Thank you for listening to Depiction's Media Radio. Welcome to Policy Rights to show
about government policy and human rights. Welcome back to Policy and Rights here in
Depictions Media Radio. I'm, of course your host Michael Clogs. And in
this next show we're gonna be listening to UM press conference with the WHO from
Geneva as they're talking about global health emergencies and also keep in mind it it's
also part of human rights where they also talk about how people are are denied
in certain areas, denied medications, how governments are withholding medications, in health
treatments, how because of things like war and and disasters, how troublesome is
for the WHO workers to get their doctor. There's into doctors and health workers
into areas so that they can they can treat those UM with with health conditions,
injuries, malnutrition. Something is as simple as we talk. We talk
about UM cures for treatments for diabetes, to brokera loosius, um polio,
all those things that we don't really pay it that closely attention to UM here
in the Canada, the United States, in our western western world with Western
medications. The WHO will point out how those things could be deadly killers in
other parts of the world because they simply just don't have the medication or the
means to get the medication there. So UM with that where uh we we
will start with opening remarks from from doctor Tedro's and he's going to include things
like UM behavioral sciences, drowning and prevention that we can stop some UM something's
from happening in health wise if we use presentative measures that the who has actually
lined out UH food and micronutrients, UH, indigenous health for for people.
UM he's going to be talking about some of those things along with that.
UM I did receive a update from about a disease outbreak, the Marburg virus
disease and the United Republic of Tanzania. As of June's second the United Republican
of Tanzania declared the end of his first documented outbreak of Marburg virus. Between
twenty one March and thirty one May, a total of nine cases UM eight
laboratory confirmed and one probable were reported. All the cases reported were from book
Oba districts the of the Tangeria region. A total of six deaths. The
fatality ratio is sixties seven percent, which is pretty high. For anything in
accordance to WHO recommendations. The declaration was made forty two days after the last
probable exposure to the Marburg virus was probable or confirmed. The WHO encourages countries
to maintain most responsive activities for three months after the outbreakings to ensure no re
emergence of disease. So with that, why don't we listen to the press
conference as it happened in Geneva in the WHO headquarters. Hello, everybody,
this is my great house in World Health Organization Headquarters, Geneva, welcoming you
to our global press briefing on current health issues today the second of June two
thy and twenty three. As usual, we will start with opening remarks from
our Director General, Doctor ted Dross Namgabresis, and I will then open the
floor to questions and our panel of technical experts, both here in the room
and online will be available to answer all your questions. Just to let you
know who's in the room. In the room, we have doctor Ted Ross
in the middle, and to doctor Ted Ross is right we have doctor Michael
Ryan, our executive director, Executive director of our Health Emergencies Program. Next
to doctor Ryan is doctor Olivier Pollard, the incident manager for the SADAN response,
and next to around the corner next to doctor Pola is doctor Katharina Byrne
burm Our, Assistant Director General for External Relations. To doctor Ted Ross is
left, we have doctor Maria van Kirkoff, technical lead for COVID nineteen and
next to doctor van Kirkoff we have doctor Abdivaman Mahmoud Mamadi, who's the director
for a lot in Response, a coordination department of our Health Emergencies program.
We also have a large panel of experts online and we will call on them
as your questions require specific technical answers. But now, without further ado,
I'll hand the floor to doctor Tetras. Doctor Tetras, you have the floor.
Thank you, Thank you, Margaret, good morning, good afternoon,
and good evening. Over the past two weeks, help leaders from around the
world gathered in Geneva for the annual World Health Assembly. There were many significant
resolutions and decisions taken on the vast array of issues on which w JOE works.
This includes behavioral sciences, best buys for NONCOMMUNICABILITIESES, diagnostics, disabilities,
drowning prevention, emergency, critical and operative care, food, micronutriants, indigenous
health, infection prevention and control, maternal in child health, medical oxygen,
primary health care, refugee and migrant health, rehabilitation, traditional medicine, chose
work on emergencies and much more. The approval of the budget for twenty twenty
four twenty five, including the twenty percent increase in assess contributions and support for
an investment round our landmark agreements in our shared efforts towards stronger, more effective
and empowered WHO, and the year ahead offers several opportunity it is to make
further progress. In particular, the high level meetings in September on inversal health
coverage, tuerkulosis and pandemic preparedness and response at the UN General Assembly are major
opportunities to catalyze political commitment. Likewise, the continuing negotiations on the Pandemic Accord
and amendments to the International Health Regulations are un unprecedented opportunity for us all to
learn from the successes and failures of the response to the COVID nineteen pandemic.
