WHO | Week Ahead for media - 4 April, 2025

No images? Click here Friday, 4 April 2025 | Issue 298   Subscribe to receive this weekly update   © WHO / Martha Tadesse Conflict in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory WHO work on mpox Latest news from WHO and WHO events page 7-11 April  Thirteenth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body for a WHO instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (resumed) In 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 thirteenth meeting of the INB was held in hybrid format on 17–21 February 2025. The meeting resumes on 7 April and will end on 11 April. 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. These sessions, on 7 and 11 April, will be publicly webcast and archived for later viewing. Relevant stakeholders (Annexes A–E) will be invited to join for a brief open session at 09:00 CEST each day to be updated on progress and provide their views on relevant Articles. Substantive negotiating sessions will be held in closed format. Webcast here.  Monday, 7 April World Health Day On 7 April, World Health Day - dedicated this year to maternal and newborn health - WHO together with UN partners will release a new report, Trends in maternal mortality estimates 2000-2023.   The new report provides global, regional and country-level estimates for maternal deaths. As well as showing where these deaths are happening and varying levels of progress around the world, this will also be the first global report to capture the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on maternal survival. You can access our EMBARGOED media pack here: https://who.canto.global/b/H10L6 Please respect the embargo, which lifts at 00:30 CEST on 7 April. Learn more about the campaign ***************** Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures: global action for women and newborns As countries around the world mark World Health Day on 7 April 2025, this high-level advocacy event will spotlight progress and challenges in maternal and newborn health, explore new data and its implications, and highlight opportunities to improve survival. There will be a particular focus on country actions in order to protect the health of women and newborns, including the role of the Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere (EWENE) initiative in driving country-level progress. Join global health leaders, policy makers, advocates and frontline health-care providers to explore how we can ensure every woman and every newborn has the opportunity for a healthy beginning and a hopeful future. Speakers: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UNICEF Dr Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, UNFPA Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, WHO Representative in Malawi Queen Dube, Medical Officer, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing Department, WHO headquarters Tasmin Bota, Founder and Executive Director, Preemie Connect (South Africa) Dr Bibek Kumar Lal, Director, Family Welfare Division, Department of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Population, Nepal Dr Aparajita Gogoi, Executive Director, Centre for Catalyzing Change  (India) and Co-Chair, White Ribbon Alliance Global Professor Caroline Homer, Director of the ARPAN Centre for Research Excellence at the Burnet Institute, on behalf of the Western Pacific Regional Office of ISA and the Australian Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence. Dr Angel Mwiche, Assistant Director Reproductive and Maternal Health, Ministry of Health, Zambia. Rachel Ndirangu, Regional Director (Africa), Advocacy and Public Policy, PATH Femi Oke, Moderator REGISTER HERE Tuesday, 8 April Generating high-quality evidence on existing vaccines for Chikungunya in response to outbreaks -- webinar Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne RNA virus causing severe joint pain and fever. Since its first identification in Tanzania in 1952, CHIKV has spread across 110+ countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Increased outbreaks since 2004 are linked to viral adaptations that enhance transmission via Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, which also spread dengue and Zika viruses. Currently, a major epidemic in Réunion Island (40,000 cases/week) is expanding across the region. CHIKV transmission persists in populations with low prior exposure, making vaccine research crucial. As part of WHO’s R&D Blueprint priority pathogens, this consultation will review existing vaccines, identify knowledge gaps, and discuss strategies to generate the best quality evidence for outbreak response. Please use this Zoom link to access the meeting, from 13:00 to 18:00 CEST 7-9 April Third World Local Production Forum Advancing Local Production for Health Equity, Global Health Security, and Sustainable Development The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the urgent need for enhanced production capacity, diversified supply chains, and equitable access to health products. The World Local Production Forum (WLPF) was initiated by WHO, aligning with the World Health Assembly resolution WHA74.6, to spearhead coordinated efforts in strengthening local production and facilitating technology transfer. Its overarching goal is to facilitate coordination, shape strategies, and foster partnerships to promote sustainable local production and seamless technology transfer. The third edition will take place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and will focus on propelling advancements in local production, technology transfer, and equitable healthcare access. Day 1 will be streamed live on the WLPF Youtube channel Agenda: wlpforum.com/agenda Tuesday, 8 April Warming up for World Hand Hygiene Day -- webinar Regardless of whether gloves are worn or not, hand hygiene at the right times and in the right way - is still one of the most important measures to protect those receiving care as well as health and care workers. Join our webinar on 8 April 2025, Tuesday, to discuss optimal hand hygiene practices, glove use in healthcare, the value of campaigning for hand hygiene improvement, the environmental impact of gloves, and to stimulate World Hand Hygiene Day 2025 activities. 