WHO & Regional Offices [to 21 May 2016]

South–East Asia region eliminates maternal and neonatal tetanus
May 2016 — In a major public health feat, WHO South-East Asia Region has eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus, with all districts across the 11 countries having reduced the cases to less 1 than per 1000 live births

.

Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 20 May 2016, vol. 91, 20 (pp. 257–264)
Contents:
257 Smallpox in the post eradication era

.

WHO-UNICEF joint statement on the comprehensive effective vaccine management (EVM) framework pdf, 960kb
19 May 2016 :: 5 pages
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are intensifying and coordinating efforts to catalyse immunization supply chain improvements and performance in countries through the comprehensive EVM framework – a four-step strategy for continuous immunization supply chain improvement, quality management, optimization and innovation.

The comprehensive EVM framework builds on the success of the EVM initiative launched in 2010 to help countries evaluate the performance of their immunization supply chains, and benchmark this performance against best-practice standards.
In five years, the EVM initiative has helped to uncover important shortcomings in the performance of many countries’ immunization supply chains. Addressing these has required a comprehensive rethink of how WHO and UNICEF, together with the global immunization community, can more effectively catalyse immunization supply chain improvements in countries.

To that end, this joint statement:
1. Reiterates the vital role of immunization supply chains in achieving vaccination coverage and equity targets set by the GVAP;
2. Summarizes the evidence indicating that vaccines are not always available when needed; that weak cold chain systems are putting vaccines at risk and delaying new vaccine introduction; and that vaccines are wasted as a result of poor supply chain management;
3. Describes the comprehensive EVM framework and how WHO and UNICEF will work together to promote its use to achieve health and immunization outcomes in countries.

.

Call for 3 proposals: work related to human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization
Deadline for application: 5 June 2016
16 May 2016
The Initiative for Vaccine Research (IVR) requests the following three proposals for work related to human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization:
:: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the worldwide burden of anogenital warts
pdf, 318kb
:: Systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials of licensed HPV vaccines
pdf, 240kb
:: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the population-level impact and herd effects following HPV immunization programmes
pdf, 240kb
The specific objectives and deliverables of each request are accessible via the respective hyperlinks. If interested, please follow the submission instructions reported in each request.
Proposals need to be submitted by email to vicarian@who.int by 5 June 2016.

.

Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
:: 19 May 2016 – Haemorrhagic fever syndrome – South Sudan
:: 18 May 2016 – Lassa Fever – Liberia
:: 17 May 2016 – Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – China
:: 16 May 2016 – Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
:: 16 May 2016 – Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Qatar

.

:: WHO Regional Offices
Selected Press Releases, Announcements
WHO African Region AFRO
:: WHO confirms Zika virus strain imported from the Americas to Cabo Verde
BRAZZAVILLE / 20 May 2016

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: Zika risk communication, community engagement focus of new prevention efforts by CDC, CDC Foundation, PAHO in U.S. Territories and the Americas (05/18/2016)
:: More government action needed to reverse the smoking epidemic in the Americas (05/18/2016)

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: WHO South–East Asia Region eliminates Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus
19 May 2016

WHO European Region EURO
:: Women Deliver Conference – European Region challenged as best place for women and girls 20-05-2016
:: European Region successfully withdraws trivalent oral poliomyelitis (polio) vaccine 18-05-2016
:: WHO strategy highlights challenges and way forward for women’s health 18-05-2016
:: WHO calls on countries to prepare as Zika virus expected to spread in Europe in late spring and summer 18-05-2016

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: New WHO guidelines to improve care for millions living with female genital mutilation
17 May 2016
:: National polio immunization campaign aims to vaccinate over 9 million children in Afghanistan
16 May 2016

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new content identified.