UN News Today 04 October 2024
- Lebanon: Desperate scenes at Syrian border after Israeli airstrikes
- Nuclear legacy in Marshall Islands in spotlight Human Rights Council
- WHO approves first mpox diagnostic test for emergency use
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday that it has approved the first mpox diagnostic test for emergency use, which will boost diagnostic capacity in countries facing outbreaks of the disease.
The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, issued an urgent appeal on Friday for nearly $59 million to support efforts to halt the rapid spread of mpox in six African countries including Burundi, where youngsters have been impacted the most.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved the use of an mpox vaccine for the first time, which it says should facilitate “timely and increased access” for millions at risk in Africa where the latest outbreak has infected more than 20,000 so far this year.
The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, appealed on Wednesday for $21.4 million to urgently scale up health services for forcibly displaced people in African countries impacted by mpox.
As African countries grapple with a deadly mpox outbreak, the UN independent expert on the right to health on Friday stressed that equitable access to vaccines is crucial in the race to save lives.