Latest news with #TedrosAdhanom
Asharq Al-Awsat
15-07-2025
- Health
- Asharq Al-Awsat
UN Says 14 Million Children Did Not Receive a Single Vaccine in 2024
More than 14 million children did not receive a single vaccine last year — about the same number as the year before — according to UN health officials. Nine countries accounted for more than half of those unprotected children. In their annual estimate of global vaccine coverage, released Tuesday, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said about 89% of children under one year old got a first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine in 2024, the same as in 2023. About 85% completed the three-dose series, up from 84% in 2023. Officials acknowledged, however, that the collapse of international aid this year will make it more difficult to reduce the number of unprotected children. In January, US President Trump withdrew the country from the WHO, froze nearly all humanitarian aid and later moved to close the US AID Agency. And last month, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said it was pulling the billions of dollars the US had previously pledged to the vaccines alliance Gavi, saying the group had 'ignored the science.' Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has previously raised questions the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine, which has proven to be safe and effective after years of study and real-world use. Vaccines prevent 3.5 million to 5 million deaths a year, according to UN estimates. 'Drastic cuts in aid, coupled with misinformation about the safety of vaccines, threaten to unwind decades of progress,' said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. UN experts said that access to vaccines remained 'deeply unequal' and that conflict and humanitarian crises quickly unraveled progress; Sudan had the lowest reported coverage against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. The data showed that nine countries accounted for 52% of all children who missed out on immunizations entirely: Nigeria, India, Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Angola. WHO and UNICEF said that coverage against measles rose slightly, with 76% of children worldwide receiving both vaccine doses. But experts say measles vaccine rates need to reach 95% to prevent outbreaks of the extremely contagious disease. WHO noted that 60 countries reported big measles outbreaks last year. The US is now having its worst measles outbreak in more than three decades, while the disease has also surged across Europe, with 125,000 cases in 2024 — twice as many as the previous year, according to WHO. Last week, British authorities reported a child died of measles in a Liverpool hospital. Health officials said that despite years of efforts to raise awareness, only about 84% of children in the UK are protected. 'It is hugely concerning, but not at all surprising, that we are continuing to see outbreaks of measles,' said Helen Bradford, a professor of children's health at University College London. 'The only way to stop measles spreading is with vaccination,' she said in a statement. 'It is never too late to be vaccinated — even as an adult.'
Telegraph
24-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Children among dozens killed in drone strike on Sudan hospital
More than 40 people including children and health care workers were killed in a weekend attack on a hospital in Sudan, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there had been an 'appalling' attack on the Al Mujlad Hospital in West Kordofan, near the front line between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The WHO director general did not say who was responsible but Emergency Lawyers, a human rights group, had earlier accused the army of striking the hospital with a drone. He said: 'We cannot say this louder: attacks on health must stop everywhere!' Both sides in the war have been accused of indiscriminate barrages and strikes that have killed civilians. The WHO Sudan office said that six children and five medics were killed in the attack, reporting extensive damage to the facility. Tens of thousands have been killed since the war broke out more than two years ago, though the destruction of the health system means the true toll is unknown. Millions more have fled their homes and the country is gripped by the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The army led by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, ousted the RSF militia, led by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, from the capital in March, but elsewhere the fighting continues. Analysts predict neither side is strong enough to gain a decisive advantage. The central Kordofan region, where the hospital was hit, has been the site of recent heavy fighting. Volker Turk, the United Nations' rights chief, warned on Friday of 'the disastrous consequences stemming from ongoing and escalating hostilities' in the Darfur and Kordofan regions, 'where civilian casualties, sexual violence, abductions and looting have been reported in multiple areas'. 'The recent fighting and grave risk of further aggravation in an already brutal and deadly conflict raise severe protection concerns, amid a pervasive culture of impunity for human rights violations.' Mr Turk said civilians were 'trapped' in Dibeibat town in South Kordofan state as the warring sides fight to capture it, while the army-held city of El-Obeid in North Kordofan was 'reportedly surrounded' by paramilitary forces. The UN's International Organization for Migration last week said more than 16,000 people had been displaced from areas hit by violence, including South Kordofan and Darfur.
