WHO & Regionals [to 31 October2015]

WHO mobilizes 510,000 doses of oral cholera vaccine in Iraq
27 October 2015 – Iraq declared an outbreak of cholera on 15 September 2015. The current number of laboratory confirmed cases is 2055. As an integrated part of the current outbreak response strategy oral cholera vaccines (OCV) have been mobilized through the international coordination group based in Geneva. Based on a public health risk assessment, it has been determined that a number of displacement camps housing Syrian refugees and internally displaced Iraqis are at high risk for further spread of the cholera outbreak.

In addition to current prevention and control measures, WHO is working with the Ministry of Health to provide OCV in an immunization campaign for vulnerable populations in 62 refugee camps for internally displaced persons and collective centres throughout the country, targeting approximately 249,319 people. This is the first time Iraq will introduce the OCV Shanchol vaccine.

2 doses of vaccine are required for an individual to be protected. The campaign begins with an initial round of vaccinations followed by – after a required, minimum 14 days interval – a second round of doses, which will complete the vaccination. For such a campaign to be effective, it is vital that a second dose is administered. The first round is scheduled to take place on 31 October.

Targeted social mobilization, campaign logistics and health education are key components to ensure the successful implementation of OCV. In order to achieve herd immunity all members of a family above 1 year of age must be vaccinated.

Additional staff from WHO and health cluster partners have been deployed to Iraq in order to support the cholera response measures, facilitate the logistics and preparation of the campaign in select locations to ensure as many people as possible are protected.

The provision of safe water, sanitation and personal hygiene will continue to be the critical cholera prevention and control measures. Cholera vaccination is a safe and effective additional tool that can be used under the right conditions to supplement existing priority cholera control measures, not to replace them, and prevention and control measures must be accelerated before, during and after the 2 successive rounds.

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Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 30 October 2015, vol. 90, 44 (pp. 589–608) includes:
589 Maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination: validation survey in 4 States and 2 union territories in India, May 2015

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WHO call for stronger parliamentary engagement on health
29 OCTOBER 2015
IPU – Inter-Parliamentary Union
World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Dr Margaret Chan has urged MPs around the world to step up their efforts to improve the health of their citizens, stressing the importance of political solutions in a new generation of complex challenges. In her first address to an IPU assembly, Dr Chan stressed the vital role of MPs in a wide range of strategies including delivering universal health coverage, taxing tobacco, improving food labelling and fighting tax, trade and insurance policies which impacted on the poor. She warned of new threats including drug-resistant pathogens, the globalized marketing of unhealthy products, and the growing rates of chronic non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes – which have overtaken infectious diseases as the world’s biggest killers. Dr Chan also offered to strengthen WHO’s collaboration with IPU through structured technical support to IPU’s advisory bodies and confirmed a new role for parliamentarians in jointly organized side events at WHO assemblies, the organization’s supreme decision-making body. Her address builds on the existing cooperation between WHO and IPU in fields including women’s and children’s health, family planning, violence against women and girls and harmful traditional practices.

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World Antibiotic Awareness Week
30 October 2015 — The first World Antibiotic Awareness Week 16 to 22 November 2015 encourages best practices among the general public, health workers, policy-makers and the agriculture sector to avoid further emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance. The campaign urges people to “handle antibiotics with care”, because when antibiotics are misused or over prescribed bacteria become resistant to their effects, making some infectious diseases difficult – sometimes impossible – to treat

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Typhoon-affected communities in the Philippines vulnerable to disease outbreaks
October 2015 — WHO and partners are assisting the Government of the Philippines by providing targeted support using in-country resources. WHO has assisted with logistics, information management, provision of emergency kits, disease surveillance and is set to deploy more national experts and medical supplies.

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Earthquake response in Afghanistan and Pakistan
October 2015 — An earthquake with magnitude 7.7 occurred in north-eastern Afghanistan on 26 October, 2015 affecting both Afghanistan and Pakistan. WHO is assessing the public health impact of the earthquake and responding to the region’s health needs.

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Globally, an estimated two-thirds of the population under 50 are infected with herpes simplex virus type 1
28 October 2015

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Request for proposals: MICs Task Force Consultant
23 October 2015
Terms of referencepdf, 135kb
Deadline for application: 20 November 2015

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:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
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WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: Wider access to ultrasound would save maternal and neonatal lives in Latin America and the Caribbean (10/29/2015)

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: Reconstruction of health systems should remain top priority in Nepal
Media statement from Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region on six month anniversary of the Nepal earthquake
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WHO European Region EURO
:: Statement – The challenges of migration require migrant-sensitive health systems for today and for the future 29-10-2015
:: “No” to influenza vaccination costs thousands of lives 28-10-2015
:: WHO/Europe and the Ministry of Health of Hungary conduct a joint assessment of refugee and migrant health in Hungary 27-10-2015
:: Good prison health involves empowering prisoners 26-10-2015

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: WHO pre-positions emergency supplies in Somalia in preparation for El Niño
30 October 2015, Mogadishu – WHO is working closely with the Federal Ministry of Health of Somalia in order to prepare for any possible health emergencies resulting from the El Niño climate phenomenon expected to hit some countries of the Region in 2015, including Somalia. WHO and partner United Nations agencies have developed contingency plans and are scaling up preparedness activities, including pre-positioning of aid supplies in areas most likely to be affected by flooding

WHO Western Pacific Region
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