11 NOVEMBER2013 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES - WHO has activated an organization-wide mobilization to work closely with the Department of Health, Philippines (DoH) to organize relief efforts for the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan.

The typhoon – locally known as Yolanda – ravaged the central part of the archipelago Friday morning with winds reaching speeds of more than 250 km per hour causing storm surges of up to 5 metres. Many people living in these affected areas were injured and the devastating effects of this typhoon left already vulnerable health facilities damaged or completely destroyed. As a result of the breadth and severity of the storm, health services in the worst affected areas no longer exist or are severely stretched, with medical supplies in very short supply.

"We are working closely with the Philippine Government and local authorities to assess and rapidly address the life-saving needs of the people affected by this typhoon," says Dr Julie Hall, WHO Representative to the Philippines. "WHO has an assessment team on the ground in Bohol, and we are sending teams to Cebu and Tacloban with the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams in support of national response efforts. WHO is flying in more than two dozen health emergency relief experts and emergency health kits for the initial response."

The Government estimates that some 4.5 million people have been affected in the Central Philippines. WHO is mobilizing supplies to assist the Government in providing a coordinated, effective and rapid response:

• An initial shipment of four emergency kits with medicines and supplies to cover basic health needs of 120 000 persons during one month and supplies to perform 400 surgical interventions are being deployed. Four diarrhoeal disease kits with medicines and supplies to treat 3000 cases of acute diarrhoea are also being sent.
• WHO is also supporting the Department of Health (DoH) in strengthening its early warning alert and response network (EWARN) to rapidly detect disease outbreaks and other public health threats related to food and environmental hazards.
• The Government is receiving international assistance such as field hospitals and medical teams, and WHO is working closely with the Government to ensure those supplies and teams go where they are needed most.
• Medical storage spaces have also been damaged, and WHO is working to re-establish logistics bases for new supplies that are arriving.

In the aftermath of the typhoon, reaching the affected areas and people has proven to be a sizeable logistical challenge. The true extent of the death and destruction has yet to be quantified. The super typhoon ripped roofs off houses and uprooted trees, interrupting telecommunications and electricity supplies. Many air- and sea-ports in the affected areas are closed. Until roads are cleared, movement will be difficult in these areas, posing significant logistical challenges to emergency relief operations.

Adding to the complexity of this response, another tropical storm is expected to hit the Philippines later this week. Foreign governments and international aid agencies have already pledged support in the form of air transportation and equipment, but more help is urgently needed to save the lives of the survivors.

WHO's rapid deployment of health experts and supplies to the Philippines has been possible thanks to the financial support for surge capacity provided by numerous international partners, including the European Commission. Due to the magnitude of the disaster, WHO is seeking immediate financial contributions to cover initial response operations. A joint appeal by United Nations and non-governmental organizations will be issued in the coming days.

source: www.who.int

Since a cholera epidemic began in Haiti in 2010, the disease has killed more than 8,300 people in that country. The bacteria that cause cholera may be settling in for good in Haiti, and meanwhile, its swath of destruction appears to be widening to other countries, researchers reported here Sunday (Nov. 3).

United Nations Peacekeepers from Nepal stationed in Haiti appear to have introduced the strain of the bacterium responsible for the epidemic through untreated sewage from their camp. This strain has since begun infecting and killing people in the Dominican Republic, Cuba and most recently, Mexico, health organizations report. Advocates for Haitian cholera victims have said they will sue the United Nations to force the international organization to admit responsibility for the epidemic, The New York Times reported.

The cholera epidemic that surfaced in October 2010 was the first to hit Haiti during modern times, but now appears unlikely to be the last, Dr. Glenn Morris, director of the Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida, said during a presentation on Sunday (Nov. 3).

The cholera bacterium, Vibrio cholera, lives in water, particularly in estuaries or slightly salty aquatic environments. Under the right conditions, such as warm temperatures, these bacteria multiply and infect people who use the water. [7 Devastating Infectious Diseases]

It appears that this strain of cholera may be staying in Haiti permanently, Morris said.

"What we find is the bacteria does appear to be taking up residence within the environment," he said. "That means what we are seeing is not a one-shot thing, but something that will keep happening."

Historical records indicate cholera has been with humans for at least a millennium. The strains circulating now likely originated from a bacterium in Asia's Bay of Bengal region in the 1950s. Since then, the pathogens spread out in three waves, according to research reported in the journal Nature in 2011.

"In many ways, it's a simple disease," Morris said. Cholera causes severe diarrhea, which leads to dangerous dehydration and potentially death. But it is easy to treat. A fluid mixture containing salt and sugar is used to replace 1.5 times the volume of diarrhea, he said.

