April 18, 2024 No comments
Pandemic experts express concern over avian influenza spread to humans
INTERNATIONAL, 18 April 2024, Health - The ongoing global spread of “bird flu” infections to mammals including humans is a significant public health concern, senior UN medics said on Thursday, as they announced new measures to tackle airborne diseases. Dr Jeremy Farrar, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO), said that the avian influenza virus - which is also known as H5N1 - has had an “extremely high” mortality rate among the several hundred people known to have been infected with it to date. To date, no human-to-human H5N1 transmission has been recorded. “H5N1 is (an) influenza infection, predominantly started in poultry and ducks and has spread effectively over the course of the last one or two years to become a global zoonotic – animal –...
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April 17, 2024 No comments
UPDATING LIVE: Head of Palestine relief agency due to brief Security Council on Gaza crisis
INTERNATIONAL, 17 April 2024, Peace and Security - The Commissioner-General of the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) is due to brief the Security Council at 3:00 PM in New York on Wednesday as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens and Israeli demands to abolish the frontline agency, intensify. 1:40 PM - Philippe Lazzarini has said the agency is facing a “deliberate and concerted campaign” to undermine its operations at a time when it’s crucial services – delivered by over 12,000 mostly local staff in Gaza – are most needed. So far, some 178 UNRWA officials working in Gaza have been killed since Israel’s bombardment and military campaign began last October. In January, the Israeli Government presented the UN with information accusing 12 UNRWA employees of taking part...
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April 17, 2024 No comments
$2.8 billion appeal for three million people in Gaza, West Bank
INTERNATIONAL, 17 April 2024, Peace and Security - UN and partner agencies insisted on Wednesday that “critical changes” are needed to improve aid access into Gaza, as they launched a $2.8 billion appeal to provide urgent assistance for millions of people in the devastated enclave, but also in the West Bank, where Palestinians have been targeted by increasing settler violence. The development came amid reports of ongoing Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip including Gaza City in the north, Rafah in southern Gaza and central Gaza, where more than dozen people were believed to have died in an apparent missile attack on a refugee camp on Tuesday. Video images reportedly from Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah showed injured and dead victims including children after the strike on Maghazi refugee camp in the...
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April 17, 2024 No comments
Violations of women’s reproductive health rights trigger rise in preventable deaths
INTERNATIONAL, 17 April 2024, Women - African women are 130 times more likely to die due to pregnancy or childbirth complications than women in Europe and Northern America, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency (UNFPA) said in a new report published on Wednesday. Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and rights, reveals that more than half of all preventable maternal deaths occur in countries which are in a state of crisis or distress. It highlights the role that racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination play in blocking progress on sexual and reproductive health issues. Women and girls trapped in poverty are more likely to die prematurely due to lack of sufficient healthcare if they belong to minority groups...
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April 17, 2024 No comments
Embrace innovation ‘to make sustainable transport a reality for all’
INTERNATIONAL, 17 April 2024, SDGs - Reducing the transport sector’s impact on the environment while improving access to service, especially in developing countries, topped the agenda of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. Opening its High-level Meeting on Sustainable Transport, Assembly President Dennis Francis urged countries to seize the opportunity to shape a green, inclusive and prosperous future for today and generations to come. “From public transport to maritime transport, we must embrace innovation-driven approaches – to make sustainable transport a reality for all,” he said. Ensure equal access He stressed that with over one billion people, roughly one-eighth of the planet, lacking access to all-weather roads, “our foremost priority must be to ensure equal access to sustainable transport, particularly for countries in special situations and vulnerable communities.” He...
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