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TRIPLE BILLION Stories
  • ETHIOPIA: Kangaroo mother care - March 2021 (17)
    Solomon, 32, and his wife Agere, 28, each provide skin-to-skin care to their preterm twins at a KMC unit at Felege Hiwot Hospital in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia on 25 March 2021. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an effective way to prevent mortality in both preterm and low birth weight (LBW) infants. KMC is prolonged skin-to-skin contact for the baby with the mother or other caregiver for as long as possible during day and night, as well as exclusive breastfeeding or breast milk feeding. Fathers and other caregivers can also provide skin to skin care. Among infants born preterm or LBW, KMC has been shown to reduce infant deaths by as much as 40%, hypothermia by more than 70%, and severe infections by 65%. Mothers remain with their babies from birth to be able to breastfeed and practice skin-to-skin contact as part of KMC. KMC is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase survival of LBW and preterm newborns in low-income countries like Ethiopia. KMC was first introduced in Ethiopia in 1996 at the Black Lion Hospital. Since then, with support from WHO, KMC services have been expanded to other hospitals and health facilities including the Felege Hiwot Hospital, in Bahir Dar. Globally, with 15 million babies born preterm (before 37 weeks) and 21 million born LBW (under 2.5kg) each year, these infants face significant health risks, as preterm-related complications are the leading causes of death of newborns. Hence, WHO advises that KMC should continue amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to the proven critical importance of ensuring newborns have close contact with parents after birth, especially for those born LBW or preterm.Solomon, 32, and his wife Agere, 28, each provide skin-to-skin care to their preterm twins at a KMC unit at Felege Hiwot Hospital in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia on 25 March 2021. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an effective way to prevent mortality in both preterm and low birth weight (LBW) infants. KMC is prolonged skin-to-skin contact for the baby with the mother or other caregiver for as long as possible during day and night, as well as exclusive breastfeeding or breast milk feeding. Fathers and other caregivers can also provide skin to skin care. Among infants born preterm or LBW, KMC has been shown to reduce infant deaths by as much as 40%, hypothermia by more than 70%, and severe infections by 65%. Mothers remain with their babies from birth to be able to breastfeed and practice skin-to-skin contact as part of KMC. KMC is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase survival of LBW and preterm newborns in low-income countries like Ethiopia. KMC was first introduced in Ethiopia in 1996 at the Black Lion Hospital. Since then, with support from WHO, KMC services have been expanded to other hospitals and health facilities including the Felege Hiwot Hospital, in Bahir Dar. Globally, with 15 million babies born preterm (before 37 weeks) and 21 million born LBW (under 2.5kg) each year, these infants face significant health risks, as preterm-related complications are the leading causes of death of newborns. Hence, WHO advises that KMC should continue amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to the proven critical importance of ensuring newborns have close contact with parents after birth, especially for those born LBW or preterm.Solomon, 32, and his wife Agere, 28, each provide skin-to-skin care to their preterm twins at a KMC unit at Felege Hiwot Hospital in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia on 25 March 2021. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is an effective way to prevent mortality in both preterm and low birth weight (LBW) infants. KMC is prolonged skin-to-skin contact for the baby with the mother or other caregiver for as long as possible during day and night, as well as exclusive breastfeeding or breast milk feeding. Fathers and other caregivers can also provide skin to skin care. Among infants born preterm or LBW, KMC has been shown to reduce infant deaths by as much as 40%, hypothermia by more than 70%, and severe infections by 65%. Mothers remain with their babies from birth to be able to breastfeed and practice skin-to-skin contact as part of KMC. KMC is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase survival of LBW and preterm newborns in low-income countries like Ethiopia. KMC was first introduced in Ethiopia in 1996 at the Black Lion Hospital. Since then, with support from WHO, KMC services have been expanded to other hospitals and health facilities including the Felege Hiwot Hospital, in Bahir Dar. Globally, with 15 million babies born preterm (before 37 weeks) and 21 million born LBW (under 2.5kg) each year, these infants face significant health risks, as preterm-related complications are the leading causes of death of newborns. Hence, WHO advises that KMC should continue amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is due to the proven critical importance of ensuring newborns have close contact with parents after birth, especially for those born LBW or preterm.
  • SOLOMON ISLANDS: Healthy lifestyle and NCDs - March 2021 (20)
    Virginia, a nurse and NCD coordinator, holds pineapple and wheat from her garden in Tulagi, Solomon Islands on 5 March 2021. As part of her work with NCD patients, Virginia keeps a garden on the hospital grounds and shares seeds or “starts” for vegetables with her patients, while educating them on nutrition and healthy eating. - In Solomon Islands, WHO recognised that health systems needed to develop to accommodate a rise in noncommunicable diseases or NCDs in the region. Previously, health programs were mostly designed to treat patients with acute conditions or diagnosis. However, the increase of NCDs like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung diseases pose a grave threat to regional and national health and development. Working hand in hand with the Ministry of Health and the provincial governments, WHO helped design a program that would respond to the rise in NCDs in the region. The program aims to provide better overall care for patients, including screenings as well as prevention and treatment of NCDs, primarily cardiovascular diseases related to diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc. Known as the PEN (Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions) program, this approach considers the patient's whole being and lifestyle, not just specific ailments, and emphasises wellness and prevention activities. Additionally, WHO promotes integration of multiple health services, and the PEN program integrates TB (Tuberculosis) screenings as it screens for NCDs. The PEN program was started at WHO headquarters in Honiara but is now led by provincial NCD coordinators who have taken ownership of the program. Virginia Legaile, based in Tulagi (about a 1.5 hour boat ride from Honiara), is one of these provincial NCD coordinators. She previously worked as a nurse in an outpatient clinic, but after embracing the NCD screening of patients that was incorporated as part of the PEN program, the medical director increased her hours to see NCD patients from one to five days a week. Virginia is one of twelve NCD Coordinators across the country who, along with her peers, has also started the first paper medical file system in the entire country.Virginia, a nurse and NCD coordinator, holds pineapple and wheat from her garden in Tulagi, Solomon Islands on 5 March 2021. As part of her work with NCD patients, Virginia keeps a garden on the hospital grounds and shares seeds or “starts” for vegetables with her patients, while educating them on nutrition and healthy eating. - In Solomon Islands, WHO recognised that health systems needed to develop to accommodate a rise in noncommunicable diseases or NCDs in the region. Previously, health programs were mostly designed to treat patients with acute conditions or diagnosis. However, the increase of NCDs like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung diseases pose a grave threat to regional and national health and development. Working hand in hand with the Ministry of Health and the provincial governments, WHO helped design a program that would respond to the rise in NCDs in the region. The program aims to provide better overall care for patients, including screenings as well as prevention and treatment of NCDs, primarily cardiovascular diseases related to diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc. Known as the PEN (Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions) program, this approach considers the patient's whole being and lifestyle, not just specific ailments, and emphasises wellness and prevention activities. Additionally, WHO promotes integration of multiple health services, and the PEN program integrates TB (Tuberculosis) screenings as it screens for NCDs. The PEN program was started at WHO headquarters in Honiara but is now led by provincial NCD coordinators who have taken ownership of the program. Virginia Legaile, based in Tulagi (about a 1.5 hour boat ride from Honiara), is one of these provincial NCD coordinators. She previously worked as a nurse in an outpatient clinic, but after embracing the NCD screening of patients that was incorporated as part of the PEN program, the medical director increased her hours to see NCD patients from one to five days a week. Virginia is one of twelve NCD Coordinators across the country who, along with her peers, has also started the first paper medical file system in the entire country.Virginia, a nurse and NCD coordinator, holds pineapple and wheat from her garden in Tulagi, Solomon Islands on 5 March 2021. As part of her work with NCD patients, Virginia keeps a garden on the hospital grounds and shares seeds or “starts” for vegetables with her patients, while educating them on nutrition and healthy eating. - In Solomon Islands, WHO recognised that health systems needed to develop to accommodate a rise in noncommunicable diseases or NCDs in the region. Previously, health programs were mostly designed to treat patients with acute conditions or diagnosis. However, the increase of NCDs like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung diseases pose a grave threat to regional and national health and development. Working hand in hand with the Ministry of Health and the provincial governments, WHO helped design a program that would respond to the rise in NCDs in the region. The program aims to provide better overall care for patients, including screenings as well as prevention and treatment of NCDs, primarily cardiovascular diseases related to diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc. Known as the PEN (Package of Essential Noncommunicable Disease Interventions) program, this approach considers the patient's whole being and lifestyle, not just specific ailments, and emphasises wellness and prevention activities. Additionally, WHO promotes integration of multiple health services, and the PEN program integrates TB (Tuberculosis) screenings as it screens for NCDs. The PEN program was started at WHO headquarters in Honiara but is now led by provincial NCD coordinators who have taken ownership of the program. Virginia Legaile, based in Tulagi (about a 1.5 hour boat ride from Honiara), is one of these provincial NCD coordinators. She previously worked as a nurse in an outpatient clinic, but after embracing the NCD screening of patients that was incorporated as part of the PEN program, the medical director increased her hours to see NCD patients from one to five days a week. Virginia is one of twelve NCD Coordinators across the country who, along with her peers, has also started the first paper medical file system in the entire country.
