WHO has ranked South Africa’s vaccine regulatory system at a functional level of maturity, according to WHO’s global classification system for national medical products regulatory authorities. This recognises that South Africa has a stable, well-functioning and integrated regulatory system to ensure the quality, safety, and effectiveness of vaccines manufactured, imported or distributed in the country.
WHO confirmed the country’s attainment of maturity level three (ML3)—the third of four levels in the WHO’s classification. Maturity level four (ML4) is the highest.
“This achievement affirms South Africa’s trailblazing endeavour in health research. Beyond its technical aspects, this milestone carries real implications for people’s health. We cannot talk about better health care without quality medical supplies,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “This is an important new step not only for South Africa, but for the region towards self-sufficiency in vaccines and medicines.”
“This rapid progress on vaccines regulation is a significant milestone for South Africa, the Southern African region and the continent. It is an important win for vaccine equity, as the country is a major manufacturer of medical products and this regulatory milestone will help maximise the impact of the mRNA vaccine technology hub.” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“We commend the tireless efforts of all those involved in ensuring the integrity and rigour of the health products registration processes. This achievement is testament to the role the regulator has played in ensuring that vaccines that are safe, efficacious and of a high quality are available in South Africa. SAHPRA will continue to be an agile and responsive African health products regulator, whilst working towards the aim of being a globally recognised as an enabler of access to safe, effective and quality health products” said Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) Chief Executive Officer.
In 2019, SAHPRA participated in WHO-supported self-benchmarking of its regulatory system and functions. Between July and August 2021, SAHPRA further refined and enhanced this self-benchmarking with WHO assistance.
In November 2021, WHO completed its benchmarking of SAHPRA, with a team of 19 international experts from 10 countries, which concluded that SAHPRA was required to address several gaps with regards to vaccines regulation. Recommendations were provided in the form of an Institutional Development Plan (IDP) for SAHPRA.
Between November 2021 and August 2022, SAHPRA made major progress in several areas including: staffing, quality management, establishing a framework for renewal of marketing authorization of medical products, and regulatory presence at ports of entry.
In September 2022, a subsequent WHO formal benchmarking mission concluded that SAHPRA had achieved ML3 for vaccines regulation.
SAHPRA is the fourth National Regulatory Authority (NRA) to become a ML3 regulatory authority for vaccines in the WHO African Region alongside Tanzania, Ghana and Nigeria. It is the fifth to achieve this status in the African continent, following Egypt which achieved ML3 for vaccines earlier in 2022. This move to ML3 will significantly contribute to WHO work to build capacity in low- and middle-income countries to produce mRNA vaccines through a centre of excellence and training (the mRNA vaccine technology hub) located in Cape Town, South Africa.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
In a 2019 vector alert, WHO identified the spread of Anopheles stephensi as a significant threat to malaria control and elimination – particularly in Africa, where the disease hits hardest. A new WHO initiative, launched today, aims to stop the further spread of this invasive mosquito species in the region.
Originally native to parts of South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, An. stephensi has been expanding its range over the last decade, with detections reported in Djibouti (2012), Ethiopia and Sudan (2016), Somalia (2019) and Nigeria (2020). Unlike the other main mosquito vectors of malaria in Africa, it thrives in urban settings.
With more than 40% of the population in Africa living in urban environments, the invasion and spread of An. stephensi could pose a significant threat to the control and elimination of malaria in the region. But large-scale surveillance of the vector is still in its infancy, and more research and data are urgently needed.
“We are still learning about the presence of Anopheles stephensi and its role in malaria transmission in Africa,” said Dr Jan Kolaczinski, who leads the Vector Control and Insecticide Resistance unit with the WHO Global Malaria Programme. “It is important to underscore that we still don’t know how far the mosquito species has already spread, and how much of a problem it is or could be.”
