A: Yes. Vaccination against COVID-19 helps protect both you & your baby from illness. COVID-19 during pregnancy puts moms at higher risk of becoming severely ill and increases the likelihood of preterm birth
Q: What is known about the safety of #COVID19 vaccines during pregnancy?
A: Pregnant women in many countries around the world have now received COVID-19 vaccines and no safety concerns have been identified related to their pregnancies or the health of their babies.
Q: Can I get infected with #COVID19 from getting the vaccine?
A: None of the WHO-approved COVID-19 vaccines contain the live virus that causes COVID-19. This means that the vaccines cannot cause infection in either pregnant women or their babies.
Q: Can women who are trying to become pregnant receive #COVID19 vaccines?
A: Yes. Getting vaccinated beforehand is an important way for women to protect themselves and their future babies from COVID-19. There are no documented impacts of vaccination on fertility outcomes.
For those trying to conceive, studies show rates of becoming pregnant were the same for couples who did and didn’t receive the #COVID19 vaccine bit.ly/3rP5CBb
Q: Should pregnant women be prioritized for #COVID19 vaccination?
A: Yes. Pregnant women in all countries should have access to lifesaving #COVID19 vaccines, given the higher risks they face if they are infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Today is International #ChildhoodCancer Day. #Cancer is a leading cause of death for children and adolescents. Each year, an estimated 400,000 children and adolescents of 0-19 years old develop cancer bit.ly/2NeFF8B
The most common types of #ChildhoodCancers include:
🔸 leukemias
🔸 brain cancers
🔸 lymphomas
🔸 solid tumours, such as neuroblastoma & Wilms tumours bit.ly/2NeFF8B
Most #ChildhoodCancers can be cured with generic medicines & other forms of treatment, including surgery and radiotherapy.
Attention to physical and cognitive growth and nutrition are also important bit.ly/2NeFF8B
#Epilepsy is a chronic noncommunicable disease of the brain that affects around 5⃣0⃣ million people, making it one of the most common neurological diseases globally.
WHO added tocilizumab, a monoclonal antibody, to its list of prequalified treatments for #COVID19.
To date, six COVID-19 treatments have been prequalified by WHO, including the three presentations of the product prequalified today. More info 👉bit.ly/360TTqR
Tocilizumab given intravenously has been shown in clinical studies to prevent death in certain patients with #COVID19 and reduce patients’ time in hospital.
WHO recommends tocilizumab only for patients diagnosed with severe or critical #COVID19. It should be administered by a healthcare worker in a monitored clinical setting.
"Two years ago, as the 🌎 was still coming to grips with the spread of a new coronavirus, WHO did what only WHO can do – we convened hundreds of scientists from around the world to identify the most urgent priorities in R&D. Among them was the development of vaccines."-@DrTedros
"Tomorrow marks the second anniversary of that first meeting.
It’s incredible to think that within a year of that meeting, the first vaccines were approved, and just two years later, more than 10 billion doses have been administered globally."-@DrTedros
WHO’s global mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in #SouthAfrica is building self-reliance & provides a one stop shop for low- & middle-income countries to benefit from the technology transferred & know-how to produce mRNA vaccines bit.ly/3GEI4TT
#COVID19 has demonstrated the importance of investments in science, technology & innovation.
For most of 2021, limited global vaccine supply led to huge disparities in #COVID19 vaccine access, leaving billions of people – especially in low- & middle-income countries – unprotected
The mRNA hub aim is to develop a training facility where mRNA technology is developed to the scale required for mass production of vaccines; then for that full package of technology to be transferrable to multiple recipients in low- & middle-income countries.
🆕 The latest update for the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) is now online! #ICD11 is a 'common language' for health professionals to share standardized health information around the world.
Learn more bit.ly/3HIYtZ1
The 11th International Classification of Diseases is now fully digital & multilingual with a new user-friendly format & smart coding to reduce the chance of error.
This update reflects input from over 90 countries & unprecedented involvement of health-care providers.
The #ICD11 update includes:
🔹New chapters on addictive disorders
🔹Updated diagnostic recommendations for mental health conditions & digital documentation of #COVID19 certificates
🔹More specific coding for the location & extent of conditions like cancers & fractures