  • SINGAPORE: Healthy ageing - March 2021 (27)
    Mdm Ng Marng, a patient at Outram Community Hospital, poses for a portrait in Singapore, 4 March 2021. The population in Singapore and the Western Pacific Region is ageing rapidly. In order to prepare, society and healthcare systems are evolving to support people throughout their life with long-term care and social services integrated at the community level. As Singapore’s only cluster of community hospitals, SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH) supports the nation’s ageing population by establishing partnerships between community welfare services and its own community health team, including nurses, doctors and allied health staff. To that end, this social prescription (prescribing community involvement vs. drugs) aims to go beyond the health sector to address the underlying social factors in treating a person. SCH aims to address social determinants of health early in the inpatient setting through social prescribing, particularly when its patients stay for an average length of 21 days, and with about 90% of them above 60 years old. The goal of social prescribing is to connect the health and social sectors to provide more holistic care to patients through addressing the social determinants of health and underlying psychosocial factors that contribute to poor health. This approach takes various forms, such as healthcare providers directly referring patients to community-based services, or referring them to specialized in-house “link workers” or what is referred to by SingHealth as wellbeing coordinators, who provide referred patients with focused counselling. Wellbeing coordinators can also co-design personalized wellness plans with patients, routinely follow up on patients to monitor their progress, and make use of behaviour change techniques. During COVID-19, this programme has also helped teach older people how to use smartphones, QR codes, Wi-Fi and WhatsApp in order to stay connected.Mdm Ng Marng, a patient at Outram Community Hospital, poses for a portrait in Singapore, 4 March 2021. The population in Singapore and the Western Pacific Region is ageing rapidly. In order to prepare, society and healthcare systems are evolving to support people throughout their life with long-term care and social services integrated at the community level. As Singapore’s only cluster of community hospitals, SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH) supports the nation’s ageing population by establishing partnerships between community welfare services and its own community health team, including nurses, doctors and allied health staff. To that end, this social prescription (prescribing community involvement vs. drugs) aims to go beyond the health sector to address the underlying social factors in treating a person. SCH aims to address social determinants of health early in the inpatient setting through social prescribing, particularly when its patients stay for an average length of 21 days, and with about 90% of them above 60 years old. The goal of social prescribing is to connect the health and social sectors to provide more holistic care to patients through addressing the social determinants of health and underlying psychosocial factors that contribute to poor health. This approach takes various forms, such as healthcare providers directly referring patients to community-based services, or referring them to specialized in-house “link workers” or what is referred to by SingHealth as wellbeing coordinators, who provide referred patients with focused counselling. Wellbeing coordinators can also co-design personalized wellness plans with patients, routinely follow up on patients to monitor their progress, and make use of behaviour change techniques. During COVID-19, this programme has also helped teach older people how to use smartphones, QR codes, Wi-Fi and WhatsApp in order to stay connected.Mdm Ng Marng, a patient at Outram Community Hospital, poses for a portrait in Singapore, 4 March 2021. The population in Singapore and the Western Pacific Region is ageing rapidly. In order to prepare, society and healthcare systems are evolving to support people throughout their life with long-term care and social services integrated at the community level. As Singapore’s only cluster of community hospitals, SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH) supports the nation’s ageing population by establishing partnerships between community welfare services and its own community health team, including nurses, doctors and allied health staff. To that end, this social prescription (prescribing community involvement vs. drugs) aims to go beyond the health sector to address the underlying social factors in treating a person. SCH aims to address social determinants of health early in the inpatient setting through social prescribing, particularly when its patients stay for an average length of 21 days, and with about 90% of them above 60 years old. The goal of social prescribing is to connect the health and social sectors to provide more holistic care to patients through addressing the social determinants of health and underlying psychosocial factors that contribute to poor health. This approach takes various forms, such as healthcare providers directly referring patients to community-based services, or referring them to specialized in-house “link workers” or what is referred to by SingHealth as wellbeing coordinators, who provide referred patients with focused counselling. Wellbeing coordinators can also co-design personalized wellness plans with patients, routinely follow up on patients to monitor their progress, and make use of behaviour change techniques. During COVID-19, this programme has also helped teach older people how to use smartphones, QR codes, Wi-Fi and WhatsApp in order to stay connected.
  • LIBYA: Emergency health support - March 2021 (15)
    18 March 2021. People wait outside the COVID-19 testing area at Misrata Medical Center, Misrata, Libya. In response to COVID-19 in Libya, the Ministry of Health has established and equipped a new isolation centre in Misrata. WHO has supported the COVID-19 response in the country by providing technical guidance and delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19 supplies.18 March 2021. People wait outside the COVID-19 testing area at Misrata Medical Center, Misrata, Libya. In response to COVID-19 in Libya, the Ministry of Health has established and equipped a new isolation centre in Misrata. WHO has supported the COVID-19 response in the country by providing technical guidance and delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19 supplies.18 March 2021. People wait outside the COVID-19 testing area at Misrata Medical Center, Misrata, Libya. In response to COVID-19 in Libya, the Ministry of Health has established and equipped a new isolation centre in Misrata. WHO has supported the COVID-19 response in the country by providing technical guidance and delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19 supplies.
  • TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: COVID-19 vaccine simulation - March 2021 (20)
    The sanitized hands of Rajwantee, a registered nurse, carefully remove a measure of the vaccine from the cooler. The vaccine will be administered to “the recipient” at the Siparia District Health Facility in Trinidad and Tobago, as part of a vaccination drill conducted on 6 March 2021. As Trinidad and Tobago prepare for their initial delivery of 100,000 to 120,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, a key strategy in preparing and training the healthcare workforce is the use of simulation exercises. This includes the use of different simulation exercises, including discussion based table-top exercises as well as more operational based exercises such as drills. They are used to assist in developing, assessing and testing the functional capabilities of emergency systems, procedures and mechanisms to respond to public health emergencies. COVID-19 vaccine simulations test planning assumptions and procedures in a safe and constructed environment before national vaccine roll-outs occur. These simulations help to ensure that vaccine roll-outs have the best possible chance of success. Using simulations developed by WHO and COVAX, health workers in Trinidad and Tobago are able to test and practice the planning and logistics of vaccine administration within the specific context of their country. Participants in these exercises are personnel who perform their actual responsibilities and respond as they would in a real situation. They can practice their role within the vaccine roll-out at every stage and identify where the plan and procedures are working well and where it could be improved. During the vaccination drill conducted at the Siparia District Health Facility in Trinidad, multiple scenarios were simulated at once to test preparedness including: a recipient who was fully decided to take and receive the vaccine, a recipient who was undecided, walk in recipients with no appointments, a recipient with severe reaction, and a recipient who declined being vaccinated.The sanitized hands of Rajwantee, a registered nurse, carefully remove a measure of the vaccine from the cooler. The vaccine will be administered to “the recipient” at the Siparia District Health Facility in Trinidad and Tobago, as part of a vaccination drill conducted on 6 March 2021. As Trinidad and Tobago prepare for their initial delivery of 100,000 to 120,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, a key strategy in preparing and training the healthcare workforce is the use of simulation exercises. This includes the use of different simulation exercises, including discussion based table-top exercises as well as more operational based exercises such as drills. They are used to assist in developing, assessing and testing the functional capabilities of emergency systems, procedures and mechanisms to respond to public health emergencies. COVID-19 vaccine simulations test planning assumptions and procedures in a safe and constructed environment before national vaccine roll-outs occur. These simulations help to ensure that vaccine roll-outs have the best possible chance of success. Using simulations developed by WHO and COVAX, health workers in Trinidad and Tobago are able to test and practice the planning and logistics of vaccine administration within the specific context of their country. Participants in these exercises are personnel who perform their actual responsibilities and respond as they would in a real situation. They can practice their role within the vaccine roll-out at every stage and identify where the plan and procedures are working well and where it could be improved. During the vaccination drill conducted at the Siparia District Health Facility in Trinidad, multiple scenarios were simulated at once to test preparedness including: a recipient who was fully decided to take and receive the vaccine, a recipient who was undecided, walk in recipients with no appointments, a recipient with severe reaction, and a recipient who declined being vaccinated.The sanitized hands of Rajwantee, a registered nurse, carefully remove a measure of the vaccine from the cooler. The vaccine will be administered to “the recipient” at the Siparia District Health Facility in Trinidad and Tobago, as part of a vaccination drill conducted on 6 March 2021. As Trinidad and Tobago prepare for their initial delivery of 100,000 to 120,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, a key strategy in preparing and training the healthcare workforce is the use of simulation exercises. This includes the use of different simulation exercises, including discussion based table-top exercises as well as more operational based exercises such as drills. They are used to assist in developing, assessing and testing the functional capabilities of emergency systems, procedures and mechanisms to respond to public health emergencies. COVID-19 vaccine simulations test planning assumptions and procedures in a safe and constructed environment before national vaccine roll-outs occur. These simulations help to ensure that vaccine roll-outs have the best possible chance of success. Using simulations developed by WHO and COVAX, health workers in Trinidad and Tobago are able to test and practice the planning and logistics of vaccine administration within the specific context of their country. Participants in these exercises are personnel who perform their actual responsibilities and respond as they would in a real situation. They can practice their role within the vaccine roll-out at every stage and identify where the plan and procedures are working well and where it could be improved. During the vaccination drill conducted at the Siparia District Health Facility in Trinidad, multiple scenarios were simulated at once to test preparedness including: a recipient who was fully decided to take and receive the vaccine, a recipient who was undecided, walk in recipients with no appointments, a recipient with severe reaction, and a recipient who declined being vaccinated.
