#Dr. Hans Kluge

[creativemedianews]

‘Don't sit' on mpox vaccines and maintain surveillance, urges WHO's Europe chief

‘Don't sit' on mpox vaccines and maintain surveillance, urges WHO's Europe chief #Africa #COVID-19lessons

[covid-safer-hotties]

Also preserved on our archive

Coronaviruses like COVID, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) “must be taken seriously” as they are particularly dangerous for at-risk groups including the elderly, pregnant women and people suffering from existing or chronic illness, WHO Europe insisted, as it launched a region-wide protection campaign.

“Collective amnesia on COVID-19 has set in and this is concerning,” said WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Kluge. “Individuals, communities, and countries understandably want to move on from the trauma of the pandemic years. Yet COVID-19 is still very much with us, co-circulating with other respiratory viruses.”

European spotlight The WHO official noted that 53 countries across Europe and Central Asia still experience up to 72,000 deaths from seasonal influenza, accounting for approximately 20 per cent of the global burden. “The vast majority of these deaths can be prevented,” he said, adding that the most vulnerable “must be protected” by vaccine immunization, which is proven to prevent illness and severe outcomes.

In the 28 days to 22 September, health authorities in WHO’s European region reported just over 278,000 COVID-19 cases and 748 deaths, from Cyprus to Moldova and from Ireland to Russia. Those numbers are higher than any other WHO region and are likely underestimates, the UN health agency said.

According to WHO data, COVID-19 has killed more than seven million people since the outbreak began in late 2019, with most deaths reported in the United States (1.2 million), Brazil (702,000), India (534,000) and Russia (403,000).

Unpredictable pathogens “COVID-19 devastated every corner of the planet,” Dr Kluge said. “Mpox clade II emerged unexpectedly in Europe in 2022 and continues to circulate in the region, even as mpox clade I in Central-East Africa has triggered a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. And RSV and influenza will continue to co-circulate with heightened intensity in the coming months, especially with more people gathering indoors due to colder weather.”

National health authorities should fulfil their role of protecting vulnerable populations, the WHO senior official continued, as he urged greater investment in public healthcare to protect overburdened healthworkers.

New and existing viruses can “wreak havoc on health systems, economies, and society,” Dr Kluge warned, in a call for regular and consistent surveillance and monitoring to “ensure we are ready for the next major health emergency, whenever and wherever it comes”.

As part of a WHO Europe public health campaign to prevent the spread of influenza and other respiratory diseases, the UN agency noted that key protective measures include staying at home when sick, practising hand and cough hygiene, and ensuring proper ventilation.

Vulnerable populations who also include those with weakened immune systems and anyone who believes they may have caught a respiratory virus should wear a close-fitting mask in crowded or enclosed spaces, WHO added.

“Protecting against respiratory viruses is the shared responsibility of governments and all of society,” WHO’s Dr Kluge said. “Everyone should play their part in fostering a culture of care and solidarity with the vulnerable.”

[indepwom101]

📷 Det Danske Kongehus

🇩🇰 Crown Princess Mary of Denmark

Monday, March 27, 2023

“Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess's commitment to health promotion and conservation was the focal point of today's two working meetings with WHO and WWF World Nature Foundation respectively.

The health situation of people in the world's focal points was on the agenda, as the Crown Princess received a briefing on WHO's efforts in the war in Ukraine and in the aftermath of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. The Crown Princess is the patron of WHO's office for the European region, which was represented at today's meeting by regional director Dr. Hans Kluge, who was accompanied by Robb Butler.

From the working room in Frederik VIII's Palace, the Crown Princess afterwards took part in an extraordinary presidium meeting in the WWF World Nature Foundation, where managing director Mads Kann-Rasmussen was elected as the new front person for the WWF Verdensnaturfonden board and presidium.

As president of the WWF World Nature Foundation, since 2020, the Crown Princess has been engaged in the foundation's work to preserve the diversity of nature and create a greater understanding of the importance of biodiversity and wild nature.”

[indizombie]

Prisons are embedded in communities and investments made in the health of people in prison becomes a community dividend. Incarceration should never become a sentence to poorer health. All citizens are entitled to good-quality health care regardless of their legal status. When prisons are excluded from the general health system, local communities can be the hardest hit.

Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director of the WHO regional office for Europe

[head-post]

Mpox in Europe as reminder to stay vigilant

The current global public health emergency is another reminder that neglect in one part of the world can impact everyone, according to Dr Hans Heni P. Kluge and Peter Piot.

Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge is director of WHO Regional Office for Europe. Peter Piot is a professor of global health, London School of Health, and Tropical Medicine as well as special advisor to President Ursula von der Leyen on European and Global Health Security.

They state that mpox serves as a reminder of how quickly collective amnesia sets in when it comes to action. They recalled smallpox, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mpox has been transmitted in some parts of Africa from animals to humans, but has long been ignored by the global health community. As with many infectious diseases, if left unchecked, new transmission routes and new clades or strains develop.

As mpox had previously been prevalent only in Africa, the rest of the world preferred to ignore it. However, this changed two years ago when Europe became the first epicentre of a global clade II mpox outbreak. This triggered the WHO’s first declaration of an mpox emergency.

In 2022, Europe responded rapidly. However, the fight against smallpox was not over. Countries exhausted their forces and commitments before it was possible to stop the transmission of the virus across communities. Every month, around 100 new cases of clade II are detected in the European region.

Fighting mpox

Although the situation is complex, one thing seems clear: mpox is neither a new COVID nor a new HIV/AIDS. Its emergence and spread will not cause the scale of devastation that the pandemic did. Meanwhile, global production of mpox vaccine is severely limited, with demand far outstripping supply.

Now, the European Commission has shown a path to international solidarity by donating some 200,000 doses of Bavarian Nordic vaccine to the Democratic Republic of the Congo through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There is no justification for continued smallpox transmission in Europe among often stigmatised populations, especially knowing how smallpox can mutate. However, Europe’s efforts will mean little if the virus continues to circulate unimpeded elsewhere.

COVID-19 has already shown that travel restrictions and bans are not productive. They will not discourage travel, but reduce the likelihood of seeking medical attention for travel-related cases.

Now is the moment for Europe to build confidence in the health system within and beyond the continent. Through coordinated efforts and timely assistance, Europe will be able to break the cycle of neglect and panic over smallpox and other epidemics.

Read more HERE

[allthenewzworld]

"We can, and must, tackle mpox together."

Mpox is "not the new Covid", because authorities know how to control its spread, a World Health Organization expert has said.

Despite concern about a new variant of the virus, and a global alert, Europe regional director Dr Hans Kluge said together we could tackle mpox.

Mpox has killed at least 450 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent months, linked to new variant Clade Ib. A case has also been confirmed in Sweden.

There is still a lot to learn about the new variant, experts say, but it may be spreading more easily, causing more serious disease.

(📸 Reuters)

#mpox #allthenews

[williamchasterson]

Mpox not new Covid and can be stopped, expert says

The world must act now to ensure vaccines reach the areas most in need, the WHO’s Dr Hans Kluge says. from BBC News https://ift.tt/pc2dNiP via IFTTT

[thejewishlink]

WHO: Nearly 36M in Europe May Have Experienced Long COVID

COPENHAGEN (AP) — Nearly 36 million people in Europe may have had long-lasting health problems from coronavirus infections they got during the first three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization’s regional director said Tuesday. Dr. Hans Kluge said “long COVID” remained “a complex condition [that] we still know very little about” and that is “a glaring blind spot in our…

[nuadox]

HIMSS23: Day 2 highlights

- By Danielle Siarri , Nuadox -

Here are our Day 2 highlights of the 2023 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition in Chicago (April 17-21).

Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, gave a presentation on digital health in Greenland and other Arctic communities following a recent official visit to Nuuk, Atammik and Ilulissat. There is a growing use of telehealth in these remote areas.

Generative AI technologies such as ChatGPT have potential in healthcare but you have to ask yourself, what happens in the small percentage when conversational agents are wrong?

The “NursePitch: Nursing Innovation Lightning Talk and Innovation Panel Luncheon” discussed tactics for rethinking, reimagining, and reinventing traditional nursing workflows in order to improve efficiency, minimize mistakes, and improve patient outcomes, as well as the role of technology in assisting nurses in optimizing workflows and improving patient care.

Video: At HIMSS23 Danielle Siarri interviews Jim Kyung-Soo Liew, PhD, Associate Professor of Practice, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School. They discussed the application of generative AI technologies in healthcare.

