Emergencies
POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 10 July 2019
:: A circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) has been confirmed in China. It is genetically linked to a VDPV2 isolated from an environmental sample from Xinjiang province, collected on 18 April 2018. WHO is continuing to evaluate the situation and stands ready to support the ongoing investigation and risk assessment by national authorities.
Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Pakistan — nine wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases and 3 WPV1-positive environmental samples;
:: Angola — one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2) case;
:: China – one cVDPV2 case. See country sections below for more details.
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Editor’s Note:
WHO has posted a refreshed emergencies page which presents an updated listing of Grade 3,2,1 emergencies as below.
WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 13 Jul 2019]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: 49: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu 9 July 2019
:: Disease Outbreak News (DONs} Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
11 July 2019
[See DRC Ebola+ above for detail]
Yemen
:: Outbreak update – Cholera in Yemen, 30 June 2019
8 July 2019 – The Ministry of Public Health and Population of Yemen reported 21,865 suspected cases of cholera with 13 associated deaths during epidemiological week 26 (24 to 30 June) of 2019. Thirteen percent of cases were severe. The cumulative total number of suspected cholera cases from 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2019 is 823,221, with 1210 associated deaths (CFR 0.13%). Children under five represent 23.0% of total suspected cases during 2019. The outbreak has affected 22 of 23 governorates and 299 of 333 districts in Yemen…
Nigeria
:: Nigeria intensifies cross border immunization, with special focus on nomadic populations
Kano, 8 July, 2019 – In renewed efforts to vaccinate children traversing in and out of Nigeria, the World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the government in an initiative to improve supplemental and routine immunization activities in the North Western region, which has a significant nomadic population.
Nomadic pastoralists live beyond the reach of established health care programs that are designed to serve sedentary populations. As a result, these groups are often under-immunized and out of the reach of existing disease surveillance activities.
Speaking on the intervention, Mallam Gwanda Mairakuma of Maiadua local government in Niger Republic said that, “with this intensified commitment, vaccination activities have reduced the number of complications associated with Measles infection on our children”…
Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified
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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 13 Jul 2019]
Libya
:: Medical aid accelerated as Libya crisis intensifies 6 July 2019
MERS-CoV
:: Worldwide reduction in MERS cases and deaths since 2016 8 July 2019
The World Health Organization and colleagues from the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and Institut Pasteur* have estimated that, since 2016, 1 465 cases of Middle East Respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and between 300 and 500 deaths may have been averted due to accelerated global efforts to detect infections early and reduce transmission.
In 2012, a novel virus that had not previously been seen in humans was identified for the first time in a resident from Saudi Arabia. The virus, now known as MERS-CoV, has, as of 31 May 2019, infected more than 2 442 people worldwide. MERS-CoV is a respiratory virus that can cause severe disease and has been fatal in approximately 35% of patients to date. MERS is zoonotic and people are infected from direct or indirect contact with dromedary camels. While the virus has demonstrated limited ability to transmit between people outside of hospitals, it has repeatedly caused large scale outbreaks in health care facilities with severe health, security and economic impacts, most notably in Saudi Arabia in 2014-2016 and the Republic of Korea in 2015. The outbreak in the Republic of Korea in 2015 involved 186 cases and 38 deaths, and had an estimated economic impact of US$12 billion.
In a research letter published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases on 8 July 2019, the researchers analyze case-based data on laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV infections reported to WHO since 2012…
Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Bangladesh – Rakhine conflict – No new digest announcements identified
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Cyclone Idai – No new digest announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi floods – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified
Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Ukraine – No new digest announcements identified
Zimbabwe – No new digest announcements identified
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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 13 Jul 2019]
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified
Indonesia – Sulawesi earthquake 2018 – No new digest announcements identified
Kenya – No new digest announcements identified
Mali – No new digest announcements identified
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified
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UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises.
Syrian Arab Republic
:: Syrian Arab Republic: Recent Developments in Northwestern Syria Situation Report No. 7 – as of 12 July 2019
HIGHLIGHTS
:: …Humanitarian response is ongoing with hundreds of thousands of people receiving critical assistance essential for their survival. Violence in areas directly affected by conflict is driving displacement into denselypopulated areas, putting a strain on service delivery for humanitarian actors. A joint assessment is currently being finalized that will provide an overview of needs in the most affected areas.
:: Civilian infrastructure, including humanitarian facilities, continues to be damaged or destroyed in the violence. In the last two weeks, at least four medical facilities have been impacted by the violence, with several other unconfirmed reports, as well as a water station serving over 80,000 people, and several schools, IDP settlements, markets and bakeries.
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified
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UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
Editor’s Note:
Ebola in the DRC has bene added as a OCHA “Corporate Emergency” this week:
CYCLONE IDAI and Kenneth
:: Southern Africa: Cyclones Idai and Kenneth Snapshot, as of 10 July 2019.
EBOLA OUTBREAK IN THE DRC – No new digest announcements identified
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vaccines and global health :: ethics and policy 