On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern due to a significant increase in Mpox cases in Africa. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, was declared a global emergency in July 2022 after the disease spread to over 70 countries, resulting in over 99,000 cases and more than 200 deaths between 2022 and 2023. The emergency status was lifted in May 2023 due to a significant decline in cases and the increased availability of vaccines.
However, the recent rapid spread and detection in new regions contributed to the emergency declaration. The outbreaks involve two distinct strains: clade 1a, endemic in northwestern DRC, and clade 1b, which is spreading rapidly in northeastern DRC and neighbouring countries. Both strains spread through close contact with infected individuals or contaminated materials and present similar symptoms, including flu-like symptoms and rashes.
Sweden’s public health agency reported the first confirmed case of this new strain outside Africa. The patient, who contracted the virus in Africa, is receiving treatment in Stockholm, according to Forbes.
The WHO is implementing a comprehensive response strategy, including providing testing equipment, supporting laboratories, and training health workers. According to Axios, shares for Bavarian Nordic, the maker of an Mpox vaccine, surged by over 12% on Friday following the World Health Organization’s declaration. Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine, available under the brand names Jynneos, Imvamune, and Imvanex, is among the few approved for Mpox and is favoured by healthcare providers for its favourable risk profile.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the recent upsurge of Mpox, previously called monkeypox, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and several African nations a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The decision follows the detection of a more dangerous strain of the virus, clade Ib, and the recommendations from the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised the urgency of the situation, stating, “The emergence of a new clade of Mpox, its rapid spread in the eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying.” He highlighted the need for a coordinated international response to control the outbreaks and save lives.
Professor Dimie Ogoina, Chair of the Emergency Committee, warned that the mpox surge, including a new sexually transmissible strain, poses a global emergency.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) also declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental security earlier this week, reported CNN.
This is the second PHEIC declaration for MPoX in two years. The disease, endemic to central and west Africa, saw a global outbreak in 2022, which was declared over in May 2023. The current outbreak has led to more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths in the DRC, with a concerning new strain, clade 1b, spreading through neighbouring countries.
The WHO has released US$ 1.45 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies and anticipates a need for US$ 15 million to support response efforts. WHO is also facilitating access to vaccines and other medical tools.
In a major call to action, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have urged global researchers and governments to broaden their research strategies in preparation of a possible next pandemic. The organizations, addressing the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, highlighted the need for a more inclusive research approach that not only targets individual high-risk pathogens but also explores entire families of pathogens that could potentially infect humans.
The new strategy, as outlined in the WHO R&D Blueprint for Epidemics report, emphasizes using prototype pathogens as a basis for developing comprehensive knowledge about various pathogen families. This approach aims to enhance global preparedness by creating broadly applicable tools and countermeasures that can be swiftly adapted to emerging threats. The report also stresses the importance of improving surveillance and research to better understand pathogen transmission, human infection mechanisms, and immune responses.
Dr. Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI, emphasized the significance of this updated framework saying, ““WHO’s scientific framework for epidemic and pandemic research preparedness is a vital shift in how the world approaches countermeasure development, and one that is strongly supported by CEPI. As presented at the Global Pandemic Preparedness Summit 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this framework will help steer and coordinate research into entire pathogen families, a strategy that aims to bolster the world’s ability to swiftly respond to unforeseen variants, emerging pathogens, zoonotic spillover, and unknown threats referred to as pathogen X.”
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasized the need for a united global effort, stating, “History teaches us that the next pandemic is a matter of when, not if. It also teaches us the importance of science and political resolve in blunting its impact.” He called for increased scientific and political resolve to tackle the impending threat, advocating for the establishment of Collaborative Open Research Consortiums (CORCs) to facilitate global research collaboration. These CORCs will focus on each pathogen family and involve researchers, developers, and funders worldwide, particularly from regions where these pathogens are likely to emerge.