  • ITALY: healthy cities - March 2021 (20)
    CityLife Park, an area of about 170,000 m2 (1,800,000 sq ft) that includes cycling and walking paths. In the background are the two towers of the Bosco Verticale project, or "Vertical Forest" in English, which house 900 trees, 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 perennial plants, and help to mitigate smog and produce oxygen on 9 March 2021 in Milan, Italy. Milan is “going green” to fight against climate change and improve the quality of life of its 1.4 million citizens. In the last few years, the local government announced plans to plant 3 million trees by 2030. This will increase greenery in the city but will also have a positive effect on the quality of air, and consequently on the health of the people. The city’s increase in trees, about a 30% expansion, could absorb 5 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, while reducing fine particles linked to respiratory diseases and cancer by 3,000 tons in the next ten years. Likewise, efforts to support a low-carbon, sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 crisis led to the city announcing hundreds of miles of new bike lanes and sustainable green spaces in the city. These spaces encourage both children and adults to move, whether it’s through playing or active transport, like biking and walking. Physical activity is good for hearts, minds and bodies - preventing and managing heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Milan’s move to incorporate more greenery in its urban development is most noticeable in the now famous ‘Vertical Forest’- two residential tower blocks built in 2014 that feature 800 trees, 15,000 plants and 4,500 shrubs covering every balcony. In 2021 Milan introduced one of the most comprehensive plans to create a smoke free city in Italy. The city's public parks, dog areas, cemeteries, playgrounds, children's sports and recreational areas, stadiums and public transport stops are all now smoke-free spaces, improving the air we breath and decreasing diseases caused by tobacco. WHO supports cities to prevent disease, promote road safety and protect the environment. Cities like Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Shenzhen, Bengaluru and Amman have committed to decreasing tobacco use through smoke-free public spaces, banning tobacco advertising and raising tobacco taxes. Milan’s regulation supports the global noncommunicable diseases action plan to reduce global prevalence of tobacco use by 30% by 2025. With this in mind, educational programs sponsored by the Italian League for the Fight against Cancer of Milan provide training of “Special Agents 00 Cigarettes” to young people who undertake not to start smoking and to adopt a healthy lifestyle with healthy eating, physical activity, and balanced well-being. The program aims to join efforts of teachers, institutions and families, to sensitize students to “a school and a smoke-free future” and, more generally, to a conscious and healthy lifestyle. It starts in the fourth classes, with the intervention of educators, and continues in the fifth classes.CityLife Park, an area of about 170,000 m2 (1,800,000 sq ft) that includes cycling and walking paths. In the background are the two towers of the Bosco Verticale project, or "Vertical Forest" in English, which house 900 trees, 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 perennial plants, and help to mitigate smog and produce oxygen on 9 March 2021 in Milan, Italy. Milan is “going green” to fight against climate change and improve the quality of life of its 1.4 million citizens. In the last few years, the local government announced plans to plant 3 million trees by 2030. This will increase greenery in the city but will also have a positive effect on the quality of air, and consequently on the health of the people. The city’s increase in trees, about a 30% expansion, could absorb 5 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, while reducing fine particles linked to respiratory diseases and cancer by 3,000 tons in the next ten years. Likewise, efforts to support a low-carbon, sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 crisis led to the city announcing hundreds of miles of new bike lanes and sustainable green spaces in the city. These spaces encourage both children and adults to move, whether it’s through playing or active transport, like biking and walking. Physical activity is good for hearts, minds and bodies - preventing and managing heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Milan’s move to incorporate more greenery in its urban development is most noticeable in the now famous ‘Vertical Forest’- two residential tower blocks built in 2014 that feature 800 trees, 15,000 plants and 4,500 shrubs covering every balcony. In 2021 Milan introduced one of the most comprehensive plans to create a smoke free city in Italy. The city's public parks, dog areas, cemeteries, playgrounds, children's sports and recreational areas, stadiums and public transport stops are all now smoke-free spaces, improving the air we breath and decreasing diseases caused by tobacco. WHO supports cities to prevent disease, promote road safety and protect the environment. Cities like Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Shenzhen, Bengaluru and Amman have committed to decreasing tobacco use through smoke-free public spaces, banning tobacco advertising and raising tobacco taxes. Milan’s regulation supports the global noncommunicable diseases action plan to reduce global prevalence of tobacco use by 30% by 2025. With this in mind, educational programs sponsored by the Italian League for the Fight against Cancer of Milan provide training of “Special Agents 00 Cigarettes” to young people who undertake not to start smoking and to adopt a healthy lifestyle with healthy eating, physical activity, and balanced well-being. The program aims to join efforts of teachers, institutions and families, to sensitize students to “a school and a smoke-free future” and, more generally, to a conscious and healthy lifestyle. It starts in the fourth classes, with the intervention of educators, and continues in the fifth classes.CityLife Park, an area of about 170,000 m2 (1,800,000 sq ft) that includes cycling and walking paths. In the background are the two towers of the Bosco Verticale project, or "Vertical Forest" in English, which house 900 trees, 5,000 shrubs and 11,000 perennial plants, and help to mitigate smog and produce oxygen on 9 March 2021 in Milan, Italy. Milan is “going green” to fight against climate change and improve the quality of life of its 1.4 million citizens. In the last few years, the local government announced plans to plant 3 million trees by 2030. This will increase greenery in the city but will also have a positive effect on the quality of air, and consequently on the health of the people. The city’s increase in trees, about a 30% expansion, could absorb 5 million tons of carbon dioxide every year, while reducing fine particles linked to respiratory diseases and cancer by 3,000 tons in the next ten years. Likewise, efforts to support a low-carbon, sustainable recovery from the COVID-19 crisis led to the city announcing hundreds of miles of new bike lanes and sustainable green spaces in the city. These spaces encourage both children and adults to move, whether it’s through playing or active transport, like biking and walking. Physical activity is good for hearts, minds and bodies - preventing and managing heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Milan’s move to incorporate more greenery in its urban development is most noticeable in the now famous ‘Vertical Forest’- two residential tower blocks built in 2014 that feature 800 trees, 15,000 plants and 4,500 shrubs covering every balcony. In 2021 Milan introduced one of the most comprehensive plans to create a smoke free city in Italy. The city's public parks, dog areas, cemeteries, playgrounds, children's sports and recreational areas, stadiums and public transport stops are all now smoke-free spaces, improving the air we breath and decreasing diseases caused by tobacco. WHO supports cities to prevent disease, promote road safety and protect the environment. Cities like Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Shenzhen, Bengaluru and Amman have committed to decreasing tobacco use through smoke-free public spaces, banning tobacco advertising and raising tobacco taxes. Milan’s regulation supports the global noncommunicable diseases action plan to reduce global prevalence of tobacco use by 30% by 2025. With this in mind, educational programs sponsored by the Italian League for the Fight against Cancer of Milan provide training of “Special Agents 00 Cigarettes” to young people who undertake not to start smoking and to adopt a healthy lifestyle with healthy eating, physical activity, and balanced well-being. The program aims to join efforts of teachers, institutions and families, to sensitize students to “a school and a smoke-free future” and, more generally, to a conscious and healthy lifestyle. It starts in the fourth classes, with the intervention of educators, and continues in the fifth classes.
  • URUGUAY: E-waste - February to March 2021 (39)
    María washes her hands in front of her home in a settlement located across from the main garbage dump in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 1 March 2021. - In Uruguay’s low-income neighborhoods, it is common for people to burn cables, discarded electronic equipment, batteries or other e-waste to recover metals for profit. In some settlements, large spots of burned lead can be seen on the street. Other contaminants include mercury and dioxides. While these “urban mining” activities are illegal, it is how many people make their living. E-waste is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances which damage the human brain, among other systems. The WHO Initiative on E-waste and Child Health was launched in 2013. With 25% of children in Uruguay now showing high levels of lead in their blood, one of the top priorities is protecting children from lead poisoning. Young children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure as they absorb four to five times as much ingested lead as adults from a given source. Health consequences are serious as at high levels of exposure, lead poisoning attacks the brain and central nervous system, causing coma, convulsions, intellectual disabilities and even death. At lower levels of exposure, lead can affect a child’s brain development, resulting in reduced intelligence quotient and diminished educational attainment. Unidad Pediátrica Ambiental (UPA) is a national pediatric centre that specializes in environmental health and is connected to WHO’s Children’s Environmental Health programme. The centre is part of the toxicology department in the School of Medicine of the Universidad de la República, located inside the Claveaux centre of Health in Montevideo, Uruguay. UPA aims to prevent diseases that are generated by environmental contaminants, especially in children. Doctors at UPA treat children, adolescents, and pregnant women. UPA is also an education facility where both graduate and postgraduate students learn about and practice medicine related to toxicology and contaminants. Most patients come to UPA because of intoxications with lead, mercury, carbon monoxide or pesticides.María washes her hands in front of her home in a settlement located across from the main garbage dump in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 1 March 2021. - In Uruguay’s low-income neighborhoods, it is common for people to burn cables, discarded electronic equipment, batteries or other e-waste to recover metals for profit. In some settlements, large spots of burned lead can be seen on the street. Other contaminants include mercury and dioxides. While these “urban mining” activities are illegal, it is how many people make their living. E-waste is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances which damage the human brain, among other systems. The WHO Initiative on E-waste and Child Health was launched in 2013. With 25% of children in Uruguay now showing high levels of lead in their blood, one of the top priorities is protecting children from lead poisoning. Young children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure as they absorb four to five times as much ingested lead as adults from a given source. Health consequences are serious as at high levels of exposure, lead poisoning attacks the brain and central nervous system, causing coma, convulsions, intellectual disabilities and even death. At lower levels of exposure, lead can affect a child’s brain development, resulting in reduced intelligence quotient and diminished educational attainment. Unidad Pediátrica Ambiental (UPA) is a national pediatric centre that specializes in environmental health and is connected to WHO’s Children’s Environmental Health programme. The centre is part of the toxicology department in the School of Medicine of the Universidad de la República, located inside the Claveaux centre of Health in Montevideo, Uruguay. UPA aims to prevent diseases that are generated by environmental contaminants, especially in children. Doctors at UPA treat children, adolescents, and pregnant women. UPA is also an education facility where both graduate and postgraduate students learn about and practice medicine related to toxicology and contaminants. Most patients come to UPA because of intoxications with lead, mercury, carbon monoxide or pesticides.María washes her hands in front of her home in a settlement located across from the main garbage dump in Montevideo, Uruguay, on 1 March 2021. - In Uruguay’s low-income neighborhoods, it is common for people to burn cables, discarded electronic equipment, batteries or other e-waste to recover metals for profit. In some settlements, large spots of burned lead can be seen on the street. Other contaminants include mercury and dioxides. While these “urban mining” activities are illegal, it is how many people make their living. E-waste is a health and environmental hazard, containing toxic additives or hazardous substances which damage the human brain, among other systems. The WHO Initiative on E-waste and Child Health was launched in 2013. With 25% of children in Uruguay now showing high levels of lead in their blood, one of the top priorities is protecting children from lead poisoning. Young children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure as they absorb four to five times as much ingested lead as adults from a given source. Health consequences are serious as at high levels of exposure, lead poisoning attacks the brain and central nervous system, causing coma, convulsions, intellectual disabilities and even death. At lower levels of exposure, lead can affect a child’s brain development, resulting in reduced intelligence quotient and diminished educational attainment. Unidad Pediátrica Ambiental (UPA) is a national pediatric centre that specializes in environmental health and is connected to WHO’s Children’s Environmental Health programme. The centre is part of the toxicology department in the School of Medicine of the Universidad de la República, located inside the Claveaux centre of Health in Montevideo, Uruguay. UPA aims to prevent diseases that are generated by environmental contaminants, especially in children. Doctors at UPA treat children, adolescents, and pregnant women. UPA is also an education facility where both graduate and postgraduate students learn about and practice medicine related to toxicology and contaminants. Most patients come to UPA because of intoxications with lead, mercury, carbon monoxide or pesticides.
