WHO & Regionals [to 20 December 2014]

:: Global Alert and Response (GAR): Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
– Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia 17 December 2014
Between 20 November and 7 December 2014, the National IHR Focal Point for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) notified WHO of 11 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, including 4 deaths….
– West Nile virus – Brazil 15 December 2014
On 9 December 2014, the Ministry of Health of Brazil reported a case of West Nile Virus (WNV) in the state of Piauí (PI). This is the first detection of a human case of WNV infection in Brazil…

:: The Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 19 December 2014, vol. 89, 51/52 (pp. 577–588) includes:
.- Index of countries/areas
– Index, Volume 89, 2014, Nos. 1–52
– Revised guidance on meningitis outbreak response in sub-Saharan Africa
– Monthly report on dracunculiasis cases, January– October 2014

:: Syria Response Plan 2015 launched in Berlin
December 2014 — The Syria Response Plan 2015 incorporates, for the first time, the whole of Syria approach by bringing together humanitarian actors working inside Syria and in neighbouring countries under a single framework to increase the effectiveness of the response. Health partners are requesting a total of US$ 318 million, 182 million of which are for inside Syria.

:: Eight mobile health clinics to serve vulnerable populations in Iraq
December 2014 — These urgently needed clinics, procured by WHO and flown in by the World Food Programme from Amman, Jordan, will be immediately deployed to parts of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to help address the health needs of displaced populations residing in areas with limited access to health care services – in camps, informal settlements, and in urban and remote areas across the country.

:: Fact Sheet – Human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer 16 December 2014

:: GIN December 2014 pdf, 1.07Mb 19 December 2014
WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
:: How to save the lives of newborns in Africa 17 December 2014
Brazzaville, 17 December 2014 – According to a new WHO report, one third of all neonatal deaths occur in the African Region. Approximately three quarters of these deaths occur during the first week of life and almost half within the first 24 hours.
The first 28 days of life, called the neonatal period, is a very risky period for babies. For every newborn baby that dies, another 20 will face illness or disability from conditions such as birth injury, infection, the inability to breathe normally after birth, neonatal tetanus, congenital anomalies, and the complications of premature birth.
Too many babies are also being born to mothers who have not had adequate nutrition and antenatal care during pregnancy and who were not given skilled care during the birthing process. These mothers are at the greatest risk of dying during or after delivery – leaving newborns at an even greater risk of dying from inadequate care and suboptimal feeding practices.
According to statistics, quality care with simple, accessible, cost–effective interventions can prevent up to two thirds of all neonatal deaths. One method that has worked to reduce neonatal deaths in the African Region is kangaroo mother care (KMC). KMC is caring for preterm infants by carrying the baby skin-to-skin, usually by the mother…

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: Number of babies born with HIV declined 78% in Latin America and the Caribbean, says new PAHO/WHO report (12/15/2014)

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
No new digest content identified.

WHO European Region EURO
:: Rehabilitation: key to an independent future for children with poliomyelitis in Tajikistan 18-12-2014
:: Mobile clinics in Ukraine to bring health services to people in need 15-12-2014

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: WHO and partners release manual on psychological first aid during Ebola outbreaks
15 December 2014

WHO Western Pacific Region
:: The Wantok Effect: Key populations and the HIV response in Papua New Guinea
PORT MORESBY, 18 December 2014 – Papua New Guinea has the highest HIV prevalence in the Pacific region, estimated at 0.8% in 2012. The nation is grappling with an HIV epidemic that is concentrated in marginalized and criminalized key populations including female sex workers and men who have sex with men (MSM). Stigma associated with HIV and advice from influential churches for people to rely on prayer rather than antiretroviral treatment (ART) to heal themselves further complicate the situation.
:: Ensuring a future that is free from measles and rubella 13 December 2014