| No images? Click here  Friday, 29 November 2024 | Issue 282 Sudan emergency response.  25 - 30 November Forty-seventh session of the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC47) 25 to 30 November 2024, Centre International de Conférences Genève (CICG), Geneva, Switzerland The United Nations food standards body, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, met from 25 to 30 November 2024 in Geneva to adopt food safety and quality standards with a focus on meeting future needs and elected the new Chairperson and three Vice-Chairpersons. Brief descriptions of some of the standards adopted at the 47th session of the Commission are available here. Further information about the 47th session can be found on the CAC47 information page with a recording of all livestreamed sessions in the six UN languages available here.  Sunday, 1 December On 1 December WHO joins partners and communities to commemorate World AIDS Day 2024. Under the theme “Take the rights path: My health, my right!”, WHO is calling on global leaders and citizens to champion the right to health by addressing the inequalities that hinder progress in ending AIDS.  2-6 December Twelfth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) for a WHO instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and responseIn December 2021, the World Health Assembly established an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) to draft and negotiate a convention, agreement or other international instrument under the Constitution of the World Health Organization, to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. The Twelfth meeting (resumed session and drafting group) of the INB will take place in hybrid format from 2-6 December 2024. The opening and closing plenary sessions of the INB are open to WHO Member States, Associate Members, Observers and regional economic integration organizations, as well all relevant stakeholders. Sessions on 2 December and 6 December will be publicly webcast and archived for viewing. Relevant stakeholders (Annexes A–E) will be invited to join for a brief open session at the beginning of each day, to be updated on progress and provide their views on relevant Articles. Substantive negotiating and drafting sessions will be held in closed format. ********* Ensuring health equity: Partnerships for accessible quality products The 2024 Joint Meeting of UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO brings together global health agencies, manufacturers, and suppliers to address challenges and opportunities in ensuring equitable access to quality-assured health products. With the theme “Ensuring Health Equity: Partnerships for Accessible Quality Products,” the event offers participants a deep dive into sustainable local manufacturing practices and cutting-edge supply chain innovations. It is designed to inspire collaboration, encourage dynamic exchanges, spark new ideas, and deliver actionable insights on addressing global health challenges. ********* Health Talks on food systems: food for healthFrom 2–6 December 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) is hosting a series of virtual Health Talks on food systems under the theme "Food for Health". This series will explore the role health systems can play as a platform for delivering healthier foods to those with economic and health vulnerabilities due to diet-related non-communicable diseases. This series illustrates the regulatory, programmatic and financial implications of this novel approach. The Health Talks series builds on WHO’s package of game changing food systems actions to promote enabling environments and provide more equitable access to healthier diets. ********* Fifth WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant HealthThe WHO Department of Health and Migration organizes its yearly Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health in collaboration with regional and country offices to support countries in addressing the health needs and rights of people on the move by promoting knowledge sharing and leveraging experiences in advancing the health of these populations. The fifth edition of the WHO Global School on Refugee and Migrant Health will take place from 2-6 of December 2024, with a focus on “Advancing Universal Health Coverage for refugees and migrants: from evidence to action". The event is organized by the WHO’s Department of Health and Migration in close collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization/WHO Regional Office for the Americas, hosted by Colombia’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection.  3-4 December 2024 World Conference on Traditional MedicineThe 2024 World Conference on Traditional Medicine will be held in Beijing, China and co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the National Health Commission of China, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM), and the Beijing Municipal Government. The conference will be a pivotal platform to enhance dialogue and collaboration among international experts, policy-makers, health workers, and traditional medicine practitioners. It will help advance progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 3 on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all. Discussions will also align with the Global Strategy for Traditional Medicine (2025–2034), which WHO will present at the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly in May 2025.  Tuesday, 3 December Webinar: Measuring violence against women with disabilities - progress and challenges Women with disabilities globally face high levels of violence. Discrimination, stigma, and misconceptions about disability can increase vulnerability to all forms of violence. Data on violence against women with disabilities is lacking, and there are a range of challenges in generating quality, representative data to understand the true scale of the issue and therefore better address specific risks. On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the World Health Organization is hosting a webinar to discuss progress and challenges in measuring violence against women with disabilities. Register here. *********** International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2024 This year, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) focuses on amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future. Many persons with disabilities experience health inequities: they may die up to 20 years earlier than people without disabilities and have poorer health outcomes due to unfair and avoidable factors, such as stigma and discrimination. WHO will mark the Day with a new toolkit which guides governments on a process to integrate disability inclusion into existing health systems governance, planning, and monitoring. Central to this process is the engagement and collaborative decision-making with persons with disabilities, which is a fundamental step to drive change towards a more inclusive and sustainable health sector. With 1 in 6 people having a significant disability worldwide, closing the gap for persons with disabilities is urgently needed to accelerate progress towards sustainable development.  5-6 December 18th meeting of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Neglected Tropical DiseasesThe 18th meeting of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group (STAG) for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) will be held at WHO headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland on 5–6 December 2024. Attendance will be both in-person and virtual. Themes discussed will include, among others: follow-up on previous STAG-NTD recommendations; One Health; gender, equity and human rights; cross-cutting work; R&D blueprint; multi-disease elimination; climate change and NTDs; female genital schistosomiasis; Guinea worm eradication; and medicine donations.  