20 million children worldwide – more than 1 in 10 – missed out on lifesaving vaccines such as measles, diphtheria and tetanus in 2018, according to new data from WHO and UNICEF

Globally, since 2010, vaccination coverage with three doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) and one dose of the measles vaccine has stalled at around 86 percent. While high, this is not sufficient. 95 percent coverage is needed – globally, across countries, and communities - to protect against outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.

“Vaccines are one of our most important tools for preventing outbreaks and keeping the world safe,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “While most children today are being vaccinated, far too many are left behind. Unacceptably, it’s often those who are most at risk– the poorest, the most marginalized, those touched by conflict or forced from their homes - who are persistently missed.”

Most unvaccinated children live in the poorest countries, and are disproportionately in fragile or conflict-affected states. Almost half are in just 16 countries - Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

If these children do get sick, they are at risk of the severest health consequences, and least likely to access lifesaving treatment and care.
Measles outbreaks reveal entrenched gaps in coverage, often over many years

Stark disparities in vaccine access persist across and within countries of all income levels. This has resulted in devastating measles outbreaks in many parts of the world – including countries that have high overall vaccination rates.

In 2018, almost 350,000 measles cases were reported globally, more than doubling from 2017.

“Measles is a real time indicator of where we have more work to do to fight preventable diseases,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF’s Executive Director. “Because measles is so contagious, an outbreak points to communities that are missing out on vaccines due to access, costs or, in some places, complacency. We have to exhaust every effort to immunize every child.” 

Ten Countries With Highest Reported Incidence Rate Of Measles Cases (2018) Coverage With Measles First Dose (2010) Coverage With Measles First Dose (2018) 

Ukraine 56 91
Democratic Republic of the Congo 74 80
Madagascar 66 62
Liberia 65 91
Somalia 46 46
Serbia 95 92
Georgia 94 98
Albania 99 96
Yemen 68 64
Romania 95 90


Ukraine leads a varied list of countries with the highest reported incidence rate of measles in 2018. While the country has now managed to vaccinate over 90 percent of its infants, coverage had been low for several years, leaving a large number of older children and adults at risk.

Several other countries with high incidence and high coverage have significant groups of people who have missed the measles vaccine in the past. This shows how low coverage over time or discrete communities of unvaccinated people can spark deadly outbreaks.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine coverage data available for the first time

For the first time, there is also data on the coverage of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which protects girls against cervical cancer later in life. As of 2018, 90 countries – home to 1 in 3 girls worldwide - had introduced the HPV vaccine into their national programmes. Just 13 of these are lower-income countries. This leaves those most at risk of the devastating impacts of cervical cancer still least likely to have access to the vaccine.

Together with partners like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Measles & Rubella Initiative, WHO and UNICEF are supporting countries to strengthen their immunization systems and outbreak response, including by vaccinating all children with routine immunization, conducting emergency campaigns, and training and equipping health workers as an essential part of quality primary healthcare.

Since 2000, WHO and UNICEF jointly produce national immunization coverage estimates for Member States on an annual basis. In addition to producing the immunization coverage estimates for 2018, the WHO and UNICEF estimation process revises the entire historical series of immunization data with the latest available information. The 2018 revision covers 39 years of coverage estimates, from 1980 to 2018. DTP3 coverage is used as an indicator to assess the proportion of children vaccinated and is calculated for children under one year of age. The estimated number of vaccinated children are calculated using population data provided by the 2019 World Population Prospects (WPP) from the UN.

20 million children miss out on lifesaving measles, diphtheria and tetanus vaccines in 2018

15 July 2019 

News release

 

New York/Geneva

https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/15-07-2019-20-million-children-miss-out-on-lifesaving-measles-diphtheria-and-tetanus-vaccines-in-2018

Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic and Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General met at WHO Headquarters in Geneva. They signed a Declaration of Intent to establish the WHO Academy that will revolutionize lifelong learning in health

The Academy aims to reach millions of people with innovative learning via a state-of-the-art digital learning experience platform at a campus in Lyon and embedded in the six WHO regions. The WHO Academy Lyon hub will feature high-tech learning environments, a world-class health emergencies simulation centre and collaboration spaces for learning co-design, research and innovation.

The Academy will bring together adult learning science, behavioural science and cutting-edge learning technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality with WHO’s norms, standards and evidence to deliver high-impact accredited and tailored multilingual learning to meet diverse needs.

The Academy will be open to a wide range of multisectoral stakeholders that can influence health, including leaders, educators, researchers, health workers, WHO staff and the broader public. It will be run as an internal WHO Division, and the Organization will ensure strong coordination and collaboration with all WHO Member States, thereby optimizing the learning assistance provided to all. The Academy will also harness the strength of the WHO’s partnerships, experts, collaborating centres and networks.

