

Building solutions and momentum 

There are many solutions countries and partners are putting in place to save more lives from NCDs among people affected by humanitarian crises. Since 2017, more than 142 000 WHO NCD kits containing various essential treatments for diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and other medicines have been disseminated. Each kit provides affordable, safe and dependable access to lifesaving NCD medicines and supplies for 10 000 people for over three months. These have been distributed to 28 countries affected by conflicts and or natural disasters and placed in humanitarian hubs including Gaza, South Sudan and Ukraine.

Many countries have included policies and services for the prevention and control of NCDs as part of their efforts to strengthen health systems to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from health emergencies. These efforts are aimed at achieving strong and resilient health systems with primary health care (PHC) and universal health coverage (UHC) as a foundation.

However, much more needs to be done. Some specialized services such as dialysis or cancer care require specific planning and adaptations during emergencies, and more insights are needed to better integrate NCDs into emergency preparedness and response. NCDs remain a neglected aspect of humanitarian responses, with significant gaps in technical and operational guidance, lack of capacity and resources.  

Today’s global high-level technical consultation provides a critical platform to share best practices for effectively supporting Member States in delivering NCD prevention and control services within humanitarian responses. The outputs of this meeting will contribute to the 2024 progress report to the UN Secretary-General, informing plans for the Fourth UN High-level Meeting on NCDs scheduled for 2025.

Recommendations announced for influenza vaccine composition for the 2024-2025 northern hemisphere influenza season

WHO news - Vin, 02/23/2024 - 16:43
The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced the recommendations for the viral composition of influenza vaccines for the 2024-2025 influenza season in the northern hemisphere.

International Pathogen Surveillance Network launches catalytic grant fund for pathogen genomics

WHO news - Vin, 02/23/2024 - 10:52
The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced US$4 million in new funding to create a catalytic grant fund for organizations working in pathogen genomic surveillance. The fund will support projects across the world, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, to pilot projects and in doing so, create an evidence base for how to quickly scale-up pathogen genomic surveillance.

Statement by Principals of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC): Civilians in Gaza in extreme peril while the world watches on

WHO news - Mie, 02/21/2024 - 23:04

In the less than five months that followed the brutal 7 October attacks and the ensuing escalation, tens of thousands of Palestinians – mostly women and children – have been killed and injured in the Gaza Strip. More than three quarters of the population have been forced from their homes, many multiple times, and face severe shortages of food, water, sanitation and healthcare – the basic necessities to survive. 

The health system continues to be systematically degraded, with catastrophic consequences. As of 19 February, only 12 out of 36 hospitals with inpatient capacity are still functioning, and only partially. There have been more than 370 attacks on health care in Gaza since 7 October. 

Diseases are rampant. Famine is looming. Water is at a trickle. Basic infrastructure has been decimated. Food production has come to a halt. Hospitals have turned into battlefields. One million children face daily traumas. 

Rafah, the latest destination for well over 1 million displaced, hungry and traumatized people crammed into a small sliver of land, has become another battleground in this brutal conflict. Further escalation of violence in this densely populated area would cause mass casualties. It could also deal a death blow to a humanitarian response that is already on its knees. 

There is no safe place in Gaza. 

Humanitarian workers, themselves displaced and facing shelling, death, movement restrictions and a breakdown of civil order, continue efforts to deliver to those in need. But faced with so many obstacles – including safety and movement restrictions – they can only do so much. 

No amount of humanitarian response will make up for the months of deprivation that families in Gaza have endured. This is our effort to salvage the humanitarian operation so that we can provide, at the very least, the bare essentials: medicine, drinking water, food, and shelter as temperatures plummet.

For this, we need:

  1. An immediate ceasefire.
  2. Civilians and the infrastructure they rely on to be protected.
  3. The hostages to be released immediately.
  4. Reliable entry points that would allow us to bring aid in from all possible crossings, including to northern Gaza. 
  5. Security assurances and unimpeded passage to distribute aid, at scale, across Gaza, with no denials, delays and access impediments.
  6. A functioning humanitarian notification system that allows all humanitarian staff and supplies to move within Gaza and deliver aid safely.
  7. Roads to be passable and neighbourhoods to be cleared of explosive ordnance.
  8. A stable communication network that allows humanitarians to move safely and securely. 
  9. UNRWA (1) , the backbone of the humanitarian operations in Gaza, to receive the resources it needs to provide life-saving assistance.
  10. A halt to campaigns that seek to discredit the United Nations and non-governmental organizations doing their best to save lives.  

Humanitarian agencies remain committed, despite the risks. But they cannot be left to pick up the pieces. 

We are calling on Israel to fulfil its legal obligation, under international humanitarian and human rights law, to provide food and medical supplies and facilitate aid operations, and on the world’s leaders to prevent an even worse catastrophe from happening.