  • GUINEA: Ebola response - February to March 2021 (30)
    On 1 March 2021, Chief Mankoye poses for a portrait in the town of Sibata near the Guinea/Liberia border. As part of the Ebola outbreak response, WHO and parters work with local leaders to help engage communities with provide them with information about how to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the virus. This is the first time the disease has been reported in Guinea since the previous outbreak ended in 2016. The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Guinea announced a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease on 14 February 2021 after a cluster of cases was reported in in the sub-prefecture of Gouéké, N’Zérékoré Region. WHO is supporting the Government-led response to set up testing, treatment structures, and with medical supplies, vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostic capacities to quickly contain the outbreak.On 1 March 2021, Chief Mankoye poses for a portrait in the town of Sibata near the Guinea/Liberia border. As part of the Ebola outbreak response, WHO and parters work with local leaders to help engage communities with provide them with information about how to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the virus. This is the first time the disease has been reported in Guinea since the previous outbreak ended in 2016. The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Guinea announced a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease on 14 February 2021 after a cluster of cases was reported in in the sub-prefecture of Gouéké, N’Zérékoré Region. WHO is supporting the Government-led response to set up testing, treatment structures, and with medical supplies, vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostic capacities to quickly contain the outbreak.On 1 March 2021, Chief Mankoye poses for a portrait in the town of Sibata near the Guinea/Liberia border. As part of the Ebola outbreak response, WHO and parters work with local leaders to help engage communities with provide them with information about how to protect themselves and prevent the spread of the virus. This is the first time the disease has been reported in Guinea since the previous outbreak ended in 2016. The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Guinea announced a new outbreak of Ebola virus disease on 14 February 2021 after a cluster of cases was reported in in the sub-prefecture of Gouéké, N’Zérékoré Region. WHO is supporting the Government-led response to set up testing, treatment structures, and with medical supplies, vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostic capacities to quickly contain the outbreak.
  • NIGERIA: cervical cancer prevention and treatment - February 2021 (40)
    Nurse Hadiza leads a patient into the cervical cancer screening room at the RAiSE Foundation office in Niger State on 24 February 2021. Cervical cancer is the only cancer in the world that can be eliminated. It’s a cancer that is both preventable and curable through access to screenings, treatment, and vaccination. It is part of WHO’s global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by (1) increasing HPV vaccination coverage (2) increasing screening coverage and (3) increasing access to treatment for precancerous lesions and for invasive cancer. By the year 2030, it is possible for all countries to achieve 90% HPV vaccination coverage, 70% screening coverage, and 90% access to treatment for cervical pre-cancer and cancer, including access to palliative care. Reaching these targets sets the world on the path toward elimination within the century. In Nigeria, the HPV vaccine is not yet available and treatment remains difficult to access for most women. The RAiSE foundation (Reproductive rights, advocacy, safe space and empowerment) was established by Dr Amina Abubakar Bello, an obstetrician and gynecologist (and First Lady of Niger State), to raise awareness on issues affecting the survival and growth of women and girls, including education and access to cervical cancer screenings and prevention. The organization advocates to improve reproductive health rights and campaigns to improve Maternal Health and Child Health in the region. Likewise, as part of the WHO’s global initiative to accelerate the elimination of Cervical Cancer, RAiSE offers financially accessible screenings at the foundation’s screening center where women found with any cancer or precancerous issue are given free treatment by the Foundation.Nurse Hadiza leads a patient into the cervical cancer screening room at the RAiSE Foundation office in Niger State on 24 February 2021. Cervical cancer is the only cancer in the world that can be eliminated. It’s a cancer that is both preventable and curable through access to screenings, treatment, and vaccination. It is part of WHO’s global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by (1) increasing HPV vaccination coverage (2) increasing screening coverage and (3) increasing access to treatment for precancerous lesions and for invasive cancer. By the year 2030, it is possible for all countries to achieve 90% HPV vaccination coverage, 70% screening coverage, and 90% access to treatment for cervical pre-cancer and cancer, including access to palliative care. Reaching these targets sets the world on the path toward elimination within the century. In Nigeria, the HPV vaccine is not yet available and treatment remains difficult to access for most women. The RAiSE foundation (Reproductive rights, advocacy, safe space and empowerment) was established by Dr Amina Abubakar Bello, an obstetrician and gynecologist (and First Lady of Niger State), to raise awareness on issues affecting the survival and growth of women and girls, including education and access to cervical cancer screenings and prevention. The organization advocates to improve reproductive health rights and campaigns to improve Maternal Health and Child Health in the region. Likewise, as part of the WHO’s global initiative to accelerate the elimination of Cervical Cancer, RAiSE offers financially accessible screenings at the foundation’s screening center where women found with any cancer or precancerous issue are given free treatment by the Foundation.Nurse Hadiza leads a patient into the cervical cancer screening room at the RAiSE Foundation office in Niger State on 24 February 2021. Cervical cancer is the only cancer in the world that can be eliminated. It’s a cancer that is both preventable and curable through access to screenings, treatment, and vaccination. It is part of WHO’s global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by (1) increasing HPV vaccination coverage (2) increasing screening coverage and (3) increasing access to treatment for precancerous lesions and for invasive cancer. By the year 2030, it is possible for all countries to achieve 90% HPV vaccination coverage, 70% screening coverage, and 90% access to treatment for cervical pre-cancer and cancer, including access to palliative care. Reaching these targets sets the world on the path toward elimination within the century. In Nigeria, the HPV vaccine is not yet available and treatment remains difficult to access for most women. The RAiSE foundation (Reproductive rights, advocacy, safe space and empowerment) was established by Dr Amina Abubakar Bello, an obstetrician and gynecologist (and First Lady of Niger State), to raise awareness on issues affecting the survival and growth of women and girls, including education and access to cervical cancer screenings and prevention. The organization advocates to improve reproductive health rights and campaigns to improve Maternal Health and Child Health in the region. Likewise, as part of the WHO’s global initiative to accelerate the elimination of Cervical Cancer, RAiSE offers financially accessible screenings at the foundation’s screening center where women found with any cancer or precancerous issue are given free treatment by the Foundation.
