DAILY RENDEZVOUS

Daily Rendezvous UNICEF and WHO warn that further attacks and disruptions of health and nutrition services in Sudan could cost over 10 000 young lives by the end of 2023  6 months of conflict in Sudan leave millions of children at risk of cholera, dengue, measles, malaria and other diseases without sufficient containment capacities Since the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan on 15 April 2023, UNICEF, WHO and partners have been supporting the Federal Ministry of Health and state ministries of health in Sudan to maintain vital services across the country but are increasingly challenged by the limitations in safety and security, access and resourcing. The agencies warn that further health system disruptions will result in unacceptably high numbers of preventable deaths among children and vulnerable populations. Urgent action is needed now to preserve Sudan’s health systems, especially at community and primary health care levels. Six months into the conflict, health workers...

DAILY RENDEZVOUS The adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis (TB) services has brought the urgency of vaccine development efforts into sharp focus. Speaking today at a high-level panel on TB at the World Economic Forum, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, announced plans to establish a new TB Vaccine Accelerator Council. The Council will facilitate the licensing and use of effective novel TB vaccines catalysing high-level alignment between funders, global agencies, governments and end users in identifying and overcoming barriers to TB vaccine development. “One of the most important lessons from the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is that innovative health interventions can be delivered fast if they are prioritized politically and financed adequately”, said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The challenges presented by TB and COVID-19 are different, but the ingredients that accelerate science, research and innovati...

Daily Rendezvous  Close to 1 billion people in low- and lower-middle income countries - 1 in 8 of the world’s population –are served by health-care facilities that lack a reliable electricity supply, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), the  World Bank , the  International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) , and  Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll) . Access to electricity is critical for quality health-care provision, from delivering babies to managing emergencies like heart attacks, or offering lifesaving immunization. Without reliable electricity in all health-care facilities, Universal Health Coverage cannot be reached, the report notes. Increasing electrification of health-care facilities is essential to save lives The joint report,  Energizing Health: Accelerating Electricity Access in Health-Care Facilities,  presents the latest data on electrification of health-care facilities in low- and middle-income count...

Daily Rendezvous  - WHO Delivers Much Needed Laboratory Supplies, such as testing kits and re-agents, and supported Building the Capacity of Several National Laboratories to Enhance Early Detection The spread of the mpox (monkeypox) outbreak has been limited in the Eastern Mediterranean Region with 10 countries reporting 80 laboratory-confirmed cases and one associated death, mostly correlated with a travel history to areas where the outbreak is steadily circulating. From the very inception of the mpox outbreak in the Region, the World Health Organization (WHO) has responded to effectively enhance country preparedness and response to the newly emerging outbreak. With the declaration of the first case in the Region in May 2022, WHO established a regional technical working group as part of the Multi-Disease Outbreak Incident Management Support Team to coordinate the regional and country response to the mpox outbreak. The working group, comprising WHO technical ex...

Daily Rendezvous  Situation at a glance As of 8 December 2022, at least five Member States in the European Region, reported to WHO an increase in cases of invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) disease and in some cases also scarlet fever. An increase in iGAS-related deaths has also been reported in some of these countries. Children under 10 years of age represent the most affected age group. Group A Streptococcal (GAS) infection commonly causes mild illnesses such as tonsillitis, pharyngitis, impetigo, cellulitis and scarlet fever. However, in rare instances, GAS infection can lead to invasive iGAS, which can cause life-threatening conditions. The observed increase may reflect an early start to the GAS infection season coinciding with an increase in the circulation of respiratory viruses and possible viral coinfection which may increase the risk of invasive GAS disease. This is in the context of increased population mixing following a period of reduced circu...

Daily Rendezvous  In a new  position paper  published last week, WHO has updated its recommendations for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Of particular note, the paper states that a single-dose schedule, referred to as an alternative, off-label single–dose schedule can provide a comparable efficacy and durability of protection to a two-dose regimen. The recommendation for alternative single-dose scheduling was initially made  by WHO’s independent expert advisory group, SAGE  in April 2022. The position paper is timely in the context of a deeply concerning decline in HPV vaccination coverage globally. Between 2019 and 2021, coverage of the first dose of HPV vaccination fell by 25% to 15%. This means 3.5 million more girls missed out on HPV vaccination in 2021 compared to 2019. The optimization of the HPV schedule is expected to improve access to the vaccine, offering countries the opportunity to expand the number of girls who can be vaccinated ...

Daily Rendezvous  12 December 2022 I  Geneva and Doha --  On Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day), the World Health Organization (WHO) teams up with international football icons to urge action by governments and people across the world to achieve health for all. UHC ensures that everyone, everywhere can access the support they need to be and stay healthy without being driven into financial hardship. To mark UHC Day, WHO is launching two new tools: one to help governments design and deliver the right service coverage packages for their populations; and a second to provide people with reliable information to support the everyday decisions they make to protect their health and well-being.  “The World Cup is the greatest prize in football, and the greatest prize in life is good health and well-being,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Health is not a luxury for the rich, but a fundamental human right, and the foundation of peaceful...

Daily Rendezvous  There is also an ongoing complex humanitarian crisis that is rapidly deteriorating due to gang violence, socio-political conflicts, insecurity, fuel shortages, and economic instability. This has resulted in limited access to healthcare and essential services, including water, food, sanitation, and supply services. This situation makes the population of Haiti highly vulnerable to the ongoing cholera outbreak.   Description of the cases Between 2 October through 6 December 2022, a cumulative total of 13 672 suspected cholera cases, including 283 deaths (case fatality rate is 2.05%) have been reported by the Haiti Ministry of Public Health and Population from all ten departments in the country. Eighty-six percent (n=11 751) of all reported cases have been hospitalized. The Ouest department accounts for the highest percentage (89%, N=12 112) of suspected cases. Of the 13 672 suspected cholera cases reported, 59% are male and the most affected age...