There are several key points words repeating to avoid misconceptions. First, this accord
is a generational opportunity that we must cease. We are the generation that lead
to the COVID nineteen pandemic, so we must be the generation that learns the
lessons it taught us and makes the changes to keep future generations safer. Second,
the two processes are negotiated by member states for member states, and will,
if enacted, be implemented in member states in accordance with their own national
laws. Third, all member states will retain their own sovereignity to set their
own domestic health policies. The idea that this Accord or the amended International Health
Aglations will ceed sovereignity to who is simply bogus and, as I said it
many times, fake news who will not gain any power to override domestic policy
decisions, nor would we want to. I know the journalists listening to this
briefing are largely health and science journalists who have a deeper understanding of health and
understand how an accord can help bolister our collective pandemic defenses. So I ask
you to keep following the facts about these two processes, to dispel myths,
and to inform your colleagues on the news and editorial desks. So there is
accurate reporting. These processes represent a serious commitment from all one hundred ninety four
member states towards their populations, and we cannot let miss and disinformation jeopardize them.
Next to some good news on the outbreaks of Marburg virus disease in Equatorial
Guinea and Tanzania. Today Tanzania declared its outbreak over forty two days after the
last patient tested negative for the second time. The outbreak in Equatorial guineas also
expected to be declared over next week if no further cases are detected. Who
will continue to support both countries to strengthen their outbreak prevention and preparedness activities.
Now to the Greater Horn of Africa, which faces a deepening hunger and health
crisis. The region comprises seven countries Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia,
South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda, and it is already in the midst of
the world's drought on record. In the first half of this year, heavy
downpours on the baked earth have caused flash floods in parts of Ethiopia, Kenya
and Somalia that displays thousands of people. Floods increase the risk of water and
mosquito bond dises in a region already impacted by malaria, cholera and other infectious
diases. Fifty three million people one in six are facing crisis levels of hunger.
WHO and our partners are on the ground ensuring access to basic health services,
providing treatment to siverly Malner's children, and helping countries detect, prevent and
respond to diss outbreaks, but alack of resources is hindering our response. Under
our Health Emergency Appeal for twenty twenty three, WHO is asking for one hundred
seventy eight millionaires dollars to Enablace to deliver urgently needed life saving medical aid.
We face critical funding gaps and we urged donors to be generous. In Sudan,
the situation has been compounded by violence. Fighting which started on the fifteenth
of April is continuing for a seventh week. People are dying because they can't
access hospitals and receive the care they need to treat injuries or the medicines they
need to treat chronic discs such as davits or hypertension. Women cannot safely deliver
their babies, and children are dying of malnutrition. And dehydration. With the
upcoming rainy season, there is an increased risk of outbreaks of water borne and
mosquito borne dises, which could pose significant health issues. Since the beginning of
the conflict, over one point six million people have been displaced, both internally
and to neighboring countries. WHO is working closely with health authorities in neighboring countries
to provide care to refugees. Health workers, supplies and facilities continue to be
targeted. Since the fighting started, has verified forty six attacks on healthcare,
leading to eight days and eighteen injuries. Sixteen of these attacks took place after
the signing of the Jetta Declaration to protect Civilians on the eleventh of May.
This is unacceptable. Along with other humanitarian agencies, WHO has worked to accelerate
the distribution of life saving medical supplies. We have sent a total of one
hundred seventy metric tones of medical supplies, including for trauma and injuries, chronic
and infectious Jesus by air, land and sea. However, limited access and
insecurity continue to hamper our efforts to get the supplies to where they can be
used to save lives. We urge all parties in Sudan to resume his fire
negotiations, stop the fighting, withdraw from health facilities, protect health workers,
and support the delivery of life saving supplies. Finally, the fourth Held for
All Film Festival will have its award ceremony on Tuesday, the sixth of June.
The Held for All Film Festival brings a human phase to who scientific work.
