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HIV treatment controls the virus. Treat for Life. Prevent for Life.
1 December 2014 | Cairo, Egypt – This year the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region marks World AIDS Day under the slogan "HIV treatment controls the virus. Treat for Life. Prevent for Life". This is a call for action so that every individual living with HIV can enjoy the highest attainable level of health through lifelong access to good quality HIV care and treatment.
This is possible today. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has become less toxic, easier to administer and easier to take. People living with HIV who take ART in the right combination of medicines can control the virus and bring it down to undetectable levels. This keeps the immune system strong enough to fight opportunistic infections and cancers. So people living with HIV can now live long, healthy and productive lives.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day 2014, Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, explains that "HIV treatment reduces the virus to undetectable levels, and protects people against diseases. Secondary to the preventive benefit to individuals of reducing the virus to undetectable levels, there is a benefit to public health in general. Implementing ART programmes reduces the likelihood of transmission from people living with HIV to others. This is a major public health gain that will eventually result in curbing the HIV epidemic".
Dr Alwan adds that "Effective HIV treatment will help people living with HIV to avoid the transmission of their infection to their uninfected partners. Similarly, once the level of their infection has become undetectable, pregnant women living with HIV can give birth without passing the virus on to their babies".
This year, World AIDS Day marks the beginning of the third year since the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean launched the regional initiative to End the HIV Treatment Crisis.
Efforts to scale-up ART in countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region continue. The Region has witnessed a 46% increase in the number of people living with HIV receiving treatment, from 25 000 in 2012 to over 39 000 in 2013. Though commendable, ART coverage remains at below 25% of those in need.
In order to get the most benefit out from advances in HIV treatment, health systems need to be strong and they need to be able to ensure access to treatment for all those in need. Access to treatment starts with enabling people living with HIV to access testing services, receive a test and know the result. Then, we need to ensure that those who test positive are linked to good quality care and treatment.
“Health systems need to be adapted to ensure that even the least privileged and most marginalized individuals are not excluded”, Dr Alwan said. “In order to assess the success of our treatment programmes, we also need to monitor the success of treatment in individuals. This is done through viral load testing. Unfortunately, in our Region, the necessary technology to do this is still lacking in more than half the countries. This means that we need to redouble our efforts and refocus our policies, programmes and services to ensure that no one is excluded from treatment”.
For more information:
World Health Organization, AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases programme
Dr Hamida Khattabi, Medical Officer
Tel: +20222765549
Email:
External Relations and Communications
Rana Sidani, Senior Communication Officer
Mob: +0201099756506
email:
Web address: http://www.emro.who.int/world-aids-campaigns/world-aids-campaigns-2014/index.html
Enabling healthy food choices to prevent diabetes - World Diabetes Day 2014
14 November 2014 | Cairo, Egypt – On World Diabetes Day, 14 November, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) are calling on individuals to make healthy food choices, starting with breakfast, on countries to take immediate action to create environments and conditions to enable such choices, and on media, professionals and professional associations, and civil society to support public health actions to promote healthy diets as a key approach to prevent diabetes and reduce complications in those living with diabetes.
Diabetes is one of the major noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyles are two of the four main risk factors for NCDs, which are the leading causes of death in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). NCDs account for over 2.2 million deaths annually, over 51% of which are premature. Diabetes, one of the four main NCDs, is closely linked to unhealthy lifestyles, especially diet, which in turn is linked to environments that promote unhealthy choices.
Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean points to the enormous burden of diabetes in the Region: “Over 14% of the population in the Eastern Mediterranean Region has diabetes, which is a critical challenge for our countries”. Rising diabetes prevalence in the region is closely related to the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity. New 2014 WHO estimates indicate that over 17% of people in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are obese.
“Diabetes is a menacing but hidden pandemic”, says Professor Adel El Sayed, Chair of the IDF MENA Region, “with up to half of all people with diabetes globally remaining undiagnosed”. Preventing diabetes in the first place, detecting it early in those unaware of it, and managing it well in those known to have it are the key approaches to address this public health challenge. “Much can be done to prevent type 2 diabetes and to effectively manage diabetes to avoid serious complications;” assures Dr El Sayed “healthy diets and promotion of environments that encourage and facilitate healthy food choices are central to such efforts.”