The overall goal is to support the learning and development needs of WHO staff and stakeholders to progress towards WHO’s “triple billion” goal: ensuring that by 2023, an additional 1 billion people benefit from universal health coverage; 1 billion more are afforded better protection in health emergencies, and 1 billion more enjoy improved health and wellbeing.https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/11-06-2019-collaboration-between-france-and-who-to-realize-the-vision-of-the-who-academy

World Food Safety Day every June 7. WHO and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to lead efforts in promoting worldwide food safety. Together they are joining forces to assist countries in preventing, managing and responding to risks along the food supply chain by working with food producers, vendors, regulatory authorities and civil society – regardless of whether food is domestically produced or imported

Unsafe food kills an estimated 420,000 people every year, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, just ahead of the first-ever UN World Food Safety Day. Children under-five are the most at risk, carrying 40 per cent of the foodborne disease burden, amounting to 125,000 deaths every year.


“These deaths are entirely preventable,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Unsafe food – contaminated by bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances – also causes nearly one-in-ten people, or some 600 million, to fall ill globally each year.

“World Food Safety Day is a unique opportunity to raise awareness about the dangers of unsafe food with governments, producers, handlers and consumers”, he stated.

Just as food safety contributes to food security - human health, economic prosperity, agriculture, market access, tourism and sustainable development - unsafe food hinders these resources by straining health care systems and harming national economies, tourism, trade and development.

In many low- and middle-income economies, unsafe food that has caused workers to suffer illness, disability and premature death, costs $95 billion in productivity annually, WHO estimates.

Improving hygiene practices in the food and agricultural sectors helps to reduce the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance along the food chain and in the environment, the UN explained.
‘No food security without food safety’

The theme of this year’s first commemoration on Friday is that “food safety is everyone’s business”.

Cognizant of the urgent need to raise awareness, promote and facilitate actions for global food safety, the General Assembly decided to designate 7 June as World Food Safety Day.


The UN has designated WHO and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to lead efforts in promoting worldwide food safety.

Together they are joining forces to assist countries in preventing, managing and responding to risks along the food supply chain by working with food producers, vendors, regulatory authorities and civil society – regardless of whether food is domestically produced or imported.

“Whether you are a farmer, farm supplier, food processor, transporter, marketer or consumer, food safety is your business,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva. “There is no food security without food safety”.

The UN agencies underline that safe, nutritious and sufficient food is a key to promoting health and ending hunger, which are two of the main aims of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

To make a sustained difference to food safety:

Governments must ensure safe and nutritious food for all.
Agriculture and food producers need to adopt good practices.
Business operators must safely prepare, transport and store food.
Consumers need timely, clear and reliable information on nutritional- and disease-risks associated with their food choices.
UN organizations, governments, regional bodies and the private sector must work together on food safety issues.


Safe food contributes to a healthy life and its production improves sustainability by enabling market access and productivity, which drives economic development and poverty alleviation, especially in rural areas.

Investing in consumer food safety education can potentially reduce foodborne disease and return savings of up to $10 for each dollar invested, according to the UN agencies.

Worldwide activities for World Food Safety Day are aiming to inspire action to help prevent, detect and manage foodborne health risks.

“From farm to plate, we all have a role to play in making food safe”, concluded the WHO chief.

WHO announces four new goodwill ambassadors for promoting global health President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Cynthia Germanotta, Alisson Becker and Natália Loewe Becker to champion global health

News release
Geneva

WHO announced 20 May 2019 the appointment of four new goodwill ambassadors from the fields of sports, politics and community mobilization to promote healthier lives, stronger health workforces and improved mental health globally.

The new ambassadors are:
Alisson Becker, goalkeeper of the Brazilian national and Liverpool football teams, and
Dr Natália Loewe Becker, medical doctor and health advocate from Brazil, as WHO Goodwill Ambassadors for Health Promotion;


Cynthia Germanotta, President of Born This Way Foundation, which was co-founded with her daughter Lady Gaga, as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Mental Health;


Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former President of Liberia, as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Health Workforce



The announcements were made by WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his speech to open the 72nd World Health Assembly in Geneva.

“I welcome President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Cynthia Germanotta, Alisson Becker and Natália Loewe Becker as WHO’s new Goodwill Ambassadors and look forward to working with them over the coming years,” said Dr Tedros. “Each of our new ambassadors are champions in their own right, from helping their communities rebuild and develop sustainably, to fighting for better mental health and well-being, to being role models for healthier living.”

https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/20-05-2019-who-announces-four-new-goodwill-ambassadors-for-promoting-global-health

MENTAL HEALTH: Resilience-building through parents and teachers; and psycho-social provision in schools and community spaces, especially in hardship contexts such as conflict and natural disaster settings -WHO recommends investing in: greater integration of mental health into broader health and social care systems, under the umbrella of universal health coverage

Worldwide, it is estimated that one in five adolescents experience mental health challenges, though most remain underdiagnosed and undertreated. 

UN World Health Organization (WHO) is focusing on the psychological well-being of young people aged 10 to 14, to stave off conditions that can impact their lives deep into adulthood.