Listening to the voices of people affected by health issues is a powerful way
to raise awareness and improve our understanding of people's experiences. I congratulate in advance
the winners and my thanks to the distinguished members of the jury. The award
ceremony will be webcast on the website and we imbite everyone to join. Margaret
back to you. Thank you very much, Doctor Ted. Last, so
I'll now open the floor for question and answers. We actually have a lot
of you online despite it being a Friday afternoon, and a lot of hands
up already, so I ask you to keep your questions short and crisp,
and the first question we'll go to giacop lunch for from Rifa. Sharemy please
and mute yourself and ask a question. Thank you, all right, you
longing to everyone. I'd like to ask the question about the disease outbreak news
that you just posted concerning France. France reported increases silly. The national steps
is associated with ANKO, a virus. I would like to know the risk
assessment is considers to be little. But how concerned are you by this disease?
How unusual it is and is friends the only country that I've reported such
cases in. Thank you, Thank you Jeremy doctor at the moment will answer
question and you may have some additions. Thank you for that, and thanks
appreciating the French authority for reporting that and for the detail investigation that was done.
Saving lives is very important. Coming back to your question, I think
it's very general and I don't want to spend some time explain different virus groups,
but just to rate it again, this is part of introvirus. These
a big virus families that can cause most of the time a symptomatic affect in
everyone, but some of them within particularities. Group A coal virus eleven we're
seen as we have seen through COVID another r and a virus is more.
The virus go through evolution either by combine in itself or by not proof reading
the mistakes it does so what we have seen right now is a new recomponent
form of this. This was a very rare disease that it used to happen,
but since April now and from DULA last year until every last day when
the France Authority reporters in nine case have reported still very in number. But
we need to have a better surveillance monitor in all these introviruses. As part
of the polar education is if polic self is another introviruses. A lot of
countries have only focused reduced the surveillance. So the main messages we are not
worried about it. Of course very sad for what happened for this children and
a lot of all treatment and care needs to happen. The costs of self
is widespread and the clinician care time locate is important to retreat again from ourselves.
The risk from post from this recombination is still limited, but we are
calling to an increased surveillance. The AUTMCC are working with all the member states
trying to understand better seeing the surveillance has gone down and we miss in other
cases. So we'll keep updating more as we get more information from other members
state within the eupin Union and from other regions. For now the numbers remains
small, but the clinicians and the families of a critical read to play in
saving lives. Thank you, doctor and doctor Bryan. We'll add a few
more comments. Yeah, and I think it's important to say that entrovirus infections
of rativerse. They happen all over the world every year, and the overwhelming
majority of these infections are very mild in most children and most saddults. Their
whole range of entroviruses. Every mentioned echovirus, there's carpsaki virus, they're the
polioviruses. There are a group of viruses there in a big family of pcorn
of viridae. I think it's how they're lumped together. But in this sense,
in many ways they're joined by many ways in which they transmit. In
the normal situation, they often transmit by the fecal or route. But for
neonates, there are other ways in which a neonate can be infected, either
through around the time of birth and the birth canal exposure to blood, exposure
to carrors in the hospital environment, or whatever. And neonates are particularly vulnerable,
particularly preterm neonates. So but you have as a vulnerable group been exposed
to these viruses, and the outcomes of those children can be more severe,
but for the vast majority even of those children, the outcomes are very positive.
But there are a small proportion in this case the Equo virus and fansful.
In the UK we've had Catsaki virus as well causing problems with myocarditis.
There's these viruses target different organs. Some cause the cephalitis, some cause myochidiitis
or infection of the heart. Some can have effects on most organs. But
again I think it's importance that these are viruses that are natural in an environment
that have been with us for huns as polio has been with us for thousands
of years. But it is important that we keep an eye on them.
They do evolve, they do change, and they can replace each other.
So I would like to thank the governments of the United Kingdom and Fans were
maintaining such good surveillance. And this is where genomics and genetics become very important.
I've been able to track viruses where he has spoken about this for the
last three years. Our ability to detect these events is getting better and as
such that's important. But there isn't the cause here for heightened fear amongst people.
It means the scientists are doing their jobs. They're detecting these events,
they're sequencing them, they're looking at the risk. It is a real tragedy
for any family, in this particular case in Fans to lose a child at
this time after what may have been a very healthy pregnancy. So you know,
we should really think about those families and the loss that losses that they
are suffered, and as we order them to understand these viruses more, to
understand how they're spread, to understand how they cause what they do. But
again, for the vast majority of people experiencing an infection with connenta virus,
the outcome is entirely positive. For many children don't even know they have these
infections. Thank you very much for those answers, Doctor Ryan and doctor Mahmood.
