UN AGENCY URGES VIGILANCE AS A(H1N1) VIRUS CONTINUES TO SPREAD

UN AGENCY URGES VIGILANCE AS A(H1N1) VIRUS CONTINUES TO SPREAD
New York, Jun 3 2009 2:00PM
Although the influenza A(H1N1) infection may not be making news headlines like it did several weeks ago, it is continuing to spread globally and the United Nations health agency is considering raising its pandemic alert level, a spokesperson for the body said today.

"Certainly two or three weeks ago the headlines were all about A(H1N1); now that's not the case so much," Gregory Hartl of the UN World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) said in an interview with UN Radio.

"But the threat of A(H1N1) becoming a pandemic virus is even greater than it was two or three or four weeks ago," he stated, adding that the agency is closely watching how the infection is developing outside of the Americas.

According to WHO, 66 countries have officially reported 19,273 cases of the new flu strain, including 117 deaths, as of today.

The agency's pandemic alert level remains at Phase 5 – on a six-point warning scale – meaning that sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus on a community level is mostly restricted to a single geographic region, in this case North America.

Mr. Hartl said WHO is closely monitoring the situation. "We would say not for anyone to let down their guard because we might be living through a few weeks or months in the Northern Hemisphere of reduced influenza activity because it is the summer.

"I think everyone though would be well advised to be ready and aware of the fact that in the autumn in the Northern Hemisphere – in the autumn anywhere – his virus could reappear very strongly again."

He added that it is possible to see an easier spread of the virus in the Southern Hemisphere, where winter is just beginning.

"We need to watch the behaviour of A(H1N1) very carefully as it encounters other influenza viruses circulating during the winter season in the Southern Hemisphere," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan told the World Health Assembly in Geneva recently.

"The current winter season gives influenza viruses an opportunity to inter-mingle and possibly exchange their genetic material in unpredictable ways," she noted.
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CANCER FIGHT IN DEVELOPING WORLD GETS BOOST FROM JOINT UN INITIATIVE

CANCER FIGHT IN DEVELOPING WORLD GETS BOOST FROM JOINT UN INITIATIVE
New York, May 26 2009 7:00PM
Two United Nations agencies are launching a joint initiative aimed at strengthening and accelerating efforts to fight cancer in developing countries, using their respective strengths in the areas of health and radiation medicine.

Cancer is projected to be among the leading causes of deaths worldwide, with more than 70 per cent of all fatalities occurring in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO), which has teamed up with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the Joint Programme on Cancer Control.

"In low- and middle-income countries, cancer overwhelmingly affects the poor. This has huge implications for human suffering, health systems, health budgets and the drive to reduce poverty," said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, who signed the new agreement with <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/PressReleases/2009/prn200908.html">IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.

"The IAEA has long provided radiation technology and expertise to developing countries, but radiotherapy alone cannot halt the growing global cancer crisis," said Mr. ElBaradei.

"The Joint Programme with WHO underlines our conviction that only through combined effort and collaboration can we bring hope and relief to those whose lives are threatened by cancer."

The new initiative will set the stage for the two agencies to work together, building on their areas of expertise to create a more coordinated and robust approach to combating cancer in poor countries.

In a related development, Dr. Chan has appointed Nancy Goodman Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control.

Ms. Brinker, a former United States Ambassador to Hungary, businesswoman, health care advocate and philanthropist, will raise awareness of the need for comprehensive cancer control policies, with an emphasis on poor countries.

"The disease burden has shifted from wealthier to less affluent countries, and her advocacy will help in building awareness in low- and middle-income countries," said Dr. Chan.
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UN HEALTH AGENCY CHIEF PUTS SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE ON ALERT FOR A(H1N1) VIRUS

UN HEALTH AGENCY CHIEF PUTS SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE ON ALERT FOR A(H1N1) VIRUS
New York, May 22 2009 11:00AM
Health authorities around the world need to be vigilant as the influenza A(H1N1) virus meets seasonal flu viruses flowing through the yet unaffected Southern Hemisphere, warned the head of the United Nations World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) today.

"The current winter season gives influenza viruses an opportunity to inter-mingle and possibly exchange their genetic material in unpredictable ways," WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said in her closing remarks to the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

One month after the outbreak of the new flu, WHO expects it to continue spreading to new countries and within nations already affected over the coming weeks.

According to WHO, as of this morning, some 42 countries had officially reported 11,168 cases of the infection, including 86 deaths.

However, Dr. Chan noted that the pandemic alert level remains at Phase 5 – on a six-point warning scale – meaning that sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus on a community level is mostly restricted to a single geographic region, in this case North America.

During the high-level consultation on pandemic influenza, several delegations called on WHO to consider criteria other than geographical spread when evaluating the phases of influenza pandemic alert.

