Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi said that Indonesia would finally accede to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) before the end of this year, a major step in the fight against prevalent smoking addiction.

"The treaty accession will be completed through a presidential decree. The President has agreed [to accede to the treaty]. God willing we will accede to the treaty before the end of the year," Nafsiah said.

As previously reported Nafsiah said that three ministries, namely the Trade Ministry, Industry Ministry and the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, had previously rejected the accession, and added that it would hurt tobacco farmers and reduce the state's income in tobacco excise, which had a big contribution to the state budget.

"All three ministries have agreed to accede to the treaty. They have agreed that the accession is solely aimed at protecting the public," Nafsiah told reporters on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of National Health Day on Friday.

According to Nafsiah, the government is currently drafting the text to be submitted to the Foreign Ministry before being signed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

In 2003, all WHO member states, including Indonesia, approved a World Health Assembly resolution that mandated the establishment of a framework convention on tobacco control.

According to Nafsiah, Indonesia has been very active in formulating the FCTC in 2002-2003, yet Indonesia is the only ASEAN member country that has not ratified the treaty.

The treaty is aimed at promoting public health by monitoring tobacco use, protecting people from tobacco smoke, enforcing bans on tobacco advertising as well as raising taxes on tobacco products.

source: news.asiaone.com

Tibetans share concerns with other people worldwide about the rising incidence of diabetes and its' associated complications. Kalon Dr. Tsering Wangchuk of the Department of Health of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has commented about this illness on World Diabetes Day, as reported upon by the Central Tibetan Administration. World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization to deal with growing concerns about the escalating health threat which diabetes now presents us with.

Wangchuk raises an awareness of the critical role of education and prevention in the fight against diabetes. The growing problem with diabetes is no joke. The World Health Organization says close to 3.4 million people died from complications which were caused by diabetes in 2010. About 347 million people across the world suffer from diabetes. About 20% of these deaths occur in developed countries, with about 80 % of deaths occurring in undeveloped and developing countries.

Diabetes has become one of the most commonly diagnosed diseases amongst the Tibetan people. Because of the prevalence with which it is seen in Tibetan clinics, the Tibetans must educate their own community in more depth about diabetes. Tibetans need to educate their youngsters, students, adults and the elderly in order to prevent them from becoming sick or even dying from this disease.

Tibetans are being encouraged to concentrate on educating their health care professionals so that they will be able to educate the Tibetan people on how to avoid getting diabetes, while providing treatment of diabetes for patients who already suffer from the disease. These initiatives should help Tibetans to better confront the problem of diabetes.

source: www.examiner.com

Unable to bear the stench and sight of unclaimed cadavers in the streets, and fearful of possible health hazards, local officials have begun burying them in mass graves.

However, the World Health Organization cautioned the country's Department of Health (DOH) against mass burials. According to the WHO's "Management of Dead Bodies in Disaster Situations" manual sent to the DOH, immediate mass burials without proper identification may violate some rights.

"Burial of bodies in common graves or the use of mass cremation is unnecessary and a violation of the human rights of the surviving family members," it said.

WHO added that "practices such as the use of common graves or cremation make identification impossible, besides violating religious and cultural beliefs." The agency stressed that identification of bodies should be done "so that the desires and the customs of the families are respected." It noted that the rights of ethnic communities, which are protected by law, may also be violated by mass burials.

"Indigenous communities tend to practice ancestral customs with regard to death that are different from the most popular Western religions, and that are intrinsic to their cultures and traditions," it added. WHO also stressed that contrary to common knowledge, the threat of infections from exposed corpses is limited.

"When death is the result of a disaster, the body does not pose a risk for infection," it said, stressing that "victims should never be buried in common graves." Communities in Palo, Leyte have put up messages and signs asking authorities to remove the bodies for fear these will cause an outbreak of diseases.

"Paki-kuha ang patay, magkakasakit na mga tao dito. (May) 30 patay sa St. Peter, agnas," read one message. The mass burial of at least 150 bodies, none of whom have been identified, near a church in Palo caused some families added grief. Jinky Adel, together with relatives, struggled to bury their grandmother in a cemetery.

"Ayaw naming masama sa mass grave, kaya naghanap kami ng paraan para mailibing namin [ang lola ko]," she said. Other residents opted to line up bodies along the sidewalk in the hopes the government would come to pick up the corpses. However, the WHO said body temperatures drop quickly after death.

