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Black mamba is a large venomous snake found in Africa. The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 138,000 people die each year from a snake bite.
photography suebg1 / Getty Images
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photography suebg1 / Getty Images
Black mamba is a large venomous snake found in Africa. The World Health Organization estimates that nearly 138,000 people die each year from a snake bite.
photography suebg1 / Getty Images
Assiduous and steeped in parliamentary rules, the annual World Health Assembly is a largely predictable exercise. Delegates from 194 Member States of the World Health Organization meet each May to take on a busy agenda and discuss policies and priorities for the next year of WHO. Some decisions are capital, the most banal.
Still, the May rally still has some surprises. This year's meeting, which ended Tuesday, was no exception. From royalties to bug kills and sexual rights to snakebites, the 72nd World Health Assembly has offered unexpected moments and decisions.
Fireworks on the cost of drugs
Intense marathon debates broke out in the Assembly to reveal the real cost of drugs. Italy has proposed a resolution calling for the publication of information on the research and development costs of pharmaceutical companies. Knowing how much the development of a particular drug costs would give countries leverage in price negotiations. WHA observers were surprised to see Germany isolated in its attempt to block transparency, aligned with the UK and Hungary, but not with normal allies on issues such as France and the United States. United States. In fact, the United States, generally in favor of Big Pharma on the international scene, leaned more towards Italy. A weakened version of the last-minute resolution was finally approved on Tuesday.
Snakebite Fast Track
While the words "WHO" and "speed" rarely seem to match, the organization has achieved what it could be a personal best by formally launching its new global strategy on snake bites on May 23 – just a year after the resolution of the World Health Assembly problem. The rapid response from WHO is needed as approximately 5.4 million people are bitten each year and 138,000 people die from it, according to the WHO. The strategy aims to reduce by 50% the number of deaths and disabilities caused by snake bites by 2030.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
As expected, the United States representatives decided to remove any reference to sexual and reproductive health and rights in a resolution on universal health coverage. (According to documents obtained by Foreign Policy, this seems to be part of the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate the sexual health language from UN resolutions.) What we do not do not wait, it was a resurgence of resistance against the United States. Europe, Latin America and Asia have affirmed that sexual and reproductive health and rights are essential to universal health coverage (which is the only way out of health). main goal of this year's WHA), according to Health Policy Watch. Discussions on the resolution are expected to continue until July, in anticipation of the United States high-level meeting on universal health coverage in September.
A royal guest
Just before the start of a mental health meeting on May 22, more than 200 people suddenly started relighting their chairs to get up. The Director General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has arrived, but he does not usually receive this kind of welcome.
The reason for mass respect? Her Majesty Mathilde, Queen of the Belgians, was at home. The Royal Attorney for Mental Health told participants that the issue had not been prioritized in the global agenda. "This means that the care is much too modest," said Queen Mathilde. "Mental health care must be integrated."
Chagas disease finally has its day
More than a century after its discovery, the deadly disease called Chagas disease, transmitted by embrace, has finally been recognized. WHA Member States voted in favor of the official establishment of April 14 as World Chagas Day. According to the WHO, Chagas kills up to 10,000 people a year, mostly in Latin America. Trypanosoma cruzi Parasites, transmitted by hematophagous triatomines, can eventually cause cardiac arrhythmias or progressive heart failure that kills the victims. Chagas' current strategy focuses on better disease surveillance and increased access to treatment.
Stars in the streets
On May 19, participants proved that they could do more than talk about health. The WHO sponsored a "Walk the Talk" event the day before the start of the meeting. The event sent about 1,000 participants to the streets of Geneva, ostensibly to promote the WHO's program for health and celebrate "healthy lifestyles". Cynthia Germanotta, the mother of Lady Gaga, who has just been appointed WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Mental Health, has joined Tedros for the event. Nigerian singer Korede Bello; and Kenya's first lady, Margaret Kenyatta, who drew attention to the WHO's goals by stating that "physical activity has always been the secret of a lifetime for a healthy life." and the longevity of people and communities around the world, "but also drew attention to her tracksuit wearing FLOKE" – First Lady of Kenya.
Brian W. Simpson is editor-in-chief of Global Health now, a news website and a daily email published by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
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