New Ebola and cholera outbreaks, mpox emergency, COVID-19 ‘not over’ — Global Issues

A global population tired of the chaos caused by COVID-19 The pandemic faced a new, highly transmissible variant earlier in the year: Omicron.

Omicron and above

This latest edition has swept across Europe, resulting in a record weekly number of cases, despite a relatively low number of deaths compared with previous outbreaks.

And, although many countries are beginning to ease lockdowns and other restrictions on movement, the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that the disease remains a threat: by August, one million COVID-19 related deaths were recorded.

At the office World Health Council in May – held in person for the first time since before the 2019 pandemic – the head of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urged countries not to lower their vigilance.

“Is Covid-19 over yet? No, it’s definitely not over. I know that’s not the message you want to hear, and that’s certainly not the message I want to convey,” he told delegates.

One billion COVAX stabs delivered

Since the start of the pandemic, WHO has repeatedly condemned the uneven distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, calling for more to be done for people living in developing countries: organization backed by the United Nations COVAX grassroots, a multilateral initiative to provide equal access to vaccines for all, achieved Important milestones in January, when the billionth stabbing was recorded in Rwanda.

COVAX certainly saved many lives, but by March, Tedros had alert that a third of the world’s population has yet to receive a single dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, including a shocking 83% of Africans.

This inequity remains a problem in November, when a WHO report confirmed that lower-income countries have always struggled to access the essential vaccination services required by richer nations.

“This is unacceptable to me and it should not be accepted by anyone,” Tedros said. “If the rich in the world are enjoying the benefits of high vaccine coverage, why aren’t the world’s poor benefiting? Are some lives worth more than others?”

AIDS eradication goals are not on track

In 2021, there will be 1.5 million new HIV infections and 650,000 AIDS-related deaths. United Nations member states have demonstrated their commitment to ending the virus by the end of the decade, with the signing of an agreement political statement at the General Assembly in 2021, but it is clear that faster action is needed this year if that goal is to be achieved.

One July report shows that the rate of decline in HIV infections is slowing, to 3.6% from 2020 to 2021, the smallest annual decline in new HIV infections since 2016. The pandemic has grown strong as COVID -19 and other global crises put a strain on resources, to the detriment of HIV programmes.

Above World AIDS Day in November, UN chief António Guterres declare that the 2030 goal is off track, and acknowledge the ongoing discrimination, stigma and exclusion that many people living with HIV still face.

This year sees encouraging developments in drug treatment: in March, the first injection offers lasting protection against HIV has been released in South Africa and Brazil, as an alternative to daily medication.

WHO recommends the use of Cabotegravir, which only needs to be injected six times a year, for people at high risk of HIV infection. In July, the United Nations reached an agreement with the company that developed the drug, allowing low-cost, generic formulations to be produced in less developed countries, a move that could potentially save lives. .

DRC and Uganda hit by Ebola

In April, medical staff were mobilize to fight the outbreak of death Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the sixth recorded outbreak in just four years. “With an effective vaccine in hand and the experience of DRC health workers in Ebola We can quickly change the course of this outbreak for the better, said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

An outbreak has also been reported report in neighboring Uganda in August, following six suspicious deaths in the central district of Mubende, an area of ​​gold mines that attracts workers from parts of Uganda and other countries.

Next month, WHO extend response efforts, providing medical supplies, providing logistics and deploying staff to assist Ugandan authorities in containing the spread of the virus.

By mid-November, 141 cases and 55 deaths have been reported confirmedand the United Nations health agency reassured them that they are working closely with the Ugandan authorities to accelerate the development of new vaccines.

Cholera returns to Haiti, threatening the Middle East

As security situation in Haiti continues to deteriorate, cholera epidemic unwanted return arrived in the troubled country in October, linked to poor sanitation and lawlessness, making it harder for sufferers to seek treatment.

The situation was aggravated when gangs blocked off Haiti’s main fuel terminal. That led to deadly fuel shortages that forced many hospitals and medical centers to close and affected water distribution.

United Nations Children’s Agency, UNICEFannounced in November that young people account for about 40% of cases in Haiti, and appeal for $27.5 million, to save lives from this disease.

Haiti is not the only country affected by the bacterial disease: an outbreak in the Syrian city of Aleppo in September was attributed to people drink unsafe water from the Euphrates River and use contaminated water to irrigate crops, resulting in food contamination. Outbreak in Lebanonfor the first time in thirty years, spread across the country in November. WHO stated that the situation was fragile, with Lebanon facing a protracted crisis and access to clean water and sanitation. Reasonable birth is restricted nationwide.

WHO data exit in December, indicated infections in about 30 countries, while in the previous five years fewer than 20 countries had reported cases.

Dr Barboza, WHO Cholera and Diarrhea Research Team Lead, said: “The situation is unprecedented, not only are we seeing more outbreaks but these outbreaks are also increasing bigger and more dangerous than the waves we’ve seen over the years.”

Mr. Barboza said that, while conflict and mass migration continued to be the main factors that allowed cholera to spread, the climate crisis was playing a direct role in increasing the number of outbreaks. time.

Mpox: a new health emergency

For many people, monkeypox was previously unknown to study by 2022, although the disease has been linked to disease in humans since 1970. Monkey pox, renamed mpox by the WHO, occurs mainly in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa, but outbreaks have begun to appear in other parts of the world this year.

In May, WHO worked hard to appease concerns that the outbreak will resemble the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that most people infected recover without treatment for a number of weeks.

However, with global cases on the rise, WHO declare in July, mpox qualified as a “global health emergency of international concern”. Tedros emphasized that, because the virus is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple partners, outbreaks can be contained, “with the right strategies in appropriate groups”.

In August, a senior WHO official observed that the international community’s concern about mpox disease was only when infections increased in developed countries.

Assistant General Manager for Emergencies, Ibrahima Soce, speak in August that “we’ve been studying mpox in Africa for several years, but no one cares”.

End of November WHO announced that they will henceforth refer to Monkeypox as mpox, citing reports of racist and discriminatory language surrounding the name of the disease.

By December, more than 80,000 cases had been reported in 110 countries, with 55 deaths.

Major Malaria Breakthrough

Hope to end malaria was nurtured in Augustwhen UNICEF announced that pharmaceutical giant GSK had been awarded a $170 million contract to produce the world’s first malaria vaccine.

Malaria remains one of the biggest killers of children under the age of five: by 2020, almost half a million boys and girls will have died from the disease in Africa alone, a rate of one death every minute.

“This is a huge step forward in our collective efforts to save children’s lives and reduce the burden of malaria as part of our control programmes,” said Etleva Kadilli, Director of UNICEF’s Supply Division. and broader malaria control”.

Plans are already underway to boost production, including through technology transfer, UNICEF added, “so that one day every child at risk will have the opportunity to be immunized against the disease.” this dead man”.