For months, key stakeholders involved in the forty-five-million-dollar University Hospital project have left the question of its construction site unanswered. Originally, the hospital was intended to be built on the University of Belize grounds to manage operations for the institution. However, government officials ultimately rejected that location. Today, Minister of Health and Wellness Kevin Bernard provided an update, announcing that a new site has been selected.
Kevin Bernard, Minister, MOHW
“I would not be able to speak on the cost of the land. That is, that is something that is, um, to the Ministry of Economic Development because that’s the way the decision for that was done. However, there was other challenges, the location of accessibility. Remember, it’s not only a teaching hospital, it’s going to be a tertiary facility where you need to have immediate access and so, they felt after the ministry and other technical team looked at it, they felt that they needed to be at a different location that is more accessible. But it will continue to serve, as Dean Johnson mentioned, not just the tertiary teaching hospital, but we also want to try and look at how we could implement our regional facilities to also become some level of teaching facilities where people can go in and learn clinical works and so forth. So, but yes, the decision was made to build a hospital at a different location. We are almost finished with the designs now, and I am hoping that we can break ground on that new facility by the end of this year.”
Reporter
“I know you said it’s the Ministry of Economic Development, they made a decision. But do you feel like that money that went into sourcing this land will take away from maybe the quality of the facility that’s being built since that money could have been used in the facility?”
Kevin Bernard
“No, that is totally separate from what the investment from the Saudis will be. I mean, the, the Saudis has committed to sixty thousand dollars…six, I don’t remember, I think it’s sixty thousand U.S. dollars. But at the end of the day, we have to make sure that. Six million. I believe it is. Sorry. I’m sorry. I’m confusing the numbers, but we have to make sure that there’s no change in the scope of that. That’s why there’s proper planning being done in terms of our policy unit or planning unit working closely with the university. We’re working closely with the hospital designs that are there to ensure that all the services that we a tertiary facility should have will be had will be there whether the land was purchased or so does not take away from what the construction of that facility will have when it’s over, when it’s finished.”
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) donated equipment worth over $151,000 to the Ministry of Health and Wellness. This contribution is part of the “Building Climate Change Resilience and Social Integration of Displaced People in Settlements of Western Belize” project. The project aligns with Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Compact for Migration Objectives and is set to conclude by December 2024.
In an official statement issued on August 8, 2024, it said that the project was launched in February 2022 as a “joint initiative between IOM and the Government of Belize—funded by the European Union with a grant of BZ$4,600,000.”
The donation includes 23 types of equipment, such as EKG machines, diagnostic sets, scales, crash carts, and defibrillators, marking the completion of IOM’s deliverables.
The initiative aims to improve resilience in five communities: Santa Familia, Billy White, Los Tambos, Duck Run 1, and Duck Run 3. “The polyclinic, being constructed by the government, is expected to be completed in October 2024 and will serve over 5,000 residents,” the statement said. The project will finish with the construction of a hurricane shelter and community centre in Duck Run 1 and the rehabilitation of Los Tambos Primary School.
Last month, the Ministry of Health and Wellness recorded a slight increase in the number of COVID cases in Belize. While the virus has resurfaced, the ministry stressed that there has not yet been a need for an official caution. Additionally, respiratory illnesses have also been on the rise. Today, C.E.O. Deborah Ruiz said that the board has recorded an increase in respiratory diseases.
Deborah Ruiz C.E.O., S.S.B.
“We don’t necessarily see an increase in COVID. We do see respiratory diseases, and it could very well be because persons are not going to the hospital to get tested or using the homemade kits. But yes, there are increases in the respiratory, but not COVID or post COVID times. Not a significant increase per se.”
Reporter
“When did you see this update, or when was it noticed?”
Deborah Ruiz
“We monitor cases on a monthly basis, so in terms of what I report to the board, we will look at the top ten diagnosis, and there’s always respiratory infection that is high on the list apart from hypertension and the other types of issues.”
