Good morning, good afternoon and good evening,
At the World Health Summit in Berlin on Tuesday, the governments of Germany, France and Norway hosted a pledging event for the WHO Investment Round, attended by His Excellency Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The WHO Investment Round is designed to mobilize the predictable, flexible and resilient funding WHO needs for its work over the next four years.
Thanks to generous commitments from many WHO Member States and other partners, we have now received more than 1 billion US dollars in pledges.
I thank all donors for their commitments, and I look forward to the remaining pledging events, and to the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brazil next month, when the results of the Investment Round will be announced.
===
Now to Gaza, where WHO and our partners began the second round of our polio vaccination campaign on Monday, targeting more than half a million children.
A minimum of two doses of vaccine are needed to interrupt poliovirus transmission.
This will only be achieved if at least 90% of all eligible children are vaccinated in all communities and neighbourhoods.
In this round, children will also receive vitamin A to help boost their immunity.
However, escalating violence in the north of Gaza has blocked humanitarian missions from reaching people with food and medical supplies.
In the first half of October, only one UN mission out of 54 to northern Gaza was successfully facilitated. The rest were denied, cancelled or impeded. We ask Israel to give WHO and our partners access to the north so we can reach those who desperately need aid.
Last Saturday, WHO and partners finally managed to deliver supplies and fuel to the Kamal Adwan and Al-Sahaba hospitals, after nine attempts last week.
Meanwhile, health care continues to be attacked. On Monday, the courtyard of Al Aqsa hospital in Deir Al Balah was hit by an airstrike, the eighth time that Al Aqsa hospital compound has been attacked since March this year.
Under international humanitarian law, all actors have a duty to ensure health care is protected, and not attacked.
===
It’s a similar story in Lebanon, where, since the escalation of hostilities began one month ago, WHO has verified 23 attacks on health care that have led to 72 deaths and 43 injuries among health workers and patients.
Hospitals are already under massive strain as they deal with an unprecedented influx of injuries, while trying to sustain essential services.
A growing number of health facilities have had to shut down, particularly in the south, due to intense bombardment and insecurity.
Almost half of all primary health care centres in conflict-affected areas are now closed, while six hospitals have been fully evacuated and another five partially evacuated.
Today, Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health also confirmed a case of cholera in the country’s north.
WHO has activated the cholera preparedness and response plan to strengthen surveillance and contact tracing, including environmental surveillance and water sampling.
In August, the Ministry launched an oral cholera vaccination campaign, targeting 350,000 people living in high-risk areas, although the campaign was interrupted by the escalation in violence.
WHO has provided medical supplies for trauma care, cholera prevention and mental health treatment, which are being distributed to priority hospitals in coordination with the Ministry of Public Health.
We’re also working with the Lebanese Red Cross and hospitals to equip blood banks with supplies for safe blood donation.
And we’re training surgeons to save lives and limbs.
But the solution to this suffering is not aid, but peace.
===
Now an update on the outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Rwanda.
Since the outbreak was declared three weeks ago, 62 cases have been reported, with 15 deaths. Seventeen people are in isolation and care, 30 have recovered, and more than 800 contacts are being followed up.
So far, all confirmed cases have been reported from two hospitals in the capital Kigali.
At this time, WHO advises against travel and trade restrictions, which would be ineffective, unnecessary and potentially harmful to the affected societies and economies.
More than 700 people have received vaccine doses as part of a clinical trial that began last week, and yesterday, the first clinical trials of two potential treatments began.
The trial is a partnership between Rwanda's Ministry of Health and WHO, supported by the University of Oxford, and is the result of two years’ work by nearly 200 researchers, developers, health officials and partners around the world.
===
Now an update on the outbreaks of mpox in Africa, the most concerning of which is the spread of clade 1b in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries.
One of the key challenges we face is in understanding the dynamics of transmission in DRC.
While most suspected cases in Burundi, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda have been confirmed or ruled out by testing, in DRC, less than half of suspected cases have been tested, and only around half of those have been positive.
It’s possible that some or many of the suspected cases of mpox are being confused with other diseases such as measles or chickenpox, which can have similar symptoms.
WHO is working with the Africa CDC and our partners to improve testing rates in DRC.
This week, thousands of tests were delivered to DRC and other affected countries, while just today, WHO authorized a second diagnostic test for Emergency Use Listing.
Last week we also expanded the prequalification of the MVA-BN vaccine for people aged 12 to 17.
In DRC, more than 19 thousand people most at risk of mpox have been vaccinated, mostly in South and North Kivu. This includes health workers, contacts of those infected and other priority groups.
WHO, Africa CDC and our partners are supporting national authorities to scale up vaccination and other interventions as part of a comprehensive response in all hotspots.
===
Now to the United States, where another four human cases of H5 avian influenza have been reported to WHO in the past week. Another five cases are awaiting confirmation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This brings the total number of cases of H5 reported so far this year to 20. All except one were exposed to infected cattle or poultry.
In the last month, the number of dairy cattle herds affected by H5N1 has increased from 203 to 305.
WHO is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services to enhance protection of those exposed, increase surveillance, investigate each case thoroughly, and share data.
Understanding and reducing circulation in animals and preventing spillover to humans relies on strong global surveillance in affected species, which remains limited.
Just as we continue to monitor flu viruses with pandemic potential, we’re also working to mitigate the impact of seasonal influenza, which kills hundreds of thousands of people globally each year.
With the northern hemisphere influenza season starting, WHO recommends vaccination for pregnant women, children aged under 5, adults aged over 65, people with chronic medical conditions, and health workers.
Many countries also offer vaccination against flu and COVID-19 at the same time.
===
Now some good news.
Last month, Jordan became the first country in the world to be verified by WHO for eliminating leprosy.
And just last week, WHO also validated India for the elimination of trachoma, and Timor-Leste for the elimination of lymphatic filariasis.
Congratulations to all three countries.
===
Finally, today marks World Food Day.
Access to safe, healthy, and affordable food is a fundamental human right, yet it is increasingly under threat in many parts of the world.
Almost half the global population is not getting access to the nutrients they need, and around 733 million people are going hungry because of conflicts, climate change, and economic shocks.
Malnutrition opens the door to many different diseases.
WHO is working with our partners to improve access to safe, affordable and nutritious food everywhere.
Tarik, back to you.