WHO’s new initiative aims to support an effective regional response to An. stephensi on the African continent through a five-pronged approach:
increasing collaboration across sectors and border;
strengthening surveillance to determine the extent of the spread of An. stephensi and its role in transmission;
improving information exchange on the presence of An. stephensi and on efforts to control it;
developing guidance for national malaria control programmes on appropriate ways to respond to An. stephensi
prioritizing research to evaluate the impact of interventions and tools against An. stephensi
Where feasible, national responses to An. stephensi should be integrated with efforts to control malaria and other vector-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya. The WHO Global vector control response 2017–2030 provides a framework for investigating and implementing such integration.
“Integrated action will be key to success against Anopheles stephensi and other vector-borne diseases,” noted Dr Ebenezer Baba, malaria advisor for the WHO African Region. “Shifting our focus to integrated and locally adapted vector control can save both money and lives,” he added.
The WHO Malaria Threats Map features a dedicated section on invasive vectors, including An. stephensi. All confirmed reports of the presence of An. stephensi should be reported to WHO to allow an open sharing of data and an up-to-date understanding of its distribution and spread. This knowledge will ultimately provide a basis to assess the effectiveness of any efforts to control or eliminate An. stephensi.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
In a 2019 vector alert, WHO identified the spread of Anopheles stephensi as a significant threat to malaria control and elimination – particularly in Africa, where the disease hits hardest. A new WHO initiative, launched today, aims to stop the further spread of this invasive mosquito species in the region.
Originally native to parts of South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula, An. stephensi has been expanding its range over the last decade, with detections reported in Djibouti (2012), Ethiopia and Sudan (2016), Somalia (2019) and Nigeria (2020). Unlike the other main mosquito vectors of malaria in Africa, it thrives in urban settings.
With more than 40% of the population in Africa living in urban environments, the invasion and spread of An. stephensi could pose a significant threat to the control and elimination of malaria in the region. But large-scale surveillance of the vector is still in its infancy, and more research and data are urgently needed.
“We are still learning about the presence of Anopheles stephensi and its role in malaria transmission in Africa,” said Dr Jan Kolaczinski, who leads the Vector Control and Insecticide Resistance unit with the WHO Global Malaria Programme. “It is important to underscore that we still don’t know how far the mosquito species has already spread, and how much of a problem it is or could be.”
WHO’s new initiative aims to support an effective regional response to An. stephensi on the African continent through a five-pronged approach:
increasing collaboration across sectors and border;
strengthening surveillance to determine the extent of the spread of An. stephensi and its role in transmission;
improving information exchange on the presence of An. stephensi and on efforts to control it;
developing guidance for national malaria control programmes on appropriate ways to respond to An. stephensi
prioritizing research to evaluate the impact of interventions and tools against An. stephensi
Where feasible, national responses to An. stephensi should be integrated with efforts to control malaria and other vector-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, yellow fever and chikungunya. The WHO Global vector control response 2017–2030 provides a framework for investigating and implementing such integration.
“Integrated action will be key to success against Anopheles stephensi and other vector-borne diseases,” noted Dr Ebenezer Baba, malaria advisor for the WHO African Region. “Shifting our focus to integrated and locally adapted vector control can save both money and lives,” he added.
The WHO Malaria Threats Map features a dedicated section on invasive vectors, including An. stephensi. All confirmed reports of the presence of An. stephensi should be reported to WHO to allow an open sharing of data and an up-to-date understanding of its distribution and spread. This knowledge will ultimately provide a basis to assess the effectiveness of any efforts to control or eliminate An. stephensi.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
New global WHO guidelines on mental health at work are reinforced by practical strategies outlined in a joint WHO/ILO policy brief
28 September 2022 Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have called for concrete actions to address mental health concerns in the working population
An estimated 12 billion workdays are lost annually due to depression and anxiety costing the global economy nearly US$ 1 trillion. Two new publications which aim to address this issue are published today - WHO Guidelines on mental health at work and a derivative WHO/ILO policy brief.
WHO’s global guidelines on mental health at work recommend actions to tackle risks to mental health such as heavy workloads, negative behaviours, and other factors that create distress at work. For the first time WHO recommends manager training, to build their capacity to prevent stressful work environments and respond to workers in distress.
