Good morning, good afternoon and good night, comfortable New Yr, and welcome to our first world media briefing for 2025.
As you understand, for me 2024 ended with a slim escape in Yemen, when Israel attacked the airport in Sana’some time I used to be there, ready for my flight residence.
I’m nonetheless affected by tinnitus in my left ear, which my physician has instructed me might final for months, however I hope it can go away quickly.
I used to be lucky, however the ringing in my ear is a continuing reminder of the menace that so many individuals stay with every single day in conflicts all over the world, together with lots of my WHO colleagues, UN colleagues and humanitarians at giant.
Yesterday’s announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to a ceasefire and hostage launch deal is nearly the very best information we might have hoped for to start out the brand new yr.
We welcome this information with nice reduction, but in addition with sorrow that it has come too late for many who have died within the battle, and with warning on condition that we now have had false dawns earlier than, and the deal has not but been confirmed.
Though the settlement would solely come into impact on Sunday, if either side are dedicated to a ceasefire, it ought to begin instantly.
We urge Israel’s cupboard to approve the deal, and all sides to honour and implement it.
We sincerely hope that this settlement marks the top of the darkest chapter within the historical past of the connection between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
WHO stays dedicated to addressing the acute well being wants of the individuals of Gaza now and after the deal takes impact, and to help the rebuilding of Gaza’s well being system.
This shall be an enormous endeavor. Lower than half of Gaza’s hospitals are useful.
However as I’ve mentioned for the reason that battle started, the very best drugs is peace. So let the therapeutic start – not only for Gaza, however for Israel as properly. Peace is in everybody’s greatest curiosity.
We will solely hope that this settlement won’t be the one one this yr, and that we’ll additionally see an finish to wars and insecurity in Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti, DRC, Myanmar and elsewhere.
In Sudan, nearly two years of civil warfare and catastrophic displacement have left 70% of well being services non-functional.
And in Ukraine, greater than 2000 assaults on well being care over nearly three years of warfare have triggered vital injury, and eroded hope.
In each international locations, WHO is doing what we are able to to help the well being system to satisfy monumental wants.
And conflicts usually are not the one emergencies to which WHO is responding.
Final yr we responded to 51 emergencies in 89 international locations: conflicts, outbreaks, climate-related disasters, and extra.
In 2025, WHO estimates that greater than 300 million individuals will want pressing humanitarian help.
Immediately, WHO launched its annual Well being Emergency Attraction, with an ask of 1.5 billion U.S. {dollars} to help our lifesaving work for the emergencies we find out about, and to react swiftly to new crises.
We thank the numerous donors who’ve supported WHO’s work so generously prior to now.
As soon as once more, the world’s most weak individuals are relying on us – and relying on you – for well being, and hope.
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Final Friday, WHO obtained stories of suspected instances of Marburg virus illness within the United Republic of Tanzania.
Up to now, 9 instances have been reported, together with eight deaths, in two districts of the northwestern area of Kagera.
The area is residence to animals which can be identified to be reservoirs for the virus, together with fruit bats, and there was an outbreak of Marburg in the identical space in March 2023.
Nationwide fast response groups have been deployed, a cellular laboratory is within the Kagera area, and therapy items have reportedly been established.
WHO is supporting the federal government, and we now have supplied to offer any additional help wanted.
We encourage the federal government to ship the samples it has collected to worldwide reference laboratories, and to gather further samples, in accordance with regular process.
WHO charges the danger as excessive on the nationwide and regional ranges, and low on the world degree.
Now we have issued recommendation to forestall additional transmission of Marburg, to offer look after these contaminated, and to manage the outbreak.
We suggest that surveillance ought to be strengthened at related factors of entry and in border areas within the United Republic of Tanzania, and that neighbouring international locations improve their readiness for detecting, isolating and treating instances.
At the moment, WHO advises in opposition to restrictions on journey and commerce.
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Now to the worldwide unfold of H5 avian influenza.
Final yr, 66 instances of H5 had been reported from the US, plus 10 from Cambodia, 2 from Viet Nam and one every from Australia, Canada and China.
That is the best variety of reported human instances since 2015.
Up to now this yr, 2 instances together with 1 demise have been reported in the US, and 1 demise in Cambodia.
Every one of these instances are related to contaminated dairy cattle or poultry.
H5N1 is of explicit concern as a result of for the reason that first human instances had been reported in 2003, it has killed nearly half of these it has struck.
Happily, H5N1 has not but developed the power to transmit simply between people. However that might be solely a matter of time.
Each transmission from one animal to a different, or to a human, is a chance for the virus to mutate, or to combine with different influenza viruses.
It is subsequently crucial that the virus is just not allowed to unfold unchecked in animals.
WHO is working carefully with the World Organisation for Animal Well being and the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations in a One Well being strategy to managing the specter of H5 globally.
We name on all international locations to strengthen biosecurity on farms, testing and surveillance, and to offer private protecting gear to farm staff who could also be in danger.
We additionally name on all international locations with outbreaks of H5 amongst animals to share viral samples and sequences with the WHO World Influenza Surveillance and Response System, or GISRS.
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Lastly, this month many international locations all over the world are elevating consciousness about cervical most cancers.
Cervical most cancers is the fourth-most frequent most cancers in girls globally, with an estimated 660 000 instances and 350 000 deaths annually.
And but cervical most cancers is without doubt one of the few cancers that may be prevented and cured if detected early.
Most instances and deaths happen in low and middle-income international locations that lack entry to vaccines, screening, and therapy.
On the seventeenth of November 2020, WHO launched a worldwide initiative on cervical most cancers elimination.
Since then, dozens of nations have launched vaccines to forestall the illness, and plenty of are additionally rolling out subsequent technology diagnostics.
Eliminating cervical most cancers is inside attain, if we may give all women and girls entry to vaccines, exams and coverings.
Stopping cervical most cancers is one dimension of WHO’s work to advertise, present and shield maternal well being, which we now have chosen as our theme for World Well being Day this yr.
Margaret, again to you.