Dr. Chan stressed that up to now, the new virus has largely circulated in the Northern Hemisphere, where epidemics of seasonal influenza should be winding down.

"We need to watch the behaviour of A(H1N1) very carefully as it encounters other influenza viruses circulating during the winter season in the Southern Hemisphere," she said. "The current winter season gives influenza viruses an opportunity to inter-mingle and possibly exchange their genetic material in unpredictable ways."

Although WHO does not predict a dramatic jump of severe or fatal infections, Dr. Chan warned that countries where the virus is already widespread should expect to see more cases of this type of infection.

"But countries, especially in the developing world, where populations are most vulnerable, should prepare to see more than the present small number of severe cases, which are being picked up under the best detection and testing conditions possible."

The week-long Assembly gathered officials from WHO's 193 member countries for an annual review of the agency's activities and to set new priorities for the future. On its agenda this week were implementation of the International Health Regulations; primary health care, including health system strengthening; social determinants of health; and monitoring the achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
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Poor Countries 'Far From Ready' For Flu Pandemic.

"Africa is 'far from being ready' for a pandemic of H1N1 flu, and developing countries in Asia and Latin America will need help accessing life-saving drugs and vaccines, top health officials said on Monday. Addressing the World Health Organization's annual congress... Nigeria's delegate said African countries would face major difficulties responding to an outbreak of H1N1 flu, which has caused mild symptoms in most patients but may be especially threatening to people with HIV/AIDS and other diseases...." [Reuters/Factiva]

Xinhua adds that "...international cooperation must be carried out for a global response to the current A/H1N1 influenza outbreak, Chinese Health Minister Chen Zhu said Monday.... Chen also called for more international support for developing countries' health sector. 'The implementation of the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has made important progress, but great challenges sill lie ahead,' he told delegates at the meeting. 'The MDGs are strong commitments made by governments around the world, and the shared responsibility for the whole international community,' he added...." [Xinhua/Factiva]

FT reports that "...vaccine manufacturers will hold talks with public health officials Tuesday to discuss price discounts and unprecedented joint manufacturing arrangements to help limit the effects of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in poorer countries. In a meeting with WHO Director-General Margaret Chan representatives from GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis, Novartis, Baxter and other vaccine producers will seek clarity on regulation and funding as they debate how best to respond to the virus...." [Financial Times/Factiva]

NEW FLU UNCOVERS PUBLIC HEALTH’S SUCCESSES, CHALLENGES – BAN

NEW FLU UNCOVERS PUBLIC HEALTH'S SUCCESSES, CHALLENGES – BAN
New York, May 19 2009 2:01PM
Global solidarity is crucial to containing the outbreak of influenza A(H1N1), which has also revealed the successes and challenges public health faces, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3866">said today.

In addition to highlighting the interconnected nature of the world, the new flu's spread has allowed for a deeper understanding of the need for advance planning for a pandemic, Mr. Ban told the <"http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2009/wha62/en/index.html">World Health Assembly under way in Geneva. "We have never been better prepared to respond."

Crucial in fighting the new flu is global solidarity, which he said "must be at the heart of the world's response to this crisis."

This solidarity must be manifested in greater access to drugs and vaccines, the sharing of virus samples and data, and the lifting of "self-defeating" restrictions on travel, the Secretary-General said.

"It means that <"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO [World Health Organization] and other vital bodies have the resources they need when they need them," he added. "It means that we all act in the interests of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world."

Further, the outbreak has highlighted the importance of transparency and the importance of investing in strong public health systems, which Mr. Ban characterized as "the guardians of good health in normal times and the bedrock of our response to the new outbreaks and emerging diseases."

WHO reported today that 40 countries have officially reported nearly 10,000 cases of influenza A(H1N1), with nearly 80 deaths. WHO's pandemic alert level remains at Phase 5 – on a six-point warning scale – meaning that sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus on a community level is restricted to one of the agency's geographic regions, in this case North America.

In today's address, the Secretary-General also emphasized the importance of ensuring continued investment in public health, even in the face of a recession. Curbing funding on health at times of financial downturns is "not just morally wrong, it is economically foolish," he added.

In spite of the need for increased resources, he pointed out that "we also must do more with what we have now," calling for creative solutions to surmount obstacles, including women's health, an issue he said ties together with global security, prosperity and progress.

Also today, Mr. Ban took part in a meeting, convened by WHO and attended by representatives of some 20 pharmaceutical companies, to ensure that developing countries will have access to vaccines.

At a high-level gathering on influenza A(H1N1) yesterday, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan underscored the importance of obtaining reliable information on the different aspects of the influenza A(H1N1) infection in order to make informed decisions on how to manage the outbreak and prepare for a possible global pandemic.