WHO’s World Mental Health Report, published in June 2022, showed that of one billion people living with a mental disorder in 2019, 15% of working-age adults experienced a mental disorder. Work amplifies wider societal issues that negatively affect mental health, including discrimination and inequality. Bullying and psychological violence (also known as “mobbing”) is a key complaint of workplace harassment that has a negative impact on mental health. Yet discussing or disclosing mental health remains a taboo in work settings globally.
The guidelines also recommend better ways to accommodate the needs of workers with mental health conditions, propose interventions that support their return to work and, for those with severe mental health conditions, provide interventions that facilitate entry into paid employment. Importantly, the guidelines call for interventions aimed at the protection of health, humanitarian, and emergency workers.
“It’s time to focus on the detrimental effect work can have on our mental health,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The well-being of the individual is reason enough to act, but poor mental health can also have a debilitating impact on a person’s performance and productivity. These new guidelines can help prevent negative work situations and cultures and offer much-needed mental health protection and support for working people.”
A separate WHO/ILO policy brief explains the WHO guidelines in terms of practical strategies for governments, employers and workers, and their organizations, in the public and private sectors. The aim is to support the prevention of mental health risks, protect and promote mental health at work, and support those with mental health conditions, so they can participate and thrive in the world of work. Investment and leadership will be critical to the implementation of the strategies.
“As people spend a large proportion of their lives in work – a safe and healthy working environment is critical. We need to invest to build a culture of prevention around mental health at work, reshape the work environment to stop stigma and social exclusion, and ensure employees with mental health conditions feel protected and supported,” said, Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General.
The ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention (No. 155) and Recommendation (No. 164) provides legal frameworks to protect the health and safety of workers. However, the WHO Mental Health Atlas found that only 35% of countries reported having national programmes for work-related mental health promotion and prevention.
COVID-19 triggered a 25% increase in general anxiety and depression worldwide, exposing how unprepared governments were for its impact on mental health, and revealing a chronic global shortage of mental health resources. In 2020, governments worldwide spent an average of just 2% of health budgets on mental health, with lower-middle income countries investing less than 1%.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
New global WHO guidelines on mental health at work are reinforced by practical strategies outlined in a joint WHO/ILO policy brief
28 September 2022 Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) have called for concrete actions to address mental health concerns in the working population
An estimated 12 billion workdays are lost annually due to depression and anxiety costing the global economy nearly US$ 1 trillion. Two new publications which aim to address this issue are published today - WHO Guidelines on mental health at work and a derivative WHO/ILO policy brief.
WHO’s global guidelines on mental health at work recommend actions to tackle risks to mental health such as heavy workloads, negative behaviours, and other factors that create distress at work. For the first time WHO recommends manager training, to build their capacity to prevent stressful work environments and respond to workers in distress.
WHO’s World Mental Health Report, published in June 2022, showed that of one billion people living with a mental disorder in 2019, 15% of working-age adults experienced a mental disorder. Work amplifies wider societal issues that negatively affect mental health, including discrimination and inequality. Bullying and psychological violence (also known as “mobbing”) is a key complaint of workplace harassment that has a negative impact on mental health. Yet discussing or disclosing mental health remains a taboo in work settings globally.
The guidelines also recommend better ways to accommodate the needs of workers with mental health conditions, propose interventions that support their return to work and, for those with severe mental health conditions, provide interventions that facilitate entry into paid employment. Importantly, the guidelines call for interventions aimed at the protection of health, humanitarian, and emergency workers.
“It’s time to focus on the detrimental effect work can have on our mental health,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The well-being of the individual is reason enough to act, but poor mental health can also have a debilitating impact on a person’s performance and productivity. These new guidelines can help prevent negative work situations and cultures and offer much-needed mental health protection and support for working people.”