On Oct. 28, the World Health Organization reported 176 confirmed cases of cholera, including one death in Mexico caused by the strain from Haiti. In Cuba, the Pan American Health Organization has reported 678 confirmed cholera cases, including three deaths, and authorities in the Dominican Republic have reported 31,021 confirmed cases, including 456 deaths.

source: www.huffingtonpost.com

In its new anti-smoking campaign, which will be funded by cigarette tax revenue, the city administration will target students and low-income residents, an official has said.

Starting next year, the city is expected to receive around Rp 400 billion (US$35.2 million) per year in revenue from a cigarette excise tax.

"We are currently discussing and fleshing out the anti-smoking programs, which comprise not only curative but also preventive measures. Most smokers in the capital are low-income residents so we will focus on educating them. We will also target students," Jakarta Health Agency head Dien Emmawati said at City Hall recently.

Even though the agency has yet to elaborate on the details of the education programs, Dien said that her agency would target both active and potential smokers.

"We will work on how to educate non-smokers so they don't start smoking, while at the same time encouraging active smokers to quit the habit. The programs will be carried out through Puskesmas [community health centers] and hospitals," she said.

Dien said that the funds allocated for anti-smoking programs would be distinct from those allocated for financing the city's health care program.

The city set aside Rp 1.2 trillion this year alone to finance its health care program, called the Jakarta Health Card (KJS). It has yet to announce the amount of budget allocated for the KJS program next year.

"We are currently calculating the figures. We want to separate the anti-smoking programs from the KJS so they don't overlap," she said, adding that the agency would work together with the Jakarta Education Agency to deliver the programs to students.

Jakarta Education Agency head Taufik Yudi Mulyanto said that the agency had already banned smoking in schools.

"We didn't only ban smoking for students but also for the teachers," he said.

"We also have banned sponsors and endorsements from tobacco companies for any kind of school activities, even though they're part of CSR [corporate social responsibility] programs," Taufik said.

The agency, however, has said it will support the anti-smoking campaign.

"We will integrate existing programs with the new anti-smoking programs," he said.

The City Council has endorsed the Bylaw on tobacco tax in lieu of law No. 28/2009 on local taxes and levies, the latter of which stipulates a 10 percent cigarette excise tax.

The tax revenue will be proportionally distributed to all 34 provinces based on population.

Jakarta's population constitutes 4 percent of the national population, and on the assumption that national cigarette excise tax revenue is Rp 116 trillion, the city will receive around Rp 400 billion per year.

Meanwhile, calls for restricting cigarette distribution are mounting as the number of smokers in Indonesia has reached an alarming level.

According to the World Health Organization, Indonesia is among third-world countries with the highest number of smokers.

The Health Ministry records there are 61.4 million smokers in Indonesia.

The data also shows that 60 percent of the male population and 4.5 percent of women's population in Indonesia are active smokers.

Meanwhile, the number of passive smokers in the country stood at 97 million people, 43 million of whom were children and 11.4 percent of them were infants.

Tobacco smoking is said to claim 300,000 lives in Indonesia every year

source: www.thejakartapost.com

India may not be able to fully achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ratified by the United Nations with regard to health and nutritional indicators, says a government report.

According to the latest report of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on MDGs, the progress over the targets in respect of reducing no of people suffering from hunger and improvement in maternal health, is either slow or offtrack.

MDGs are international development goals that United Nations member states and numerous international organisations, including India, have agreed to achieve by the year 2015.

These include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equality; reducing the child mortality rate and ensuring environmental sustainability.

The 'Towards Achieving MDGs- India 2013' revealed that the proportion of underweight children has declined by three percentage points during 1998-99 to 2005-06, from about 43 % to about 40 %. At the historical rate of decline, it is expected to come down to about 33 % only by 2015 vis a vis the target value of 26 %.

As per MDGs, Indian is to halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

At the historical pace of decrease, India tends to reach Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of 139 per 100,000 live births by 2015, against the target of 109, the report said.

India has agreed to reduce the MMR by three quarters (3/4th), between 1990 and 2015.

However according to the report, India is on track on MDGs target of reducing the number of people whose income is less than one dollar a day, between 1990 and 2015. India has already achieved the poverty headcount ratio of 23.9 % and likely to achieve the targetted 20.74 % by 2015.

The Millennium Declaration, made during the UN Millennium Summit on September 8, 2000, was signed by 189 countries, including 147 Heads of State and Government, and included eight Goals called the MDGs.

These summarise the key development goals embraced by the main international conferences and world summits during the 1990s, and are declarations of solidarity and determination of the world leaders to rid the world of poverty and improve the lot of humanity.

