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Showing posts with the label global health

#Cholera – Multi-country with a focus on countries experiencing current surges (#WHO D.O.N., August 29 '25)

  {Summary} Situation at a glance The global cholera situation continues to deteriorate , driven by conflict and poverty, posing a significant public health challenge across multiple WHO regions.  Between 1 January and 17 August 2025, a total of 409 222 cholera/Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) cases and 4738 deaths were reported globally, from 31 countries , with six of the 31 countries reporting case fatality rates above 1%, indicating serious gaps in case management and delayed access to care.  Cholera is resurging in a number of countries , including some that had not reported substantial case numbers in years, like Chad and the Republic of Congo , while other countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo , South Sudan , and Sudan , are experiencing outbreaks that are continuing from 2024, with significant geographic expansion. This complicates containment efforts and strains fragile health systems.  Conflict, mass displacement, disasters from natural hazard...

#Mpox Multi-country external #situation #report no. 57 published 28 August 2025 (#WHO, summary)

  Highlights     • All clades of monkeypox virus (MPXV) continue to circulate in several countries.  - When mpox outbreaks are not rapidly contained and human-to-human transmission is not interrupted, they continue to pose a risk of sustained community transmission .  - Since the last edition of this report , one country, Senegal , has reported mpox for the first time . Efforts to identify the clade are underway.  • Furthermore, TĂ¼rkiye has reported cases of mpox due to clade Ib MPXV for the first time and the Democratic Republic of Congo has reported its first cases of mpox due to clade IIb MPXV.   • In July 2025, 47 countries in five (out of six) WHO regions reported a total of 3924 confirmed cases , including 30 deaths (case fatality ratio [CFR] 0.8% ).  - The South-East Asian and Western Pacific regions reported an increase in cases in July 2025, while the African Region, European Region and the Region of the Americas reported a decrease....

#Mpox - Multi-country external #situation #report no. 56 published 31 July 2025 (#WHO, edited)

  {Excerpt} Highlights -- All clades of monkeypox virus (MPXV) continue to circulate in several countries.  - When mpox outbreaks are not rapidly contained and human-to-human transmission is not interrupted, they continue to pose a risk of sustained community transmission .   -- Since the last edition of this report, one new country, the Gambia , has reported an mpox case for the first time.  - Genomic sequencing analysis has identified clade IIb MPXV.  -- Furthermore, Mozambique, has reported cases of mpox due to clade Ib MPXV for the first time.   -- Twenty-one countries in Africa have reported ongoing mpox transmission in the past six weeks.  - Clade IIb MPXV continues to be reported in West Africa, while Central African countries report both clade Ia and clade Ib MPXV, and East African countries report clade Ib MPXV.  -- The recent overall downward trend of confirmed cases across the continent is driven by the decline in cases in Sie...

#Statement of the 42nd #meeting of #Polio #IHR #Emergency Committee (#WHO, July 29 '25)

{Excerpts} The Forty-second meeting of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) on the international spread of poliovirus was convened by the WHO Director-General on 18 June 2025 with committee members and advisers meeting via video conference with affected countries, supported by the WHO Secretariat.   The Emergency Committee reviewed the data on wild poliovirus ( WPV1 ) and circulating vaccine derived polioviruses ( cVDPV ) in the context of the global target of interruption and certification of WPV1 eradication by 2027 and interruption and certification of cVDPV2 elimination by 2029.  Technical updates were received about the situation in the following countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Nigeria, Pakistan , and Papua New Guinea . (...) Conclusion The Committee unanimously agreed that the risk of international spread of poliovirus continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) a...

#Influenza at the #human - #animal #interface - #Summary and #risk #assessment, from 28 May to 1 July 2025 (#WHO)

  New human cases {2}:  -- From 28 May to 1 July 2025 , based on reporting date, the detection of influenza A( H5N1 ) in nine humans , influenza A( H9N2 ) in three humans and influenza A( H10N3 ) in one human were reported officially. Additionally, one human case of infection with an influenza A(H5N1) virus was detected.  Circulation of influenza viruses with zoonotic potential in animals :  -- High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) events in poultry and non-poultry continue to be reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).{3} The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) also provides a global update on avian influenza viruses with pandemic potential.{4}  Risk assessment {5}:  -- Sustained human to human transmission has not been reported from these events.  -- Based on information available at the time of the risk assessment, the overall public health risk from currently known influenza viruses circulating at t...