A separate WHO/ILO policy brief explains the WHO guidelines in terms of practical strategies for governments, employers and workers, and their organizations, in the public and private sectors. The aim is to support the prevention of mental health risks, protect and promote mental health at work, and support those with mental health conditions, so they can participate and thrive in the world of work. Investment and leadership will be critical to the implementation of the strategies.
“As people spend a large proportion of their lives in work – a safe and healthy working environment is critical. We need to invest to build a culture of prevention around mental health at work, reshape the work environment to stop stigma and social exclusion, and ensure employees with mental health conditions feel protected and supported,” said, Guy Ryder, ILO Director-General.
The ILO Occupational Safety and Health Convention (No. 155) and Recommendation (No. 164) provides legal frameworks to protect the health and safety of workers. However, the WHO Mental Health Atlas found that only 35% of countries reported having national programmes for work-related mental health promotion and prevention.
COVID-19 triggered a 25% increase in general anxiety and depression worldwide, exposing how unprepared governments were for its impact on mental health, and revealing a chronic global shortage of mental health resources. In 2020, governments worldwide spent an average of just 2% of health budgets on mental health, with lower-middle income countries investing less than 1%.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus held the first U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue. Convened under the Biden-Harris Administration, the U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue provides a platform to maximize the longstanding U.S. government-WHO partnership, and to protect and promote the health of all people around the globe, including the American people.
Representatives from across the United States Government and WHO leadership discussed several priority global public health issues and areas of collaboration and partnership, including ongoing WHO strengthening efforts. The U.S. and WHO welcomed the creation of the historic new financial intermediary fund for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, and called on countries to help ensure it is sustainably financed and supported.
As the world looks to emerge stronger from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is clear that we must be better prepared going forward, something highlighted by recent outbreaks of monkeypox, Ebola, and polio. The global health architecture comprises important entities, policies, and legal tools that assist countries to improve national, regional, and global health. An essential aspect of this architecture is the ability to prevent, detect, and respond to pandemics and other health security threats. Secretary Becerra and Director-General Tedros agreed that national and global capacities must be strong, agile, ever improving, and always fit-for-purpose. They discussed efforts underway to improve the global health architecture, to support resilient health systems, and to advance health equity.
The discussion also addressed efforts to develop a new pandemic instrument, strengthening the International Health Regulations (IHR), including through targeted amendments, as well as scaling-up of Universal Health Preparedness Review, including the Joint External Evaluation and other relevant tools, and updating global, regional, and national epidemic and One Health surveillance capabilities. It is also vital to take forward opportunities for advancing health security and primary health care, including by leveraging the extensive global health data infrastructure supported by a number of U.S. Government programs. In promoting rapid and transparent data sharing, and coordination, strengthened IHRs, and a new pandemic instrument can provide important tools to WHO Member States, including the United States, to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to new events with pandemic potential and monitor disease control measures. This reinforcing of global health security is essential to protect the health of the world and the American people.
In addition to strengthening health emergency preparedness and response, the United States and WHO recommitted to strengthening our partnership in key areas for the world to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, progress towards is a quarter of the pace needed. Accelerated progress will require resilient health systems capable of handling future health emergencies, reorienting towards integrated primary health care as a means to achieve universal health coverage, investing in comprehensive health and care workforce development and community engagement, and promoting policies that recognize the links between the environment and health to improve quality of life. Accelerating progress towards the SDGs also requires leveraging progress made in addressing HIV, TB, polio, and malaria, advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights, and empowering marginalized and vulnerable communities in global health. Furthermore, U.S. and WHO leadership also discussed progress made on budgetary and governance reform as well as WHO’s work to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment.
Recognizing there is much more to do together to improve and promote global public health, the United States and the WHO decided to task technical experts with further development of their collaboration in 2023, including a joint work plan with a focus on activities in support of these shared leadership objectives. Secretary Becerra and Director-General Tedros will continue their positive engagement and guide the work of the technical teams with an expected update and reassessment by the next U.S.-WHO Strategic Dialogue to be held in late 2023.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
On 20 September 2022, Uganda health authorities declared an outbreak of Ebola disease, caused by Sudan virus, following laboratory confirmation of a patient from a village in Madudu sub-county, Mubende district, central Uganda.