MDGs and related targets and indicators provide a framework for planning policy interventions and benchmarks to monitor progress in human development and poverty reduction.

sosurce; www.business-standard.com

China's Health Ministry will set up a national network within five years to provide a way of monitoring the long-term impact of chronic air pollution on human health, state media said on Monday.

The network will gather data on PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers, in different locations around the country, the report said, citing a ministry statement.

"The document noted that the absence of a long-term, systematic monitoring system has prevented the country from uncovering the link between air pollution and human health," the report said.

The network will first cover cities where smog is most prevalent, it added.

"The evaluation will be based on the integrated and long-term analysis of PM2.5 data, weather information and cases of local residents' diseases and deaths," Xinhua said.

An international study published in July showed that air pollution is shortening the lives of people in northern China by about 5.5 years compared to the south, a legacy of a policy that provided free coal for heating in the north.

Air quality is of increasing concern to China's stability-obsessed leaders, anxious to douse potential unrest as a more affluent, urban population turns against a growth-at-all-costs economic model that has besmirched much of the country's air, water and soil.

The government has announced many plans to fight pollution over the years, but has made little apparent progress, especially in the north and northeast.

Last week, the PM2.5 index reached a reading of 1,000 in some parts of Harbin, the gritty capital of northeastern Heilongjiang province and home to some 11 million people, virtually shutting it down.

A level above 300 is considered hazardous, while the World Health Organization recommends a daily level of no more than 20.

source: uk.reuters.com

Tobacco industry lobbyists and lawmakers are rebuffing demands for stricter regulation, saying such a move would end millions of livelihoods.

"Many small industries can no longer survive. We feel like we are going to get murdered and only big industry will survive," said Hafash Gunaman, head of the Association of Kudus Cigarette Makers.

Hafash was responding to renewed calls on the government to accede to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a treaty convened by the World Health Organization in 2003, after the world community singled out Indonesia as the only country in Asia, the Pacific or the G20 that has not attempted to pass tobacco control laws that meet even minimum international standards.

The FCTC requires parties to legislate a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising and undertake measures to ban sales to minors, reduce demand, help people end tobacco addiction, protect non-smokers' health through indoor smoking restrictions, and eliminate smuggling.

"If the tax excise is increased, our product's market [will shrink], because it will be too expensive. We don't have enough capital to cope with that," Hafash said.

There are few places in the world where cigarettes are cheaper than in Indonesia. Indeed, they are affordable even for the poorest households and children. A pack of Marlboro, including taxes, sells for $1.30 in Indonesia, compared to $9.70 in Singapore, $14.50 in New York, $3.20 in Malaysia and $1 in the Philippines and Vietnam, according to cigaretteprices.net. The highest price, $17.70, is found in Australia, which has some of the world's strictest tobacco controls.

The tobacco industry has previously claimed acceding to the FCTC would threaten the livelihood of 10 million people who work as tobacco and clove farmers, factory workers and cigarette vendors.

The Ministry of Health says the framework would not hurt workers' livelihoods, and would only regulate the tobacco trade to improve the farmers' welfare and prevent children from taking up the habit.

"Vehicle fumes are more dangerous than cigarette smoke. But why doesn't the government limit the number of cars?" Hafash said.

Zulvan Kurniawan from the National Coalition to Save Kretek (Cigarettes), or KNPK, said Indonesia already has a tobacco regulation and FCTC accession is unnecessary.

"Current regulationa are strict enough. But is law enforcement working?" he said.

Zulvan denied that cigarette commercials influence people, especially children, to take up the habit.

"Advertisements only inform people about cigarette brands. Smoking itself is more related to influence from people's surroundings," he said.

Poempida Hidayatullah, a lawmaker on House of Representatives Commission IX, which oversees health and welfare issues, said FCTC accession was a ridiculous move that would only benefit foreign tobacco.

"Everything was copy-pasted to be implemented in Indonesia based on foreign importance," he said.

Poempida said the push for FCTC accession is motivated by trade competition and a desire dominate the Indonesian market by killing the local clove cigarette industry.

Minister of Health Nafsiah Mboi said on Wednesday she was thoroughly embarrassed during the Organization of Islamic Countries' summit of Health Ministers in Jakarta on Tuesday. Indonesia is one of only 10 states that have not signed the FCTC, alongside Zimbabwe and Somalia.

"Somalia has not ratified the framework because they have practically no government. I really don't know what to say about Indonesia, so I could not give any response when asked about tobacco control. But I was very ashamed," she said.

Nafsiah said Indonesia has repeatedly violated the global commitments it made in several international forums.