Signatories:

  • Mr. Martin Griffiths, Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
  • Ms. Sofia Sprechmann Sineiro, Secretary General, CARE International
  • Dr. Qu Dongyu, Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
  • Ms. Jane Backhurst, Chair, ICVA (Christian Aid
  • Mr. Jamie Munn, Executive Director, International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA
  • Mr. Tom Hart, Chief Executive Officer and President, InterAction
  • Ms. Amy E. Pope, Director General, International Organization for Migration (IOM
  • Ms. Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, Chief Executive Officer, Mercy Corps
  • Mr. Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR
  • Ms. Janti Soeripto, President and Chief Executive Officer, Save the Children
  • Ms. Paula Gaviria Betancur, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons (SR on HR of IDPs
  • Mr. Achim Steiner, Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP
  • Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
  • Mr. Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR
  • Mr. Michal Mlynár, Executive Director a.i., United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat
  • Ms. Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
  • Ms. Sima Bahous, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women 
  • Ms. Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP)
  • Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO


1. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) fully supports the statement.

 

Multi-agency report highlights importance of reducing antibiotic use

ECDC - News - Mie, 02/21/2024 - 16:46
Countries that have decreased their consumption of antibiotics in both animals and humans have seen a reduction in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

Dr Pamela Rendi-Wagner nominated new Director of ECDC

ECDC - News - Mie, 02/21/2024 - 16:46
On 20 February 2024, the Management Board of ECDC nominated Dr Pamela Rendi-Wagner to be the next Director of ECDC for a five-year period (2024-2029).
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

WHO transfers critical patients out of Nasser Medical Complex, fears for safety of remaining patients

WHO news - Mar, 02/20/2024 - 16:48
WHO led two life-saving missions to transfer 32 critical patients, including two children, from Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza on 18 and 19 February, amid ongoing hostilities and access restrictions.

Epidemiological update: West Nile virus transmission season in Europe, 2023

ECDC - News - Mar, 02/20/2024 - 16:19
During the 2023 West Nile virus transmission season, and as of 4 January 2024, 709 locally acquired human cases of West Nile virus infection, including 67 deaths, were reported by nine European Union countries.
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

Children’s lives threatened by rising malnutrition in the Gaza Strip

WHO news - Lun, 02/19/2024 - 20:06

A steep rise in malnutrition among children and pregnant and breastfeeding women in the Gaza strip poses grave threats to their health, according to a comprehensive new analysis released by the Global Nutrition Cluster.

As the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip enters its 20th week, food and safe water have become incredibly scarce and diseases are rife, compromising women and children’s nutrition and immunity and resulting in a surge of acute malnutrition.

The report “Nutrition Vulnerability and Situation Analysis - Gaza” – finds that the situation is particularly extreme in the Northern Gaza Strip, which has been almost completely cut off from aid for weeks. Nutrition screenings conducted at shelters and health centres in the north found that 15.6 per cent – or 1 in 6 children under 2 years of age – are acutely malnourished. Of these, almost 3 per cent suffer from severe wasting, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition, which puts young children at highest risk of medical complications and death unless they receive urgent treatment. As the data were collected in January, the situation is likely to be even graver today.

Similar screenings in the Southern Gaza Strip, in Rafah, where aid has been more available, found 5 per cent of children under 2 years are acutely malnourished. This is clear evidence that access to humanitarian aid is needed and can help prevent the worst outcomes. It also reinforces agencies’ calls to protect Rafah from the threat of intensified military operations.

“The Gaza Strip is poised to witness an explosion in preventable child deaths which would compound the already unbearable level of child deaths in Gaza,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director for Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations, Ted Chaiban. “We’ve been warning for weeks that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of a nutrition crisis. If the conflict doesn’t end now, children’s nutrition will continue to plummet, leading to preventable deaths or health issues which will affect the children of Gaza for the rest of their lives and have potential intergenerational consequences.”

Before the recent months’ hostilities, wasting in the Gaza Strip was rare with just 0.8 per cent of children under 5 years of age acutely malnourished. The rate of 15.6 percent of wasting among children under 2 in Northern Gaza suggests a serious and rapid decline. Such a decline in a population’s nutritional status in three months is unprecedented globally.

There is a high risk that malnutrition will continue to rise across the Gaza Strip due to the alarming lack of food, water and health and nutrition services:

  • 90 per cent of children under the age of 2 and 95 per cent of pregnant and breastfeeding women face severe food poverty – meaning they have consumed two or less food groups in the previous day – and the food they do have access to is of the lowest nutritional value.
  • 95 per cent of households are limiting meals and portion sizes, with 64 per cent of households eating only one meal a day. 
  • Over 95 per cent of households said they had restricted the amount of food adults received in order to ensure small children had food to eat. 