Working in the healthcare sector as a medical doctor can be very challenging, especially in Belize where resources are sometimes very scarce. So, when medical students return home after spending five years or more receiving their academic certification, they must undergo a sort of indoctrination into Belize’s healthcare system. The proper term is medical internship or residency. Any medical doctor wanting to practice in Belize must participate in the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ one-year Medical Internship Program. Upon completion of the program, they receive their license to practice medicine in Belize. Today, News Five’s Paul Lopez visited the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital to find out more about how the program is contributing to the improvement of healthcare services in Belize. Here is that report.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Seven hundred staff members work within the four walls of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital. K.H.M.H. has the largest population of employees under one roof in the country. This is where doctors who desire to practice in Belize do their internship or residency to receive their medical license.
Dr. Gerald Castillo
Dr. Gerald Castillo, Medical Intern, K.H.M.H.
“It has been a building process.”
Dr. JonMarie Young
Dr. JonMarie Young, Medical Intern, K.H.M.H.
“We get to practice procedures, be in surgeries, we get a lot of hands-on experience.”
Dr. Aaliyah Abraham
Dr. Aaliyah Abraham, Medical Intern, K.H.M.H.
“It is just as important as the theoretical part, because you can know the theory but if you don’t know how to do what you need to do then that is difference between saving a person and causing more harm.”
John Waight has been the coordinator of the Ministry of Health and Wellness’ Medical Internship Program since its inception just over a decade ago. A hundred and eighty-two interns have completed the program under his tutelage. That is just over thirty percent of five hundred and sixty-three medical doctors that are currently licensed to practice in Belize.
Dr. John Waight
Dr. John Waight, Coordinator, Medical Internship Program
“It is a period of further training which is designed to prepare the recently graduated medical doctor for safe and independent practice in the nation on Belize, the emphasis is Belize, because medicine does vary more than a little bit from place to place and the idea is to prepare these doctors who have completed their university degrees for safe, that they do no harm and independent, when they go through the door they are on their own and can function as a medical officer for example in the public service or they can work as a primary care doctor in one of the NHI clinics or they can even open their own private clinics and see patients.”
Doctors Gerald Castillo and Aaliyah Abraham underwent their medical studies in Cuba, while JonMarie Young studied in the Republic of Georgia. As they explained, students within these institutions received limited hands-on clinical experience, partially because of how advanced and well-staffed healthcare facilities are within these countries. So, they return to Belize with a wealth of knowledge and the Medical Internship Program steps in to provide additional experience under strict supervision.
Dr. Gerald Castillo
“For there the different patients we don’t even see them because they go straight to the specialist clinics. But here we are the ones that have to see those patients and manage and treat. So, with that it has been a great experience to know how Belize does management for those patients.”
Paul Lopez
“What does it do for your confidence as a doctor?”
Dr. Gerald Castillo
“Oh, it skyrockets it.”
Dr. John Waight
“There are four major services in the hospital, medicine, surgery, obstetrics and pediatrics and they spend three months in each. The medical service includes a short stay in emergency medicine and accident and the surgical is divided into orthopedic surgery and general surgery. Obstetrics is obstetrics and pediatrics is the neonatal unit. What do they do, when assigned to the given service, they are the primary doctors dealing with the patients.”
Paul Lopez
“One would consider it alright, if we study overseas, perhaps we are unequipped to expose them to that level of training.”
Dr.John Waight
“Well, you hit a cord, when I came back here a long time ago, my supervisor said, John you will do well in Belize, because you can improvise. We have made strides, but it is not quite like that, but at times you do have to improvise. That is one thing.”
Sixty-two percent of Waight’s interns over the past twelve years are now working in the public service, others are out undertaking postgraduate training in clinical specialties. Undoubtedly, the internship program is making a significant contribution to the delivery of medical care in Belize. Notably, seven of the current cohort of interns are women and only three are men. According to Waight, there has been a gradual decline in the number of male medical practitioners across the world. Doctor JonMarie Young shared her thoughts on why this may be the case.
Dr. JonMarie Young
“I would think it has more to do with the social aspect of the country how women are being pushed more to get an education, to be more independent, versus men, maybe men have more pressure to sustain their families from a very early age. I think there is a lot more socio-economic factors relating to that.”