8-9 April World Sepsis Congress: Sepsis Research and Innovation  The World Sepsis Congress 2025 features over 90 expert speakers, including leading clinicians, scientists, policymakers, sepsis survivors, and representatives from patient advocacy groups. These experts will share their insights and experiences on a wide range of topics, from the latest research on personalized medicine and innovative therapies to global strategies for infection prevention and sepsis care delivery.  Wednesday, 9 April WHO EPI-WIN Webinar: evidence for impact: advancing community centred responses to mpox This webinar marks the launch of WHO's interim guidance for social and behavioral research for mpox public health emergencies - the first of its kind - developed to strengthen the quality, ethics and impact of producing such evidence in an emergency response.  Thursday, 10 April  WHO #ENDTB Webinar series: Community voices driving solutions to End TB The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Programme on Tuberculosis and Lung Health is convening a series of webinars titled “Community voices: driving solutions to End TB”. The webinars are co-hosted with WHO’s Civil Society Task Force on Tuberculosis (CSTF-TB). By amplifying community voices and showcasing impactful initiatives, the series aims to inspire action, foster collaboration, and contribute to the collective goal of ending TB globally. The second webinar in this series will put the spotlight on: “Securing the future: community-driven resource mobilization for integrated people-centered TB care and prevention,” and will be held on 10 April 2025 from 12h00 to 13h30 CEST. The webinar will aim to share innovative practices, identify enablers and challenges for sustainable financing. It will also highlight the joint statement by the WHO Director-General and the CSTF-TB on sustaining the momentum to end TB. 9-10 April  WHO events at the Commission on Population and Development On 9 April, from 15:00 to 18:00 EDT, at UN Headquarters, and live on the UN Web TV, WHO will deliver a thematic presentation on advancing health equity and improving health outcomes through universal health coverage and equitable access to health products and technologies in the general debate of the 58th Session of the Commission on Population and Development.  Two co-sponsored side events on Access to Health Products will be held on the margins of the CPD58. 9 April 2025, 13:15 to 14:30 EDT, UN Headquarters, and live on UN Web TV: Health, well-being, and inclusion for all through equitable access to assistive technology  This side event, aligned with CPD58’s focus on health and well-being for all ages, will urge stakeholders to address inequity in access to assistive technology, ensuring that the 1 in 3 people who need these technologies due to disability, ageing, injury, or health conditions, are not left behind. 10 April 2025, 13:15 to 14:30 EDT, and live on UN Web TV -- Advancing health equity: universal access to health products Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages relies on equitable access to safe, effective, quality-assured health products. Globally, 2 billion people lack essential medicines, and 47% have limited access to medical diagnostics. The lack is most significant in low- and middle-income countries.  Thursday, 10 April New WHO guidelines on meningitis  WHO will launch its first-ever global guidelines on meningitis diagnosis, treatment and care.  Meningitis is a devastating disease that can be deadly and often results in serious long-term health issues. Bacterial meningitis is of particular concern. Around 1 in 6 people who get this type of meningitis die and 1 in 5 have severe complications. An embargoed virtual press briefing to discuss the guidelines will be held on Thursday, 10 April at 10.00 CEST.  A media advisory with further information and dial-in details will be sent later. Also of interest: WHO Director-General Dr Tedros is on BlueSky, follow him for global health updates: https://bsky.app/profile/drtedros.who.int WHO Photo Library update: the WHO Photo Library is migrating to a new platform; once live, it will bring together the seven major WHO photo collections into a single, shared “OneWHO” instance. During this process, access to photos from the WHO Headquarters will be limited from 1 April for 4 to 6 weeks.  To help bridge that gap, a gallery of curated images will be available here: WHO Eastern Mediterranean region photo library - Gallery Categories.  Please contact the WHO Photo team at photos@who.int with your questions. Stories of interest WHO scales up emergency response in earthquake–hit Myanmar, provides 100 tons of medicines and supplies, coordination of Emergency Medical Teams on the ground - 4 April 2025 Mobile health relief: WHO delivers lifesaving emergency medical solutions to earthquake-hit communities in Myanmar - 3 April 2025 PAHO issues new epidemiological alert amid rising yellow fever cases in the America - 31 March 2025 Uganda launches largest malaria vaccine introduction to date - 2 April 2025 As the humanitarian crisis continues, PAHO sends almost three tons of essential medicines and health supplies to Haiti - 2 April 2025 WHO launches first-ever collaborating centre on risk communication, community engagement and infodemic management - 26 March 2025   WHO events here Sign up for our newsletters here Check out the WHO series, Science in 5 Catch a series that debunks misinformation around WHO and public health, Plot Twist Access WHO photos available for media use here WHO media contacts: mediainquiries@who.int You are receiving this NO-REPLY email because you are included on a WHO mail list. 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