#Risk #Assessment #Report using #TIPRA - 2nd edition For Avian #influenza clade 2.3.4.4b #H5N1 #B313 viruses - Executive Summary (#WHO)

{Excerpt} 1. Background   A risk assessment exercise using the Tool for Influenza Pandemic Risk Assessment ( TIPRA ) was conducted for Clade 2.3.4.4b A(H5N1) genotype B3.13 virus in Aug – Oct 2024 .   From late 2023, unexplained illnesses were reported in dairy cattle across multiple states in the United States .  Following those events , detection of avian influenza A(H5N1) in dairy cattle from Texas was confirmed on 25 March 2024.  As of 9 December 2024 , the virus has been detected in 720 dairy cattle herds across 15 states, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), with a total of 47 human infections from poultry and dairy cattle sources, excluding 11 human cases from Washington state , that might belong to genotype D1.1, also reported.  Wild and domestic animals (e.g., cats, raccoons) near infected herds have been affected as well.  The outbreak remains uncontrolled .  Due to the unprecedented spread of the virus among ...

Considerations for use of avian #influenza #H5 #vaccines during the #interpandemic and emergence periods

Report of a WHO virtual scientific consultation, September 2024 © World Health Organization 2025 Some rights reserved. This work is available under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo ).   Executive summary   Avian influenza viruses – particularly A(H5) – pose a significant risk for potential pandemics as they can infect humans and other mammals .  The high mutation rate of influenza viruses raises concerns about their potential to adapt for efficient human-to-human transmission .  Influenza vaccines are crucial tools in mitigating the impact of influenza epidemics and pandemics.  Given the global circulation of A(H5) viruses – especially the spillover to dairy cattle since early 2024 – and the rapidly evolving vaccine landscape, the World Health Organization (WHO) held a virtual scientific consultation on 12–13 September 2024 to review:  --...

#Mpox Multi-country, external #situation #report no. 55 published 11 July 2025 (#WHO, Summary)

  Highlights • All clades of monkeypox virus (MPXV) continue to circulate in several countries. When mpox outbreaks are not rapidly contained and human-to-human transmission is not interrupted , they continue to pose a risk of sustained community transmission .   • Since the last edition of this report, no new countries have reported cases of clade Ib MPXV for the first time.   • Nineteen countries in Africa have reported ongoing mpox transmission in the past six weeks. Clade IIb MPXV continues to be reported in West Africa , while Central African countries report both clade Ia and clade Ib MPXV, and East African countries report clade Ib MPXV .  • The recent overall downward trend of confirmed cases across the continent is driven by the decrease in cases in Sierra Leone , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and some reporting delays. Challenges with access to testing continue in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.   • An upward trend has bee...

Fourth #meeting of #IHR (2005) Emergency #Committee regarding the upsurge of #mpox 2024 (#WHO, July 10 '25)

  {Summary} The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) is hereby transmitting the report of the fourth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee (Committee) regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024 , held on Thursday, 5 June 2025, from 12:00 to 17:00 CEST. Concurring with the advice unanimously expressed by the Committee during the meeting, the WHO Director-General determined that the upsurge of mpox 2024 continues to meet the criteria of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and, accordingly, on 9 June 2025, issued temporary recommendations to States Parties, available here.   The WHO Director-General expresses his most sincere gratitude to the Chair, Members, and Advisors of the Committee. (...) Source: World Health Organization,  https://www.who.int/news/item/10-07-2025-fourth-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-upsurge-of-mpox-2024 ____

4th #meeting of #IHR (2005) Emergency #Committee regarding upsurge of #mpox 2024 – Temporary #recommendations (#WHO, June 9 '25)

Fourth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024 – Temporary recommendations The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), following the fourth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR)   Emergency Committee regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024 , held on 5 June 2025, from 12:00 to 17:00 CEST, concurs with its advice that the event continues to meet the criteria of a public health emergency of international concern and, considering the advice of the Committee, he is hereby issuing a revised set of temporary recommendations. The WHO Director-General expresses his most sincere gratitude to the Chair, Members, and Advisors of the Committee. The proceeding of the fourth meeting of the Committee will be shared with States Parties to the IHR and published in the coming days. Temporary recommendations These temporary recommendations   are issued to  States Parties   experienci...

#COVID19 - Global #Situation (#WHO, D.O.N., June 28 '25)

  Situation at a glance Since mid-February 2025, according to data available from sentinel sites, global SARS-CoV-2 activity has been increasing, with the test positivity rate reaching 11%, levels that have not been observed since July 2024.  This rise is primarily observed in countries in the Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific regions .  Since early 2025 , global SARS-CoV-2 variant trends have slightly shifted. Circulation of LP.8.1 has been declining, and reporting of NB.1.8.1, a Variant Under Monitoring (VUM), is increasing , reaching 10.7% of global sequences reported as of mid-May.  Recent increases in SARS-CoV-2 activity are broadly consistent with levels observed during the same period last year, however, there still lacks a clear seasonality in SARS-CoV-2 circulation, and surveillance is limited.  Continued monitoring is essential . WHO advises all Member States to continue applying a risk-based, integrated approach to managing C...