  • ZAMBIA: Ear and hearing care - February 2021 (20)
    Nurse Carol treats Memory, 3 (held by her mother Alice), for a severe ear infection at the Lukomba Rural Health Centre in Kapiri Mposhii District, Zambia on 8 February 2021. Worldwide, 1 in 5 people are living with hearing loss issues. Nearly 80% of people affected with hearing loss live in low- and middle- income countries where ear and hearing care services are lacking, especially at the community and primary levels. This is largely due to insufficient numbers and unequal distribution of health care professionals and distance from health facilities. If unaddressed, hearing loss has far-reaching consequences such as delayed language development, academic underachievement, social isolation, cognitive decline, higher risk of injuries and increased poverty. In Zambia, with five ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists and one audiologist serving a population of 17 million, task-sharing is crucial to address the ear and hearing care needs of the population. With the support of WHO training resources, nurses from 92 health facilities across Zambia have undergone training on ear examination and services. This has not only improved access to these services, but has also helped raise awareness at a primary care level. Over the past two years, more than 15 000 people have been reached with efforts to prevent, identify, and address hearing loss. Nurse Carol Sinkende lives in Kapiri Mposhi and works at Lukomba rural health center. She is at the forefront of community outreach in Zambia. Sinkende works in a clinic in a remote area overseeing different health topics, which now includes ear and hearing care services after being trained with WHO ear and hearing care resources. She also mentors other community health workers to increase outreach and raise awareness about hearing loss.Nurse Carol treats Memory, 3 (held by her mother Alice), for a severe ear infection at the Lukomba Rural Health Centre in Kapiri Mposhii District, Zambia on 8 February 2021. Worldwide, 1 in 5 people are living with hearing loss issues. Nearly 80% of people affected with hearing loss live in low- and middle- income countries where ear and hearing care services are lacking, especially at the community and primary levels. This is largely due to insufficient numbers and unequal distribution of health care professionals and distance from health facilities. If unaddressed, hearing loss has far-reaching consequences such as delayed language development, academic underachievement, social isolation, cognitive decline, higher risk of injuries and increased poverty. In Zambia, with five ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists and one audiologist serving a population of 17 million, task-sharing is crucial to address the ear and hearing care needs of the population. With the support of WHO training resources, nurses from 92 health facilities across Zambia have undergone training on ear examination and services. This has not only improved access to these services, but has also helped raise awareness at a primary care level. Over the past two years, more than 15 000 people have been reached with efforts to prevent, identify, and address hearing loss. Nurse Carol Sinkende lives in Kapiri Mposhi and works at Lukomba rural health center. She is at the forefront of community outreach in Zambia. Sinkende works in a clinic in a remote area overseeing different health topics, which now includes ear and hearing care services after being trained with WHO ear and hearing care resources. She also mentors other community health workers to increase outreach and raise awareness about hearing loss.Nurse Carol treats Memory, 3 (held by her mother Alice), for a severe ear infection at the Lukomba Rural Health Centre in Kapiri Mposhii District, Zambia on 8 February 2021. Worldwide, 1 in 5 people are living with hearing loss issues. Nearly 80% of people affected with hearing loss live in low- and middle- income countries where ear and hearing care services are lacking, especially at the community and primary levels. This is largely due to insufficient numbers and unequal distribution of health care professionals and distance from health facilities. If unaddressed, hearing loss has far-reaching consequences such as delayed language development, academic underachievement, social isolation, cognitive decline, higher risk of injuries and increased poverty. In Zambia, with five ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists and one audiologist serving a population of 17 million, task-sharing is crucial to address the ear and hearing care needs of the population. With the support of WHO training resources, nurses from 92 health facilities across Zambia have undergone training on ear examination and services. This has not only improved access to these services, but has also helped raise awareness at a primary care level. Over the past two years, more than 15 000 people have been reached with efforts to prevent, identify, and address hearing loss. Nurse Carol Sinkende lives in Kapiri Mposhi and works at Lukomba rural health center. She is at the forefront of community outreach in Zambia. Sinkende works in a clinic in a remote area overseeing different health topics, which now includes ear and hearing care services after being trained with WHO ear and hearing care resources. She also mentors other community health workers to increase outreach and raise awareness about hearing loss.
  • PAKISTAN: Family Health Hospital - February 2021 (14)
    Shahid (left), Shagufta (centre) and Rabia (right) sit in the waiting area at Family Health Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, on 1 February 2021.Shahid (left), Shagufta (centre) and Rabia (right) sit in the waiting area at Family Health Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, on 1 February 2021.Shahid (left), Shagufta (centre) and Rabia (right) sit in the waiting area at Family Health Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, on 1 February 2021.
  • UKRAINE: WHO-supported mobile mental health clinic - February 2021 (20)
    Psychiatrist Oleksii K., left, a member of the WHO-supported mobile mental health team, visits former patient Nataliia, 39, right, at her home on 15 February 2021 in Bylbasivka, Ukraine. Nataliia's son Kyryl, 8, sits in between listening to the conversation with a teddy bear. The COVID-19 pandemic and protracted conflict along the Ukraine-Russian border have had a devastating impact on Ukrainians with severe mental health conditions. These coinciding events have further limited their access to specialized care. Introduced by WHO in 2015, the community mental health teams project originally aimed to provide comprehensive community-based mental health care to people who faced consequences of the conflict. In 2020 WHO has reinforced its support to Ukraine in the area of mental health as a part of WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health, and seven community mental health teams are working across Ukraine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community-based care is a new approach for mental health care in Ukraine but with the support from WHO, Ukraine aims to scale up the teams for people with severe mental health conditions throughout the country. A team based in Slovyansk and consisting of a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a nurse and a social worker travel to different settlements in the region to deliver specialized mental health care to their patients. The team helps the person to develop their recovery plan, cope with symptoms of mental health conditions and prevent crisis, supports them in maintaining activities of daily living and social relations, engages resources available in community for education, housing, employment and social protection.Psychiatrist Oleksii K., left, a member of the WHO-supported mobile mental health team, visits former patient Nataliia, 39, right, at her home on 15 February 2021 in Bylbasivka, Ukraine. Nataliia's son Kyryl, 8, sits in between listening to the conversation with a teddy bear. The COVID-19 pandemic and protracted conflict along the Ukraine-Russian border have had a devastating impact on Ukrainians with severe mental health conditions. These coinciding events have further limited their access to specialized care. Introduced by WHO in 2015, the community mental health teams project originally aimed to provide comprehensive community-based mental health care to people who faced consequences of the conflict. In 2020 WHO has reinforced its support to Ukraine in the area of mental health as a part of WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health, and seven community mental health teams are working across Ukraine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community-based care is a new approach for mental health care in Ukraine but with the support from WHO, Ukraine aims to scale up the teams for people with severe mental health conditions throughout the country. A team based in Slovyansk and consisting of a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a nurse and a social worker travel to different settlements in the region to deliver specialized mental health care to their patients. The team helps the person to develop their recovery plan, cope with symptoms of mental health conditions and prevent crisis, supports them in maintaining activities of daily living and social relations, engages resources available in community for education, housing, employment and social protection.Psychiatrist Oleksii K., left, a member of the WHO-supported mobile mental health team, visits former patient Nataliia, 39, right, at her home on 15 February 2021 in Bylbasivka, Ukraine. Nataliia's son Kyryl, 8, sits in between listening to the conversation with a teddy bear. The COVID-19 pandemic and protracted conflict along the Ukraine-Russian border have had a devastating impact on Ukrainians with severe mental health conditions. These coinciding events have further limited their access to specialized care. Introduced by WHO in 2015, the community mental health teams project originally aimed to provide comprehensive community-based mental health care to people who faced consequences of the conflict. In 2020 WHO has reinforced its support to Ukraine in the area of mental health as a part of WHO Special Initiative for Mental Health, and seven community mental health teams are working across Ukraine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community-based care is a new approach for mental health care in Ukraine but with the support from WHO, Ukraine aims to scale up the teams for people with severe mental health conditions throughout the country. A team based in Slovyansk and consisting of a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a nurse and a social worker travel to different settlements in the region to deliver specialized mental health care to their patients. The team helps the person to develop their recovery plan, cope with symptoms of mental health conditions and prevent crisis, supports them in maintaining activities of daily living and social relations, engages resources available in community for education, housing, employment and social protection.
  • GUINEA: Cervical cancer prevention - February 2021 (20)
    Diallo speaks to colleagues on 10 February 2021 in Conakry, Guinea. Diallo is a cervical cancer survivor who received treatment at the Francophone Regional Center for Training and Prevention of Gynaecological Cancer in Conakry. She now speaks to other women in her community to raise awareness about cervical cancer, including the importance of undergoing regular check-ups as a preventative measure. The Francophone Regional Center for Training and Prevention of Gynaecological Cancers (Centre Régional Francophone de Formation et de Prévention des Cancers Gynécologiques) located at Donka University Hospital in Conakry, Guinea, is a regional training facility that offers screenings, training, and treatment of precancerous and cancerous lesions, including surgical treatment and chemotherapy when necessary. The Centre often hosts regional training workshops to provide technical support to African countries in order to improve their capacities for screening and preventive treatment of cervical cancer.Diallo speaks to colleagues on 10 February 2021 in Conakry, Guinea. Diallo is a cervical cancer survivor who received treatment at the Francophone Regional Center for Training and Prevention of Gynaecological Cancer in Conakry. She now speaks to other women in her community to raise awareness about cervical cancer, including the importance of undergoing regular check-ups as a preventative measure. The Francophone Regional Center for Training and Prevention of Gynaecological Cancers (Centre Régional Francophone de Formation et de Prévention des Cancers Gynécologiques) located at Donka University Hospital in Conakry, Guinea, is a regional training facility that offers screenings, training, and treatment of precancerous and cancerous lesions, including surgical treatment and chemotherapy when necessary. The Centre often hosts regional training workshops to provide technical support to African countries in order to improve their capacities for screening and preventive treatment of cervical cancer.Diallo speaks to colleagues on 10 February 2021 in Conakry, Guinea. Diallo is a cervical cancer survivor who received treatment at the Francophone Regional Center for Training and Prevention of Gynaecological Cancer in Conakry. She now speaks to other women in her community to raise awareness about cervical cancer, including the importance of undergoing regular check-ups as a preventative measure. The Francophone Regional Center for Training and Prevention of Gynaecological Cancers (Centre Régional Francophone de Formation et de Prévention des Cancers Gynécologiques) located at Donka University Hospital in Conakry, Guinea, is a regional training facility that offers screenings, training, and treatment of precancerous and cancerous lesions, including surgical treatment and chemotherapy when necessary. The Centre often hosts regional training workshops to provide technical support to African countries in order to improve their capacities for screening and preventive treatment of cervical cancer.
