WHO & Regional Offices [to 14 May 2016]

Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 13 May 2016, vol. 91, 19 (pp. 249–256)
Contents:
249 Epidemic focus
250 Progress towards polio eradication worldwide, 2015–2016

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Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
:: Human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus – China 10 May 2016

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Rapid diagnostic test and shorter, cheaper treatment signal new hope for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients
News release
12 MAY 2016 | GENEVA – New WHO recommendations aim to speed up detection and improve treatment outcomes for multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) through use of a novel rapid diagnostic test and a shorter, cheaper treatment regimen.

“This is a critical step forward in tackling the MDR-TB public health crisis,” said Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme. “The new WHO recommendations offer hope to hundreds of thousands of MDR-TB patients who can now benefit from a test that quickly identifies eligibility for the shorter regimen, and then complete treatment in half the time and at nearly half the cost.”

Shorter treatment with better outcomes
At less than US$ 1000 per patient, the new treatment regimen can be completed in 9–12 months. Not only is it less expensive than current regimens, but it is also expected to improve outcomes and potentially decrease deaths due to better adherence to treatment and reduced loss to follow-up.

The conventional treatment regimens, which take 18–24 months to complete, yield low cure rates: just 50% on average globally. This is largely because patients find it very hard to keep taking second-line drugs, which can be quite toxic, for prolonged periods of time. They therefore often interrupt treatment or are lost to follow-up in health services.

The shorter regimen is recommended for patients diagnosed with uncomplicated MDR-TB, for example those individuals whose MDR-TB is not resistant to the most important drugs used to treat MDR-TB (fluoroquinolones and injectables), known as “second-line drugs”. It is also recommended for individuals who have not yet been treated with second line drugs.
WHO’s recommendations on the shorter regimens are based on initial programmatic studies involving 1200 patients with uncomplicated MDR-TB in 10 countries . WHO is urging researchers to complete ongoing randomised controlled clinical trials in order to strengthen the evidence base for use of this regimen…

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:: WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
No new content identified.

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
No new content identified.

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

WHO European Region EURO
:: Health system reform and obesity discussed during visit from Minister of Health of Croatia 13-05-2016
:: International Code protects breastfeeding from inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes 13-05-2016
:: WHO Regional Director visits Armenia 12-05-2016
:: Nurses and midwives: A force for enhancing health and strengthening health systems 12-05-2016
:: Transforming integrated health service delivery in the WHO European Region 11-05-2016

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Air pollution levels rising in many of the world’s poorest cities 12 May 2016
:: Laws to protect breastfeeding inadequate in most countries 9 May 2016

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new content identified.