The next question goes to Beliza don't Know from w Magazine Portugal. Belissa
and mute yourself and ask you a question. Please, thank you for taking
my question. Yes, sir, day Way Children's a single service repository on
the right dependency information is cho has any plan to control the situation of psychoactive
drugs and medicine in the world. Thank you, Thank you, Belisa.
We did. Indeed, I'm not sure that we have one of those experts
online. It's an excellent question. We do. Okay, I moved to
our regulatory people, but I don't think that they were necessarily prepared for this
question. But doctor Davis, would you like to answer that question? If
not, we can handle three million inquiries. Yeah, I'll give a preliminary
response to this, but I think most of it we need to follow it
afterwards. In terms of drug dependence, we have a program that indeed that
is monitoring and accelitating countries in terms of having appropriate framework for regulation of access
but also control of drugs that may result into the dependence. And we work
together with the UN Program on Drug Dependence and Control und und or C in
this respect. First of what classified what these drugs are, put them in
that classification, and then appropriate to the put measures that can control access these
drugs. Now, there's a strict balance that the needs happened here one because
they cause a dependence, so that the access must be controlled so that if
they're not overused, But then they are also circumstances where they are needed be
used in management of certain conditions, so there must be also measures to allow
their access under control as pervised conditions. So we have guidance on this for
member states and we can always follow up with the specificates would like support in
putting up and managing these measures. Over thanks, thank you very much,
Doctor Days. Thank if your proper name, it's doctor Daost move bound Ze.
Apologies that I've pronounced it incorrectly. And he's a Prequalification Unit coordinator.
And as I said, if you need more information, Belisa, we'll handle
it via media inquiries. The next question goes to Gabriella Sotomayer from Processo Mexico.
Gabriella, please I mute yourself and ask your question. Thanks, Gabriella,
we've lost you. We can't hear you, Gabriella. We started hearing
you and then you cut out. Looks like we've lost you, Gabriella.
We've got some others on the line, so what we'll do is we'll go
to the next question and then we'll move back to you later on. Just
maybe you check your line at your end. So now, the next question
goes to Ravi Kump from the Wire Love you, please un mute yourself and
ask your question. Yeah, thank you, madam. Oh. My question
is to the D word. You know, complaints being made by civil society
organizations and some governments about the ongoing discussions on privatizing several initiatives within who I'm
you're referring to a six stroke three to document. Why is it that the
DG is sort of opting for this at a time when you know, serving
the vulnerable populations is his core concern because we all know that privatization of health
has caused major disasters in the country. Of the country called d respond,
please servistic and I should inform is that the wire is a major publication from
India. Are you referring to a particular resolution on universal health coverage that?
I'm sorry, it's completely clear what a specific request is. It's about the
eight seven six two three two. Do you know about us bringing voluntary funds
and trying to throw the doors open because of the resource? Can't which the
wh voice facing it's a financing Okay, no, I can, yeah,
thank you. Of course, the most important decision by Member states this year
was not actually that Member states have agreed to increase assess contribution, meaning all
member states to contribute based on the share they get to whom, and that's
why in my speech I said the twenty percent increase agreed this year is significant.
It's historic and a big, a huge milestone. So that's where our
resources come. And the second will be the investment round, which we have
also got a signal from our members says to start where the other bulk of
the funding would would come and this is mainly again donor countries. Then the
other part could be from the private sector, but this is not part of
the two. For the private sector, we don't get involved directly. So
what happens is we have the DOUBLEHO Foundation, which we have established a few
years ago as part of our transformation, so the private sector can contribute to
do WHO foundation. So there is a firewall between who Founder, between the
private sector and WHO, but the funding we get through that mechanism is very,
very minor. So I think your concern is really well addressed. When
we design the way we mobilize resources and we don't allow any interference by the
private sector or any entity, and we focus on science and evidence and do
our work based based on that. But if there is any conflict of interest,
we have ways to manage to manage that. Thank you, and back
to Margaret. Thank you very much, Doctor Tatlers. The next question comes
from Malaysia from son In and her organization. Her outlet is correct Blue Silin.
Please I mute yourself and ask you a question. Thank you, Margaret.
Um, So, our constant is not probato control and it's for the
Director General Um, the Malaysian government. We certainly legalize and built with magical
or textingial purposes and to go the local and the Magia government did this.
