"I am pleased to be joined by Dr Gro Brundtland and Mr @Elhadj_As_Sy, two heavyweights of public health who now co-chair the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board @TheGPMB"-@DrTedros
"Since the turn of the Millennium, SARS, MERS, H1N1, Zika and Ebola have all demonstrated the increasing occurrences of viruses making the zoonotic leap from animals to humans."-@DrTedros
"The preparedness board was set up two years ago by the WHO and the @WorldBank to break the cycle of panic and neglect, which we’ve seen through multiple disease outbreaks. "-@DrTedros
"There has been a recurring pattern of money being thrown at outbreaks when they’re already in full flow but then funds no longer being available to prevent the next outbreak."-@DrTedros
"Reviews and reports are only as good as the recommendations that are implemented. #COVID19 has shown that collectively, the world was woefully under prepared."-@DrTedros
"But with humility and togetherness we can plan for the long term, and invest in health and preparedness. This isn’t charity, it’s an investment in our collective future."
-@DrTedros
"In this new report, @theGPMB lays out the key lessons the world must learn from the #COVID19 pandemic and the concrete actions we can take to protect ourselves."
-@DrTedros
"Let’s ensure the recommendations are taken seriously and together our early warning and surveillance systems are improved so that we quickly and effectively curb outbreaks."-@DrTedros
"This #COVID19 pandemic has shown that whether countries are rich or poor, health systems can be completely overwhelmed and essential services can break down."
-@DrTedros
"On 13 January, #Thailand🇹🇭 was the first country outside of China to record a case of the disease.
Thailand’s experience with SARS and H5N1 – combined with a strong public health and surveillance system – gave them the “muscle memory” to respond quickly to #COVID19."-@DrTedros
"Leadership across government and public engagement supported by a million community health workers helped swiftly scale up an effective track and trace system."
-@DrTedros
"This empowered the country to suppress the virus as citizens played their part in breaking the chains of transmission. WHO recently shared a video outlining Thailand’s response."-@DrTedros
"Developing “muscle memory’, like #Thailand🇹🇭 did from previous outbreaks, is key to pandemic response and now we need the whole world to strengthen preparedness."-@DrTedros
"From endless warnings about the world being under-prepared, all countries need to dig in together and invest to ensure a pandemic of this magnitude and severity never happens again."-@DrTedros
"In a world that is heating up and where intensified human activity is shrinking wild spaces, the likelihood of spillover of a novel pathogen from animals to humans is increasing."-@DrTedros
"We know for certain that there will be future novel viruses and another so called disease X.
But we also have the tools and know that the only way confront these global threats is as a global community, united in solidarity and committed to long-term cooperation."-@DrTedros
"As some countries start to open up we see cases and deaths starting to spike and concerns about potential lack of hospital capacity."-@DrTedros
"This is a critical moment for countries and we ask leaders to put targeted measures in place that we know can suppress the spread and ensure that health systems and workers are protected."-@DrTedros
"For people also, we ask you to continue to do the basics.
-Physical distancing
-Hand washing
-#WearAMask
-Coughing & sneezing safely away from others
-Avoiding crowds
-Keeping windows & doors open when you can’t meet friends and family outside.
Do it all!"
"I want to thank the #UnitedKingdom🇬🇧, #Egypt🇪🇬 and #Indonesia🇮🇩 for announcing that they will be joining COVAX. My thanks to other countries who are making commitments ahead of the deadline."-@DrTedros
"On behalf of WHO and our co-conveners the @WorldBank Bank, I would like to thank the co-Chairs and Board members for this report and for their recommendations."-@DrTedros
LIVE: @DrTedros' briefing on the health situation in #Gaza to the @UN Security Council twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…
"Let me be clear from the outset that I fully understand the anger, grief and fear of the Israeli people following the horrific, barbaric and unjustifiable attacks by Hamas and other armed groups on Israeli civilians on the 7th of October.
The killing of 1,400 people, and injuries to more than 7,200 others, is bad enough. For the survivors and families of victims, the mental health consequences will endure for a long time to come.
WHO is gravely concerned for the health and well-being of Israeli hostages in Gaza, many of whom are older people, children and those with urgent medical needs"-@DrTedros
@DrTedros @UN "Two weeks ago, I spoke with families of hostages, and I will meet them in Geneva next week. I feel their heartache and fear"-@DrTedros
Media briefing on the health situation in Gaza and Israel, and other global health issues with @DrTedros twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…
"We are running out of words to describe the horror unfolding in Gaza.
Since Hamas’s horrific attacks on Israel on the 7th of October, more than 10,000 people have been killed, including over 8,500 in Gaza and 1400 in Israel. In both Israel and Gaza, 70% of those killed are women and children"-@DrTedros
"More than 21,000 are injured and more than 1.4 million people in Gaza have been displaced.
The situation on the ground, in Gaza, is indescribable.
Hospitals crammed with the injured, lying in corridors;
Morgues overflowing;
Doctors performing surgery without anaesthesia;
Thousands of people seeking shelter from the bombardment;
Families crammed into overcrowded schools, desperate for food and water;
Toilets overflowing and the risk of disease outbreaks spreading;
And everywhere, fear, death, destruction, loss"-@DrTedros
#TraditionalMedicine has been at the frontiers of medicine & science laying the foundation for conventional medical texts.
#DYK: Nearly 40% of pharmaceutical products have a natural product base, incl.:
💊aspirin
💊artemisinin
💊contraceptive pills
💊childhood cancer treatments
In 1969, Tu Youyou was tasked to search for antimalarial drugs. She turned to ancient Chinese #TraditionalMedicine books & discovered artemisinin. In 2015, Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work on #malaria, which has saved millions of lives.
https://t.co/hqqn1D2idWbit.ly/47s1wlj
Derived from wild Mexican yam, norethindrone is one of the first active ingredients in birth control pills.
When Dr Luis Miramontes stabilised the synthetic hormone, norethindrone, he was unaware of his major contribution to women’s health and history.
📌 https://t.co/MbSbU8fHnfbit.ly/47s1wlj
Studies worldwide have shown that it protects the health of young people. It also helps… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
FACT: Comprehensive sexuality education is associated with later sexual activity and reduced risk-taking.
Evidence shows that young people are more likely to delay having sex – and if they do have sex, practice safer sex - when they are better informed about sexual health and… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
FACT: Talking about sexuality does not necessarily mean talking about having sex.
For younger age-groups, sexuality education helps children:
💟 Learn about their bodies
💟 Recognize their feelings and emotions
💟 Identify different types of relationships, such as families &… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
🔥 🚒 #ClimateChange makes it more likely for droughts & wildfires to happen. Wildfires contributes to increased air pollution & can cause death & injury from suffocation, burns & smoke inhalation.
🔥💨 Burning fossil fuels drives #ClimateChange and causes air pollution that leads to lung cancer, stroke and heart disease. #AirPollution causes 1⃣3⃣ deaths per minute worldwide.
In adults, ischaemic heart disease and stroke are the most common causes of premature death attributable to outdoor #AirPollution. Other effects include #diabetes and neurodegenerative conditions.