NaTHNaC and WHO publish 2014 reports
The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) published its 2013-2014 report at the end of last year, and included operational highlights from the year in review. These included: highlighting the publication of the 2012 Public Health England (PHE) report on malaria imported into the UK (April 2013); providing guidance to yellow fever vaccination centres on the interpretation of WHO advice regarding the disease (May 2013); producing guidelines on accessing yellow fever vaccines during the protracted shortage (September 2013); launching online yellow fever training (December 2013); updating country specific polio vaccine recommendations following a review of polio epidemiology (January 2014); revising cholera vaccine recommendations following a similar review (February 2014); and producing a fact sheet, in conjunction with PHE, for football fans travelling to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, as part of a three-month World Cup campaign (March 2014).
“Having been presented with some challenges which restricted our activity in 2012 – 2013,” said a statement from directors Vanessa Field and Dipti Patel, “we reduced expenditure, worked more efficiently and are delighted to post a healthy end of year financial statement 2013 – 2014. We thank our team for all their hard work and commitment through these difficult times.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) also reviewed the key health issues that raised their heads in 2014. These included delivering medicines, vaccines and other key supplies to Northeast Syria; immunising children against measles in the Central African Republic; issuing its first guidance for the treatment of hepatitis C; issuing its first report on antimicrobial resistance, including antibiotic resistance; concluding its MERS-CoV mission in Saudi Arabia; certifying Mongolia measles-free; calling for stronger action on climate-related health risks; urging countries – such as the Americas – stricken with mosquito-transmitted diseases to eliminate breeding sites; discussing the trials and production of a vaccine for Ebola; and scaling up effective malaria control efforts which, according to the World malaria report 2014, have had a demonstrable effect on the number of deaths caused by malaria around the world since 2000.