As of 25 September 2022, a cumulative number of 18 confirmed and 18 probable cases have been reported from Mubende, Kyegegwa and Kassanda districts, including 23 deaths, of which five were among confirmed cases (CFR among confirmed cases 28%). This is the first Ebola disease outbreak caused by Sudan virus (SUDV) in Uganda since 2012.
On 20 September 2022, the health authorities in Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Sudan virus (SUDV), after a case was confirmed in a village of Madudu sub-county in Mubende district, central Uganda.
The case was a 24-year-old male who developed a wide range of symptoms on 11 September including high-grade fever, tonic convulsions, blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea, loss of appetite, pain while swallowing, chest pain, dry cough and bleeding in the eyes. He visited two private clinics, successively between 11-13 and 13-15 September without improvement. He was then referred to the Regional Referral Hospital (RRH) on 15 September where he was isolated as a suspected case of viral haemorrhagic fever. A blood sample was collected on 17 September and sent to the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Kampala where RT- PCR tests conducted were positive for SUDV on 19 September. On the same day, the patient died.
Results of preliminary investigations identified a number of community deaths from an unknown illness in Madudu and Kiruma sub-counties of Mubende district reported in the first two weeks of September. These deaths are now considered to be probable cases of Ebola caused by SUDV.
As of 25 September 2022, a cumulative number of 36 cases (18 confirmed and 18 probable cases) have been reported from Mubende (14 confirmed and 18 probable), Kyegegwa (three confirmed cases) and Kassanda (one confirmed case) districts. Twenty-three deaths have been recorded, of which five were among confirmed cases (CFR among confirmed cases 28%). Of the total confirmed and suspected cases, 62% are female and 38% are male. There are currently 13 confirmed cases hospitalized. The median age of the cases is 26 years (range 1 year to 60 years). A cumulative number of 223 contacts have been listed.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
On 20 September 2022, Uganda health authorities declared an outbreak of Ebola disease, caused by Sudan virus, following laboratory confirmation of a patient from a village in Madudu sub-county, Mubende district, central Uganda.
As of 25 September 2022, a cumulative number of 18 confirmed and 18 probable cases have been reported from Mubende, Kyegegwa and Kassanda districts, including 23 deaths, of which five were among confirmed cases (CFR among confirmed cases 28%). This is the first Ebola disease outbreak caused by Sudan virus (SUDV) in Uganda since 2012.
On 20 September 2022, the health authorities in Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Sudan virus (SUDV), after a case was confirmed in a village of Madudu sub-county in Mubende district, central Uganda.
The case was a 24-year-old male who developed a wide range of symptoms on 11 September including high-grade fever, tonic convulsions, blood-stained vomit and diarrhoea, loss of appetite, pain while swallowing, chest pain, dry cough and bleeding in the eyes. He visited two private clinics, successively between 11-13 and 13-15 September without improvement. He was then referred to the Regional Referral Hospital (RRH) on 15 September where he was isolated as a suspected case of viral haemorrhagic fever. A blood sample was collected on 17 September and sent to the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Kampala where RT- PCR tests conducted were positive for SUDV on 19 September. On the same day, the patient died.
Results of preliminary investigations identified a number of community deaths from an unknown illness in Madudu and Kiruma sub-counties of Mubende district reported in the first two weeks of September. These deaths are now considered to be probable cases of Ebola caused by SUDV.
