UN Watch to 16 November 2013
Selected meetings, press releases, and press conferences relevant to immunization, vaccines, infectious diseases, global health, etc. http://www.un.org/en/unpress/
UN: Press Conference by Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on Sudan Polio Vaccinations, Philippines Super Typhoon Haiyan
11 November 2013
Excerpt [Editor’s bolding]
The Security Council should “unlock” the situation in Sudan’s South Kordofan and Blue Nile States so that humanitarian agencies and partners could have unfettered access to administer polio vaccinations in the two States, a senior official from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said at a Headquarters press conference today.

John Ging, Director of Operations, who had earlier updated the Security Council on the planned vaccination, stated that, because of a lack of access, humanitarian agencies had been unable to deal with the outbreak of polio in the region, thus failing to save thousands of children and provide relief assistance to those in need.

He recalled that over a year ago, the Council, in resolution 2046 (2012), had called for unfettered access for humanitarian agencies and partners.  Yet, nothing had changed.  The vaccination campaign, aimed to cover 165,000 children and ensure Sudan be polio free, was hindered by the impasse between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) controlled areas of South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

“Although, the Government of Sudan announced a window of opportunity for the vaccination, which expired today, however, SPLM-North was insisting on meetings before the polio campaign, and the Government, on its part, said no to the discussions, so there was an impasse,” Mr. Ging stated.

He appealed to the Council to re-engage with the parties for humanitarian access and to facilitate the vaccination programme, underscoring that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and its partners were ready with both human resources and supplies to undertake the programme.

“If we get the green light, we, on the United Nations side, are ready and it will only take four days to vaccinate the children,” he added.

Mr. Ging also said the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) were working in collaboration with local health authorities in Sudan for the polio vaccination and the distribution other medical requirements, as well…
http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs//2013/131111_Guest.doc.htm

WHO: Update on polio outbreak in Middle East
WHO statement
13 November 2013
Excerpt [Editor’s bolding]
A comprehensive outbreak response continues to roll out across the Middle East following confirmation of the polio outbreak in Syria.

Seven countries and territories are holding mass polio vaccination campaigns with further extensive campaigns planned for December targeting 22 million children. In a joint resolution all countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region have declared polio eradication to be an emergency and called on Pakistan to urgently access and vaccinate all of its children to stem the international spread of its viruses. The countries also called for support in negotiating and establishing access to those children who are currently unreached with polio vaccination.

WHO and UNICEF are committed to working with all organizations and agencies providing humanitarian assistance to Syrians affected by the conflict. This includes vaccinating all Syrian children no matter where they are, whether in government or contested areas, or indeed outside Syria.

The first priorities are to resupply and reactivate the required health infrastructure, including redeploying health workers to deliver vaccine in worst-affected areas, and moving vaccine across conflict lines where necessary and possible. The government has committed to reach all children; information on which areas are not reached will guide corrective actions and planning for the next rounds. All parties are working to find solutions for conflict-affected areas…

Larger-scale outbreak response across the Syrian Arab Republic and neighboring countries will continue, to last for at least 6 to 8 months depending on the area and based on evolving epidemiology.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2013/polio-syria-20131113/en/index.html

UNHCR: Teams working to fight the expansion of polio in Syria
Press Release: 13 November 2013
Excerpt
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is working to help address polio vaccination needs inside Syria’s hard-to-reach zones in close coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent as the two relief agencies have joined with other agencies to participate in the national polio vaccination campaign that began recently following reports of several polio cases.

UNHCR and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) are working together to support the vaccination campaign in areas that are usually hard to reach in Rural Damascus, Rural Homs, Deir Ezzor and Raqqa…

…So far, throughout Al Hassakeh province, 87,728 children have been vaccinated including 7,676 children who were vaccinated by the UNHCR-supported volunteers. Next week UNHCR’s volunteers will join mobile teams to access children in remote areas.

…Meanwhile, UNHCR continues to participate in the awareness campaign highlighting issues surrounding polio and measles. Awareness campaigns are a proven means to reaching vulnerable young Syrian children who may have missed vital vaccinations…

WHO: Global Alert and Response (GAR) – Disease Outbreak News
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2013_03_12/en/index.html
:: Cholera in Mexico – update 13 November 2013
:: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – update 11 November 2013
:: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – update 10 November 2013
:: Polio in the Syrian Arab Republic – update 11 November 2013
Thirteen cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) have been confirmed in the Syrian Arab Republic. Genetic sequencing indicates that the isolated viruses are most closely linked to virus detected in environmental samples in Egypt in December 2012 (which in turn had been linked to wild poliovirus circulating in Pakistan). Closely related wild poliovirus strains have also been detected in environmental samples in Israel, West Bank and Gaza Strip since February 2013. Wild poliovirus had not been detected in the Syrian Arab Republic since 1999.