We've got implemental any regulations. That's what I love. E cigarettes. So
E cigaretts can be legally sold in Malaysia to children and teenagers and there are
no regulations whatsoever on the advertising or packaging and labelieve, Um, do you
consider this to be antithetical the public health? Thank you for that question.
I may pass it first of all to the Unit HIT for Tobacco Control.
If doctor Turtles agrees, yes, we've got we've got our unit hit,
yes and no, we can say something no, I think um. First
of all, whether it's electronic cigarette or easy garrett or vaping, it has
to be regulated and we ask member states to do their best to, you
know, protect their citizens. When the tobacco introduced tobacco industry introduced electronic cigarette
and vaping, one narrative they tried to really sell is is that this is
part of harm reduction. It's not true. It actually is a trap,
and a trap meaning kids are being recruited at early age ten, eleven,
twelve to do vaping and easy Garrett, because they think that it's cool because
it comes in different colors, different flavor and and and and so on.
Then they get hooked for life and most actually move into regular cigarette smoking.
That's why it's a trap. But EA cigarette and vaping itself is also harmful.
It's harmful. So because of these two things, I think what we
say to um all countries is please protect your citizens, especially your children starting
vaping an electronic cigarette early and many adverts being done. Recent studies show that
inside or near schools, So it has to be regulated and it has to
be taken seriously. Thank you, Thank you very much, doctor doctor Tetras.
And now we're moved to try Gabriella again. Gabriella, can you try
once again to admut yourself and ask your question. Gabrielle, Yes, thank
you very much, Olah. Doctor. In Mexico, there is a serious
crisis due to the lack of medicines. The most warring shortage today due to
the lack of options are in medicine to treat schizophrenia by polar disorder and major
depressive disorder conditions that in Mexico's office some four point nine million people. The
government at Mexico said that the UN Office for Project Services UNOPS has worsen it
medicine shortages in Mexico. They are accusing EUNOPS because the government signed a couperation
agreement in July twenty twenty. I can't ask for your comments on this warring
situation in Mexico. Thank you so much, Gabriella. That's highly specific to
a situation in a country, so I doubt that we would have any comment,
but doctor DAOs maybe able to talk about sort of the overall situation with
regulation of medicines and management of access. So doctor Teos over to you.
Thank you very much. Indeed, I just said that is a specific question
that and they also involving UNUS, where I don't have a detail, but
just speaking general about access, there are many factors that affect access to since
starting right away from forecasting, quantification, portrayment processes and then actually a very
vera bit of time, a vera bit of funding to be able to PROTUA
the medicines and then the logistics for their for their day about it, but
also efficient to the generatory system. So they are there are many situations and
CHU has many interventions and programs that work at the different stages of the supply
chain. I don't have the specific and they would like to check on the
specific cause in this respect of Mexico and the agreement with the Roar of UNOPS.
This will need to cross check and then come back to you on the
specifics. Thank you, Thanks very much, doctor DAOs and Gabriella, if
you'd like to put a question through media inquiries again, we'll make sure that
we facilitate those answers for you. The next question goes to my plans of
the UN brief. Maya follows UN processes very closely and we've just finished our
World Health Assembly, so I'm expecting that's what the questions about. But please
go ahead, Maya and mutual self and ask a question. Thank you very
much. Doctor. My question is related actually to the stigmented decomposition doing the
assembly, who who was caution and the people using chap gpt um for medical
diagnostics and other studies and so on using chap gpt So when my question is
what specifically do you recommend? Is recommending in that sense are you creating a
working group or is there the working groups that are are already working and the
issues of your and emergent technologies be prompted and usedful for doing studies and looking
more closely at the uses and possible misuses of track GP three. Thank you,
mine. It's a really excellent question, and I know we are doing
a lot of work on this. I'm not sure I have the specific experts
in the room. I'm just looking around to see, but doctor Bryant has
has gone some points to make. I can't speak to the to the broader
issues, but certainly we have a lot of ongoing work on the use of
artificial intelligence for very positive gains we can make. We're using artificial intelligence to
try and detect signals of epidemics around the world. We're using artificial intelligence to
look at how people and communities are responding to various different events and trying to
understand better what communities are saying, what they're doing, and how they're reacting,
and to to to public health interventions. Artificial intelligence, I know has
been used right now to try and identify and look at violence factors and viruses
with the genomic analysis, so AI has also been used to identify new small
molecules which could be very effective as anti virals or antibiotics. AI we used
to aid diagnostics, to aid radiologic diagnostics, to aid simple technical diagnostics.
