WHO Director-General's Opening Press Conference Remarks – September 19, 2024

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening,

Last week I visited Sudan and saw first-hand the devastation that has caused untold destruction, death, disease and the displacement of more than 13 million people.

This includes more than 640,000 people who have crossed the border into Chad to seek safety.

Yesterday I returned from Chad and had the opportunity to meet some people in Adre, on the border between Chad and Sudan.

I met mothers who continued to walk with their children for days after their homes had been burned, their crops destroyed and their livestock stolen.

They left Sudan and arrived in Chad empty-handed.

When I asked them what they needed, their answer was simple: “We're hungry.”

I also had the opportunity to join a convoy of trucks traveling across the border from Chad to Sudan to deliver aid to the Darfur region of Sudan, where many of the refugees are now living.

In the capital, N'Djamena, he met with Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno and expressed his gratitude to his country for its generosity in hosting refugees from Sudan, despite the enormous strain it places on host communities and the health system.

The international community is not giving this crisis the attention it deserves.

WHO is working closely with partners to address the enormous challenges facing these communities.

But what they need more than the help we can give them is a ceasefire, a political solution and peace.

During my time in Chad, I also had the opportunity to participate in a high-level meeting on the eradication of Guinea worm disease.

In the mid-1980s, there were an estimated 3.5 million cases of Guinea worm disease worldwide. Last year, just 14 cases were reported, and there have been only four so far this year: two in Chad and two in South Sudan.

We now have the opportunity to make Guinea worm disease the second disease humans can eradicate.

This incredible achievement is due to the dedicated efforts of affected communities, supported by a strong network of partners including the Carter Center, and the personal commitment of President Jimmy Carter over many years.

President Carter celebrates 100 years^Number 1. Have a birthday within the next 2 weeks^st October 26th is Mr. President's birthday. I congratulate Mr. President on his birthday and would like to express my deep gratitude to him for his efforts in eradicating Guinea worm. Thank you, Mr. President.

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Now, regarding the occurrence of MPOX in Africa.

I say “outbreaks” plural because it's important to remember that we're not dealing with one outbreak, but multiple outbreaks caused by different lineages or phyla of the virus in different places.

Of greatest concern is the emergence of lineage 1b, with cases continuing to increase in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi.

The virus spreads mainly through close contact, including sexual contact, and within households through young child care, breastfeeding, and sharing of clothing and bedding.

Circumstances such as the worsening security situation in affected areas and the simultaneous outbreak of other diseases such as measles and chickenpox make the outbreak more difficult to respond to.

WHO is working on the ground to stop these outbreaks.

WHO has trained more than 1,600 health workers in nine countries on MPOX treatment.

More than 33 tonnes of supplies, including essential testing, treatment and prevention supplies, are due to arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo tomorrow.

And in Burundi, WHO addressed critical fuel shortages to enable WHO, partners and the Government to rapidly, routinely and at scale implement MPOX response activities.

Vaccines are currently being distributed, but vaccines alone will not end these outbreaks. They are only one part of a comprehensive preparedness and response plan being implemented by WHO and partners.

We are also strengthening surveillance and field investigations, testing capacity, home and clinical care, infection prevention and control, risk communication and community engagement.

Implementing this plan will require strong partnerships between governments, WHO, Africa CDC and many other organisations (too many to mention).

One example of this partnership is the launch of the mpox Access and Allocation Mechanism, which will improve access to vaccines and other tools for those most at risk and ensure limited supplies are used effectively and equitably.

The mechanism was established as part of the Interim Medical Response Network, which was established by WHO last year and endorsed by Member States.

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In Lebanon, WHO is working closely with the Ministry of Health to respond to the outbreak resulting from an explosion of a communications device, resulting in multiple casualties.

These events have caused severe disruption to Lebanon's already fragile health care system.

WHO and partners have been working for months to help Lebanon prepare for and respond to a large-casualty event.

We have trained more than 5,000 health workers, covering more than two-thirds of the country's hospitals, to respond to such an event.

We also helped the government establish a Health Emergency Operations Centre, which has proven crucial in coordinating the response.

WHO has distributed trauma and emergency surgical supplies to 23 hospitals to replenish pre-positioned supplies.

We are working with our partners to address urgent needs such as blood supplies and blood testing kits, and to monitor the functioning of health systems.

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The conflict in Sudan, the refugee crisis in Chad, the polio epidemic in Africa and the instability in Lebanon are just a few of the many overlapping and intersecting crises in our world.

The only way to solve these complex challenges is for countries to work closely together.

Next week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, I will be participating in the Future Summit, a gathering of world leaders convened by the Secretary-General to forge a new international consensus on how to deliver a better present and a more secure future.

The health-related highlight of this year's Assembly will be a high-level meeting on antimicrobial resistance next Thursday.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens to undo a century of medical progress and take us back to the pre-antibiotic era, with today's treatable infections becoming tomorrow's death sentence.

AMR is primarily caused by the misuse or overuse of medicines, which causes microorganisms to become resistant to medicines, making diseases more dangerous and deadly.

This is a threat to all countries at all income levels, which is why a strong, fast and well-coordinated global response is urgently needed.

This conference will be a historic opportunity for world leaders to agree on concrete actions and investments to address this global threat.

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Antimicrobial resistance is of particular concern in healthcare facilities, where antibiotic-resistant infections pose a serious threat to patient safety.

Last Tuesday, 17^Number September was World Patient Safety Day.

This year's focus was on improving diagnostics under the slogan “Correctly and safely.”

A timely and appropriate diagnosis is the basis for safe and effective medical care.

Misdiagnosis can lead to serious injury or even death.

This can include missed, inaccurate, delayed, or miscommunicated diagnoses.

These errors result in avoidable suffering for millions of people each year, putting a huge strain on our health care system and increasing healthcare costs.

Mitigating this risk requires collaboration between health care workers and managers, policy makers and regulators, civil society and the private sector, and, crucially, patients and their families.

Together we can do the right thing and be safe.

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Finally, yesterday WHO and its partner FIFA launched a new campaign to raise awareness about concussion in football.

Soccer, like other sports, is a great physical activity that has many health benefits.

However, as with other contact sports such as rugby, American football and boxing, there are also risks such as concussion and brain injury.

The 'Suppose and Protect' campaign aims to reduce this risk by helping footballers, coaches and medical staff at all levels to recognise the signs of concussion, to suspect concussion in anyone who suffers a blow to the head, face, neck or body, and to protect anyone with one or more concussion symptoms by immediately removing them from the pitch.

Because no match is worth the risk.

Margaret, I'm back.