PREVENTING MEASLES AND RUBELLA: A father waits along with his child daughter throughout Pakistan’s WHO-supported vaccination marketing campaign in November. Huge floods have heightened the chance of extreme illness. ©WHO
This week, we verify in with tasks from the Americas to Zambia, the place contributions to WHO are offering the means to forestall illness, reply to emergencies, construct vaccine-manufacturing services and rather more.
Examine how WHO helps embattled Ukraine adapt its well being system for winter, supporting Comoros in its efforts to finish HIV transmission from moms to infants, and teaming up with authorities in Pakistan to guard kids in flooded villages from
measles and rubella.
This difficulty additionally incorporates a trio of tales – from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Zambia – on ways in which WHO helps communities preserve alert to the presence of infectious illnesses and be capable of rapidly determine drug-resistant
microbes.
WHO helps Ukraine’s health-care system as winter approaches
WHO helps Ukraine put together the nation’s well being services to maintain working this winter. Above: WHO workers ship a generator in Dnipro, not removed from the entrance traces of the battle. ©WHO
Mechnikov Hospital was simply hours away from an influence outage when the donation of a generator from WHO helped avert devastating penalties for sufferers on life assist.
Supply of recent mills is a component of a bigger push by WHO and the Ukraine Ministry of Well being to maintain important well being providers working throughout the winter months. Half of Ukraine’s vitality infrastructure has been broken or destroyed by battle, and persevering with
assaults on well being care threaten thousands and thousands of lives.
“As assaults on energy and heating infrastructure proceed, so will our assist to well being services, as a result of everybody has a proper to well being and well-being. Well being care must not ever be a goal,” stated Dr Jarno Habicht, WHO Consultant in Ukraine.
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WATCH THE VIDEO: Ukraine adapts its well being system to wartime with WHO assist
Democratic Republic of the Congo hones early-warning system for superbugs
PATHOGEN HUNTERS: A laboratory technician on the Nationwide Institute of Biomedical Analysis within the Democratic Republic of the Congo reads a Gram stain – a way for classifying bacterial species. ©WHO
WHO just lately skilled 26 medical technicians from eight pilot laboratories within the Democratic Republic of the Congo to make use of WHONET, an app that yields microbiology information to be used within the struggle towards drug-resistant microbes.
WHONET immediately supplies evaluation of pathogens, together with their resistance profiles and their evolution.
“If we handle to save lots of many lives, it’s due to WHO trainings which have allowed us to higher monitor resistance and reply to it in lower than per week,” stated Dr. Daniel Vita Mayimona, Medical Director at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kinshasa.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest charge of mortality linked to drug-resistant microbes. WHO is working with governments and well being authorities to strengthen measures to fight antimicrobial resistance.
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Liberia promotes rational use of antibiotics to struggle drug-resistant microbes
WHO estimates that drug-resistant microbes may kill 4.1 million individuals throughout Africa by 2050 with out extra prudent drug-taking practices. Above: pedestrians alongside the Guinea/Liberia border. ©WHO/Ahmed Jallanzo
WHO is working with well being leaders throughout Africa to ensure antibiotic medication are used solely when wanted; pointless use of antibiotics is a significant factor within the rise of drug-resistant infections world wide.
Over the previous 12 months, WHO has supported work in Liberia to introduce antimicrobial stewardship programmes in seven hospitals unfold over 4 counties.
“Now we have seen a rise within the variety of circumstances reported for AMR (antimicrobial resistance), which is a sign that the surveillance is working,” stated Dr Diana Smith, the Nationwide AMR Coordinator for Liberia’s ministry of well being.
“Will probably be good to roll out this system to the remaining counties.”
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Zambia boosts illness surveillance due to Eire’s contribution
Group well being staff go door to door in Zambia. ©UNICEF/Chipema Chinyama
Irish Help signed an settlement with WHO in November to contribute €500 000 to strengthen Zambia’s emergency preparedness, health-surveillance techniques and extra. The funds will assist a mission that goals to coach 600 well being staff and profit
a minimum of three million Zambians via higher illness surveillance.
“One of many many classes now we have discovered from the COVID-19 pandemic is that early surveillance, information assortment, and constructing capability at native stage are crucial to an efficient response,” stated Ms Bronagh Carr, Ambassador of Eire to Zambia.
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Comoros on the trail to ending mother-to-child HIV transmission
HIV-FREE BABIES: As of 2021, all pregnant ladies dwelling with HIV in Comoros had been placed on antiretroviral remedy and obtained care and monitoring via the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programme. All their infants have been born freed from the virus. ©WHO
WHO has been coaching well being staff in Comoros to take care of expectant HIV-positive moms and make sure that the virus will not be handed on to their infants. The nation goals to don’t have any infants born with HIV by 2025.
“All HIV-positive pregnant ladies are placed on remedy, and all give start to wholesome kids,” stated Ichata Hassani, a midwife on the El’maarouf Nationwide Hospital in Moroni, the nation’s capital. “The technique is predicated on ladies’s
acceptance of their HIV standing. At first it wasn’t straightforward due to HIV-related stigma and discrimination.”
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Pakistan’s vaccination marketing campaign protects kids from flood-related illnesses
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: Utilizing a department for stability, a mom carries her child, and a giant sister carries her little sister, to a vaccination level of their flooded city in Sindh province. ©WHO
Pakistan labored with WHO on vaccination campaigns in October and November to guard kids from measles and rubella – sicknesses which can be posing a larger threat than typical after the summer time’s catastrophic floods upended well being providers and
destroyed well being services.
“We applaud the federal and provincial governments for conducting a measles-rubella marketing campaign at a significant second, stopping extra lack of life following the tragic floods,” stated Dr Palitha Mahipala, WHO Consultant in Pakistan. “This marketing campaign
was crucial to sustaining the positive factors of the earlier measles-rubella marketing campaign.”
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Canada’s new contribution helps strengthen regional vaccine manufacturing
Canada’s contribution goes to the Pan American Well being Group’s Regional Platform to Advance the Manufacturing of COVID-19 Vaccines and different Well being Applied sciences within the Americas. ©WHO
Canada introduced a contribution in November of greater than US$ 11 million for an initiative to extend vaccine manufacturing capability in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The contribution will assist construct the area’s skill to reply rapidly and autonomously to well being emergencies and to enhance entry to much-needed vaccines, medicines, and different medical provides.
“We thank the Authorities of Canada for this beneficiant and well timed contribution, which might be essential in making the area higher ready for future challenges,” PAHO’s Director Carissa F. Etienne stated.
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Additionally see: U.S. FDA helps strengthen regulatory techniques for medical merchandise within the Americas
WHO thanks all governments, organizations and people who’re contributing to the Group’s work, with particular appreciation for individuals who present absolutely versatile contributions to keep up a robust, impartial WHO.
Donors and companions featured on this week’s tales consists of: Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, GIZ, India, Eire, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malta, Médecins Sans Frontières,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States of America.