“Poor mental health during adolescence has an impact on educational achievement and increases the risk of alcohol and substance use and violent behavior,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a statement, stressing that many children and teenagers caught up in conflicts and disasters worldwide, are particularly at risk of psychological distress.

According to WHO, half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of 14, but most cases go undetected and untreated. Depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents and suicide is the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29 year-olds.

The harmful use of alcohol and illicit drugs among adolescents is a major issue in many countries and can lead to self-destructive behaviour such as unsafe sex or dangerous driving. Eating disorders are also of concern.

“A great deal of mental health conditions are both preventable and treatable, especially if we start looking after our mental health at an early age,” said Mr. Guterres.

Referring to the commitments of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, he regretted that, while Member States agreed collectively to “leave no one behind”, “those struggling with mental health problems are still being marginalized”.

WHO notes that “evidence is growing that promoting and protecting adolescent mental health benefits not just adolescents’ health, in the short- and the long-term, but also economies and society as whole, with healthy young adults able to make greater contributions to the workforce, their families and communities”.


If we change our attitude to mental health, we change the world. - UN chief António Guterres

Among the various actions that Governments can take, WHO recommends investing in: greater integration of mental health into broader health and social care systems, under the umbrella of universal health coverage; mental health resilience-building through parents and teachers; and psycho-social provision in schools and community spaces, especially in hardship contexts such as conflict and natural disaster settings.

“The United Nations is committed to creating a world where by 2030 everyone, everywhere has someone to turn to in support of their mental health, in a world free of stigma and discrimination,” said the UN chief.

“If we change our attitude to mental health – we change the world. It is time to act on mental health.”

https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/10/1022702

DEMENTIA PREVENTION: Key lifestyle choices such as getting regular exercise, not smoking or drinking too much, can reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline -WHO

Today, around 50 million people globally suffer from dementia and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year.

“We need to do everything we can to reduce our risk of dementia,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The scientific evidence gathered for these guidelines confirm what we have suspected for some time: that what is good for our heart, is also good for our brain.”

According to WHO’s new guidelines, other lifestyle choices that people can make to reduce the risk of dementia include controlling their weight, eating healthily and maintaining healthy blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Last year, WHO provided support to countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Qatar, Slovenia and Sri Lanka to develop a comprehensive, multi-sectoral public health response to dementia, it said in a statement.

Reducing the risk of lifestyle choices linked to dementia is one of several areas of action included in WHO’s Global action plan for the public health response to the illness.

Other areas include strengthening diagnosis, treatment and care, with a particular emphasis on online support for carers of people with dementia.

“Dementia carers are very often family members who need to make considerable adjustments to their family and professional lives to care for their loved ones,” said Dr Dévora Kestel, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse at WHO. “This is why WHO created iSupport…an online training programme providing carers of people with dementia with advice on overall management of care, dealing with behaviour changes and how to look after their own health.”

https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/05/1038441

UN health agency highlights lifestyle choices that can prevent onset of dementia, as millions more succumb each year

World Bank/Miso Lisanin
An elderly woman rides her bike in Croatia (13 February 2013). New World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines stress the value of regular exercise to prevent the onset of dementia.


14 May 2019
Health


Key lifestyle choices such as getting regular exercise, not smoking or drinking too much, can reduce the risk of dementia and cognitive decline, the UN health agency said on Tuesday.


In recommendations to counter an expected tripling in the number of people with the degenerative condition in the next 30 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines are designed to help medical professionals and governments to develop national policies.

WHO welcomes industry action to align with global trans fat elimination targets

7 May 2019


News release




Geneva

















WHO welcomes the commitment by the International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA) to align with the WHO target to eliminate industrially produced trans fat from the global food supply by 2023.






WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus met with IFBA representatives, including chief executive officers from several of the 12 companies comprising the alliance, on 2 May 2019 to discuss actions to take to eliminate industrial trans fats, and reduce salt, sugar and saturated fats in processed foods.






The meeting also stressed the value of regulatory action on labelling, marketing and called industry to full adherence to the WHO Code of marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes.






“The commitment made by IFBA is in line with WHO’s target to eliminate industrial trans fat from the global food supply by 2023,” Dr Tedros said. “WHO will be monitoring the next steps to be taken by companies to help ensure the commitment is realized.”






Of particular note was the decision to by IFBA members to ensure that the amount of industrial trans fat (iTFA) in their products does not exceed 2 g of iTFA per 100 g fat/oil globally by 2023. This is in line with the WHO’s objective and recommendations of its REPLACE action package, which was developed and launched in 2018.






“Eliminating industrially-produced trans fat is one of the simplest and most effective ways to save lives and create a healthier food supply,” added Dr Tedros.


In line with the REPLACE initiative, WHO has called on all food producers and oil and fat manufacturers, not only IFBA members, to commit to elimination of industrial trans fat from the global food supply.






Trans fat intake is responsible for over 500,000 deaths from coronary heart disease each year globally.