A comprehensive outbreak response continues to be implemented across the region. On 24 October 2013, an already-planned large-scale supplementary immunization activity was launched in the Syrian Arab Republic to vaccinate 1.6 million children against polio, measles, mumps and rubella, in both government-controlled and contested areas. Implementation of a supplementary immunization campaign in Deir Al Zour province commenced promptly when the first ‘hot’ acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases were reported. Larger-scale outbreak response across the Syrian Arab Republic and neighbouring countries will continue for at least 6-8 months depending on the area and based on the evolving situation.

Given the current situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, frequent population movements across the region and the immunization level in key areas, the risk of further international spread of wild poliovirus type 1 across the region is considered to be high. A surveillance alert has been issued for the region to actively search for additional potential cases.

WHO’s International Travel and Health recommends that all travellers to and from polio-infected areas be fully vaccinated against polio.
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2013_11_11polio/en/index.html

Update: Polio this week – As of 6 November 2013
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Full report: http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx
[Editor’s extract and bolded text]
:: Thirteen cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) have been confirmed in the Syrian Arab Republic. Genetic sequencing indicates that the isolated viruses are most closely linked to virus detected in environmental samples in Egypt in December 2012 (which in turn had been linked to wild poliovirus circulating in Pakistan). Closely related wild poliovirus strains have also been detected in environmental samples in Israel, and The West Bank and Gaza Strip since February 2013. A comprehensive outbreak response continues to be implemented across the sub-region. [see above]
:: The number of WPV1 cases in Pakistan for 2013 (59) now exceeds the number of polio cases reported from Pakistan during the same time period in 2012 (54). Nigeria has reported half the cases (51/101) and Afghanistan one third (9/27) of cases compared to the same time period in 2012.
Pakistan
:: Three new WPV1 cases were reported in the past week – two from Toba Tek Singh district in Punjab and one from North Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
:: The total number of WPV1 cases for Pakistan in 2013 is now 59. The most recent WPV1 case had onset of paralysis on 21 October (from Toba Tek Singh district, Punjab). The majority of WPV1 cases in Pakistan this year, 41 (69%), are from FATA, of which 16 are from Khyber Agency and 18 from North Waziristan.
:: Three new cVDPV2 cases were reported in the past week, all from North Waziristan. The total number of cVDPV2 cases for Pakistan is now 35. The most recent cVDPV2 case had onset of paralysis 15 October (from North Waziristan).
:: The situation in North Waziristan is increasingly alarming. It is the area with the largest number of children being paralyzed by poliovirus in all of Asia (18 WPV1 and 28 cVDPV2 cases).  Immunization activities have been suspended by local leaders since June 2012. It is critical that children in these areas are vaccinated and protected from poliovirus. Immunizations in neighboring high-risk areas are being intensified, to further boost population immunity levels in those areas and prevent further spread of this outbreak.
Chad, Cameroon and Central African Republic
:: In Cameroon, a second WPV1 case was reported in the past week from Foumbot, Ouest region, following the first WPV1 case reported from Ouest region with onset of paralysis on 19 October 2013. Outbreak response is underway.
Syrian Arab Republic
:: Three new WPV1 cases were reported from Deir-Al-Zour governorate in the past week. The total number of WPV1 cases for Syria in 2013 is now 13, all from Deir-Al-Zour. Wild poliovirus was last reported in Syria in 1999.
:: A comprehensive outbreak response continues to be implemented in Syria and across the sub-region. On 24 October 2013, an already-planned large-scale supplementary immunization activity was launched in the Syrian Arab Republic to vaccinate 1.6 million children against polio, measles, mumps and rubella, in both government-controlled and contested areas.
:: Implementation of a supplementary immunization campaign in Deir-Al-Zour province commenced promptly when the first ‘hot’ acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) cases were reported.
:: Larger-scale outbreak response SIAs across the Syrian Arab Republic and neighbouring countries will continue for at least 6-8 months depending on the area and based on the evolving epidemiological situation. The main aim is to rapidly reach children in the immediately-affected and other high-risk areas, followed by wider-scale immunization campaigns across the region targeting 22 million children over the next 6 months.

Associated Press: Nigeria pays families of slain polio workers
November 14, 2013 1:47 PM
KANO (AP) — The Nigerian government gave nearly $200,000 (30 million Naira) to families of slain polio vaccinators Thursday, after rights groups across the country called for reparations for victims of suspected Islamic militants.

The 10 health workers were killed in February as they were preparing to visit homes in the northern city of Kano to vaccinate children for polio. The family of each victim was given a check for 3 million Naira.

Islamic extremists in northern Nigeria often preach against polio vaccinations, saying they are part of a Western plot to sterilize Muslims.

After four years of insurgency in northern Nigeria, activists last week threatened to sue the government under international human rights treaties for compensation for victims.
http://news.yahoo.com/nigeria-pays-families-slain-polio-workers-184751898.html