As of 25 September 2022, a cumulative number of 36 cases (18 confirmed and 18 probable cases) have been reported from Mubende (14 confirmed and 18 probable), Kyegegwa (three confirmed cases) and Kassanda (one confirmed case) districts. Twenty-three deaths have been recorded, of which five were among confirmed cases (CFR among confirmed cases 28%). Of the total confirmed and suspected cases, 62% are female and 38% are male. There are currently 13 confirmed cases hospitalized. The median age of the cases is 26 years (range 1 year to 60 years). A cumulative number of 223 contacts have been listed.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
Warning comes from Norway and South Africa on behalf of the ACT-Accelerator Facilitation Council, as rollout of medical countermeasures and other tools stagnate
Emphasizing the global pandemic is not over, they say coordinated action, funding and political commitments are key to saving lives and preventing economic, health and societal damage from COVID-19
New report from Council’s Diagnostics and Therapeutics Working Group sets out key recommendations for improving access to COVID-19 tests and treatments
As the third UNGA of the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its conclusion, many countries are far from meeting global targets on vaccination coverage, testing rates, and access to treatments and PPE. The co-chairs of the ACT-Accelerator’s Council Tracking and Accelerating Progress working group warn that coordinated action, sustained political will and funding commitments are still needed, to save lives and combat the ongoing threat of COVID-19.
The group – co-chaired by Indonesia and the United States - is responsible for tracking progress toward the global COVID-19 targets for access to vaccines, diagnostics, treatments, and PPE, under the umbrella of the ACT-Accelerator equitable access partnership.
Ahead of several high-level events at the UNGA to take stock of progress, Indonesia’s Tri Tharyat and the United States’ Loyce Pace highlight that while progress is being made, the global threat of COVID-19 is far from over, particularly for high-risk groups in lower-income countries. According to the most recent Global COVID Access Tracker data, around a quarter of those most vulnerable globally still need a primary COVID-19 vaccination series (24% of elderly persons and 26% of health workers).
Indonesian Ambassador Tri Tharyat, Director General for Multilateral Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “Critical funding and political leadership is needed for the roll-out of tests, treatments and vaccines. Funding the ACT-Accelerator will support its work to expand access to life-saving tools, from new oral antivirals to booster vaccine doses, to ensure healthcare workers and those who are most at-risk are protected wherever they live in the world. We must quickly translate vaccines into vaccination. No-one is safe until everyone is safe.”
The Working Group notes with concern:
COVID-19 vaccination rates in low-income countries stand at 19%, compared to almost 75% in high-income countries.
Low income and lower-middle income countries are still far from the 100 tests per 100k population per day target; low-income countries are testing at a rate of just 2/100k population, while lower-middle income countries are at 22/100k population.
The roll-out of new lifesaving COVID-19 treatments including oral antivirals in low and lower-middle income countries remains limited or non-existent.
Equitable access to these COVID-19 countermeasures and preparation for the delivery is critical for countries to integrate the management of the virus into their primary health systems, as part of a longer-term strategy.
Loyce Pace, Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said: “Support for vaccine readiness and uptake are making an important difference to increase COVID-19 vaccine coverage and significantly reduce the number of countries with very low COVID-19 vaccination rates. Primary series coverage in the COVAX AMC 92 countries increased from 28% in January of 2022 to 51% in September. There is still progress to be made in global vaccination rates and lessons for how successful efforts might apply to testing or treatment initiatives at the country level.”
As a report on access to COVID-19 tests and treatments is published today, the co-chairs of the council’s Therapeutics and Diagnostics Working Group, Mustaqeem de Gama of South Africa and Ian Dalton of the United Kingdom, highlight the decline in testing rates and the lack of equitable access to new antiviral treatments for COVID-19. The Working Group report emphasizes that diagnostics and therapeutics, and associated test-to-treat strategies, are fundamental components of pandemic response, both for COVID-19 and future health threats. The report makes sixteen recommendations for action for medium and long-term COVID-19 control, as well as the strengthening of prevention, preparedness and response (PPR).
Mustaqeem De Gama, Director of Legal International Trade at South Africa’s Department of Trade, Industry and Competition said: “The swift, equitable roll-out of vaccines, tests, and treatments is crucial to help countries combat COVID-19. Without adequate testing and sequencing, the world is blind to the evolution of the virus and potential new variants. People in low and middle-income countries continue to die due to a lack of access to antiviral treatments and oxygen. We must push on for equitable access to COVID-19 tools, despite multiple competing priorities.”