“The rapid acceleration in the rates of overweight, obesity and NCDs related to diet, such as diabetes, over the past few decades,” explains Dr Alwan “reflects the profound changes in lifestyles, particularly food intake patterns, in our populations.” With increasing urbanization, globalization, and economic improvements, dietary habits have become less healthy, and people more sedentary. Increasingly, diets are high in saturated fats, cholesterol, salt and refined carbohydrates, and low in polyunsaturated fats, fiber, fruits and vegetables. “Insufficient policy and public health response has exacerbated the situation,” adds Dr Alwan.
Promoting healthy eating and physical activity can prevent diabetes and other NCDs but “a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach is central, as focusing on individual behaviors will not suffice,” Dr Alwan affirms. All stakeholders, across government, civil society, media, professional associations, and industry such as food manufacturers must be involved. Multisectoral action is required to build health literacy, raise awareness among the population and to make healthy food choices and improved physical activity the easy choice. But there are challenges to making this happen.
“Marketing of unhealthy foods, for example on TV and in schools, is rampant in the region,” says Dr Alwan “and this is triggering unhealthy food preferences and habits, especially in children and adolescents.” But “health leaders in the region are now determined to take action,” adds Dr Alwan. During the October 2014 session of the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean–a meeting of WHO, health ministers and other stakeholders–the ministers endorsed a new WHO initiative on “countering the largely unopposed commercial practices that promote unhealthy products, particularly those targeting children.”
On this World Diabetes Day, WHO and IDF call for concerted efforts to prevent diabetes that are commensurate with the profound public health burden of diabetes in the region.
For more information, please contact:
Dr Slim Slama
WHO Medical Officer for Noncommunicable Diseases
Tel: +202 22765696
email:
website: www.emro.who.int
About World Diabetes Day
World Diabetes Day raises global awareness of diabetes, its escalating rates around the world and how to prevent the illness in most cases. Initiated by WHO and the IDF, the Day is celebrated on 14 November every year to mark the birth of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, was instrumental in the discovery of insulin in 1922, a life-saving treatment for diabetes patients.
To learn more, visit www.idf.org/worlddiabetesday
About WHO
In the 21st century, health is a shared responsibility, involving equitable access to essential care and collective defence against transnational threats. WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.
To learn more, visit www.emro.who.int
About the IDF
The IDF is an umbrella organization of over 200 national diabetes associations in over 160 countries. It represents the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk. The Federation has been leading the global diabetes community since 1950. IDF’s mission is to promote diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide.
To learn more, visit www.idf.org/
UNICEF and WHO call on parties to the conflict in Syria to stop targeting access to safe water
Danascys, Syria, 2 July 2014 – Recent and increasing interruptions of access to safe drinking water in Syria are compounding the dire water, sanitation and health conditions for hundreds of thousands of internally displaced and vulnerable people inside Syria. This has resulted in a high risk of outbreaks of water- and food-borne diseases, such as typhoid, hepatitis A, cholera, and other diarrhoeal diseases during the current summer season.
Water and sanitation systems have significantly deteriorated over the past year, with a breakdown of the main water supply networks and widespread pollution of water, including in the Euphrates River, which is a primary source of drinking water for the northern and eastern governorates in Syria. In 2014, the lowest rainfall precipitation on record has resulted in unprecedented drought and this is contributing to a worsening situation.
On 2 June, an explosion caused damage to water, sewage and electrical networks, resulting in a severe loss of capacity to pump water to Aleppo City, and leaving an estimated 2 million people without regular water supply. The situation remains critical. To date, safe access to the pumping station has not been secured, and the repairs will require three weeks of work to complete.
In Deir ez-Zor, the reported cuts to the water and electricity supply have contributed to the spread of diseases, and health workers continue to report increased cases of suspected typhoid. The Early Warning and Response System (EWARS) has reported over 1650 cases of suspected typhoid in Deir ez-Zor governorate, mostly in Al-Bukamal and Al-Mayadin towns. Also, recent reports of military action in East Ghouta may further affect water supplies to host communities and neighbouring areas.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) urgently call on parties to the conflict in Syria to halt using access to safe water and other vital services as a tactic of war. UNICEF and WHO call for an immediate ceasefire in Bustan Al-Basha in Aleppo to enable the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and technical experts to safely access the area for repairs.
We re-state the urgent need for unimpeded access for the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance, including safe water, health and hygiene supplies, to vulnerable populations to mitigate the risk of disease outbreaks this summer.
Finally, we urge the international community to prioritise the dire humanitarian needs of the Syrian people and extend all of its influence and advocacy to end the targeting of water supplies and to immediately facilitate humanitarian access.
For further information, please contact:
Juliette Touma, UNICEF Regional Office,
Karim Shukr, WHO Syria,