Each of these doctors have a different story on how life led them to engage the field in which they are currently employed, but in speaking with them, they all shared a similar vision, to improve the healthcare system in Belize. This is evident in Doctor Aaliyah Abraham, the first medical practitioner in her family.
Dr. Aaliyah Abraham
“Sometimes they tend to say that it is the nurses that are more compassionate towards them.”
Paul Lopez
“How much pride do you take in compassion?”
Dr. Aaliyah Abraham
“A lot, because that is when you find your patient will be freer with the information they have to offer, and it will help you to diagnose and help to treat them.”
For this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, running from August 1 to August 7, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are calling for enhanced global support for breastfeeding.
The appeal, voiced by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, highlights a notable increase in exclusive breastfeeding rates over the past 12 years, now at 48% for infants under six months. This rise brings the world closer to the WHO’s 2025 target of 50%.
Despite this progress, significant challenges persist. Proper breastfeeding support can save over 820,000 children’s lives annually and is crucial for protecting infants’ health during emergencies by providing a reliable, nutritious food source. Breastfeeding also benefits mothers by reducing the risk of certain cancers and noncommunicable diseases.
This year’s theme, “Closing the gap: Breastfeeding support for all,” emphasises the need for equitable support systems. To advance breastfeeding support, UNICEF and WHO advocate for increased investment in relevant programs, family-friendly workplace policies, and robust monitoring of breastfeeding practices and policies.
The Gaza Health Ministry has officially declared the Palestinian territory a “polio epidemic area,” attributing the resurgence of the virus to the destruction of health infrastructure caused by Israel’s military campaign.
Poliomyelitis, a highly infectious disease that can cause paralysis and is transmitted through contaminated water and food, has seen a dramatic global decline due to widespread vaccination efforts. However, Gaza’s deteriorating conditions have revived the threat. The virus which is spread mainly through the fecal-oral route has been detected in sewage samples from Khan Yunis and central Gaza.
“I witnessed at first hand living conditions that are highly favorable for the spread of polio and other diseases,” said Dr Hanan Balkhy, World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, “This is an important time…to come together to act swiftly and decisively to contain this outbreak, for the children of Gaza.”
The Gaza Health Ministry, in collaboration with UNICEF, confirmed the presence of “component poliovirus type 2” in sewage earlier this month, particularly affecting areas where displaced families reside. “The brutal Israeli aggression that deprived the people of usable water, the destruction of the sanitation infrastructure, the accumulation of tonnes of garbage and a lack of food security” had led to the recurrence of the virus, the ministry said.
In response, the Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that the vaccines will be administered to children in the coming weeks. He noted that no cases of polio have been recorded yet but without immediate action, it was “just a matter of time before it reaches the thousands of children who have been left unprotected.”
In a bid to prevent a polio epidemic in Gaza, UN humanitarians on Tuesday repeated continuing international calls for a ceasefire to allow the “more than a million polio vaccines” campaign to get underway.
Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for Guardant Health’s new blood test, Shield, to screen for colon cancer. This decision could significantly impact the rate of screenings for the second-highest cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. The test is designed for individuals aged 45 and older who are at “average risk” for the disease.
While Shield offers a less invasive and quicker alternative to colonoscopies, specialists emphasise that it does not replace the gold standard of colorectal cancer screening. Colonoscopies are more accurate, particularly in detecting precancerous polyps and are recommended every 10 years compared to the Shield test’s recommended interval of every three years. Robert Smith of the American Cancer Society cautioned that a positive Shield test requires confirmation through a colonoscopy: “A test like this is not complete if it’s positive and you have not had a colonoscopy.”
This new approval is expected to address low screening rates; fewer than 60% of eligible individuals currently undergo recommended screenings. “The biggest problem with colon cancer right now is that there’s a significant part of the population that’s not getting screened,” said Dr. Sapna Syngal from Dana-Farber Cancer Center. He noted that the potential for the test to increase the number of people getting screened could have a significant impact on cancer detection.
