May 16, 2022 No comments
Minimal risk of monkeypox transmission in UK following confirmed case
INTERNATIONAL, 16 May 2022, Health - Risk of monkeypox transmission in the United Kingdom is minimal following a confirmed case of the rare and sometimes fatal animal-bourne disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday. On 7 May, UK health authorities notified WHO of the confirmed case in an individual who had recently returned to the country from Nigeria. Monkeypox is a viral disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa. It is occasionally exported to other regions. Modes of transmission The monkeypox virus is mostly transmitted to people from wild animals such as rodents and primates, though human-to-human transmission also occurs. The disease typically presents with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes. Contact with live and dead animals - for example through hunting and consumption of...
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May 16, 2022 No comments
First Person: I am a woman, a refugee, ‘I am who I am’
INTERNATIONAL, 16 May 2022, Human Rights - The UN migration agency, IOM, is running migrant centres across six provinces in Turkey as part of its refugee response, which provide migrants, refugees, and host community members, with education, social services, law, vocational guidance, and community support. One of those who has benefited from the centres is Leyla Al Darazi, originally from Lebanon, who although born male, has identified as female since a young age. To coincide with the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, marked on 17 May, Leyla told her story to Begum Basaran, a communications assistant with IOM Turkey. “What makes people flee their homes? People flee from war, hunger, violence, extreme poverty, and even adventure or love. I left Lebanon. I was in real danger of being killed because I was born into the wrong body, and wanted to talk about it. When I was nine,...
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May 16, 2022 No comments
Ukraine: Support for war crimes investigations ‘of paramount importance’
INTERNATIONAL, 16 May 2022, Human Rights - Investigators probing allegations of war crimes in the Ukraine conflict must work closely together and in compliance with international standards of forensic best practice, the UN expert on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions said on Monday. Special Rapporteur Morris Tidball-Binz called on the international community to step up support for Ukraine’s own investigations, and welcomed progress made so far by the Office of the Prosecutor General in ensuring perpetrators are brought to justice. He also commended the international community’s swift mobilization in establishing mechanisms and initiatives to collect, document and preserve evidence of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, including unlawful killings, committed during the Russian invasion of the country. Respect national ownership Mr. Tidball-Binz said these mechanisms can play a key role in...
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May 16, 2022 No comments
WHO ‘concerned’ over COVID-19 outbreak in DPR Korea, reiterates full support
INTERNATIONAL, 16 May 2022, Health - The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday expressed concern over the current COVID-19 outbreak in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), where no public vaccination programme has been put in place, reiterating its commitment to support the country response to the pandemic. In a statement, WHO took note of the “deaths and large number of people with fever” as reported by the official news agency KCNA, for DPRK - commonly known as North Korea - but said they are still awaiting information from the International Health Regulations national focal point, concerning the extent and severity of the first officially recorded outbreak. “We stand committed to assist our member country, as needed, by providing technical support to scale up testing, strengthen case management,...
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May 16, 2022 No comments
Return of commercial flights from Yemeni capital after 6 years, an ‘important’ step
INTERNATIONAL, 16 May 2022, Peace and Security - The UN Special Envoy for Yemen, on Monday welcomed the resumption of commercial flights from the capital city’s main airport after six years, as a potential game changer for citizens needing lifesaving medical treatment. Hans Grundberg noted that the first flight to leave the Houthi-controlled airport in Sana’a - since not long after fighting intensified between the rebel forces there and the Saudi-backed coalition supporting the internationally-recognized Government – had been a key part of the Truce agreement last month. The flight took off just after 9AM local time, heading for Amman, Jordan, carrying 130 Yemeni passengers. In his statement, Mr. Grundberg expressed his gratitude to the Jordanian Government for their invaluable support, “and for the constructive cooperation by...
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