Hans Henri P. Kluge

Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, addressed the ongoing mpox situation at the UN Geneva Palais Briefing on August 20, 2024. He highlighted three main points regarding the global response to the virus.

Statement by the WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge

Rapid response to measles outbreak is critical, as cases this year predicted to soon exceed total number reported in 2023

Measles cases across Europe continue to surge, with the number of measles cases recorded for this year soon to exceed the total number of cases reported throughout 2023, warned WHO and UNICEF today.

WHO/Europe report warns of lethal levels of salt consumption and uncontrolled high blood pressure

Nearly 7,000 excess deaths from tuberculosis occurred in the WHO European Region in the three years of the pandemic from 2020 - 2022, compared to what experts had expected based on pre-2020 estimates. This increased mortality was a direct result of the pandemic and would not have occurred if TB diagnosis and treatment efforts had not been disrupted during the pandemic.

COVID-19 vaccines have significantly curbed pandemic-related deaths, saving 1.4 million lives in the WHO European Region, according to a recent study.

The emergency authorization application for the domestically developed COVID-19 vaccine, Turkovac, has been submitted to the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK), Health Minister Fahrettin Koca has announced.