WHO / HEALTH EMERGENCIES

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09-Nov-2022 00:06:56
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General warned today that “the global cholera vaccine stockpile is under huge pressure, with outbreaks in 29 countries around the world.” WHO

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STORY: WHO / HEALTH EMERGENCIES
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SOURCE: WHO
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DATELINE: 09 NOVEMBER 2022, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, exterior WHO Headquarters

09 NOVEMBER 2022, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Wide shot, press room
3. SOUNBITE (English) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO:
“In recent weeks, we have spoken about a surge in cholera outbreaks around the world. The latest country to be affected is Lebanon, which is now suffering a severe outbreak after nearly 30 years without cholera. Since the first case was confirmed just over one month ago, the outbreak has spread across the country. There are now more than 2,700 cases, with 18 deaths. The outbreak reflects the ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon, with poor access to safe water and sanitation services.”
4. Wide shot, press room
5. SOUNBITE (English) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO:
“The global cholera vaccine stockpile is under huge pressure, with outbreaks in 29 countries around the world. To support our response to the outbreak in Lebanon, WHO is appealing for 10.2 million U.S. dollars.”
6. Wide shot, press room
7. SOUNBITE (English) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO:
“Now, to the Ebola outbreak in Uganda.135 confirmed and 21 probable cases of Ebola have now been reported from eight different districts, with 53 confirmed and 21 probable deaths. So far, 62 patients have recovered. The government’s efforts to respond to the outbreak in the district of Mubende, where the outbreak began, appear to be paying off. However, in the past two weeks, the majority of cases have been reported from the capital Kampala, and the district of Kassanda.”
8. Wide shot, press room
9. SOUNBITE (English) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO:
“Our primary focus now is to strengthen contact tracing, community engagement, and infection prevention & control measures. WHO is continuing to support the Government of Uganda in every dimension of the response.”
10. Wide shot, press room
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Ryan, Executive Director, Health Emergencies Programme, WHO:
“In this case, in Uganda, we have a complex epidemic and we're not out of the woods yet. A huge amount of tremendous work has been done on containment, research and others but the response needs to be further optimised.”
12. Wide shot, press room
13. SOUNBITE (English) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO:
“Just over 9,400 COVID-19 deaths were reported to WHO last week – almost 90 percent less than in February of this year, when weekly deaths topped 75,000. We have come a long way, and this is definitely cause for optimism, but we continue to call on all governments, communities and individuals to remain vigilant.”
14. Wide shot, press room
15. SOUNBITE (English) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO:
“Testing and sequencing rates remain low globally, vaccination gaps remain wide, and the continued proliferation of new variants remains concerning. WHO continues to urge caution, and we continue to urge everyone to be fully vaccinated – including getting your next dose if it’s due.”
16. Wide shot, press room
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Maria Van Kerkhove, Technical Lead Covid-19, Health Emergencies Programme, WHO:
“We need to make sure those who are at the highest risk of developing severe disease receive the full number of doses they are required because it saves lives. We also need to be able to use testing appropriately so that patients can get into that clinical care pathway. There are many solutions that can be used right now to reduce the spread and also reduce the impact. But this still remains a priority for WHO, because the emergency of COVID-19 is not over everywhere.”
18. Wide shot, press room
19. SOUNBITE (English) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO:
“The number of weekly cases of monkeypox reported to WHO has declined 80percent from the peak in August, although there was a small rise last week, with 19 countries reporting an increase. This week, WHO signed an agreement with SIGA Technologies, the developer of the antiviral tecovirimat, also known as TPOXX, for a donation of 2,500 treatment courses. In the coming days, WHO will invite low- and middle-income countries to express interest in receiving tecovirimat free of charge.”
20. Wide shot, press room
21. SOUNBITE (English) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO:
“With vaccines, we have eradicated smallpox, pushed polio to the brink, and once-feared diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, measles and meningitis are now easily prevented. And yet according to WHO’s Global Vaccine Market Report, published today, most of the vaccines that are most important for responding to outbreaks of deadly diseases could face supply risks globally.”
22. Wide shot, press room
23. SOUNBITE (English) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO:
“Although manufacturing capacity worldwide has increased, it remains highly concentrated, as the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated. Ten manufacturers provide 70percent of the world’s vaccines. For example, the global supply of the combination vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella is highly dependent on just two manufacturers.”
24. Wide shot, press room
25. SOUNBITE (English) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO:
“WHO is calling on governments around the world to expand research and manufacturing outside its traditional centres; To increase investment in, and oversight of, vaccine manufacturing and distribution, especially for vaccines that are developed with public funds; And to agree on rules to collaborate on sharing vaccines equitably when demand is high and supply is scarce.”
26. Wide shot, press room
27. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Ryan, Executive Director, Health Emergencies Programme, WHO:
“The people in Tigray need immediate, massive, overwhelming assistance now, not drip-drip assistance. As Dr Tedros has said, more than a year, 15, 16 months without any assistance, without any aid. Now it needs to be massive assistance in both food, in health.”
28. Wide shot, press room
29. SOUNDBITE (English) Michael Ryan, Executive Director, Health Emergencies Programme, WHO:
“It must be and has to be an open corridor, in which we don't end up with shutting down, shutting off, turning on, turning off that drip-feed, the people of Tigray right now do not need drip-feed, they need massive, immediate assistance to save life.”

