The sixty-fifth session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific today endorsed action plans to ensure Member States are fully prepared to respond to the challenges of vaccine-preventable diseases and emergencies and disasters. The Regional Committee also noted progress on several technical programmes and issues.
Protecting and sustaining progress against vaccine-preventable diseases
Vaccines continue to save millions of lives and are highly cost-effective. The Regional Framework for Implementation of the Global Vaccine Action Plan in the Western Pacific tailors strategies and activities recommended by the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) to the Western Pacific Region.
The Region achieved polio-free status in 2000, and is moving towards elimination of measles and maternal and neonatal tetanus. Member States are accelerating control of rubella and hepatitis B; introducing new vaccines; and improving immunization coverage. The Regional Framework will guide these efforts and support countries to achieve regional and global immunization goals.
Guarding the Region's people from emergencies and disasters
The Western Pacific Region is prone to health security threats, including emergencies and disasters associated with natural hazards, such as typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis and floods, resulting in enormous loss of life and serious health, social and economic consequences.
The Western Pacific Regional Framework for Action for Disaster Risk Management for Health outlines key strategies and activities to guide ministries of health in contributing to health and human security. The framework has four key components: governance, policy, planning and coordination; information and knowledge management; health and related services; and resources (human, supplies and finance). Ultimately, the framework seeks to improve regional and national capacities to plan and implement disaster risk management for health (DRM-H).
Progress reports on technical programmes
The Regional Committee also noted progress on several technical programmes and issues.
International Health Regulations (2005)
Progress has been made through the implementation of the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases (APSED) 2010. In 2014, five additional countries have fulfilled IHR core capacity requirements. National surveillance systems, supported by public health laboratories, have proven their capacity to detect novel pathogens, including MERS-CoV. Links to global networks such as the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) have allowed for rapid detection and virus characterization in avian influenza A(H5N1) and A(H7N9) virus. Health emergency communications plans were tested during public health emergencies and ministries of health have activated, some for the first time, Emergency Operations Centres to coordinate response efforts.
Food safety
Access to sufficient and safe food is a basic human necessity. Food safety is vital to reduce poverty, and prevent many acute and lifelong diseases. Increasing global trade in food commodities, the growth of international travel and the spread of foodborne diseases have made food safety an essential component of health security. Progress to establish and strengthen food safety systems includes food control coordination mechanisms, regulatory frameworks and inspection services. Key priorities for most countries include raising public awareness, improving food safety data and managing food safety incidents.
Malaria
Malaria morbidity and mortality has reduced significantly in most malaria endemic countries in the Region. Most countries have updated their national malaria strategic plans and conducted gap analyses to mobilize funds. In consultation with Member States, WHO is developing a post-2015 global technical malaria strategy to accelerate malaria elimination. Antimalarial multidrug resistance is a serious challenge. The WHO regional hub for the Emergency Response to Artemisinin Resistance in the Greater Mekong Subregion supports countries to scale up malaria interventions to contain malaria multidrug resistance.
Tuberculosis
Since the endorsement of the Regional Strategy to Stop Tuberculosis in the Western Pacific (2011–2015), the Region has made substantial progress and reached Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets in advance of the 2015 deadline. Tuberculosis (TB) prevalence and mortality are less than half of 1990 levels. Case detection and treatment success remain high. Extensive consultations are underway to identify priority actions tailored to the programmatic and epidemiological situation of each country in the Region.
Dengue
The number and intensity of dengue outbreaks affecting the Region continues to increase despite Member States' efforts. To effectively combat dengue, existing strategies and initiatives for emerging infectious diseases such as the Asia Pacific Strategy for Emerging Diseases (APSED) 2010 and integrated vector management (IVM) have proven invaluable. Country capacities to implement IVM have been strengthened so that scarce resources can be used rationally for effective vector control and dengue transmission reduction. Capacities built through APSED, such as event-based surveillance, laboratory and risk communication are key for early detection of outbreaks.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)
Most Member States in the Region have developed national NCD policies, multisectoral work plans and targets aligned with the 9 voluntary global targets. At the local level, cities and schools have implemented NCD programmes to enable people to lead healthier lives. To strengthen guidance and promotion for the prevention and control of NCDs, WHO has developed the Leadership and Advocacy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (LeAD-NCD), a programme for use in national and regional workshops by ministries of health and national institutes throughout the Region.
Momentum to reduce the modifiable risk factors for NCDs is building. Approximately half of Member States in the Region have reached the target of reducing tobacco use prevalence by 10% in the past 5 years; Pacific health ministers have announced a tobacco-free Pacific goal to reduce adult tobacco use prevalence to less than 5% by 2025. A regional salt reduction network is being initiated to share good practices and disseminate the salt advocacy pack, while regional salt reduction targets have been developed in the Pacific.
Environmental health
WHO has worked closely with Member States of the Regional Forum on Environment and Health in Southeast and East Asian countries. The Regional Forum provides a venue for sharing knowledge and experiences, improving policy and regulatory frameworks and promoting policy dialogue between health and other sectors to implement integrated environmental health strategies.
Violence and injury prevention
A series of short documentaries are being produced advocating supportive environments for violence and injury prevention following a situational assessment of violence and injury prevention in priority countries. Twenty Western Pacific Member States contributed to the Global Status Report on Violence Prevention to be launched in December 2014. The report will support scale up of evidence-based interventions, and standardize information on fatal assaults, national responses to child and elder maltreatment, and intimate partner, sexual and youth violence.
Nutrition: Double burden of malnutrition
WHO has worked closely with Member States to develop and update national nutrition policies and plans, and to strengthen legal measures to promote, protect and support optimal breastfeeding and healthy diets. In response to Regional Committee mandates, an Action Plan to Reduce the Double Burden of Malnutrition in the Western Pacific (2015–2020) was developed in consultation with Member States.
Universal health coverage (UHC)
WHO supports Member States to attain UHC by (1) strengthening health system stewardship for UHC; (2) improving financial risk protection; (3) improving equity in access to quality health services; and (4) guiding Member States to use resources efficiently. Over the next two years, many Member States will renew their multi-year national strategic health plans. They will be guided by the principles of equity, quality, efficiency and sustainability — requirements for UHC.
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
With the deadline fast approaching, Western Pacific Member States are likely to achieve several of the health and health-related MDGs. Some countries may not reach all the goals by 2015; however, they have made substantial progress in improving coverage and reducing mortality and morbidity rates. Several issues hinder the achievement of MDGs, including uneven progress among and within countries, the emergence of drug resistance and a lack of reliable information to monitor progress in essential medicines. Efforts must be intensified to increase availability and access to health services to reduce health disparities overall.