So AI is a tool and as such as potentially hugely powerful tool in the
future of health. But like all tools, in the wrong hands and without
proper regulation and without proper oversight, that tool can be turned to inadvertent badge
use or to intentional bad use. So we are in my program looking at
artificial intelligence and biologic risk and how AI and the misuse of biologic ages can
come together. And it's a powerful combination the use of both of those issues,
and we are looking at that. I know that the Chief Scientists is
leading a process around dual use in the area of dual use technologies, and
we're looking at that. In terms of genetics and genomics, AI will fall
into that category. But I think there's a much bigger discussion to have here.
Certainly, we all very curious about our health that we're very curious to
find out what may or may not be wrong with us at any one time,
and we use various things. We ask our friends, we look at
posters, we listen to podcasts, we might ask chat GPT. The most
important thing is that if we're concerned about our health, we should be going
to see our primary healthcare physician. We should be going and interacting with the
health system, and we shouldn't necessarily be using AI products that are not designed
to do that as as our healthcare worker. But it is reassuring and it
is good if people are People are using the internet all the time, people
are constantly searching for terms around disease. Sometimes I think we drive ourselves crazy
looking on the Internet and wondering what we could possibly have based on the symptoms
we're feeling at any one time. That can be very empowering, but it
also can be it can be very fear inspiring. But if, if,
if using tools stimulates people to access healthcare, that is not a bad thing.
We want people to access healthcare for especially for things that can be treated
and prevented. So I think this is a huge area. It's an area
that's going to require a lot of discussion in the coming months and years.
And I think it is an area in which who has a role to play
in convening experts from around the world and in finding ways to ensure that this
powerful tool can be used for good and that we can mitigate any of the
potential uses of such technology that will act against health. Thank you very much,
doctor Ryan. And as I said, Mayer, if you need any
other stuff, please please come through media inquiries. We now have a question
from India. Again. This is from Malala men on Armor, a major
newspaper in India, and the journalist is Joseph Ruben. Joseph, please and
mute yourself and ask your question. My question is about the COVID or vaccines
and the sudden stage of heart attacks on birds, even young and many young
people. Now, do you have any any vidence that this did something to
the post COVID issues or or to the COVID vaccines. Do you have any
complete study on this? Thank you, Josef. That's a very broad question.
I think again we probably prefer that doctor van Kekov has vaccines and sudden
tests in young people. Is that your question? Do we have studies on
this course of studies? That's your question? Yes, that is question.
Let's your question. So he okay, repeat the question, please, Joseph
okay, okay, I will, I will. So my question is about
the sudden, arisive heart attack from builds even young people. You are even
India is reportings a lot of such deaths. Is there evenly evidence that these
builds and lining to the post coviducues are all with the COVID vaccines. Do
you have any concrete study owdus. That is good question, Thank you doctor,
thank gov with stud Yeah, I can start, so the question.
I think you've put two things into this question. So one of the things
that we're constantly looking at around the world are any adverse effects related to COVID
nineteen. First of all, primarily from infection, and we still are seeing
a number of hospitalizations I see you admissions and deaths due to infection with COVID
nineteen. What we do have is ample evidence and studies upon studies of the
protective effects of vaccines in preventing hospitalizations, preventing severe disease, and preventing death.