Free Malaysia Today
28-05-2025
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
WHO chief begs Israel to show ‘mercy' in Gaza
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the Gaza war inflicted damage on Israel and would not bring a lasting solution to the conflict. (EPA Images pic) NEW YORK : Fighting back tears, the head of the World Health Organization on Thursday urged Israel to have 'mercy' in the Gaza war and insisted peace would be in Israel's own interests. In an emotional intervention at the WHO annual assembly, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the war was hurting Israel and would not bring a lasting solution. 'I can feel how people in Gaza would feel at the moment. I can smell it. I can visualise it. I can hear even the sounds. And this is because of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder),' said Tedros, 60, who has often recalled his own wartime upbringing in Ethiopia. 'You can imagine how people are suffering. It's really wrong to weaponise food. It's very wrong to weaponise medical supplies.' The UN on Thursday began distributing around 90 truckloads of aid which are the first deliveries into Gaza since Israel imposed a total blockade on March 2. ADVERTISEMENT VIDCRUNCH Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Quality Auto Back 360p 240p 144p Auto Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x / Skip Ads by Tedros said only a political solution could bring a meaningful peace. 'A call for peace is actually in the best interests of Israel itself. I feel that the war is hurting Israel itself and it will not bring a lasting solution,' he said. 'I ask if you can have mercy. It's good for you and good for the Palestinians. It's good for humanity.' WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said that 2.1 million people in Gaza were 'in imminent danger of death'. 'We need to end the starvation, we need to release all hostages and we need to resupply and bring the health system back online,' he said. 'As an ex-hostage, I can say that all hostages should be released. Their families are suffering. Their families are in pain,' he added. The WHO said Gazans were suffering acute shortages of food, water, medical supplies, fuel and shelter. Four major hospitals have had to suspend medical services in the past week, due to their proximity to hostilities or evacuation zones, and attacks. Only 19 of the Gaza Strip's 36 hospitals remain operational, with staff working in 'impossible conditions', the UN health agency said in a statement. 'At least 94% of all hospitals in the Gaza Strip are damaged or destroyed,' it said, while north Gaza 'has been stripped of nearly all health care'. It said that across the Palestinian territory, only 2,000 hospital beds remained available – a figure 'grossly insufficient to meet the current needs'. 'The destruction is systematic. Hospitals are rehabilitated and resupplied, only to be exposed to hostilities or attacked again. This destructive cycle must end.'
Egypt Today
19-05-2025
- Health
- Egypt Today
WHO Awards Egypt Certificate for Eliminating Human Malaria Transmission
CAIRO - 19 MAY 2025: Egypt's Minister of Health and Population, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, received a certificate from Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), officially recognizing Egypt's elimination of all human malaria parasite transmission within its borders. The recognition, awarded on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, highlights Egypt's national efforts—fully supported by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi—to advance public health and meet international disease eradication standards. Ministry spokesperson Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar said the certification reflects Egypt's strong commitment to public health security and the success of its science-based national strategy to combat infectious diseases. This strategy includes a robust disease surveillance system and high-quality healthcare services. He noted that Egypt has not recorded a single local malaria case in many years, thanks to significant progress in prevention, early detection, and rapid response to imported cases. The achievement, he added, is the result of close cooperation between the Ministry of Health and all relevant national partners. Dr. Abdel Ghaffar stressed that this certification serves as a powerful incentive to further strengthen Egypt's healthcare system in line with the country's 'Vision 2030' for sustainable development. The ministry remains committed to maintaining malaria-free status by continuing preventive measures and enhancing monitoring and response programs. Malaria, a mosquito-borne disease, poses major global health risks. Egypt's success in eliminating local transmission reflects a high level of public health vigilance and national preparedness to prevent its reemergence.
