Results for World Health Organisation

We know many people are asking when vaccines will be available in Pacific countries. We anticipate that in 2021, demand will vastly exceed supply. But this doesn’t mean we should just sit and wait. PICs now need to focus on preparing, so they are ready when the first vaccines do arrive. This includes starting pre-registration for priority groups. It means making sure the systems are in place and working, for delivering vaccines and monitoring their safety and effectiveness. This requires investments to strengthen health systems, which will bring benefits beyond COVID-19. By Dr Takeshi Kasai.

Dressed in a Tongan designed shirt, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus dedicated his closing speech of the 73rd World Health Assembly in Switzerland on 19 May, to a Tongan nurses choir, who were supposed to perform at the conference but were unable to travel due to coronavirus restrictions.

Tackling the Pacific’s leading cause of death, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) will be the focus of Pacific Island leaders when they meet in Nuku’alofa, Tonga between 20-22 June 2016. United Nations Development Programme Administrator, Helen Clark, will deliver a keynote address at the summit, which will be opened by HM King Tupou VI.