By Princess-Ekwi Ajide, Abuja
World Health Organization, WHO, has reported that in spite of COVID-19 presents, there are significant global health achievements.
The World Health Organization’s 2020-2021 Results Report released ahead of the World Health Assembly next week tracks WHO’s significant achievements across the global health spectrum, to include delivery of more than 1.4 billion vaccine doses via the COVAX facility, the recommendation for broad use of the world’s first malaria vaccine and WHO’s response to some 87 health emergencies, as well as COVID-19.
During 2020-2021, WHO led the largest-ever global response to a health crisis, working with 1600 technical and operational partners, and helped galvanise the biggest, fastest and most complex vaccination drive in history, spent US$1.7 billion on essential supplies to the COVID-19 response.
According to WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO has responded to the most severe global health crisis in a century, and has continued to support member states in addressing many other threats to health, despite squeezed budgets and disrupted services.
He said as the world continues to respond and recover from the pandemic in the coming years, WHO’s priority remains to invest more resources for work in countries, where it matters and for this, ensuring that WHO has sustainable, predictable and flexible financing is essential for fulfilling the mission to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.
The WHO Director-General, noted, though the ACT-A partnership delivered over 1 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by January 2022. The global rollout of crucial health materials included nearly US$500 million worth of personal protective equipment; US$ 187 million in oxygen supplies, US$4.8 million in treatments and 110 million diagnostic tests much still needs to be done for the world to get on track for WHO’s target of each country vaccinating 70% of its population by July 2022.
Dr. Ghebreyesus, said some of WHO’s achievement beyond the pandemic include mandatory policies prohibiting the use of trans fatty acids (a hazardous food compound linked to cardiovascular disease), that are in effect for 3.2 billion people in 58 countries which 40 have best practice policies, with the aim for a world free of trans-fats by the end of 2023, implementation of measures mandated by WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which had assisted ensure tobacco use is decreasing in 150 countries, saving lives and livelihoods.
He said,15 countries have achieved elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and/or syphilis owing to efforts at scaling up life-saving interventions guided by WHO guidelines, while WHO’s recommendation of widespread use of the world’s first malaria vaccine (RTS,S) which is expected to save 40 000 to 80 000 lives a year, when used with other malaria control interventions has been delivered to over 1 million children.