E-DRUG: WHO Assembly highlights
-------------------------------
[From the WHO website (www.who.int), a summary of the outcomes of last week
WHO Assembly.
For essential drugs the following points are noteworthy:
- a request to WHO to strengthen the WHO prequalification project. This
phrase was included in the HIV/AIDS resolution, and passed despite strong
USA opposition;
- a request to Member States entering into bilateral trade agreements to
take into account the public health flexibilities afforded to them under the
TRIPS Agreement and the Doha Ministerial Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement
and Public Health. This language was introduced by Brazil, on behalf of
GRULAC, the Latin American and Caribbean Group.
- more attention for neglected diseases: resoultions were passed on Buruli
Ulcer, Human African trypanosomiasis, and dracunculiasis;
- measles and polio coverage needs to strengthen to achieve eradication;
- smallpox virus still not destroyed due to biological warfare fears.
The final resolutions (incl HIV/AIDS) will be available shortly at
www.who.int/wha
A short Executive Board meeting will start today; see
http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/e/e_eb114.html
This meeting will discuss a few drug related issues:
- Manufacture of antiretrovirals in developing countries and challenges for
the future (see http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB114/B114_15-en.pdf
- Dependence-producing psychoactive substances: supplementary guidelines
(see http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB114/B114_7-en.pdf)
regards
Wilbert Bannenberg
---------
Wilbert Bannenberg, E-drug moderator
Email: wjb@planet.nl
Mobile +31-6-20873123
Tel +31-497-550713
Fax +31-497-550712
E-drug subscriptions/archives at http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug/
----
[some summaries by WHO press office]
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/releases/2004/wha4/en/
World Health Assembly raises global public health to new level
To confront a huge range of risks linked to death and illness, Assembly
adopts strategies on diet and physical activity, reproductive health and
resolutions on HIV/AIDS and road safety
22 MAY 2004 | GENEVA -- The World Health Assembly, the supreme
decision-making body of the World Health Organization, has raised global
public health to a new level, by resolving to take more action to prevent
death and illness resulting from heart disease, diabetes, cancers, road
safety, and lack of access to health services as well as from diseases
spread by viruses, bacteria and other dangerous microbes.
"This World Health Assembly clearly raised the bar for improving public
health of all people. The Assembly agreed to tackle diseases which can
spread from the environment, or from person to person, and also those linked
to the foods we eat, the amount we exercise and the safety of our roads."
said Dr LEE Jong-wook, Director-General of the World Health Organization. "I
also welcome the resolve to take action to improve the reproductive health
of women and men."
The 57th World Health Assembly, which met from 17-22 May 2004, attracted
more than 2,000 delegates from WHO's 192 Member States as well as those from
official observers and non-governmental organizations. Invited speakers
included former Presidents and Nobel Peace Prize winners Kim Dae-jung of the
Republic of Korea, and Jimmy Carter of the United States of America, who
both spoke about the challenges presented by the growing gap between the
world's rich and poor. Ms Anastasia Karmylk, of Belarus, also spoke
passionately about the need to do more to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS,
including overcoming the stigma and discrimination faced by people living
with the HIV/AIDS. This press release summarizes decisions taken at the 57th
World Health Assembly, including several resolutions as well as recognition
for progress made in several important health areas. Please note that full
texts of all documents and decisions taken are available at www.who.int/gb.
The WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health was
unanimously endorsed by Member States. The strategy addresses two of the
major risk factors responsible for the heavy and growing burden of
noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which now account for some 60% of global
deaths and almost half (47%) of the global burden of disease. NCDs include
cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancers and obesity-related
conditions.
The strategy emphasizes the need to limit the consumption of saturated fats
and trans fatty acids, salt and sugars, and to increase consumption of fruit
and vegetables and levels of physical activity. It also addresses the role
of prevention in health services; food and agriculture policies; fiscal
policies; surveillance systems; regulatory policies; consumer education and
communication including marketing, health claims and nutrition labelling;
and school policies as they affect food and physical activity choices.
Recognizing that health promotion is important for attaining the
health-related United Nations Millennium Development Goals, the World Health
Assembly adopted a resolution encouraging all Member States to strengthen
existing policies and programmes related to health promotion and healthy
lifestyles. The resolution calls for countries to give high priority to
promoting healthy lifestyles for children and young people, to focus on poor
and marginalized groups, and to give attention to the prevention of
alcohol-related harm.
The Assembly adopted the WHO's first strategy on reproductive health,
intended to help countries stem the serious repercussions of reproductive
and sexual ill-health, which accounts for 20% of the global burden of
ill-health for women, and 14% for men. The strategy targets five priority
aspects of reproductive and sexual health: improving antenatal, delivery,
postpartum and newborn care; providing high-quality services for family
planning, including infertility services; eliminating unsafe abortion;
combating sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, reproductive tract
infections, cervical cancer and other gynaecological illness and disease;
and promoting sexual health. The Assembly also adopted a resolution on the
family and health in the context of the 10th anniversary of the
International Year of the Family.
The Assembly welcomed the Director-General's "3 by 5 strategy" to support
developing countries in their response to HIV/AIDS by increasing access to
prevention, care and treatment and securing access to antiretroviral
treatment for three million people living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2005.