"We are all under pressure to make urgent and far-reaching decisions in an atmosphere of considerable scientific uncertainty," she said.
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UN URGES STATES TO STRENGTHEN LIFE-SAVING FACILITIES TO BETTER WITHSTAND DISASTERS

The United Nations today marked World Health Day today with an urgent call for greater investment in hospitals and other health care facilities that play a critical role in saving lives of survivors in the immediate aftermath of humanitarian crises.

In his message commemorating the Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that "when disaster strikes, well-prepared, functioning medical services are a priority.

"Hospitals, clinics and other health facilities must react swiftly and efficiently [and] they must provide safe havens, and not become disaster zones themselves," in the event of floods, earthquakes, the outbreak of infectious diseases and other natural or man-made disasters, Mr. Ban said.

This year's World Health Day campaign – "Save lives, make hospitals safe in emergencies" – is a global call to countries to prepare their health systems for emergencies, he said.

Highlighting the need to protect public health by designing and building facilities that can withstand natural disasters, the Secretary-General said that when "a hospital collapses in an earthquake, burying patients and staff, the human cost multiplies."

"When an infectious disease spreads because a hospital is poorly ventilated or constructed, or because health care workers lack adequate training, we are failing people at their most vulnerable," he added.

The UN World Disaster Reduction Campaign for 2008-2009 has pooled the efforts of the World Heath Organization (WHO), the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) and the World Bank to produce durable health facilities that can stand up to disasters, such as cyclones and earthquakes, said Mr. Ban.

In addition, "we must also ensure they are not targeted during conflicts. Health care workers must be trained to work safely in emergencies, so they can save lives, rather than becoming victims themselves."

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said that it costs "surprisingly little" to build hospitals that can stand up to the shocks of earthquakes, floods, or high winds.

"It costs even less to retrofit existing facilities to keep their services running at critical times [and] it costs almost nothing to integrate risk management and emergency preparedness into a hospital's operational plans," she added in her own statement marking World Health Day.

In South-East Asia more than half a million people lost their lives to natural disasters between 1996 and 2005, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of the global total death toll from natural disasters during that period, according to WHO.

The agency reported that in Aceh, Indonesia, 61per cent of health facilities were damaged or completely destroyed by the 2004 tsunami and cyclone Nargis destroyed 57 per cent of public health facilities in the affected areas in Myanmar last year.

"In some cases, although a facility remains standing, it is still rendered non-functional. Non-structural lifelines such as water and power supply must not fail," said Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia.

"A safe and functional health facility needs contingency plans and a well-trained health workforce ready to deal with emergencies," he added.

Member States in the region have taken steps to make health facilities safer during a disaster with the "Twelve Benchmarks for Emergency Preparedness," a complete set of standards and checklists for making new and existing health facilities more robust created in collaboration with WHO.
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UN-BACKED FORUM COMMITS TO GREATER ACTION, FUNDING TO FIGHT DRUG-RESISTANT TB

Health ministers from countries suffering the highest burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis cases have agreed to a series of measures aimed at accelerating efforts to stop and reverse the global epidemic, at a United Nations-backed meeting in China.

Representatives of 27 countries with a high incidence of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) are meeting in Beijing for a three-day conference organized by the UN World Health Organization (WHO), China's Ministry of Health and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to secure funding and action to combat the spread of MDR-TB and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB).

Delegates, including Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang and Bill Gates, kicked off the gathering yesterday, with WHO Director General Margaret Chan stressing that preventing and managing drug-resistant strains of TB was a health imperative for the whole world.

"We need high-level political attention because national TB programmes cannot by themselves manage these new threats. The problem has become too great," said Ms. Chan.

Only three per cent of the estimated new 500,000 multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases each year are known to be receiving treatment according to WHO guidelines. Four countries represented at the meeting – China, India, Russia and South Africa, who account for 60 per cent of the world's MDR-TB – have increased their financing to back measures controlling the disease.

Participants also called for measures such as moving towards universal access to M/XDR-TB diagnosis and treatment by 2015, ensuring a sufficient supply of high-quality anti-TB drugs, the development of a comprehensive M/XDR-TB management and care framework, and the implementation of airborne infection control policies among others.

In addition, they pledged to raise the estimated $15 billion needed to finance the TB and M/XDR-TB response through to 2015, and called for increased investment in the research and development of new TB diagnostics, drugs and vaccines.

A report released by WHO last week noted that the total number of new TB cases had stabilized at 9.27 million in 2007 from 9.24 million in 2006. Rates reached their peak at 142 cases per 100,000 people in 2004, but decreased to 137 per 100,000 people in 2007.