Irish Times
16-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Times
How Dr Mike Ryan became a victim of ‘desperate' funding crisis in WHO
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus , the director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), is a man who likes to make appointments. A few months after he became the first African elected to the position by United Nations member states in May 2017, he went on a solo run to announce the appointment of Zimbabwe's authoritarian president Robert Mugabe as a 'WHO goodwill ambassador for non-communicable diseases in Africa'. As he had been warned by advisers, the pushback was immediate and Dr Tedros was forced to rescind the appointment of a man held responsible by many for reducing the health services in Zimbabwe to a shambles, not to mention his appalling record on human rights. Better judgment was expected of a man who had been Ethiopian minister for health and foreign affairs and chairman of the board of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria. READ MORE Since he took up office in 2017 from his financially conservative predecessor, Dr Margaret Chan, the number of people appointed to very senior director posts (UN D-2 level) has almost doubled, from 39 in July 2017 to 75 in July 2024. In an organisation which is facing a salary gap of $500 million in 2025, this brought senior management costs including 215 directors and a 12-person senior management team to an estimated $92 million. This week Dr Tedros told the programme, administration and budget committee of the executive board that there would need to be a 25 per cent reduction in the wages bill. One long-time staffer who did not wish to be named told The Irish Times: 'The situation is desperate. Everyone is rattled. A few staff have already been told that they are not going to be renewed. I feel physically sick about it every day.' [ Dr Mike Ryan is dropped from WHO executive team amid 'painful' cost cuts Opens in new window ] The cuts have started at the top of the 2,600-strong workforce, with Dr Tedros downsizing of his senior management team from 12 to seven effective from June 16th, following dismissals including that of his own deputy, Dr Mike Ryan , the Sligo-born epidemiologist and executive director for emergencies. WHO's profile rose during the Covid-19 pandemic because of its almost daily press conferences, broadcast live across all main social-media platforms and picked up by many national broadcasters too. They regularly featured Dr Tedros, flanked by Dr Ryan and Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for Covid-19. Dr Tedros embarked on his tenure with a promise of transformation and the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated his inclination to grow the organisation, resulting in agreements to establish expensive outposts such as a pathogen lab in the Swiss alps, a training academy in Lyon and a pandemic surveillance hub in Berlin. Some argue that the existing chain of six regional offices and their network of laboratories could have accommodated any of these functions, but retrenchment is certainly on the agenda now following the US withdrawal from membership and funding of WHO. Always slow to pay its membership fees, the US contributed $1.3 billion to the budget in 2022-2023 for specific projects. WHO now faces a funding gap of $1.7 billion in its $4.2 billion budget over the next two years. Dr Tedros's dropping of Dr Ryan from his senior executive team has raised eyebrows, given Dr Ryan was playing a leading role in the prioritisation exercise that has been ongoing in recent months and which is fundamental to the creation of a new structure which will see the number of divisions reduced from 10 to four, and a reduction in the number of departments from 76 to 34. Dr Ryan has been replaced by his deputy executive director, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, a Nigerian German, who heads the pandemic hub in Berlin and was previously director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. One well-placed WHO source said the organisation could ill-afford to lose both Dr Ryan and Dr Bruce Aylward, the Canadian epidemiologist, a 30-year veteran, who was tasked with overseeing Dr Tedros's stated top priority, universal health coverage. Dr Aylward also played a vital role in the Covid-19 response and led a WHO delegation to Wuhan in an unsuccessful search for the origins of the virus. 'There are excellent people on the new leadership team, but none have the experience of dealing with the kinds of political pressures that come when WHO is thrust into the limelight during a major health crisis like Covid-19. Ryan and Aylward have earned their spurs in the heat of battle against some of the worst disease epidemics of recent times,' said one organisational veteran. There is a particular pathos about the fact that these veterans of the Covid-19 pandemic may choose not to attend next week's World Health Assembly, considering their changed employment circumstances. After years of talks, and the decision of the US to opt out of the discussion, UN member states are finally scheduled to debate and adopt the WHO Pandemic Agreement in the coming days in Geneva. The agreement is designed to ensure lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic are applied and there is equity in access to vaccines and healthcare come the next pandemic which both Dr Ryan and Dr Aylward would agree is not a question of if, but when.
