Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Child Dies As Hepatitis Outbreak Now Affects 12 Countries: WHO
AP: WHO: 1 Child Has Died In Mystery Liver Disease Outbreak
The World Health Organization says at least one death has been reported in connection with a mysterious liver disease outbreak affecting children in Europe and the United States. ... WHO didn’t say in which country the death occurred. (4/24)
Stat: WHO Says 12 Countries Have Reported Unusual Cases Of Hepatitis In Kids
The World Health Organization said Saturday that 12 countries have reported at least 169 unusual cases of hepatitis in children, with 17 of the children having undergone liver transplants as a consequence. At least one child has died. The WHO’s European division, which is taking the lead on the investigation into the mysterious outbreak, urged countries to look for, investigate, and report similar cases. (Branswell, 4/23)
In global covid news —
CIDRAP: Effect Of Nations' COVID Restrictions On Mental Health Varied By Type, Group
Two studies published yesterday in The Lancet Public Health detail how COVID-19 restrictions moderately affected adults' mental health in 15 nations, with one finding that the type of lockdowns were linked to the level of distress and opinion of the government, and the other suggesting that mental health declined slightly but significantly under lockdown—especially among women. (Van Beusekom, 4/22)
The Washington Post: As World Reopens, North Korea Is One Of Two Countries Without Vaccines
As mask mandates and social distancing requirements lift around the world, North Korea remains one of two countries that have not administered any coronavirus vaccines, with no sign of how it can ever begin to reopen despite a brewing humanitarian crisis for its people. The vaccines that were allocated for North Korea through a United Nations-backed global vaccination effort are no longer available, officials said this month, after Pyongyang repeatedly rejected the initiative’s offers of millions of doses. ... North Korea and Eritrea are now the only two countries in the world that have not administered vaccines. (Lee and Kim, 4/24)
The New York Times: The Drive To Vaccinate The World Against Covid Is Losing Steam
In the middle of last year, the World Health Organization began promoting an ambitious goal, one it said was essential for ending the pandemic: fully vaccinate 70 percent of the population in every country against Covid-19 by June 2022. Now, it is clear that the world will fall far short of that target by the deadline. And there is a growing sense of resignation among public health experts that high Covid vaccination coverage may never be achieved in most lower-income countries, as badly needed funding from the United States dries up and both governments and donors turn to other priorities. (Robbins and Nolen, 4/23)
In news on Ebola —
AP: Ebola Case Confirmed In Congo's West Equateur Province
A new Ebola case has been confirmed in Congo’s northwest Equateur Province in the city of Mbandaka, Congo health authorities said Saturday, declaring an outbreak nearly four months after the last one ended in the central African nation. The one case was confirmed in a 31-year-old man who began experiencing symptoms on April 5 and sought treatment at a health facility after more than a week of being taken care of at home, the World Health Organization said. He was admitted to an Ebola treatment center Thursday for intensive care but died the same day. (Maliro and Petesch, 4/23)