The new WHO study also revealed that one-quarter of all TB deaths are HIV-related, twice as many as previous recognized. In 2007, 1.37 million people living with HIV fell ill to TB.TB is an infectious bacterial disease most commonly affecting the lungs, which is transmitted through droplets from the throat and lungs of people with the active respiratory illness. The symptoms of active TB are coughing, sometimes with sputum or blood, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats, which are treatable with a six-month course of antibiotics.
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RATE OF EPIDEMIC’S DECLINE TOO SLOW, SAYS BAN ON WORLD TB DAY

A new United Nations report notes that the percentage of the global population falling ill to tuberculosis is dropping annually, but Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that the pace of the disease's decline is too slow and that efforts to combat it are "falling short."

In a message marking World TB Day, Mr. Ban said that although strides have been made, the "rate of decline is far too slow," with the disease claiming a life every 20 seconds.

"Millions of people are benefiting from treatment through coordinated national efforts, but millions more are still missing out," he said, cautioning that "unless we accelerate action, the numbers of those falling ill will continue to grow."

The report released today by the UN World Health Organization (WHO) notes that the total number of new cases in 2007 has stabilized, up to 9.27 million from 9.24 million the year before.

Rates reached their peak at 142 cases per 100,000 people in 2004, but have decreased to 137 per 100,000 people in 2007.

The Secretary-General stressed the need to intensify the fight against multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB), as well as the TB/HIV co-epidemic.

The new WHO study reveals that one-quarter of all TB deaths are HIV-related, twice as many as previous recognized. In 2007, 1.37 million people living with HIV fell ill to TB.

"These findings point to an urgent need to find, prevent and treat tuberculosis in people living with HIV and to test for HIV in all patients in order to provide prevention, treatment and care," said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, urging countries to step up cooperation to combat both diseases.

There has been a steep climb in testing for HIV among people being treated for TB, especially in Africa, the report notes. In 2004, only 4 per cent of TB patients in the region were tested for HIV, but that has surged to 37 per cent in 2007.

"We have to stop people living with HIV from dying of tuberculosis," said Michel Sidibé, who heads the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), underscoring the need for universal access to HIV prevention and treatment to include TB prevention, diagnosis and care.

"When HIV and TB services are combined, they save lives," the UNAIDS chief said.

In his message today, Mr. Ban welcomed the commitments made by governments, multilateral organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), foundations, the private sector, academia and researchers to halt and reverse the spread of the disease and press ahead with efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline.

"In this time of economic crisis, we must protect investments in global health, particularly to protect the most vulnerable," he said, calling for partnership and innovation to "prevent disease, save lives and enable communities to thrive."
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HEALTH SECTOR WILL BEAR BRUNT OF GLOBAL CRISES, SAYS TOP UN HEALTH OFFICIAL

Today's global crises, whether the economic downturn or climate change, are the result of bad policies and it is the health sector that will bear the brunt of their consequences, the top United Nations health official has warned.

"The world is in a mess, and much of this mess is of our own making," Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization said in an address on Wednesday to the 23rd Forum on Global Issues in Berlin, Germany.

"Events such as the financial crisis and climate change are not quirks of the marketplace, or quirks of nature. They are not inevitable events in the up-and-down cycle of human history.

"Instead, they are markers of massive failure in the international systems that govern the way nations and their populations interact. They are markers of failure at a time of unprecedented interdependence among societies, capital markets, economies, and trade.

"In short, they are the result of bad policies. We have made this mess, and mistakes today are highly contagious," she stated.

The WHO chief stressed that it is the health sector that will bear the heaviest burden of the global financial crisis, for example.

She cited great concern among countries that health may worsen as unemployment rises and spending on health drops. There is equal worry about mental illness and anxiety, as well as a possible jump in the use of tobacco, alcohol and other harmful substances.

Poor nutrition is another major concern. "When times are hard, processed foods, high in fats and sugar and low in essential nutrients, become the cheapest way to fill a hungry stomach. These foods contribute to obesity and to diet-related chronic diseases, and they starve young children of essential nutrients," she noted.

Ms. Chan argued that economic decisions within a country will not automatically protect the poor or guarantee universal access to basic health care.

"Globalization will not self-regulate in ways that favour fair distribution of benefits. Corporations will not automatically look after social concerns as well as profits. International trade agreements will not, by themselves, guarantee food security, or job security, or health security, or access to affordable medicines.

"All of these outcomes require deliberate policy decisions," she stressed.

In addition, she pointed out that climate change impacts some of the most fundamental determinants of health, such as air, food and water, and will most likely result in increased malnutrition and disease, among other things.

And while climate change is, by its nature, a global phenomenon, its consequences will not be evenly distributed, she said, noting that scientists agree that developing countries will be the first and hardest hit.

"Anything we can do now to reduce existing burdens of disease will increase national and international capacity to cope with the new stresses that come with climate change," said Ms. Chan.

She also noted that up to now, the polar bear has been the poster child for climate change. "We need to use every politically correct and scientifically sound trick in the book to convince the world that humanity really is the most important species endangered by climate change."
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