  • THAILAND: Ramathibodi Poison Center - January 2021 (20)
    Krittithee, 13, stands for a portrait at the Ramathibodi Poison Center in Bangkok, Thailand, on 11 January 2021. Seven years ago, Krittithee received treatment from the poison center in Ramathibodi for lead poisoning after accidentally being shot in the leg with a lead bullet. Prompt clinical diagnosis and laboratory analysis helped to confirm the need for specialized antidotes to counter the effects of lead poisoning. Ramathibodi Poison Center was designated a WHO Collaborating Centre for the Prevention and Control of Poisoning in 2018 and assists WHO to improve the accessibility of antidotes for the treatment of poisoning; build capacities for the prevention and control of poisoning and in monitoring trends in the prevalence of poisoning in different countries. WHO recommends the establishment of poisons centres in all countries. Currently fewer than half of WHO Member States have a poisons centre.Krittithee, 13, stands for a portrait at the Ramathibodi Poison Center in Bangkok, Thailand, on 11 January 2021. Seven years ago, Krittithee received treatment from the poison center in Ramathibodi for lead poisoning after accidentally being shot in the leg with a lead bullet. Prompt clinical diagnosis and laboratory analysis helped to confirm the need for specialized antidotes to counter the effects of lead poisoning. Ramathibodi Poison Center was designated a WHO Collaborating Centre for the Prevention and Control of Poisoning in 2018 and assists WHO to improve the accessibility of antidotes for the treatment of poisoning; build capacities for the prevention and control of poisoning and in monitoring trends in the prevalence of poisoning in different countries. WHO recommends the establishment of poisons centres in all countries. Currently fewer than half of WHO Member States have a poisons centre.Krittithee, 13, stands for a portrait at the Ramathibodi Poison Center in Bangkok, Thailand, on 11 January 2021. Seven years ago, Krittithee received treatment from the poison center in Ramathibodi for lead poisoning after accidentally being shot in the leg with a lead bullet. Prompt clinical diagnosis and laboratory analysis helped to confirm the need for specialized antidotes to counter the effects of lead poisoning. Ramathibodi Poison Center was designated a WHO Collaborating Centre for the Prevention and Control of Poisoning in 2018 and assists WHO to improve the accessibility of antidotes for the treatment of poisoning; build capacities for the prevention and control of poisoning and in monitoring trends in the prevalence of poisoning in different countries. WHO recommends the establishment of poisons centres in all countries. Currently fewer than half of WHO Member States have a poisons centre.
  • SOMALIA: Oxygen systems and supplies in Hargeisa - January 2021 (20)
    A view of Hargeisa on 20 January 2021. WHO is working in Hargeisa to develop an oxygen plant to create a more sustainable and cost-efficient supply of medical oxygen to the region. Likewise, WHO is working with partners to harness solar power to run oxygen concentrators in remote areas where electricity supply is unreliable. Through the pandemic the demand for oxygen has grown exponentially. Back in June when there were approximately 140 000 new COVID-19 cases a day, the global need for oxygen was estimated to be at approximately 88 000 large cylinders each day across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the global demand for oxygen and made the delivery of oxygen supplies more urgent than ever. As daily cases rise around the world, the need for oxygen has increased to 1.1 million cylinders in low to middle-income countries alone, which is 13 times higher than normal. Early in the pandemic, WHO's first phase approach was to scale up oxygen supply in the most vulnerable countries by procuring and distributing oxygen concentrators and pulse oximeters. Before the onset of COVID-19, such vulnerable countries faced a huge lack of oxygen systems and supplies for patient care. However, surging needs due to the pandemic have given these shortages prominence and scaled efforts to produce oxygen locally and bring oxygen therapy to each and every patient in need. As of February 2021, WHO and partners have distributed over 30 000 concentrators and 40 000 pulse oximeters and patient monitors, reaching 121 countries, including 37 countries that are classified as "fragile". WHO is also supporting with technical advice and, in some places, procurement of oxygen sources at scale. This includes pressure swing absorption (PSA) plants that would be able to cover higher oxygen demand in larger health facilities. In the past, Somaliland, Chad and South Sudan have had to rely exclusively on oxygen cylinders from private vendors that are often situated abroad, limiting the continuity of supply. WHO is working with the Ministries of Health in these regions to design oxygen plans to fit local needs and create a more sustainable and self-sufficient oxygen supply. Likewise, increased efforts to provide oxygen support to these countries will allow treatment of other diseases like childhood pneumonia, which claims 2000 lives every day. Medical oxygen can help treat severe pneumonia in countries where before fewer than one in five patients received the treatment they needed, thus overall strengthening health systems.A view of Hargeisa on 20 January 2021. WHO is working in Hargeisa to develop an oxygen plant to create a more sustainable and cost-efficient supply of medical oxygen to the region. Likewise, WHO is working with partners to harness solar power to run oxygen concentrators in remote areas where electricity supply is unreliable. Through the pandemic the demand for oxygen has grown exponentially. Back in June when there were approximately 140 000 new COVID-19 cases a day, the global need for oxygen was estimated to be at approximately 88 000 large cylinders each day across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the global demand for oxygen and made the delivery of oxygen supplies more urgent than ever. As daily cases rise around the world, the need for oxygen has increased to 1.1 million cylinders in low to middle-income countries alone, which is 13 times higher than normal. Early in the pandemic, WHO's first phase approach was to scale up oxygen supply in the most vulnerable countries by procuring and distributing oxygen concentrators and pulse oximeters. Before the onset of COVID-19, such vulnerable countries faced a huge lack of oxygen systems and supplies for patient care. However, surging needs due to the pandemic have given these shortages prominence and scaled efforts to produce oxygen locally and bring oxygen therapy to each and every patient in need. As of February 2021, WHO and partners have distributed over 30 000 concentrators and 40 000 pulse oximeters and patient monitors, reaching 121 countries, including 37 countries that are classified as "fragile". WHO is also supporting with technical advice and, in some places, procurement of oxygen sources at scale. This includes pressure swing absorption (PSA) plants that would be able to cover higher oxygen demand in larger health facilities. In the past, Somaliland, Chad and South Sudan have had to rely exclusively on oxygen cylinders from private vendors that are often situated abroad, limiting the continuity of supply. WHO is working with the Ministries of Health in these regions to design oxygen plans to fit local needs and create a more sustainable and self-sufficient oxygen supply. Likewise, increased efforts to provide oxygen support to these countries will allow treatment of other diseases like childhood pneumonia, which claims 2000 lives every day. Medical oxygen can help treat severe pneumonia in countries where before fewer than one in five patients received the treatment they needed, thus overall strengthening health systems.A view of Hargeisa on 20 January 2021. WHO is working in Hargeisa to develop an oxygen plant to create a more sustainable and cost-efficient supply of medical oxygen to the region. Likewise, WHO is working with partners to harness solar power to run oxygen concentrators in remote areas where electricity supply is unreliable. Through the pandemic the demand for oxygen has grown exponentially. Back in June when there were approximately 140 000 new COVID-19 cases a day, the global need for oxygen was estimated to be at approximately 88 000 large cylinders each day across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the global demand for oxygen and made the delivery of oxygen supplies more urgent than ever. As daily cases rise around the world, the need for oxygen has increased to 1.1 million cylinders in low to middle-income countries alone, which is 13 times higher than normal. Early in the pandemic, WHO's first phase approach was to scale up oxygen supply in the most vulnerable countries by procuring and distributing oxygen concentrators and pulse oximeters. Before the onset of COVID-19, such vulnerable countries faced a huge lack of oxygen systems and supplies for patient care. However, surging needs due to the pandemic have given these shortages prominence and scaled efforts to produce oxygen locally and bring oxygen therapy to each and every patient in need. As of February 2021, WHO and partners have distributed over 30 000 concentrators and 40 000 pulse oximeters and patient monitors, reaching 121 countries, including 37 countries that are classified as "fragile". WHO is also supporting with technical advice and, in some places, procurement of oxygen sources at scale. This includes pressure swing absorption (PSA) plants that would be able to cover higher oxygen demand in larger health facilities. In the past, Somaliland, Chad and South Sudan have had to rely exclusively on oxygen cylinders from private vendors that are often situated abroad, limiting the continuity of supply. WHO is working with the Ministries of Health in these regions to design oxygen plans to fit local needs and create a more sustainable and self-sufficient oxygen supply. Likewise, increased efforts to provide oxygen support to these countries will allow treatment of other diseases like childhood pneumonia, which claims 2000 lives every day. Medical oxygen can help treat severe pneumonia in countries where before fewer than one in five patients received the treatment they needed, thus overall strengthening health systems.