"Even the most resistant bacteria and viruses die quickly in an animal that has died recently. This makes it extremely difficult for microorganisms to transfer from dead bodies to vectors, and from vectors to human populations," it said. National Epidemiology Center director Dr. Eric Tayag concurred, explaining that dead bodies do not necessarily cause epidemics after a natural disaster.

"Ganito 'yan: 'Pag 'yung dumi na lumabas mula sa bituka ng dead bodies ay napunta sa sources of water, 'yun ang contamination. But, as it is, it will not spread disease," he told GMA News Online on Tuesday.

WHO said every effort must be taken to identify the bodies. However, "as a last resort, unidentified bodies should be placed in individual niches or trenches, which is a basic human right of the surviving family members." — JDS/ELR, GMA News

source: www.gmanetwork.com

Report Reveals Crucial Need for Inclusion of Frontline Health Workers in Global Health Workforce Crisis Response

RECIFE, RECIFE, BRAZIL, November 11, 2013 /EINPresswire.com/ -- RECIFE, Brazil, November 11, 2013 -- The Frontline Health Workers Coalition (FHWC) commends the World Health Organization, the Global Health Workforce Alliance and contributors to the "A Universal Truth: No Health Without a Workforce Report" and calls upon world leaders to focus on inclusion of frontline health workers in the formal health system as a central mechanism for addressing current and future deficits of health workers worldwide.

The report – presented today at the Third Global Forum on Human Resources For Health in Recife, Brazil – finds that the world needs at least 7.2 million more doctors, nurses and midwives than it currently has to provide essential health services – projecting forward to a deficit of 12.9 million health workers by 2035. Eighty-three countries fall below the lowest threshold of doctors, nurses and midwives needed to provide basic health services (23 per 10,000 population). The report does not include estimated counts and gaps in the number of community health workers and others on the frontlines of care in developing countries.

"This report lays out a stark human resources challenge for the global health community to face with less than 1,000 days until the target date for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and post-2015 planning underway," FHWC Director Mandy Folse said. "Yet, several countries such as Ethiopia, Malawi and Nepal have recently demonstrated that a focused effort on training, supporting and integrating a cadre of community-based health workers into the formal health system delivers dramatic results in saving lives and improving health."

In Ethiopia, the Health Extension Program launched in 2003 has trained and supported more than 34,000 government-salaried women frontline health workers in communities throughout the country. The country's health minister, Dr. Kesetebirhan Admasu—speaking to the Guardian in reaction to the recent announcement of Ethiopia's early achievement of its MDG target on slashing child deaths— said these frontline workers are the key drivers for Ethiopia's 67% reduction in child mortality since 1990. In Nepal, a well-established cadre of 50,000 female community health volunteers has helped overcome a continued deficit of doctors, nurses and midwives to nearly halve maternal mortality and slash the child death rate by 64% from 1990 to 2008.

Malawi – whose President Joyce Banda in September announced the country is expanding its frontline health workforce from 10,000 to 27,000 by 2015 – already has seen its child mortality rate cut by more than half since 1990.

However, despite the growing evidence that inclusion of frontline health workers in health workforce strengthening efforts are a crucial component to global health progress, there is not data to ascertain an accurate accounting and impact of frontline health workers in many countries.

"For far too long community health workers have not been counted, supported or celebrated," said FHWC Chair Mary Beth Powers, Newborn and Child Survival Campaign Chief at Save the Children. "The doctor, nurse and midwife deficit as outlined in the report points out the need to supplement the health workforce with new skilled cadres of workers, ideally located closer to the communities in need. But without even having a good estimate of how many community health workers are out there, we really don't know the number of communities without access to the basic health care that they can provide."

FHWC commends the leadership efforts at the Third Global Forum by representatives of the United States government and other countries to address the global health workforce crisis with a particular focus on addressing the need for more skilled and better supported frontline health workers. We strongly urge inclusion of the inputs of non-state actors – including health workers themselves, civil society organizations and private sector businesses – in ongoing strategic discussions.

The Frontline Health Workers Coalition is an alliance of United States-based organizations working together to urge greater and more strategic U.S. investment in frontline health workers in developing countries as a cost-effective way to save lives and foster a healthier, safer and more prosperous world.

source: world.einnews.com

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