“The steep rise in malnutrition that we are seeing in Gaza is dangerous and entirely preventable”, said WFP Assistant Executive Director for Programme Operations, Valerie Guarnieri. “Children and women, in particular, need continuous access to healthy foods, clean water and health and nutrition services. For that to happen, we need decisive improvements on security and humanitarian access, and additional entry points for aid to enter Gaza.”

Inadequate safe drinking water, as well as insufficient water for cooking and hygiene purposes, are compounding poor nutrition. On average, households surveyed had access to less than one litre of safe water per person per day. According to humanitarian standards, the minimum amount of safe water needed in an emergency is 3 litres per person per day, while the overall standard is 15 litres per person, which includes sufficient quantities for drinking, washing and cooking.

Hungry, thirsty and weak, more Gazans are falling sick. The report finds at least 90 per cent of children under 5 are affected by one or more infectious disease. Seventy per cent had diarrhoea in the past two weeks, a 23-fold increase compared with the 2022 baseline. 

“Hunger and disease are a deadly combination,” said Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme. ”Hungry, weakened and deeply traumatised children are more likely to get sick, and children who are sick, especially with diarrhea, cannot absorb nutrients well. It’s dangerous, and tragic, and happening before our eyes.”

Without more humanitarian assistance, the nutritional situation is likely to continue to deteriorate rapidly and at scale across the Gaza Strip. With the majority of health, water and sanitation services severely degraded, it is essential that those that remain functional are protected and reinforced to stem the spread of diseases and stop malnutrition from worsening.

UNICEF, WFP and WHO call for safe, unimpeded and sustained access to urgently deliver multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance throughout the Gaza Strip. This includes nutritious foods, nutrition supplies and essential services for malnourished and at-risk children and women to safely access health and nutrition care and treatment services, particularly infants and young children under 5. Hospitals and health workers must be protected from attack so they can safely provide critical treatment and care. An immediate humanitarian ceasefire continues to provide the best chance to save lives and end suffering.

###

Note to the editor

Due to security and access challenges throughout the Gaza Strip, it is nearly impossible to collect anthropometric data to measure rates of acute malnutrition. Collection of anthropometric data (MUAC) was only possible in two areas (North Gaza and Rafah) among children under 2 years of age. The report therefore used an innovative method of analysis to support this data and determine that acute malnutrition is rising throughout the Gaza Strip. This method analyzed data on the drivers of malnutrition – lack of food, rates of disease, lack of access to clean water and lack of available health services – which was collected through telephone and SMS questionnaires. From analyzing the key causes, we can conclude that acute malnutrition is rising throughout Gaza at speed.

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and our work for children, visit www.unicef.org

About WFP

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world’s largest humanitarian organization saving lives in emergencies and using food assistance to build a pathway to peace, stability and prosperity for people recovering from conflict, disasters and the impact of climate change.

About WHO

Dedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the UN agency for health that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in 150+ locations – leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. 

ECDC hosts training on Epidemic Intelligence and Rapid Risk Assessment

ECDC - News - Lun, 02/19/2024 - 15:15
In a move to bolster health preparedness in the EU`s neighbourhood regions and EU/EEA countries, ECDC organised a comprehensive training focusing on Epidemic Intelligence (EI) and Rapid Risk Assessment (RRA).
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

Member States consider proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations with discussions on equity to continue

WHO news - Lun, 02/19/2024 - 11:12
WHO Member States have continued discussions on proposals to amend the International Health Regulations (IHR, 2005), during which the importance of their work to future global security was highlighted.

EU Initiative on Health Security proposes comprehensive programme for 2024

ECDC - News - Sâm, 02/17/2024 - 00:09
ECDC is gearing up for a dynamic year of training sessions, capacity-building, and collaboration with European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) partner countries through its annual work programme for 2024.
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

Threat assessment brief: Measles on the rise in the EU/EEA - Considerations for public health response

ECDC - Risk assessments - Vin, 02/16/2024 - 11:41
In 2023, significant increases in the number of measles cases and outbreaks were observed globally, including in 40 of the 53 countries of the European region, and in at least ten EU/EEA countries.
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

High vaccination coverage key against expected increase of measles cases in the EU/EEA

ECDC - News - Vin, 02/16/2024 - 11:41
Measles cases are expected to continue increasing in the EU/EEA in the coming months due to sub-optimal vaccination coverage for measles-containing vaccines (MCV) in a number of EU/EEA countries.
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

ECDC: On Air - Episode 46 - Five Scientists - One Health

ECDC - News - Joi, 02/15/2024 - 23:15
This special episode is hosted by James Ramsey, Head of the Communication Unit at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). He is joined by experts from ECDC, EFSA, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Environment Agency (EEA), and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to discuss the One Health perspective.
Categorii: C.D.C. (Europe)

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