Disease outbreak news: Monkeypox - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The West African clade of monkeypox was identified in the two confirmed cases

Situation at a glance On 13 May 2022, WHO was notified of two laboratory confirmed cases and one probable case of monkeypox, from the same household, in the United Kingdom. On 15 May, four additional laboratory confirmed cases have been reported amongst Sexual Health Services attendees presenting with a vesicular…

Coronavirus Global Response: Access to COVID-19 Tools-Accelerator Facilitation Council holds inaugural meeting

The ACT-Accelerator is the proven, up-and-running, global collaboration accelerating the development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines

United Nations Secretary General António Guterres appeals for a quantum leap in funding for the ACT-Accelerator, a global solution to get the world moving, working and prospering again -         H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, and H.E. Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway, co-chair the ACT-Acceleration Facilitation Council -        …

WHO welcomes preliminary results about dexamethasone use in treating critically ill COVID-19 patients

The benefit was only seen in patients seriously ill with COVID-19, and was not observed in patients with milder disease

The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the initial clinical trial results from the United Kingdom (UK) that show dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, can be lifesaving for patients who are critically ill with COVID-19. For patients on ventilators, the treatment was shown to reduce mortality by about one third, and for patients…

Coronavirus - Africa: Commemorating Smallpox Eradication – a legacy of hope, for COVID-19 and other diseases

The declaration marked the end of a disease that had plagued humanity for at least 3 000 years, killing 300 million people in the 20th century alone

On 8 May 1980, the 33rd World Health Assembly officially declared: ‘The world and all its peoples have won freedom from smallpox.’ The declaration marked the end of a disease that had plagued humanity for at least 3 000 years, killing 300 million people in the 20th century alone.  It was…

Coronavirus - Mozambique: World Health Organization - 17 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Mozambique

Seven (7) cases were confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the National Institute of Health (INS)

Mozambique has registered seven (7) new positive cases for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the last 24 hours, increasing the total number of confirmed cases to seventeen (17), in which nine (9) are local transmissions, announced the Ministry of Health of Mozambique. The National Director for Public Health, Dr. Rosa Marlene,…

Modes of transmission of virus causing COVID-19: implications for IPC precaution recommendations

COVID-19 virus is transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and contact routes

Scientific brief According to current evidence, COVID-19 virus is transmitted between people through respiratory droplets and contact routes. Droplet transmission occurs when a person is in in close contact (within 1 m) with someone who has respiratory symptoms (e.g.  coughing or sneezing,) and is therefore at risk of having his/her…

B-roll – Coronavirus in Africa: UN system is fully activated to support countries in Africa

“If we don't prioritize protecting health workers, many people will die because the health worker who could have saved their lives is sick.” WHO

“We continue to hear alarming reports from around the world of large numbers of infections among health workers,” WHO's chief, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, told reporters in Geneva, adding in “If we don't prioritize protecting health workers, many people will die because the health worker who could have saved their lives…

B-roll – Coronavirus in Africa: More than 600 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the African continent in 34 countries, compared to 147 just one week ago

Citing the World Health Organization (WHO), a UN spokesperson said there were now more than 600 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on the African continent in 34 countries, “compared to 147 just one week ago.” B-roll is available here: https://www.unmultimedia.org/avlibrary/asset/2541/2541629/ DESCRIPTION STORY: UN / AFRICA COVID-19 TRT: 0:57 SOURCE: UNIFEED RESTRICTIONS:…

WHO Executive Board appoints directors for Africa and Europe

Re-appointed Dr Matshidiso Moeti for a second term as WHO Regional Director for Africa

The WHO Executive Board, currently holding its 146th session in Geneva, has re-appointed Dr Matshidiso Moeti for a second term as WHO Regional Director for Africa and Dr Hans Kluge as Regional Director for Europe in his first term. Re-election of the Regional Director for Africa “I am greatly honoured…

Guided Self-Help Intervention reduces Refugees’ Psychological Distress and improves Wellbeing in Humanitarian Crises

First randomised trial of its kind finds multimedia guided self-help intervention can be delivered rapidly to large numbers of people in low-resource humanitarian settings by non-specialists with minimal training

A guided self-help approach that provides strategies for managing distress and coping with adversity is safe, and resulted in meaningful improvements in psychological distress and functioning compared to enhanced usual care over three months in female refugees living in a settlement in Uganda, according to a randomised trial involving almost…