In 2011, Indonesia voted in favor of a UN General Assembly resolution recognizing the most prominent non-communicable diseases are linked to common risk factors, such as tobacco and alcohol use, unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity. The meeting, attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, also recognized the fundamental conflict of interest between the tobacco industry and public health.

In 2011, a regional WHO meeting issued the "Jakarta Call for Action on Noncommunicable Diseases," participants from Southeast Asian countries called on global leaders to combat NCDs by ratifying the FCTC and scaling up a package of interventions proven effective, including the reduction of tobacco use.

In 2007, at an OIC Health Minsters summit in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia stated its willingness to recognize that tobacco poses one of the greatest threats to health. The country joined an effort to call upon OIC member states to introduce stronger tobacco control legislation.

Diplomats have noted Indonesia's eagerness to project itself as a leader in international forums, but say the country's reputation will suffer if, rather than taking action and responsibility on basic agreements, the government is instead seen as merely blowing smoke.

source: www.thejakartaglobe.com

Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi says that so far no Indonesian haj pilgrim has been infected with Coronavirus, or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS-CoV).

"We are grateful that so far, no Indonesian haj pilgrim has been infected with the Coronavirus, and hopefully, no one will suffer from the illness until all of them have returned back to Indonesia," said Nafsiah in Jakarta on Monday as quoted by Antara news agency.

The minister said she received health reports on Indonesian haj pilgrims every day and several groups of the pilgrims had returned to Indonesia with no cases of Coronavirus being reported among them.

"Before their departure, the haj pilgrims had been asked to be vigilant against the Coronavirus and all haj officials have been trained on how to deal with the problem," said Nafsiah.

The officials, she said, were trained to be able to recognize as early as possible MERS-CoV-infected people through certain signs and symptoms, such as high fever.

"We will stay on alert, however," said Nafsiah.

Previously, the Health Ministry's director general of disease control and environmental health, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, said health officials had been instructed to continue to monitor the haj pilgrims until two weeks after their arrival in Indonesia to make sure there was no evidence of developing infection. (ebf)

source: www.thejakartapost.com

The World Health Organization says lead poisoning has devastating health consequences, especially for children. The WHO is raising awareness about the problem during International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week. The theme is Lead-Free Kids for a Healthy Future.

It's estimated that 143,000 people die every year from lead poisoning. Lead exposure also contributes to 600,000 new cases annually of children with intellectual disabilities. Much of the problem is blamed on lead paint.

Carolyn Vickers is Team Leader for Chemical Safety in the WHO's Department of Public Health and Environment.

"Lead poisoning is considered by WHO to be one of the top 10 chemical exposures of major public health concern. And it's particularly worrying because it affects children and a developing fetus. It also affects adults through occupational exposure with the high burden in developing countries."

But it's not just in developing countries.

L"ead exposure is a big problem in most if not all countries. In some countries lead paint is still used. That's obviously adding every year to the number of houses, schools and buildings that are treated with lead paint. But also even in developed countries lead paint has been applied for many decades and when people undertake activities, such as renovating their home, it causes the lead to form dust, which children can become exposed to. So it is actually a problem in most countries," she said.

She said lead dust particles can be so fine that people don't even know they're being exposed. In children, lead can damage the developing nervous system, including the brain. IQ can be affected. High lead exposure can cause irreversible damage.

"Here we're talking about different kinds of lead exposure. Before, I was talking about lead paint. But children can also be exposed to lead through activities, such as hazardous work. If children are involved in recycling of batteries or are playing with batteries where recycled. Also children can be exposed to lead if they're engaged in hazardous mining activities in developing countries. And here we see various serious cases of lead poisoning," said Vickers.

For adults, heavy exposure can come from working in battery recycling, smelting or painting. It can affect adults' kidneys and blood pressure.

One of the major ways many countries have reduced lead in the environment is to ban its use in gasoline.

"As a result of that action there has been a decrease worldwide in exposure to lead. That's a very encouraging sign and it's proving that action leads to good outcomes -- and that the next step is to tackle lead paint, which we believe, is very achievable," she said.

Lead may be found in paint pigment.

She said, "There are some global suppliers of pigment. So it's feasible to tackle a large amount of it by encouraging or requiring manufacturers that ship their pigment products to stop doing that and to only use non-lead versions. Then the next step is to educate paint formulators about the hazards of lead paint -- to encourage them to look for the non-lead alternative. And to encourage governments to pass regulation, legislation or other relevant controls to prohibit lead decorative paints."

Thirty countries have phased out lead paint. The WHO, U.N. Environment Fund and the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint have set a target of 70 countries by 2015.

source: www.voanews.com