  • CAMBODIA: Portrait of Ly Kanha, midwife and health centre malaria worker - January 2021 (21)
    Ly Kanha, 25, leaves on her motorbike after visiting the house of a recovered malaria patient in Peam L’vear village in Cambodia on 29 January 2021. Ly Kanha is a Cambodian midwife who has recently been appointed as a health centre malaria worker for the Cambodia-Japan Friendship Health Center of Chambok. In addition to caring for new and expectant mothers, she now supervises a team of village malaria workers (VMWs) who are tasked with finding, testing and treating all suspected malaria cases in the surrounding villages. The activities that Kanha oversees include the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and hammock nets, weekly house-to-house fever screenings, targeted drug administration and intermittent preventive treatment for travellers who visit malaria risk areas. The Cambodia-Japan Friendship Health Center of Chambok in Kampong Speu province is located in one of Cambodia’s malaria hotspots. Malaria work in the province can be challenging due to high levels of multidrug resistance and the remaining infections predominantly coming from remote forested areas. Cambodia has been the infamous epicentre of resistance to various artemisinin-based combined therapies (ACTs) –the most effective treatment for malaria. In 2017, Cambodia’s National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control (CNM) launched a malaria intensification to deplete parasite reservoirs in high-risk populations by deploying technical support to provinces, strengthening coordination, and ensuring the full implementation of malaria interventions. Since then, Cambodia has reached historically low malaria incidence levels. In November 2020 the CNM launched the last stage of its intensification plan, a focalized aggressive approach to eliminate P. falciparum malaria by 2023. In Cambodia, this approach is known as the “last mile” of malaria elimination. The response is part of a broader initiative supported by WHO’s Mekong Malaria Elimination programme to eliminate malaria in the Greater Mekong subregion by 2030.Ly Kanha, 25, leaves on her motorbike after visiting the house of a recovered malaria patient in Peam L’vear village in Cambodia on 29 January 2021. Ly Kanha is a Cambodian midwife who has recently been appointed as a health centre malaria worker for the Cambodia-Japan Friendship Health Center of Chambok. In addition to caring for new and expectant mothers, she now supervises a team of village malaria workers (VMWs) who are tasked with finding, testing and treating all suspected malaria cases in the surrounding villages. The activities that Kanha oversees include the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and hammock nets, weekly house-to-house fever screenings, targeted drug administration and intermittent preventive treatment for travellers who visit malaria risk areas. The Cambodia-Japan Friendship Health Center of Chambok in Kampong Speu province is located in one of Cambodia’s malaria hotspots. Malaria work in the province can be challenging due to high levels of multidrug resistance and the remaining infections predominantly coming from remote forested areas. Cambodia has been the infamous epicentre of resistance to various artemisinin-based combined therapies (ACTs) –the most effective treatment for malaria. In 2017, Cambodia’s National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control (CNM) launched a malaria intensification to deplete parasite reservoirs in high-risk populations by deploying technical support to provinces, strengthening coordination, and ensuring the full implementation of malaria interventions. Since then, Cambodia has reached historically low malaria incidence levels. In November 2020 the CNM launched the last stage of its intensification plan, a focalized aggressive approach to eliminate P. falciparum malaria by 2023. In Cambodia, this approach is known as the “last mile” of malaria elimination. The response is part of a broader initiative supported by WHO’s Mekong Malaria Elimination programme to eliminate malaria in the Greater Mekong subregion by 2030.Ly Kanha, 25, leaves on her motorbike after visiting the house of a recovered malaria patient in Peam L’vear village in Cambodia on 29 January 2021. Ly Kanha is a Cambodian midwife who has recently been appointed as a health centre malaria worker for the Cambodia-Japan Friendship Health Center of Chambok. In addition to caring for new and expectant mothers, she now supervises a team of village malaria workers (VMWs) who are tasked with finding, testing and treating all suspected malaria cases in the surrounding villages. The activities that Kanha oversees include the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and hammock nets, weekly house-to-house fever screenings, targeted drug administration and intermittent preventive treatment for travellers who visit malaria risk areas. The Cambodia-Japan Friendship Health Center of Chambok in Kampong Speu province is located in one of Cambodia’s malaria hotspots. Malaria work in the province can be challenging due to high levels of multidrug resistance and the remaining infections predominantly coming from remote forested areas. Cambodia has been the infamous epicentre of resistance to various artemisinin-based combined therapies (ACTs) –the most effective treatment for malaria. In 2017, Cambodia’s National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control (CNM) launched a malaria intensification to deplete parasite reservoirs in high-risk populations by deploying technical support to provinces, strengthening coordination, and ensuring the full implementation of malaria interventions. Since then, Cambodia has reached historically low malaria incidence levels. In November 2020 the CNM launched the last stage of its intensification plan, a focalized aggressive approach to eliminate P. falciparum malaria by 2023. In Cambodia, this approach is known as the “last mile” of malaria elimination. The response is part of a broader initiative supported by WHO’s Mekong Malaria Elimination programme to eliminate malaria in the Greater Mekong subregion by 2030.
  • SPAIN: Hospital Clinic de Barcelona: Portraits of health - January 2021 (40)
    Gemma, 28, works as a midwife at the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. "COVID-19 has brought a lot of fear to pregnant women. They are afraid of testing positive and transmitting the virus to their child. Parents feel that they don't have the family support they previously may have had, which makes it more difficult to start a family in these times."Gemma, 28, works as a midwife at the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. "COVID-19 has brought a lot of fear to pregnant women. They are afraid of testing positive and transmitting the virus to their child. Parents feel that they don't have the family support they previously may have had, which makes it more difficult to start a family in these times."Gemma, 28, works as a midwife at the Hospital Clinic de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. "COVID-19 has brought a lot of fear to pregnant women. They are afraid of testing positive and transmitting the virus to their child. Parents feel that they don't have the family support they previously may have had, which makes it more difficult to start a family in these times."
  • RUSSIAN FEDERATION: Saint Lukas medical train - December 2020 (20)
    Here the Saint Lukas medical train sits in the Kashtan Bogotol region, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Siberia, Russian Federation, on Dec. 17, 2020. The train, funded by the government, travels to remote stations covering around 4 000 km of Krasnoyarsk and Khakassia in Siberia during the year. Normally the train runs for two-week journeys, 10 times a year, stopping over at about eight stations on each journey Each stop lasts for one to three days and, during that time, doctors and nurses provide residents with basic medical care. The train has a lab for blood analysis, EKG and EEG (electrocardiogram) monitors, an ultrasound, and an x-ray machine. The 12-15 doctors and their assistants examine up to 120-150 patients a day, seeing around 15 000 patients per year. The medical treatment on the train is free of charge. Specialists make diagnoses and prescribe medication or referrals to seek specialist help at the hospitals of the region's capital.Here the Saint Lukas medical train sits in the Kashtan Bogotol region, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Siberia, Russian Federation, on Dec. 17, 2020. The train, funded by the government, travels to remote stations covering around 4 000 km of Krasnoyarsk and Khakassia in Siberia during the year. Normally the train runs for two-week journeys, 10 times a year, stopping over at about eight stations on each journey Each stop lasts for one to three days and, during that time, doctors and nurses provide residents with basic medical care. The train has a lab for blood analysis, EKG and EEG (electrocardiogram) monitors, an ultrasound, and an x-ray machine. The 12-15 doctors and their assistants examine up to 120-150 patients a day, seeing around 15 000 patients per year. The medical treatment on the train is free of charge. Specialists make diagnoses and prescribe medication or referrals to seek specialist help at the hospitals of the region's capital.Here the Saint Lukas medical train sits in the Kashtan Bogotol region, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Siberia, Russian Federation, on Dec. 17, 2020. The train, funded by the government, travels to remote stations covering around 4 000 km of Krasnoyarsk and Khakassia in Siberia during the year. Normally the train runs for two-week journeys, 10 times a year, stopping over at about eight stations on each journey Each stop lasts for one to three days and, during that time, doctors and nurses provide residents with basic medical care. The train has a lab for blood analysis, EKG and EEG (electrocardiogram) monitors, an ultrasound, and an x-ray machine. The 12-15 doctors and their assistants examine up to 120-150 patients a day, seeing around 15 000 patients per year. The medical treatment on the train is free of charge. Specialists make diagnoses and prescribe medication or referrals to seek specialist help at the hospitals of the region's capital.