Thursday, 5 December WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative: Second informal partners' forumThis forum will provide an opportunity to communicate and take stock of progress made since the inaugural forum in March and present key milestones achieved in 2024. It is intended to stimulate ownership by partners in implementing GBCI and establishment of mutual collaborations especially in areas where there are persistent gaps. Audience members will be able to participate and can ask questions through the Q&A session.  Friday, 6 December Groundbreaking UNGA resolution on assistive technology The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is anticipated to adopt a new resolution to improve access to assistive technology worldwide. More than 2.5 billion people, including persons with disabilities, older persons, and those with injuries or health conditions, require one or more assistive products such as prosthetics, hearing devices and digital tools like speech recognition and captioning. In some regions, as few as 3% of those in need have access to these essential products, limiting their ability to fully participate in society. WHO will issue a press release on 6 December with key information on the new UNGA resolution, outlining the urgent actions that governments and partners need to take to achieve universal access to assistive technology. More background information available here:  Other events of interest to journalists
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Friday, November 29, 2024
WHO | Week Ahead for media - 29 November 2024
News Release: New report highlights need for sustained investment in infection prevention and control programmes
| No images? Click here  Friday, 29 November 2024 NEWS RELEASE New report highlights need for sustained investment in infection prevention and control programmes Geneva/Bari, 29 November 2024 -- Nearly five years since COVID-19 was first reported, a new global report on infection prevention and control (IPC) by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows there has been slow progress in addressing critical gaps to prevent health care-associated infections (HAIs). A large proportion of HAIs can be prevented with improved IPC practices and basic water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, which are also a highly cost-effective "best buy" to reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in health care settings. This report, launched at a G7 side-event hosted by Italy, provides a baseline assessment for policymakers, IPC professionals, health care workers and stakeholders to guide action. The report finds that though 71% of countries now have an active IPC programme, just 6% met all of the WHO IPC minimum requirements in 2023-2024. This is well behind the target of more than 90% by 2030 set in the WHO Global action plan and monitoring framework on IPC. The report also highlights that patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have up to 20 times higher risk of acquiring infections during health care delivery than in high-income countries (HICs). “The COVID-19 pandemic, along with outbreaks of Ebola, Marburg and mpox are the most dramatic demonstrations of how pathogens can spread rapidly and be amplified in health care settings. These health care-associated infections are a daily threat in every hospital and clinic, not only during epidemics and pandemics,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Every country can and must do more to prevent infections in health facilities, and control them when they strike.” HAIs prolong hospital stays and result in complications such as sepsis and in some cases disability or death. Addressing HAIs through improved IPC is also critical to reduce the risk of AMR, as recent estimates indicate that 136 million antibiotic resistant HAIs occur each year. The report found that health care facilities face significant financial and resource challenges, including a lack of IPC professionals and budgets, especially in LMICs. Nearly a quarter of countries reported shortages in their supply of personal protective equipment in 2023. New data from WHO and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) estimates that up to 3.5 million patients could die each year from HAIs without urgent action. Improving IPC measures at every level will help to reduce the number of deaths. The modelling estimated that IPC interventions at the point of care in health facilities, coordinated by Ministries of Health or established networks, could avert up to 821 000 deaths per year by 2050. Such an intervention would also yield annual savings in health care expenditure as high as US$ 112 billion and generate economic gains of up to US$ 124 billion. “WHO is committed to supporting countries to ensure that by 2030, everyone accessing and providing health care is safe from HAIs,” said Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO Assistant Director-General, Universal Health Coverage, Life Course. “Fulfilling all IPC minimum requirements at the national and health care facility levels should be a priority for all countries, to protect patients and healthcare workers, and prevent unnecessary suffering”.  WHO media contact:  You are receiving this NO-REPLY email because you are included on a WHO mail list.  |
Thursday, November 28, 2024
MEDIA ADVISORY: Report of the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024, including temporary recommendations
| No images? Click here  Thursday, 28 November 2024 MEDIA ADVISORY The full report of the second meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024, held on 22 November 2024, has been published here. Notwithstanding some progress towards controlling the spread of mpox resulting from national and international response efforts, the Committee noted the rising number and continuing geographic spread of mpox, especially those due to clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection; the operational challenges in the field in need of stronger national commitment; as well as the need to mount and sustain a cohesive response across countries and partners. The Committee advised that the event continues to meet the criteria for a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and provided its views regarding the proposed temporary recommendations. The WHO Director-General concurred with the advice of the Committee that the event continues to constitute a PHEIC for the reasons detailed in the statement and issued revised temporary recommendations in relation to this PHEIC, which are presented at the end of this document. The temporary recommendations are issued to States Parties experiencing mpox outbreaks, including, but not limited to, those where there is sustained community transmission, and where there are clusters of cases or sporadic travel-related cases of mpox linked to clade Ib MPXV. They are intended to be implemented by those States Parties in addition to the current standing recommendations for mpox, which, in August 2024, were extended until 20 August 2025. The standing recommendations apply to all States Parties.  Media contact:  You are receiving this NO-REPLY email because you are included on a WHO mail list.  |
POST-PRESSER LINKS: 28 November, 2024 - WHO press conference on global health issues
| No images? Click here  Thursday, 28 November 2024 POST-PRESSER LINKS Virtual press conference on global health issues held on 28 November 2024 WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the media briefing
Video recording of the press conference: Please find below links to the news edit and full file from today's presser held at WHO HQ and remote locations. Full file:
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