The emergency polio outbreak response in the Gaza Strip is continuing, with a mass vaccination campaign scheduled from 22 to 26 February 2025. The novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) will be administered to over 591 000 children under 10 years of age to protect them from polio. This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the environment, putting children at risk.  Pockets of individuals with low or no immunity provide the virus an opportunity to continue spreading and potentially cause disease. The current environment in Gaza, including overcrowding in shelters and severely damaged water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, which facilitates fecal-oral transmission, create ideal conditions for further spread of poliovirus. Extensive population movement consequent to the current ceasefire is likely to exacerbate the spread of poliovirus infection. Two previous vaccination rounds in the Gaza Strip were successfully conducted in September and October 2024, reaching over 95% of the target. As poliovirus is found to remain in the environment, additional vaccination efforts are needed to reach every child and strengthen population immunity. The presence of the virus still poses a risk to children with low or no immunity, in Gaza and throughout the region.   In 2024, health workers faced significant challenges accessing certain areas of central, north and south Gaza, which required special coordination to enter during the conflict. In inaccessible areas such as Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun, where humanitarian pauses for the vaccination campaign were not assured, approximately 7 000 children missed vaccination during the second round. The recent ceasefire means health workers have considerably better access now.   No additional polio cases have been reported since a ten-month-old child was paralyzed in August 2024, but the new environmental samples from Deir al Balah and Khan Younis, collected in December 2024 and January 2025, confirm poliovirus transmission. The strain detected is genetically linked to the poliovirus detected in the Gaza Strip in July 2024. The upcoming vaccination campaign aims to reach all children under 10 years of age, including those previously missed, to close immunity gaps and end the outbreak. The use of the oral polio vaccine will help end this outbreak by preventing the spread of the virus. An additional polio vaccination round is planned to be implemented in April.The campaign will be led by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and implemented with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and other partners. Polio vaccines are safe and there is no maximum number of times a child should be vaccinated. Each dose gives additional protection which is needed during an active polio outbreak.   WHO, UNICEF, and partners welcome the recent ceasefire and urge for a lasting ceasefire that leads to long-term peace.   

The World Health Organization (WHO) and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have commenced distribution of critically-needed childhood cancer medicines in 2 of 6 pilot countries, through the Global Platform for Access to Childhood Cancer Medicines.

The recent surge in violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has led to significant loss of life, trauma, displacement, and the destruction of critical health infrastructure, exacerbating an already dire situation for millions of people.The situation remains tense and volatile, and the health needs are immense. WHO remains on the ground, and has continued to respond to the health needs by providing lifesaving medical supplies, supporting health workers, and coordinating the emergency response.Hospitals and morgues are overwhelmed. Since 26 January, 3082 injured and 843 dead have been reported from 31 health facilities in and around Goma, North Kivu.With the alarming expansion of violence further south, 65 injuries were reported from 3 hospitals in South Kivu.These numbers are expected to rise further as more injured people are able to reach health facilities and more dead bodies are gathered off the streets. Wound infections are a risk for those who have not been able to reach health care facilities quickly, and as health facilities are running out of supplies they need to clean and disinfect.The sight of bodies lying uncared for is distressing. Though the bodies of people who have died from injury do not generally carry or spread disease, it is the right of the dead to be identified and receive proper burial, and important for the living to know their loved ones have received this care.  Over 70 (or 6%) of the health facilities in North Kivu have been affected, with some completely destroyed and others struggling to restart operations. Some ambulances have also been damaged. A WHO-supported health clinic in North Kivu was temporarily occupied by armed groups. Health workers have had to flee in places, while in others, they have been working round the clock for days, with limited resources and overwhelming demand, and sometimes at risk to their own lives.Cancer, diabetes, hypertension, mental health and other routine services are also affected as medicines have run out and health workers are either absent or overburdened.The risk of death during pregnancy and childbirth has increased from already high levels. Given the insecurity, pregnant women cannot reach health facilities for safe delivery. Experience with conflict in the region has shown the drastic effect it has, with the rate of births attended to by skilled health workers dropping to near zero during periods of intense violence.The threat of infectious diseases has multiplied. Cholera, malaria, measles, meningitis, mpox and tuberculosis are among the infectious threats in the area. The water supply in Goma was disrupted and has only partially resumed, leading people to use water from the lake, and heightening the risk of cholera spread. Close to 600 suspected cases of cholera and 14 deaths were reported from North Kivu between 1 and 27 January.Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially South Kivu province, is the epicentre of the mpox outbreak that prompted the WHO Director-General to declare a public health emergency of international concern last August. The mpox response is heavily impacted. Ninety percent of the mpox patients (128 of 143) in isolation units in Goma had fled for safety, making it nearly impossible to provide them with care, and increasing the risk of spread.One in four people in the region was already facing emergency levels of hunger, with the recent violence expected to worsen the situation. Malnutrition and disease go hand-in-hand: malnourished people are less able to fight disease, while disease leads to further malnutrition. This vicious circle is especially concerning when it comes to children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women.Goma was home to over 2 million people, including 700 000 people displaced by this crisis. These people have had to flee yet again, in search of safety. They are in temporary settlements, with their health and safety at risk.A rapid assessment of 10 healthcare facilities in and around Goma showed a concerning rise in rape and other gender-based violence: there were 45 cases reported among the displaced, and 21 survivors of gang-rape admitted to two hospitals. These numbers are only the tip of the iceberg. These patients require medical care, psychological support, and support with maintaining their livelihood, especially when they are the sole providers for their families.WHO has deployed emergency medical supplies, hygiene and water treatment supplies, and tents to increase hospital capacity by 1000 beds. Supplies are being depleted rapidly, and more resources are urgently needed.WHO is preparing further deliveries as part a European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)-led effort to fly in critical supplies. For this, the Goma airport, a critical lifeline, must be urgently reopened. WHO is also exploring options to deliver critical supplies through other routes.WHO and partners were able to resume mpox vaccination in Goma on Wednesday, 5 February after a 10 day pause.The United States’ recent decision to freeze foreign aid is significantly impacting relief efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Last year, the US contributed to as much as 70% of the country’s humanitarian response. Additionally, the US is a major funder of the mpox response, and has pledged a million vaccine doses of its own stock to global efforts. While WHO’s humanitarian response in the region relies on funding from other donors—including the European Union, United Kingdom and the WHO’s Contingency Fund for Emergencies—reductions in overall aid will have repercussions on people’s health.To meet immediate health needs in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, including for safe and dignified burials, WHO has spent US$ 600 000. The overall response requires US$ 50 million.WHO calls for humanitarian access, the protection of health workers and facilities, and an end to attacks on health care. Health facilities, supplies, workers and patients should be protected. Ultimately, we call for peace, and an end to the unimaginable and long suffering of the people in this region. 

Female genital mutilation is a violation of human rights that inflicts deep and lifelong physical, emotional and psychological scars on girls and women. This harmful practice affects more than 230 million girls and women today. An estimated 27 million more girls could endure this violation of their rights and dignity by 2030 if we do not take action now.Today, on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, and in response to the theme "Stepping up the pace: Strengthening alliances and building movements to end female genital mutilation", UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO reaffirm our commitment to work together with countries and communities to end this harmful practice – once and for all.There is hope. Many countries have seen a decline in the prevalence of female genital mutilation. We are witnessing progress in countries like Kenya and Uganda, where collaborative action and community-led initiatives are proving that by strengthening alliances and building movements, we can accelerate change. Since the launch of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation in 2008, and in collaboration with WHO, close to 7 million girls and women access prevention and protection services. Additionally, 48 million people have made public declarations to abandon the practice, and 220 million individuals were reached by mass media messaging on the issue. In the last two years, close to 12 000 grassroots organizations and 112 000 community and frontline workers galvanized to effect change at this critical juncture.Yet the fragility of progress made has also become starkly evident. In the Gambia, for example, attempts to repeal the ban on female genital mutilation persist, even after an initial proposal to do so was rejected by its parliament last year. Such efforts could gravely undermine the rights, health and dignity of future generations of girls and women, jeopardizing the tireless work over decades to change attitudes and mobilize communities. Of the 31 countries in which data on prevalence are collected nationally, only seven countries are on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of ending female genital mutilation by or before 2030. The current rate of progress must accelerate urgently to meet this target.This requires strengthened alliances among leaders, grassroots organizations and across sectors spanning health, education and social protection – as well as sustained advocacy and expanded social movements with girls and survivors at the centre. It demands greater accountability at all levels to ensure commitments to human rights are upheld and policies and strategies are implemented to protect girls at risk and provide care, including justice, for survivors. It also requires increased investment in scaling up proven interventions. We are indebted to generous donors and partners who are supporting this life-changing work and call on others to join them.We all have a role to play to ensure that every girl is protected and can live free from harm. Let’s step up the pace and act with urgency. The time to end female genital mutilation is now.  Notes to EditorsAbout the UNFPA–UNICEF Joint ProgrammeThe UNFPA–UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation: Delivering the Global Promise works to eliminate female genital mutilation through interventions in 17 countries where the practice is prevalent. The programme creates opportunities for girls and women to realize their rights in health, education, income and equality to help end the power imbalances that underpin this harmful practice.For further information, please contact:Eddie Wright, UNFPA New York, Tel: +1 917 831 2974 ewright@unfpa.orgSara Alhattab | UNICEF New York | +1 917-957-6536 | salhattab@unicef.orgLaura Keenan | WHO, Geneva | keenanl@who.int and mediainquiries@who.intAbout UNFPAUNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. UNFPA's mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA calls for the realization of reproductive rights for all and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, quality maternal health care and comprehensive sexuality education.For more information about UNFPA and its work visit: www.unfpa.orgFollow UNFPA on X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and YouTubeAbout UNICEFUNICEF, the United Nations agency for children, works to protect the rights of every child, everywhere, especially the most disadvantaged children and in the toughest places to reach. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we do whatever it takes to help children survive, thrive, and fulfil their potential.For more information about UNICEF and its work visit:Follow UNICEF on X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and YouTubeAbout WHODedicated to the well-being of all people and guided by science, the World Health Organization leads and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance at a safe and healthy life. We are the UN agency for health that connects nations, partners and people on the front lines in 150+ locations – leading the world’s response to health emergencies, preventing disease, addressing the root causes of health issues and expanding access to medicines and health care. Our mission is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. For more information about WHO and its work visit: www.who.int   Follow WHO on X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube

