Thread by @WHO

LIVE: Media briefing on global health issues with @DrTedros twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

"Last night I returned from the #WHS2022 in Berlin, 🇩🇪, which this year WHO co-hosted. I was very encouraged to see the level of commitment from leaders from government, civil society, academia & the private sector for addressing the most pressing health challenges"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "There was strong support for the international #PandemicAccord, which countries are now negotiating.

And yesterday, governments and philanthropic donors collectively committed 2.6 billion U.S. dollars to work toward ending polio"-@DrTedros #WHS2022

https://twitter.com/DrTedros/status/1582417867676745729?s=20&t=Jdek74G6hBFN2KCcLJbnmw

@DrTedros "In total there have now been 60 confirmed and 20 probable #Ebola cases [in #Uganda], with 44 deaths, and 25 people have recovered. We remain concerned that there may be more chains of transmission and more contacts than we know about in the affected communities"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros "@MinofHealthUG is investigating the most recent 8 #Ebola cases, as initial reports indicate they weren't among known contacts. In addition, 2 confirmed cases from the Mubende district sought care in the capital Kampala, increasing the risks of transmission in the city"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG "I’m pleased to see that the government has recognised that risk. WHO and our partners are continuing to support the Government of #Uganda to contain the outbreak and prevent it from spreading in more regions and countries"-@DrTedros #Ebola

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1582726252284497920?s=20&t=oG4JO-A5nvdgYFUfsYpfYQ

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG "Around the world, 29 countries have reported #cholera outbreaks this year, including 13 countries that did not have outbreaks last year. Cholera is highly dangerous and can kill within a day, but it can be prevented with two doses of safe and effective oral vaccines"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG "Since 2013, WHO, @UNICEF, @MSF and @ifrc have jointly managed a global stockpile of #cholera vaccines to help control epidemics. However, the current wave of outbreaks is putting unprecedented pressure on the stockpile"-@DrTedros bit.ly/choleravaccines

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG @UNICEF @MSF @ifrc "As a result, the four agencies have decided to suspend the two-dose strategy in favour of a one-dose strategy so that more people receive some protection from limited stocks"-@DrTedros #cholera bit.ly/choleravaccines

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG @UNICEF @MSF @ifrc "The one-dose strategy has proven effective in previous #cholera outbreaks, although evidence on how long protection lasts is limited"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1582727313334366209?s=20&t=oG4JO-A5nvdgYFUfsYpfYQ

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG @UNICEF @MSF @ifrc "However, this is clearly less than ideal and rationing must only be a temporary solution. In the long-term we need a plan to scale up vaccine production as part of a holistic strategy to prevent and stop #cholera outbreaks"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1582727436412018709?s=20&t=oG4JO-A5nvdgYFUfsYpfYQ

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG @UNICEF @MSF @ifrc "In addition, the best way to prevent #cholera outbreaks to ensure people have access to safe water and sanitation"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG @UNICEF @MSF @ifrc "Last week, the Emergency Committee on #COVID19 met to discuss the global situation and the way forward. The committee’s view is that COVID-19 remains a public health emergency of international concern, and I agree"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG @UNICEF @MSF @ifrc "The committee emphasised the need to strengthen surveillance and expand access to tests, treatments and vaccines for those most at-risk, and for all countries to update their national preparedness and response plans"-@DrTedros #COVID19

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG @UNICEF @MSF @ifrc "While the global situation has obviously improved since the #COVID19 pandemic began, the virus continues to change, and there remain many risks and uncertainties. This pandemic has surprised us before and very well could again"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG @UNICEF @MSF @ifrc "On #monkeypox, the Emergency Committee will meet tomorrow to discuss the outbreak and make recommendations"-@DrTedros

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG @UNICEF @MSF @ifrc "The number of reported #monkeypox cases globally has now dropped for eight weeks in a row, but as with #COVID19, risks and uncertainties remain, and some countries are still seeing increasing transmission"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/WHO/status/1582728102014509060?s=20&t=oG4JO-A5nvdgYFUfsYpfYQ

@DrTedros @MinofHealthUG @UNICEF @MSF @ifrc "Earlier this week, the Secretary-General @antonioguterres said “the situation in Ethiopia is spiralling out of control. The social fabric is being ripped apart & civilians are paying a horrific price. Hostilities in Tigray must end now”"-@DrTedros

https://twitter.com/antonioguterres/status/1582082186337202176?s=20&t=Jdek74G6hBFN2KCcLJbnmw

"The @UNHumanRights Office has received reports of civilian casualties and destruction of civilian objects due to airstrikes and artillery strikes. Indiscriminate attacks or attacks that deliberately target civilians or civilian objects amount to war crimes"-@DrTedros #Tigray

@UNHumanRights @DrTedros "There's no other situation globally in which 6 million people have been kept under siege for almost 2 years. Banking, fuel, food, electricity and health care are being used as weapons of war. Even people who have money are starving because they can’t access it"-@DrTedros #Tigray

@UNHumanRights @DrTedros "Children are dying every day from malnutrition. There are no services for tuberculosis, HIV, diabetes, hypertension and more – those diseases, which are treatable elsewhere, are now a death sentence in #Tigray"-@DrTedros

@UNHumanRights @DrTedros "Yes, I’m from #Tigray, and yes, this affects me personally. I don’t pretend it doesn’t. I have many relatives in some of the most affected areas. But my job is to draw the world’s attention to crises that threaten the health of people wherever they are"-@DrTedros

@UNHumanRights @DrTedros "This is a health crisis for 6 million people, and the world is not paying enough attention. I urge the international community and the media to give this crisis the attention it deserves. There is a very narrow window now to prevent genocide"-@DrTedros #Tigray