Ian Dalton, Senior Head of Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics at the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “As the report shows, investments in diagnostics and therapeutics capacity for COVID-19 pays dividends for future pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. There are action points to be taken forward from the analysis undertaken by the working group, and I hope partners will see it as a springboard for action.”
In the context of these calls to action, a series of high-level events at the UNGA will shine a spotlight on the rollout of COVID-19 tools and the urgent need for action and continued political support to achieve equitable access.
An event hosted by the UN Secretary General on September 23rd will take stock of the global roll out of COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics and treatments, identify priority areas to accelerate equitable access, and seek to mobilize additional political support to effectively end the pandemic this year, by accelerating vaccination rates and implementing test-to-treat strategies everywhere.
A Foreign Ministerial meeting co-chaired by Bangladesh, Botswana, Spain and the USA, as part of the COVID-19 Global Action Plan (GAP) initiative, will take place on the margins of the UNGA. It will focus on maintaining continued political engagement, coordination, and action to end the acute phase of the pandemic, including on vaccine delivery, closing information gaps, supply chain strengthening, support for health workers, access to diagnostics and treatments, and future global health security architecture.
John-Arne Røttingen, Norway’s Ambassador for Global Health, said: “We have made huge collective progress, thanks to the work of countries, ACT-A agencies, financial contributors, civil society and other partners. We call on countries to support meeting the vaccine coverage targets in all countries, as well as rolling out test and treat programs. There is still a funding gap to get this job done and all countries should make fair share contributions to ACT-Accelerator.”
Professor Olive Shisana, President’s Special Advisor on Social Policy, South Africa, said: “The pandemic continues to pose a threat to lives and livelihoods, especially in Africa, where millions of people are still unvaccinated and do not have access to new antiviral treatments. Now is not the time for complacency, but instead time to act together in solidarity, to ensure access for everyone, everywhere.”
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.
Globally, half of all preventable harm in medical care is medication related, a quarter of which is severe or life-threatening. In the lead up to World Patient Safety Day on 17 September 2022, WHO is emphasizing the global burden of medication harm. The elderly population is one of the most at-risk groups of medication harm, especially those taking multiple medications. High rates of medication-related harm are also seen in surgical care, intensive care and emergency medicine.
“Medicines are powerful tools for protecting health. But medicines that are wrongly prescribed, taken incorrectly or are of poor quality, can cause serious harm,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Nobody should be harmed while seeking care.”
Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are one of the main causes of injury and avoidable harm in health-care systems across the world. The global cost associated with medication errors has been estimated at US$42 billion annually. Medication errors happen due to systemic issues and/or human factors such as fatigue, poor environmental conditions or staff shortages which affect prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administration and monitoring practices. These errors can result in severe harm, disability and even death.
World Patient Safety Day aims to increase understanding among and engagement of the public and encourage countries to promote safety in health care. This year has a particular focus on medication safety with the slogan ‘Medication Without Harm’. The campaign will also see the consolidation of the ongoing WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm, with the aim of reducing avoidable medication-related harm globally.
WHO is advocating for urgent improvement in strategies to reduce medication-related harm in key risk areas. Furthermore, it is working with partners to develop a set of medication safety technical resources, including a policy brief and medication safety solutions such as medication safety for look-alike sound-alike (LASA) medicines. LASA medicines may look or sound similar to each other, either by their generic name, or brand name. They might have similar packaging, similar-sounding names, or similar spellings.
Flaws in the systems for prescription are a big contributor to medication-related harm, alongside human error. Evidence has shown that more than half of all medication harm occurs at the stage when medicines are prescribed and when they are being taken by patients due to inadequate monitoring. The highest risk category for medication-related harm is antibiotics, but medicines such as sedatives, anti-inflammatories and heart and blood pressure medication also pose significant risks.
WHO is calling on stakeholders to continue efforts to reduce medication-related harm, develop strategies and structures to improve medication safety at local, national, regional and global levels, and make a pledge to adopt the Medication Without Harm Challenge.
The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.