Read Also

HIMSS23: Day 1 highlights

HIMSS23: Day 3 highlights

HIMSS23: Day 4 highlights

HIMSS23: Day 5 highlights

[worldtbday]

Statement from the Regional Director, WHO Regional Office for Europe on World TB Day 2023; March 24th.

Dr Hans Kluge, Regional Director, WHO Regional Office for Europe

[gamegill]

WHO reveals one-third of prisoners in Europe suffer mental health disorders — Global Issues

While European prisons managed adequate COVID-19 pandemic responses for inmates, concerns remain about poor mental health services, overcrowding and suicide rates, the report stated. “Prisons are embedded in communities and investments made in the health of people in prison becomes a community dividend,” said Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, regional director of the WHO regional office for Europe.…

[europahoynews]

Europa puede derrotar a mpox, debe apoyar a África para que obtenga vacunas: OMS

Al informar a los periodistas en Ginebra, el Dr. Hans Kluge, director regional de la OMS para Europa, insistió en que el riesgo de mpox para la población general era “bajo”. Rechazó las comparaciones entre la enfermedad viral de rápida propagación que la agencia declaró una emergencia de salud pública internacional la semana pasada, y la pandemia de COVID-19, “independientemente de si se trata de…

[yilmazblog]

Sitemize "Sağlık Bakanı Fahrettin Koca, koronavirüs sürecindeki kritik verileri açıkladı" konusu eklenmiştir. Detaylar için ziyaret ediniz. https://www.yalansiz.net/guncel/saglik-bakani-fahrettin-koca-koronavirus-surecindeki-kritik-verileri-acikladi/

[zyciestolicy]

Koronawirus – druga śmiercinośna fala wirusa, WHO ostrzega! Dr Hans Henri Kluge z WHO ostrzegł Europę przed drugą falą koronawirusa, która ma być groźniejsza ponieważ połączona z chorobami sezonowymi  i przypadać na przełomie końca 2020 i początku 2021 roku.

[mednerds]

2 Million People Have Died From COVID-19 Worldwide

In coming years, families around the world will be reminded of what happened in January 2021 by gaps in photo albums, saved video chats or text message threads, and in some cases, tragically, empty seats at future weddings. But in the history books, the pandemic’s impact will be traced in terms of milestones, including one passed on Friday: 2 million people have died from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. The novel coronavirus has caused the deadliest global epidemic since the emergence of HIV/AIDS 40 years ago, and the deadliest respiratory pandemic in a century.

Worldwide, some 12,000 to 13,000 people have died from COVID-19 every day over the past week. Deaths have been increasing steadily since October, when about 5,500 people were dying per day globally.

The staggering number of deaths from COVID-19 intensifies the urgency of global efforts to distribute coronavirus vaccines.

In the U.S. and other countries, efforts to distribute the vaccine have been hampered by supply chain limitations and other logistical problems. The World Health Organization has repeatedly warned that distributing vaccines equitably across counties will be necessary to stop the spread of the pandemic, although 95% of the vaccines distributed so far have been handed out in just 10 countries, Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, said Thursday. Newly discovered mutations of the virus, including the variant initially found in the U.K., and since spread to multiple countries including the U.S. threaten to drive the death toll up even higher; the U.K. variant is thought to spread 70% more quickly, which could lead more vulnerable people to becoming infected.

More U.S. resident have died after contracting COVID-19 than in any other country. Over 389,000 Americans have died from the virus, followed by Brazil, with more than 207,000 deaths, and India, with nearly 152,000. The U.S. also leads the world by number of reported infections; more than 23.3 million people have been infected with the virus. COVID-19 was likely the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020; when preliminary numbers from last year are compared to 2018, they suggest more U.S. residents died from COVID-19 in 2020 than from strokes, accidents or Alzheimer’s disease.

Achieving herd immunity to protect people from COVID-19 through vaccination is still a long way off. In the U.S., less than 3% of the population has been vaccinated so far, while experts estimate that at least 75% of people would need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. Therefore, stopping more deaths from COVID-19 in the coming weeks will require individuals to keep taking the steps experts say are needed to stop the virus’ spread: staying home, wearing masks, and maintaining physical distance from one another.

By Tara Law (TIME).