During an online news conference, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), made the following statement.
According to Ghebreyesus, the organization is engaged in the provision of vital resources, facilitation of collaborative efforts with partners to address the situation at the local level, assistance to nations in the areas of cholera detection, prevention, and treatment, as well as dissemination of information pertaining to self-protection measures.
In order to facilitate the implementation of this endeavor, we have made a formal request for a sum of 160 million dollars, while concurrently allocating a total of over 16 million dollars from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies.
According to the speaker, the fundamental resolution to the issue of cholera lies in guaranteeing universal access to clean water and proper sanitation, a fundamental human right acknowledged globally.
As per his statement, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently released updated data indicating that the number of reported cases in the year 2022 surpassed those documented in 2021 by more than double.
According to his statement, the preliminary data for 2023 indicated a higher likelihood of being even more unfavorable.
To date, a total of 28 countries have documented instances in the year 2023, in contrast to the 16 countries that recorded incidents during the corresponding timeframe in 2022.
Currently, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, and Sudan are experiencing particularly worrisome outbreaks.
According to Ghebreyesus, notable advancements have been achieved in nations situated in Southern Africa, such as Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. However, these countries continue to face vulnerability as they approach the onset of the rainy season.
According to his analysis, the countries and populations that have been most severely impacted are those characterized by poverty and lack of access to both safe drinking water and sanitary facilities.
According to his statement, there is a scarcity of oral cholera vaccine and other essential resources, in addition to a strain on healthcare personnel who are simultaneously addressing numerous disease outbreaks and other health crises.
According to Ghebreyesus, in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has observed worrisome patterns as the winter season approaches in the northern hemisphere.
According to his statement, there has been an increase in hospitalizations and ICU admissions over the past 28 days in certain nations that provide data, with a particular focus on the Americas and Europe.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern over the persistently low immunization rates among the most vulnerable populations.
Approximately 66% of the global population has undergone a comprehensive primary vaccination regimen, while merely 33% have availed themselves of an additional, commonly referred to as a "booster," dosage.
According to the speaker, although COVID-19 may have transitioned from an extreme crisis to a less immediate concern during the past two years, it is imperative that we do not disregard its significance.
As per his assertion, nations have made substantial investments in the development of their response systems to address the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He emphasized the importance of governments maintaining these systems in order to guarantee the protection, testing, and treatment of individuals for COVID-19 and other infectious hazards.
The speaker emphasized the importance of establishing and maintaining mechanisms that facilitate collaborative surveillance, community protection, safe and scalable care, access to countermeasures, and coordination.