@DrTedros "The story of Henrietta Lacks and her @LacksFamily has been told in different ways by different people. Many sought to hide or alter things about her: her race; her name; her identity"-@DrTedros
"What happened to Henrietta was wrong, for at least three reasons.
1️⃣ she lived in a time when racial discrimination was legal in her society. Racial discrimination may no longer be legal most countries, but it is still widespread in many countries"-@DrTedros
"2️⃣ Henrietta Lacks was exploited. She is one of many women of colour whose bodies have been misused by science. She placed her trust in the health system so she could receive treatment. But the system took something from her without her knowledge or consent"-@DrTedros
"3️⃣ the medical technologies that were developed from this injustice have been used to perpetuate further injustice, because they have not been shared equitably around the world"-@DrTedros
"Henrietta’s cells were foundational in the development of #HPV vaccines that can eliminate the same cancer that took her life. But in countries with the highest burden of cervical cancer, those vaccines are not available in sufficient doses"-@DrTedros#cervicalcancer
"Likewise, although her cells have been used in #COVID19 research, the tools to stop the disease are not being shared enough with low-and-middle-income countries. Nor are many other life-saving innovations developed with Henrietta’s miraculous #HeLacells"-@DrTedros
"Many people have benefited from those #HeLaCells – fortunes have been made, science has advanced, Nobel Prizes have been won and most importantly, many lives have been saved. No doubt Henrietta would have been pleased that her suffering has saved others"-@DrTedros
"But the end does not justify the means. All it would have taken was for someone to do her the honour of asking. In honouring Henrietta Lacks today, WHO acknowledges the importance of reckoning with past injustices, and advancing racial equity in health and science"-@DrTedros
"Acknowledging the wrongs of the past is essential for building trust for the future. We also recognize the extraordinary potential that her legacy continues to offer. There are many more lives we can save by working for racial justice and equity"-@DrTedros
@DrTedros "We stand in solidarity with marginalized patients and communities all over the world who are not consulted, engaged or empowered in their own care. We affirm that in medicine and in science, #BlackLivesMatter. Henrietta Lacks’s life mattered, and still matters"-@DrTedros
"Today is also an opportunity to recognize those women of colour who have made incredible – but often unseen – contributions to medical science"-@DrTedros
@DrTedros "It is therefore my great honour to present the Director-General’s Award posthumously to Henrietta Lacks. I invite her son, Mr Lawrence Lacks, and her great granddaughter, Victoria Baptiste, to receive it on her behalf"-@DrTedros
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The leading causes of reduced eyesight are
👁️Refractive errors
👁️Cataract
👁️Age-related macular degeneration
👁️Glaucoma
👁️Diabetic retinopathy
👁️Corneal opacity
While most people with vision impairment are over the age of 50, vision loss can affect people of all ages.
Take care of your eyes. Get regular eye checks!
Thank you, Henrietta Lacks!
Today @DrTedros honoured Henrietta Lacks posthumously with a WHO Director-General’s award, acknowledging her story - one of inequity - and recognizing her world-changing legacy to science and health bit.ly/ThankYouHenrie…
Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer, 70 years ago, on 4 October 1951.
Taken without her consent, her cells have allowed incalculable scientific breakthroughs such as HPV & polio vaccines and #COVID19 research bit.ly/ThankYouHenrie…
Henrietta Lacks' cells, also known as #HeLaCells, became the first “immortal” cell line, allowing numerous scientific breakthroughs.
Shockingly, the global scientific community once hid her race & true story from the world, a historic wrong that today’s recognition seeks to heal.
@DrTedros "The number of weekly reported deaths from #COVID19 continues to decline, and is now at the lowest level in almost a year. But it’s still an unacceptably high level – almost 50,000 deaths a week, and the real number is certainly higher"-@DrTedros
@DrTedros "Deaths are declining in every region except @WHO_Europe, where several countries are facing fresh waves of cases and deaths. And of course, deaths are highest in the countries and populations with the least access to #COVID19 vaccines"-@DrTedros
🆕 WHO Announces Proposed Members of its Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) ➡️ bit.ly/3lC82QB
The 26 proposed SAGO members have expertise in a range of areas:
-epidemiology
-animal health
-ecology
-clinical medicine
-virology
-genomics
-molecular epidemiology
-molecular biology
-biology
-food safety
-biosafety
-biosecurity
-public health bit.ly/3iUL4CM
The composition of the SAGO reflects geographic and gender diversity. The final membership to the SAGO is subject to the public consultation period and relevant WHO practices and procedures. bit.ly/3iUL4CM
It's International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
To better respond to emergencies countries must:
✅ invest in health care systems
✅ achieve gender equity
✅ protect marginalised groups
✅ ensure ready & equitable access to supplies
A strong & resilient health system is 🔑
#COVID19 has shown how health emergencies and disasters affect entire communities – especially those with weak health systems, and vulnerable populations like migrants, indigenous peoples, and those living in fragile humanitarian conditions.
It's International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
#OpenWHO has launched a multi-tiered core curriculum to help equip you with the competencies needed to work within public health emergency response.