The Assembly confirmed WHO's leading role in supporting countries in
delivering prevention, care, support and treatment for HIV/AIDS within
strengthened national health systems. Member States urged the
Director-General to improve the access of developing countries to
antiretroviral medicines and other products used in the diagnosis, treatment
and care of HIV/AIDS, including by strengthening the WHO prequalification
project. WHO should also help countries strengthen their supply chain
management and procurement of good quality products. The resolution also
encouraged countries entering into bilateral trade agreements to take into
account the flexibilities relating to public health as laid down in TRIPS
agreement of the World Trade Organization and the Doha Ministerial
Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health. The 57th World Health
Assembly also unanimously approved a resolution on road safety and health.
The resolution seeks to address the lack of safety on the world's roads,
responsible for 1.2 million deaths and as many as 50 million injuries
annually. The resolution follows the widely celebrated World Health Day
2004, dedicated to road safety. As invited by the United Nations General
Assembly through its resolution on improving global road safety, issued
during a historic plenary session on the topic on 14 April 2004, the World
Health Assembly resolution also accepts the invitation for WHO to serve as
coordinator on road safety issues within the United Nations system.
The WHA learned that the global effort to eradicate polio is on track in
Asia and north Africa, with India, Pakistan, Egypt and Afghanistan reporting
only 22 polio cases to date this year. At the same time, African Union
Ministers reported their alarm that in 2004 the number of cases in west and
central Africa was already five times that for the same period in 2003, due
to the continuing outbreak originating from Kano, Nigeria. WHO announced
that it would launch an emergency appeal for resources for a massive
immunization campaign across west and central Africa. Dracunculiasis, or
guinea-worm disease, remains endemic in 12 countries, all in sub-Saharan
Africa. In a bid to complete eradication, the World Health Assembly passed a
resolution urging endemic countries to intensify eradication efforts and for
the global community to continue its commitment, collaboration and
cooperation to assure resources are mobilized for these efforts.
The World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on increasing surveillance
and control of Buruli ulcer, a poorly understood disease that can severely
affect the skin and cause serious disabilities. The resolution urges all
Member States to intensify research to develop tools to diagnose, treat and
prevent the disease and encourages active participation in WHO's Global
Buruli Ulcer Initiative.
Human African trypanosomiasis, also known as "sleeping sickness", remains a
major public health problem, due to its epidemic potential and its 100%
fatality rate if untreated. Delegates unanimously adopted a resolution to
make the control of this disease a priority, and to direct more resources to
endemic areas.
Outstanding progress in reducing measles deaths was reported to Assembly
delegates. Global measles mortality decreased by an estimated 30% between
1999 and 2002, with an even greater reduction (35%) in Africa. Continued
implementation of a WHO/UNICEF comprehensive strategy can keep Member States
on track to achieve the 2005 target of reducing measles deaths by half from
1999 levels.
Genomics and world health
There have been remarkable advances in the science of genomics, or the study
of genes, their functions and related techniques. The World Health Assembly
adopted a resolution to address concerns about the safety as well as
ethical, legal and economic implications of this relatively new science.
The Assembly adopted a resolution on human organ and tissue transplantation
to encourage the development of recommendations and guidelines to harmonize
global practices and ensure the ethical practice of organ and tissue
transplant. The delegates agreed to take measures to protect the poorest and
vulnerable groups from "transplant tourism" and the sale or trafficking of
tissues and organs. The resolution also addressed the practice of
transplanting animal tissue or organs to humans and the need for clear
national regulations on the practice and for surveillance of potential
infections caused by these transplants.
Health conditions of, and assistance to, the Arab population in the occupied
territories, including Palestine
The Assembly adopted a resolution addressing concerns about the
deterioration of health conditions and the humanitarian crises resulting
from military activities in the occupied Arab territories, including
Palestine. The resolution calls for Israel to immediately halt activities
that affect the health conditions of civilians under occupation and also
urges the WHO Director-General to dispatch a fact-finding team to the
occupied territories and to continue providing technical assistance for
improving health.
Mental Health - A call for action
In his address to the Assembly, Mr Jimmy Carter, former President of the
United States of America, stressed that despite the availability of
treatment, too many people simply have no access. The message was reinforced
during a technical briefing on Mental Health and Substance Abuse by a number
of countries, and by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who is a leader for
mental health issues and founder and chairperson of the Carter Centrers
Mental Health Task Force.
The Assembly adopted a resolution meant to address countries' concerns about
the international migration of health personnel. This resolution urges
Member States to develop strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of
migration of health workers; to develop policies that could provide
incentive for health workers to remain in their countries; and, among other
issues, requests WHO to help Member States set up information systems to
monitor the movement of health resources for health, and to include human
resources for health development as a top-priority programme at WHO from
2006-2015.
A detailed progress report was presented on the Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control. So far, 114 countries and the European Community have
signed, and 16 countries have ratified the Convention. The Assembly also
received and debated reports from WHO on progress made on a number of health
issues, including: research on the variola virus that causes smallpox; the
recently established Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation
and Public Health, which will now present its report to the Executive Board
in January 2006 ; the quality and safety of medicines and blood products, on
the follow-up to the SARS outbreaks in 2003 and 2004; on measures to protect
the safety of patients; and on the importance of strengthening health
systems, including primary health care.
Next year's World Health Assembly is scheduled to convene from 16-25 May,
2005.
--
To send a message to E-Drug, write to: e-drug@healthnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@healthnet.org
in the body of the message type: subscribe e-drug OR unsubscribe e-drug
To contact a person, send a message to: e-drug-help@healthnet.org
Information and archives: http://www.essentialdrugs.org/edrug