In the latest episode of Awake at Night, , Executive Director of the Health Emergencies Programme for , speaks about giving up on dreams of becoming a trauma surgeon after breaking his spine in a car crash in Iraq. He was held hostage there while working in a hospital during the first Gulf War. That experience set him on the path to WHO, with a specialism in infectious diseases.
WHO
Matshidiso Moeti is the first female Regional Director for Africa for the World Health Organisation. Now she’s the face of the COVID-19 fight in Africa, but she says facing the pandemic is easier than where she started her career as a doctor - fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa in the 1990s. In this third episode of season 3 of Awake at Night with host Melissa Fleming, she says, we’re willing to talk about inequalities and tackle stigma about disease.
The initiative gathers and shares legal documents from over 190 countries to help states establish and implement legal frameworks to manage the pandemic. The goal is to ensure that laws protect individuals and communities and that they adhere to international human rights standards. Well-designed laws help build strong health systems; evaluate and approve safe and effective drugs and vaccines; and create healthier and safer public spaces and workplaces. The new Lab is a joint project of , , and partners.
Seventy-three countries warned that they are at risk of stock-outs of antiretroviral (ARV) medicines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-four countries reported having either a critically low stock of ARVs or disruptions in the supply of these life-saving medicines. This new WHO survey follows an exercise convened by and which forecasted that a six-month disruption in access to ARVs could lead to a doubling in AIDS-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa alone.
Today there is a new nutrition reality.
Half of the world’s children, approximately 1 billion children, are affected by physical, sexual or psychological violence, suffering injuries, disabilities and death, because countries have failed to protect them. This is according to a new report by , , , the and the End Violence Partnership. WHO and its partners continue to work with countries to fully implement the .
A new report by , , and partners reveals that despite efforts to stop the harmful promotion of breast-milk substitutes, countries fall short in protecting parents from misleading information. Breastmilk saves children’s lives as it provides antibodies that give babies a healthy boost and protect them against many childhood illnesses. Agencies encourage women to continue to breastfeed during the COVID-19 pandemic, even if they have confirmed or suspected COVID-19.
As countries fight their own battles against the same virus, WHO’s presence has never been more essential. works to connect the best minds from around the world to solve this crisis together. The Organization’s work is focussed on promoting the roles of evidence-based science, guided by the 51³Ô¹Ï’ principles of neutrality, impartiality, human rights and equity. WHO is working to gather data and continue .
WHO is uniting across borders to speed up the development of tests, treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19, while continuing our work to promote health and serve the vulnerable. Now more than ever the world needs WHO.
It may seem obvious to an adult, but to a child it may not be so clear that they aren’t to blame if they get sick with COVID-19.
Dr Vicente Estrada, a Spanish infectious disease doctor, has dedicated his career to studying and fighting HIV. But when Madrid, where he lives and works, became a hotspot for COVID-19, Dr Estrada and his colleagues pivoted their work to help find a treatment for the disease that is taking a devastating toll on many countries around the world. Through the leadership of the World Health Organization, Dr Estrada and hundreds of other doctors around the world are now working together to find an effective treatment for COVID-19 through WHO’s Solidarity Clinical Trial.
Without vaccines, we are at risk of serious illness and disability from diseases like measles, meningitis, tetanus and polio. In today' interconnected world, infectious diseases easily cross borders, infecting anyone who is not vaccinated. Get vaccinated on time, every time.
Since the onset of the pandemic, has been central the global response to the pandemic: by speeding up research and development, helping countries with their national plans, providing response supplies, as well as helping people protect themselves and others.
Countries must not forget routine lifesaving immunizations for diseases like measles, while racing to find a vaccine that will save millions of lives and end the COVID-19Ìý±è²¹²Ô»å±ð³¾¾±³¦.
The aim of World Immunization Week (24-30 April) is to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease. Every year, millions of lives are saved thanks to immunization, one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions. However, nearly 20 million children are still unvaccinated. With the theme #VaccinesWork for All, the campaign focuses on how vaccines as well as the people who develop, deliver and receive them are vaccine champions.