In a global first, Uganda’s Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners today launched a first-ever clinical efficacy trial for a vaccine from Ebola from the Sudan species of the virus, and at an unprecedented speed for a randomized vaccine trial, in an emergency. This is the first trial to assess the clinical efficacy of a vaccine against Ebola Sudan virus disease. IAVI, the provider of the vaccine, conducted trials for safety and immunogenicity. It is also the first clinical trial of the vaccine during an outbreak.The principal investigators from Makerere University and the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), with support from WHO and other partners, have worked tirelessly to get the trial ready in 4 days since the outbreak was confirmed on 30 January. It is the first trial to assess the clinical efficacy of a vaccine against Ebola disease due to Sudan virus. The speed was achieved through advanced research preparedness, while ensuring full compliance with national and international regulatory and ethical requirements. The candidate vaccine was donated by IAVI, with financial support from WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and the European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).“This is a critical achievement towards better pandemic preparedness, and saving lives when outbreaks occur,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General.  “This is possible because of the dedication of Uganda’s health workers, the involvement of communities, the Ministry of Health of Uganda, Makerere University and UVRI, and research efforts led by WHO involving hundreds of scientists through our research and development Filoviruses network. We thank our partners for their dedication and cooperation, from IAVI for donating the vaccine, to CEPI, EU HERA and Canada’s IDRC for funding, and Africa CDC for further support. This massive achievement would simply not be possible without them.”In 2022, during the previous outbreak of Ebola disease (also from the Sudan species of the virus) in Uganda, a randomized protocol for candidate vaccines was developed. Principal investigators were designated under the leadership of the Minister of Health, and teams were trained to allow such a trial to take place during an active outbreak. The randomized vaccine trial to assess the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) candidate vaccine was launched at a ceremony in Kampala today by the Minister of Health of Uganda. WHO is co-sponsoring the trial. WHO was represented by Dr Mike Ryan, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme and Deputy Director-General, and the WHO representative to Uganda Dr Kasonde Mwinga, along with other colleagues.Three vaccination rings were defined today. The first ring involves about 40 contacts and contacts of contacts of the first reported and confirmed case, a health worker who has died. Although several promising candidate medical countermeasures are progressing through clinical development, as of now, there is no licensed vaccine available to effectively combat a potential future outbreak of Ebola disease from the Sudan species of the virus. Licensed vaccines exist only for the disease caused by Ebola virus, formerly known as Zaïre ebolavirus. Likewise for treatments, approved treatments are only available for Ebola virus. The vaccine for the trial was recommended by the independent WHO candidate vaccine prioritization working group. If the candidate vaccine is effective, it can contribute to controlling this outbreak and generate data for vaccine licensure. In 2022, the research teams were trained in good clinical practice (GCP) and standard operating procedures for such trials. They completed refresher training in recent days. WHO colleagues experienced in trials and in ring vaccination arrived in Uganda over the weekend to support the trial implementation and GCP compliance.The vaccine doses were pre-positioned in the country. WHO worked with the principal investigators and national authorities and the vaccine developer to review cold chain documentation and ensure the doses were stored correctly over the previous years. As part of the signed agreement with the Ministry of Health, WHO has a signed agreement with IAVI for additional doses of the candidate vaccine to be made available shortly. Notes to editorsThe trial is a ring vaccination cluster randomized trial designed to assess the effect of one single, promptly given, dose of the candidate vaccine whose safety and immunogenicity have already been demonstrated in Phase 1, in protecting recent contacts and contacts of contacts of a newly confirmed case of Sudan virus disease (SVD).Ring vaccination consists of the targeted vaccination of the recent contacts of an index case. It might protect the individual vaccinated or help create a small buffer zone of immunized people that could limit propagation of the infection. The ring vaccination trial involves a population at increased risk of infection as they have recently been in contact with a case of SVD, so it may well provide useful information about the protection of such case-contacts quickly, within just a few months. The same study design was used in the Ebola ça suffit trial in Guinea in 2015 by WHO and the Ministry of Health of Guinea to evaluate a now-licensed vaccine against a different species of ebolavirus.On 4 February 2025, a correction was made to the opening sentence of this news release as noted below. The sentence in the original news release read: In a global first, Uganda’s Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners today launched a first ever vaccine trial for Ebola from the Sudan species of the virus, and at an unprecedented speed for a randomized vaccine trial in an emergency.This was changed to:In a global first, Uganda’s Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners today launched a first-ever clinical efficacy trial for a vaccine from Ebola from the Sudan species of the virus, and at an unprecedented speed for a randomized vaccine trial, in an emergency. This is the first trial to assess the clinical efficacy of a vaccine against Ebola Sudan virus disease. IAVI, the provider of the vaccine, conducted trials for safety and immunogenicity. It is also the first clinical trial of the vaccine during an outbreak.