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WHO / WORLD HEALTH DAY ADVANCER
STORY: WHO / WORLD HEALTH DAY ADVANCER
TRT: 2.43
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 2 APRIL 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / FILE
FILE – 2011, PAKISTAN
1. Med shot, young male patient with dengue fever
2. Close up, young male patient with dengue fever
FILE – 2010, CAMBODIA
3. Med shot, child with fever
2 APRIL 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Raman Velayudhan, WHO Coordinator for Vector Ecology and Management:
“Vector borne diseases are a group of diseases which are transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes or flies, and these diseases are prevalent mostly in the tropics but are spreading to other countries in the temperate region.”
FILE – 2010, CAMBODIA
5. Med shot, adult man with malaria
FILE – 2011, PAKISTAN
6. Various shots, hospital with dengue patients under bednets
7. Close up, medical supplies
2 APRIL 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Raman Velayudhan, WHO Coordinator for Vector Ecology and Management:
“Vector borne diseases really need a much greater commitment and support from donors in order to scale up interventions and to make sure that control measures put in place can be sustained. The theme of World Health Day is “Small bite, big threat” which is very appropriate because everyone has to protect themselves from vectors when they travel or in endemic areas to protect their families and communities.”
FILE – 2010, CAMBODIA
9. Close up, baby with fever
10. Various shots, rapid diagnostic test for malaria
2 APRIL 2014, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Raman Velayudhan, WHO Coordinator for Vector Ecology and Management:
“The main message would be for people in communities to work with their local governments to make sure that there is no breeding of mosquitoes around the houses. And secondly they must protect themselves by using repellents or other protective measures to make sure that they prevent mosquitoes from biting them.”
FILE – 2011, PAKISTAN
12. Various shots, mosquitoes larvaes (dengue vector) breeding in tires in urban areas
FILE – 2013, BOLIVIA
13. Various shots, triatomine bug vector of chagas disease
FILE – 2011, SUDAN
14. Various shots, indoor spraying of designated insecticides
FILE – 2010, CAMBODIA
15. Wide shot, bednets distribution to a village community
On World Health Day 2014 -7 April- the World Health Organization (WHO) is highlighting the serious and increasing threat of vector-borne diseases, with the slogan “Small bite, big threat”.
WHO is also calling for a renewed focus on vector control and better provision of safe water, sanitation and hygiene – key strategies outlined in WHO’s 2011 Roadmap for the control, elimination and eradication of neglected tropical diseases.
More than half the world’s population is at risk from diseases such as malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis, Lyme disease, schistosomiasis, and yellow fever, carried by mosquitoes, flies, ticks, water snails and other vectors.
Every year, more than one billion people are infected and more than one million die from vector-borne diseases.
The Organization emphasizes that these diseases are entirely preventable. Newly published "A global brief on vector-borne diseases" outlines steps that governments, community groups and families can all take to protect people from infection.
The WHO Coordinator for Vector Ecology and Management Raman Velayudhan says “vector borne diseases are a group of diseases which are transmitted by vectors like mosquitoes or flies, and these diseases are prevalent mostly in the tropics but are spreading to other countries in the temperate region.”
Vector-borne diseases affect the poorest populations, particularly where there is a lack of access to adequate housing, safe drinking water and sanitation. Malnourished people and those with weakened immunity are especially susceptible.
Velayudhan notes that “vector borne diseases really need a much greater commitment and support from donors in order to scale up interventions and to make sure that control measures put in place can be sustained. The theme of World Health Day is “Small bite, big threat” which is very appropriate because everyone has to protect themselves from vectors when they travel or in endemic areas to protect their families and communities.”
He adds “the main message would be for people in communities to work with their local governments to make sure that there is no breeding of mosquitoes around the houses. And secondly they must protect themselves by using repellents or other protective measures to make sure that they prevent mosquitoes from biting them.”
Within the past two decades, many important vector-borne diseases have also re-emerged or spread to new parts of the world. Environmental changes, a massive increase in international travel and trade, changes in agricultural practices and rapid unplanned urbanization are causing an increase in the number and spread of many vectors worldwide and making new groups of people, notably tourists and business travellers, vulnerable.
Mosquito-borne dengue, for example, is now found in 100 countries, putting more than 2.5 billion people - over 40% of the world's population - at risk. Dengue has recently been reported in China, Portugal and the state of Florida, in the United States of America.
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