WHO reaffirms exclusively humanitarian purpose of public health programmes

Cairo, 12 May 2014 – The World Health Organization (WHO) is deeply concerned by the circulation of an incorrect statement that was made during a press conference convened by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan on Thursday 8 May 2014, which wrongly and erroneously alleged the involvement of United Nations agencies in the “fake vaccination campaign” conducted by Dr Shakeel Afridi.

WHO reaffirms its unequivocal position that all health programmes, including immunization campaigns, must be used only for their intended humanitarian purpose of protecting and promoting health. WHO continues to categorically deplore  the use of health interventions for any other reason. WHO reiterates that there is absolutely no connection whatsoever between WHO and the “fake vaccination campaign” conducted by Dr Afridi.

Following the erroneous statement made on 8 May 2014, the United Nations formally objected to the Government of Pakistan, from which it immediately received assurances that the statement made by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was categorically incorrect and made in error. WHO welcomes this clarification by the Government and trusts that the erroneous statement will be fully retracted.

WHO and its partners are committed to supporting the Government and people of Pakistan in their efforts to implement fully the polio eradication strategies, improve the health of their children and participate in the legacy of a polio-free world.

WHO concludes MERS-CoV mission in Saudi Arabia

WHO is seeking to better understand the transmission patterns of the virus and control measures. Since mid-March 2014, over 100 people have tested positive for MERS in the Jeddah area and 31 of them have died. Photo: WHO/T. JasarevicCairo, Egypt 7 May, 2014 – A team of experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) completed a 5-day mission to Saudi Arabia to assist the national health authorities to assess the recent increase in the number of people infected by the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Jeddah.

As of 3 May, 489 cases, including 126 deaths, were reported to WHO globally and 406 cases, including 101 deaths, from Saudi Arabia. These numbers can change from one day to the next according to when Member States inform WHO.

The team looked into the epidemiological, disease prevention, organizational and communication aspects of this recent outbreak to understand the public health risk and transmission chain and to propose next steps and actions.

After meeting health officials in the capital, WHO experts visited two main hospitals in Jeddah to analyse transmission patterns and review infection control measures. 

High-level meeting moves health diplomacy agenda forward

The concept of health diplomacy refers to the negotiation process that shapes and manages the global policy environment for healthCairo, 6 May 2014 – The third regional seminar on global health diplomacy concluded Sunday in WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo, Egypt. More than 50 high-level officials and experts in health and foreign affairs, academia and parliamentarians agreed to further collaborate to move the health diplomacy agenda forward. It was agreed that the alignment of health and foreign policy could generate significant benefits for health, development, peace, poverty reduction, social justice and human rights in countries of the Region.

Health diplomacy is critical for the Region because it is disproportionately affected by man-made and humanitarian crises; it is the key to eradicating polio and central to issues that require global collaboration across borders, such as Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), noncommunicable diseases and antimicrobial resistance. During the two-day discussions participants pointed out the need for broader engagement of countries to strengthen the interface of health and foreign policy with the support of WHO.

“Health diplomacy can raise awareness that health is not just a national issue but has many global and trans-boundary dimensions and contributes to global public goods and the welfare of people all around the world,” explained Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. “It responds to the fact that many of the health challenges of the 21st century will require solutions that will be political rather than technical,” he said.