Deaths and that is consistent over the last two and a half years where
these vaccines have been in use, So it really remains critically important that people
get vaccinated. There are registries that follow adverse events following vaccination, and that
has been put in place over the course of since the vaccines have been put
in use, and that is something that will continuously be studied as these vaccines
continue to be used. But I do want to reiterate that the vaccines that
are currently in use around the world are protecting people from dying and they have
prevented millions of deaths in the course of the last several years. So please
do get boosted if it's your turn, if you are recommended to get one,
particularly if you are in an at risk group. This virus is still
circulating in every country around the world. We have millions of cases of infections
and reinfections that are being reported to us. There are hundreds of thousands of
people in hospital every week for COVID nineteen and we have thousands of deaths every
week. The second part of your question I just wanted to address as well
as post COVID condition. This is something that we are deeply concerned about and
working on with clinicians around the world to better understand post covid condition. There
are some estimates that suggest that about six percent of symptomatic infections result in post
covid condition, which affects multiple organs in the body, the lungs, the
hearts, the brain, and really cause significant impairment in individuals. The good
news that we understand is that most people will recover after about a year,
but that's a very long time of causing very harmful effects and individuals, and
so this is something we are working on to make sure that post covid condition
is recognized, and this is coming from infection with this virus, making sure
that it's recognized, making sure that there's treatments and there's good rehabilitation. The
other thing that we are looking at is the impact of repeat infections of individuals
over time, where in the fourth year of this pandemic and the virus is
circulating and people are getting reinfected, they're not developing severe disease because they have
a high level of immunity, either from vaccination or previous infections. So that's
the good news, but what we want to better monitor are the long term
effects potentially in different organ systems of the body. So there's still a lot
to learn, which is why we are working with all of our member states
to ensure that not only do we prevent the impacts of COVID nineteen going forward,
but we also do what we can to prevent infections while we are living
our lives. Thank you very much, doctor van Kirkov. I think we
don't need to add any further. We're also getting close to time, but
we've got time for one more question, and that will go to John Zara
Costas, who's based here in Geneva and works for the Lancet and False Van
Tatra. John, please mute yourself and ask you a question. Yes,
good enough to name, just like to fill up. Doctor Tedderson's introductor remarks,
we're interested to hear the views of the nature experts in the new draft
texts that's gone to member states. What are your thoughts on the liability,
risk and management are going forward? What guidance would you give member states?
How did you draw the balance between what member states should do for indemnity and
what should be the role of the manufacturers of vaccines and therapeutics. Where do
you strike the balance? Thank you? John, that's a very specific question.
I'm in Doctor Bryan has got an answer. Ye never have answered the
satisfies John, But thanks John. No, I think we have to be
we have to be careful this negotiations between our member states and the Secretary.
Is that influencing that discussion one way or the other. Although the Bureau or
the negotiating parties can ask the Secretary at any time to produce background documents,
to do scientific analysis, they can commission us to do things, so it's
very important that we don't in this view it since have a view, a
particular view as to how they should quodify, if they quotify at all,
the issue of liability and risk management within the treaty, So whether it's in
or out and what it actually constitutes in that is entirely up to them.
But in general, the issue of liability and risk management is an important issue
when it comes to dealing with matters of equity, because if we can't deal
with the issue of liability, if we can't deal with the issue of who
owns the liability for the safety of a product, and if all of that
liability is forced onto a country that may not have the resources to manage that
that in itself can drive an equity. So there's no question that managing liabilities,
terms and conditions and the legal requirements around the transfer of vaccine. Even
if a vaccine is priced that a price that is affordable, the actual risk
of the risk quoted attached to the accepting a particular product is very much determined
by their liabilities that come with owning that product. So there's a lot of
issues to unpack there, and I think John of what it reflects is that
this is not a simple ABC thing. This is not just about pricing.
This is not just about technology, This is not just about liability, This
is not just about absorbed of capacity, this is not just about manufacturing capacity.
It's about all of this. And our member states are going to have
to come together and find a way to find an effective mechanism for us to
respond to the next pandemic while keeping in mind the issues of more than keeping
in mind keeping central, as they have said, as they're set out on
this journey, keeping central access, solidarity, and the shared responsibility we have
to serve every person on this planet. And in doing that, I think
they will consider the issues of liability and risk management. But of course,
we will leave it to them to decide how they wish to manage that,
but obviously stand ready to respond an input to that discussion as any time they
see fit and doctor Tatos will no time to close. Yes, okay,
So that's the last of our questions and we've reached the end of the press
conference. And as I said, any further querity need please send the media
inquiries. We will also send out the audio and the transcript of today's press
conference. And now at hand of the doctor Tatoes for final remarks. Thank
you, thank you, Margaret, thank you to all members of the press
for joining us, and so you next time, and thank you for listening
today. As a final thought, healthcare should not be something that's bought and
paid for. It should be a human right. It should be something that
we all just hey, we should all have medications and health available to us.
There are areas that because of lack of money, that medications aren't available,
and that should not be the case. There are countries, even in
our modern world, where people don't necessarily always receive adequate medical care because of
the lack of ability to pay. It should not be something that's necessarily bought
and paid for. It should be something that is a given right. So
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