Regional Alerts
Myanmar: Cyclone Mocha Situation Report No.3
2 Jun 2023. Humanitarian response operations continue to expand through organizations with new and existing TAs across the cyclonestricken regions of Rakhine, Chin, Magway, Sagaing, and Kachin, with shelter and food assistance particularly gathering pace.
Higher risk of haze in southern ASEAN region between June and October 2023
29 May 2023. The dry season is expected to be more intense and prolonged compared to recent years, said the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre.
UNICEF Myanmar Humanitarian Situation Report No. 8 (Cyclone MOCHA): 27-29 May 2023
30 May 2023. The humanitarian situation in regions and states affected by Cyclone Mocha continues to be a concern, as challenges in a number of affected sectors will have an impact on children’s survival, wellbeing and development.
China Might Have 65 Million COVID Cases a Week by June. How Worried Should the World Be?
29 May 2023. Last week when a Chinese senior health adviser projected 65 million COVID-19 cases per week in China by June, some health experts sounded the alarm.
ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance to the People of Myanmar in Response to the Impact of Tropical Cyclone MOCHA
22 May 2023. ASEAN delivered the first batch of Disaster Emergency Logistics System for ASEAN (DELSA) relief items of USD 100,000 in value to support the people of Myanmar affected by the Tropical Cyclone MOCHA.
Border clinics open a window into Myanmar’s dire healthcare needs
24 May 2023. At 9 am each morning, patients begin trickling into the waiting area of the Mae Tao clinic in western Thailand. By the end of most days, as many as 400 will have walked through its doors.
China is bracing for a massive new wave of COVID cases. What this means for the rest of the world
24 May 2023. A spring festival flower market in Guangzhou reopens on Jan. 20 after closures to prevent the spread of COVID. Cases of Omicron variant XBB are mounting in China, forming a new wave expected to crest around 65 million cases weekly by the end of June.
Vietnam seeks WHO’s assistance for supply of botulism antitoxin
22 May 2023. Since Cho Ray Hospital (Vietnam) ran out of botulism antitoxin while three patients in Ho Chi Minh City with serious food poisoning were in need of botulism antitoxin, Vietnam asked for the help of the WHO.
Việt Nam to consider announcing the end of COVID-19 pandemic
22 May 2023. Vietname Prime Minister assigned Ministry of Health to coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to prepare a dossier to reclassify COVID-19 from group A to group B infectious disease and announce the end of the pandemic.
Threat of Covid not over yet, warns public health expert
21 May 2023. Thailand public health expert said that the 2nd week of May has seen 38% more Covid-19 patients being hospitalized across country compared to 1st week. Patients are still at risk of developing severe symptoms, death or long Covid.
76th World Health Assembly: China vows to enhance international health cooperation
21 May 2023. China will continue enhancing international cooperation to safeguard global health security and advance the establishment of a global community of health for all. During the 76th World Health Assembly, the delegation will engage in the evaluation of more than 70 proposals related to preparedness and response to public health emergencies, universal health…
Urgent action needed to tackle stalled progress on health-related Sustainable Development Goals
19 May 2023. WHO is releasing the 2023 edition of its annual World Health Statistics report with new figures on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and the latest statistics on progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Health Cluster Sitrep No. 1, Tropical Cyclone MOCHA
19 May 2023. Extremely Severe Cyclone Mocha crossed the coast near Sittwe in Rakhine. There are rising concerns for spread of waterborne diseases, while most health facilities are affected, resulting in a shortage of medicines, medical supplies and health staff. Many laboratories and operating theatres are non-functional.
Projecting future risk of dengue related to hydrometeorological conditions in mainland China under climate change scenarios: a modelling study
14 May 2023. Hydrometeorological conditions are predicted to increase the risk of dengue in future in mainland China in disproportionate patterns. The findings have implications for preparation of PH interventions to minimize health hazards of non-optimal hydrometeorological conditions in a context of climate change.
Vietnam carries out sustainable prevention of COVID-19: expert
12 May 2023. Vietnam Ministry of Health is continuing to develop a sustainable response plan to the COVID-19 pandemic in the new situation, considering the context of dangerous new variants appearing.
WHO declares end to mpox public health emergency
12 May 2023. World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday it was ending a 10-month-long global health emergency for mpox, a viral disease that led to confirmed cases in more than a hundred countries.
Diphtheria death reported in Dien Bien province, Vietnam; First case in the province in many years
9 May 2023. Health sector of Dien Bien province, Vietnam urgently implementing epidemic prevention measures after recording a death from diphtheria. After grasping the information, the functional forces of Dien Bien Dong district carried out disinfecting the environment around the house, school and patient’s residence.
Diphtheria hits Lao DPR, prompting two health workers to fight back
8 May 2023. In December 2022, a single reported case of diphtheria in Lao PDR suddenly escalated into a full-blown outbreak. Soon, there were 60 patients across Huaphanh and Bolikhamxay provinces. Since last outbreak in 2012, vaccination rates had fallen off, leaving a dangerous immunity gap that needed to be closed.
Health ministry carries out programme to ensure vaccine supply until 2030
8 May 2023. The Vietnam Ministry of Health has recently issued a plan to carry out a programme on ensuring vaccine supply until 2030. Priority mechanisms will be granted to the research and production of vaccines for emerging, dangerous and highly infectious diseases and new types of vaccines in Vietnam.
WHO declares end to COVID global health emergency
7 May 2023. The WHO ended the global emergency status for COVID-19, more than 3 years after its original declaration, and said countries should now manage virus that killed more than 6.9 million people along with other infectious diseases.