  • ARGENTINA: Caregiver Skills Training (CST) - December 2020 (18)
    Karina and her son Gabriel, 7, read a book together at their home in Moreno, Argentina, on Dec.10, 2020. Karina spends a lot of time engaging with Gabriel through activities such as reading, which can promote communication, a practice learned in the CST programme. The Caregiver Skills Training (CST) programme was developed by WHO and is being implemented in Argentina by international partner Programa Argentino para Niños, Adolescentes y Adultos con Condiciones del Espectro Autista (PANAACEA) to serve families of children with developmental delays and disabilities. The programme uses a family-oriented approach and is designed to be delivered by trained non-specialists (community-based workers, peer caregivers or others) as part of a network of health and social services for children and their families. CST consists of nine group sessions and three individual home visits, focused on training caregivers how to use everyday play and home activities and routines as opportunities for learning and development. The sessions specifically address communication, engagement, daily living skills, challenging behaviour and caregiver coping strategies. Gabriel was diagnosed with autism at age 3. He was not speaking and did not interact with other people, including his family. As a mother of four, Karina Visciglia struggled to care for her family and find Gabriel the services he needed. Through CST facilitators and PANAACEA, Karina gained access to a network of services and a support system. She saw significant improvements in her ability to connect and communicate with her son, and did so through the use of play activities, games, and home routines. She also says she felt empowered and improved herself by taking part in the group sessions. In general, caregivers of children with developmental delays often experience very high levels of distress and, in many cases, interruptions or discontinuation of care services. The COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts on mental health but particularly on that of women and those taking care of young children with developmental disabilities. The CST programme was adapted to a remote, online version so that it was able to continue during the pandemic in Argentina.Karina and her son Gabriel, 7, read a book together at their home in Moreno, Argentina, on Dec.10, 2020. Karina spends a lot of time engaging with Gabriel through activities such as reading, which can promote communication, a practice learned in the CST programme. The Caregiver Skills Training (CST) programme was developed by WHO and is being implemented in Argentina by international partner Programa Argentino para Niños, Adolescentes y Adultos con Condiciones del Espectro Autista (PANAACEA) to serve families of children with developmental delays and disabilities. The programme uses a family-oriented approach and is designed to be delivered by trained non-specialists (community-based workers, peer caregivers or others) as part of a network of health and social services for children and their families. CST consists of nine group sessions and three individual home visits, focused on training caregivers how to use everyday play and home activities and routines as opportunities for learning and development. The sessions specifically address communication, engagement, daily living skills, challenging behaviour and caregiver coping strategies. Gabriel was diagnosed with autism at age 3. He was not speaking and did not interact with other people, including his family. As a mother of four, Karina Visciglia struggled to care for her family and find Gabriel the services he needed. Through CST facilitators and PANAACEA, Karina gained access to a network of services and a support system. She saw significant improvements in her ability to connect and communicate with her son, and did so through the use of play activities, games, and home routines. She also says she felt empowered and improved herself by taking part in the group sessions. In general, caregivers of children with developmental delays often experience very high levels of distress and, in many cases, interruptions or discontinuation of care services. The COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts on mental health but particularly on that of women and those taking care of young children with developmental disabilities. The CST programme was adapted to a remote, online version so that it was able to continue during the pandemic in Argentina.Karina and her son Gabriel, 7, read a book together at their home in Moreno, Argentina, on Dec.10, 2020. Karina spends a lot of time engaging with Gabriel through activities such as reading, which can promote communication, a practice learned in the CST programme. The Caregiver Skills Training (CST) programme was developed by WHO and is being implemented in Argentina by international partner Programa Argentino para Niños, Adolescentes y Adultos con Condiciones del Espectro Autista (PANAACEA) to serve families of children with developmental delays and disabilities. The programme uses a family-oriented approach and is designed to be delivered by trained non-specialists (community-based workers, peer caregivers or others) as part of a network of health and social services for children and their families. CST consists of nine group sessions and three individual home visits, focused on training caregivers how to use everyday play and home activities and routines as opportunities for learning and development. The sessions specifically address communication, engagement, daily living skills, challenging behaviour and caregiver coping strategies. Gabriel was diagnosed with autism at age 3. He was not speaking and did not interact with other people, including his family. As a mother of four, Karina Visciglia struggled to care for her family and find Gabriel the services he needed. Through CST facilitators and PANAACEA, Karina gained access to a network of services and a support system. She saw significant improvements in her ability to connect and communicate with her son, and did so through the use of play activities, games, and home routines. She also says she felt empowered and improved herself by taking part in the group sessions. In general, caregivers of children with developmental delays often experience very high levels of distress and, in many cases, interruptions or discontinuation of care services. The COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts on mental health but particularly on that of women and those taking care of young children with developmental disabilities. The CST programme was adapted to a remote, online version so that it was able to continue during the pandemic in Argentina.
  • SWITZERLAND: WHO Headquarters amidst COVID-19 - December 2020 (18)
    Illustration of the back office of the Strategic Health Operations Centre (SHOC) at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on 11 December 2020.  In order to minimize the risk of introducing COVID-19 into the headquarters premises, WHO continues to ensure that personnel have access to a safe and healthy work environment, and that all appropriate measures are in place to minimize the risk to the workforce. Ensuring the safety of all WHO staff and their families requires a new way of working on WHO campus.Illustration of the back office of the Strategic Health Operations Centre (SHOC) at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on 11 December 2020.  In order to minimize the risk of introducing COVID-19 into the headquarters premises, WHO continues to ensure that personnel have access to a safe and healthy work environment, and that all appropriate measures are in place to minimize the risk to the workforce. Ensuring the safety of all WHO staff and their families requires a new way of working on WHO campus.Illustration of the back office of the Strategic Health Operations Centre (SHOC) at WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on 11 December 2020.  In order to minimize the risk of introducing COVID-19 into the headquarters premises, WHO continues to ensure that personnel have access to a safe and healthy work environment, and that all appropriate measures are in place to minimize the risk to the workforce. Ensuring the safety of all WHO staff and their families requires a new way of working on WHO campus.

  • NIGERIA: Yellow fever response in Delta State - November 2020  (17)
    Precious, 10, is treated for malaria and symptoms of what appears to be yellow fever at the central hospital in Owa-Alero. The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and health authorities in the states of Delta and Enugu to respond to an outbreak of yellow fever that was confirmed in early November 2020. WHO and partners are assisting with case investigation, case management and community engagement, among other activities. In addition, in response to this outbreak a planned yellow fever vaccination campaign in Delta was brought forward, starting on 10 November. Nigeria had been reporting suspected cases of the yellow fever in all 36 states and the federal capital territory since its outbreak in September 2017 and is one of the countries implementing the global eliminate yellow fever epidemics (EYE) strategy. As part of the strategy, Nigeria has developed a 10-year strategic plan for the elimination of yellow fever epidemics. Through this strategy, the country plans to vaccinate at least 80% of the target population in all states by 2026. https://www.who.int/health-topics/yellow-feverPrecious, 10, is treated for malaria and symptoms of what appears to be yellow fever at the central hospital in Owa-Alero. The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and health authorities in the states of Delta and Enugu to respond to an outbreak of yellow fever that was confirmed in early November 2020. WHO and partners are assisting with case investigation, case management and community engagement, among other activities. In addition, in response to this outbreak a planned yellow fever vaccination campaign in Delta was brought forward, starting on 10 November. Nigeria had been reporting suspected cases of the yellow fever in all 36 states and the federal capital territory since its outbreak in September 2017 and is one of the countries implementing the global eliminate yellow fever epidemics (EYE) strategy. As part of the strategy, Nigeria has developed a 10-year strategic plan for the elimination of yellow fever epidemics. Through this strategy, the country plans to vaccinate at least 80% of the target population in all states by 2026. https://www.who.int/health-topics/yellow-feverPrecious, 10, is treated for malaria and symptoms of what appears to be yellow fever at the central hospital in Owa-Alero. The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and health authorities in the states of Delta and Enugu to respond to an outbreak of yellow fever that was confirmed in early November 2020. WHO and partners are assisting with case investigation, case management and community engagement, among other activities. In addition, in response to this outbreak a planned yellow fever vaccination campaign in Delta was brought forward, starting on 10 November. Nigeria had been reporting suspected cases of the yellow fever in all 36 states and the federal capital territory since its outbreak in September 2017 and is one of the countries implementing the global eliminate yellow fever epidemics (EYE) strategy. As part of the strategy, Nigeria has developed a 10-year strategic plan for the elimination of yellow fever epidemics. Through this strategy, the country plans to vaccinate at least 80% of the target population in all states by 2026. https://www.who.int/health-topics/yellow-fever
  • BULGARIA: HIV self-testing - November 2020 (20)
    Teodor poses for a portrait at his home in the Busmantsi suburb of Sofia, Bulgaria, on 20 November 2020. Earlier in the summer, after seeing an advertisement from Single Step Foundation about HIV self-testing, Teodor ordered a test to check his HIV status. HIV testing in Bulgaria can be difficult to access. There are 13 free public HIV testing centres run by the Ministry of Health around the country, but since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic these have been shut down. The population groups in Bulgaria who are most vulnerable to HIV infection include gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people. Despite progress in recent years, many MSM and transgender people in Bulgaria are not aware of their HIV status. Single Step Foundation is the first organization to launch HIV self-testing in Bulgaria on a national scale to fill the gap in screening. HIV self-testing is the only option for many who fear stigma and rejection. WHO and partners supported the Single Step Foundation in launching HIV self-testing across the country Since 2016, WHO has recommended that health authorities offer HIV self-testing as a compliment to traditional testing.Teodor poses for a portrait at his home in the Busmantsi suburb of Sofia, Bulgaria, on 20 November 2020. Earlier in the summer, after seeing an advertisement from Single Step Foundation about HIV self-testing, Teodor ordered a test to check his HIV status. HIV testing in Bulgaria can be difficult to access. There are 13 free public HIV testing centres run by the Ministry of Health around the country, but since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic these have been shut down. The population groups in Bulgaria who are most vulnerable to HIV infection include gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people. Despite progress in recent years, many MSM and transgender people in Bulgaria are not aware of their HIV status. Single Step Foundation is the first organization to launch HIV self-testing in Bulgaria on a national scale to fill the gap in screening. HIV self-testing is the only option for many who fear stigma and rejection. WHO and partners supported the Single Step Foundation in launching HIV self-testing across the country Since 2016, WHO has recommended that health authorities offer HIV self-testing as a compliment to traditional testing.Teodor poses for a portrait at his home in the Busmantsi suburb of Sofia, Bulgaria, on 20 November 2020. Earlier in the summer, after seeing an advertisement from Single Step Foundation about HIV self-testing, Teodor ordered a test to check his HIV status. HIV testing in Bulgaria can be difficult to access. There are 13 free public HIV testing centres run by the Ministry of Health around the country, but since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic these have been shut down. The population groups in Bulgaria who are most vulnerable to HIV infection include gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people. Despite progress in recent years, many MSM and transgender people in Bulgaria are not aware of their HIV status. Single Step Foundation is the first organization to launch HIV self-testing in Bulgaria on a national scale to fill the gap in screening. HIV self-testing is the only option for many who fear stigma and rejection. WHO and partners supported the Single Step Foundation in launching HIV self-testing across the country Since 2016, WHO has recommended that health authorities offer HIV self-testing as a compliment to traditional testing.
See also
  • From AFRO Drought and food insecurity in the grea
  • Backslide in childhood vaccination
  • tEST 3

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