STORYLINE:

The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General warned today (9 Nov) that “the global cholera vaccine stockpile is under huge pressure, with outbreaks in 29 countries around the world.”

Briefing journalists in Geneva on Wednesday (9 Nov), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus informed that “the latest country to be affected is Lebanon, which is now suffering a severe outbreak after nearly 30 years without cholera.”

Since the first case was confirmed just over one month ago, the outbreak has spread across the country. There are now more than 2,700 cases, with 18 deaths.

According to Ghebreyesus, “the outbreak reflects the ongoing economic crisis in Lebanon, with poor access to safe water and sanitation services.”

To support its response to the outbreak in Lebanon, WHO is appealing for 10.2 million US dollars.

In Uganda, there has been 135 confirmed and 21 probable cases of in eight different districts, with 53 confirmed and 21 probable deaths. So far, 62 patients have recovered.

WHO’s chief said that “the government’s efforts to respond to the outbreak in the district of Mubende, where the outbreak began, appear to be paying off.”

However, added Ghebreyesus, “in the past two weeks, the majority of cases have been reported from the capital Kampala, and the district of Kassanda.”

The agency’s Director-General also said that the “primary focus now is to strengthen contact tracing, community engagement, and infection prevention & control measures.”

Michael Ryan, the Executive Director of Health Emergencies Programme at WHO, called the situation in Uganda “a complex epidemic” and said that “a huge amount of tremendous work has been done on containment, research and others but the response needs to be further optimised.”

Sharing an update on COVID-19, Ghebreyesus informed that just over 9,400 deaths were reported to WHO last week, almost 90 percent less than in February of this year, when weekly deaths topped 75,000.

“We have come a long way, and this is definitely cause for optimism, but we continue to call on all governments, communities and individuals to remain vigilant,” said the agency’s chief.

According to Ghebreyesus, “testing and sequencing rates remain low globally, vaccination gaps remain wide, and the continued proliferation of new variants remains concerning.”

WHO, he added, “continues to urge caution, and we continue to urge everyone to be fully vaccinated – including getting your next dose if it’s due.”

The Technical Lead for Covid-19 at the Health Emergencies Programme, Maria Van Kerkhove, said how important it is “to make sure those who are at the highest risk of developing severe disease receive the full number of doses they are required because it saves lives.”

According to Van Kerkhove, “there are many solutions that can be used right now to reduce the spread and also reduce the impact”, but “this still remains a priority for WHO, because the emergency of COVID-19 is not over everywhere.”

On monkeypox, Ghebreyesus said the number of weekly cases reported to WHO has declined 80 percent from the peak in August, although there was a small rise last week, with 19 countries reporting an increase.

He also said that, this week, WHO signed an agreement with SIGA Technologies, the developer of the antiviral tecovirimat, also known as TPOXX, for a donation of 2,500 treatment courses.

In the coming days, Ghebreyesus informed, “WHO will invite low- and middle-income countries to express interest in receiving tecovirimat free of charge.”

The Director-General also informed that, according to WHO’s Global Vaccine Market Report, published today, “most of the vaccines that are most important for responding to outbreaks of deadly diseases could face supply risks globally.”

Ghebreyesus explained that “although manufacturing capacity worldwide has increased, it remains highly concentrated, as the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated.”

According to him, ten manufacturers provide 70 percent of the world’s vaccines. For example, the global supply of the combination vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella is highly dependent on just two manufacturers.

Because of that, he said, “WHO is calling on governments around the world to expand research and manufacturing outside its traditional centres; To increase investment in, and oversight of, vaccine manufacturing and distribution, especially for vaccines that are developed with public funds; And to agree on rules to collaborate on sharing vaccines equitably when demand is high and supply is scarce.”

Michael Ryan offered an update on the situation in Tigray, Ethiopia, said the people there “need immediate, massive, overwhelming assistance now, not drip-drip assistance.”

“It must be and has to be an open corridor, in which we don't end up with shutting down, shutting off, turning on, turning off that drip-feed, the people of Tigray right now do not need drip-feed, they need massive, immediate assistance to save life,” Ryan concluded.
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