Category: Health

– Over 70,000 people were affected by natural disasters, mostly floods, in Laos in 2021, in which 17 people were injured and 19 were killed.

Issues on extreme weather were the theme of the Disaster Management Committee Meeting for 2021, and a report on the Disaster Preparedness Plan for 2022, which took place online recently, local daily Vientiane Times reported, today.

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, Chansamone Chanyalath.

Floods, drought, storms, landslides and crop pest invasions were recorded 65 times, affecting a total of 70,200 people in 15 provinces, 94 districts and 786 villages.

Chansamone stressed the need for central and local disaster management committees, to jointly work on the systematic implementation of emergency responses, as well as, incident reporting and damage assessment, he said.

However, he praised overall disaster management over the past year, saying, several successes had been achieved.

In terms of cooperation with ASEAN and internationally, a Memorandum of Understanding between China and Laos was signed on cooperation in disaster management.

Laos is also participating in the ASEAN Disaster Management Committee and has shared in regional and international remedial meetings, as well as, getting advice from international organisations on disaster prevention, control and mitigation.

Meeting participants were invited to share ideas and discuss solutions to outstanding issues and challenges, in this line of work, in the hope that a more concerted response to natural disasters would be rolled out in 2022, according to the report.–

Source: NAM News Network

As of Feb 2, more than 4.75 million people, 64.76% of population in the country, have been given at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine with the number of those given all recommended doses reaching over 4.11 million people, accounting for 56.07% of population.

Laos has received more than 18 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from international community and this is enough for vaccinating all seven million poeople in the country, according to Director General, Department of Communicable Diseases Control, Ministry of Health Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh.

“Therefore, the Party and government have asked taskfoce committees at all levels and local authorities to direct Covid-19 vaccination in their respective organisations, provinces and districts to achieve a 80% Covid vaccine coverage so that we can open the country, welcome green tourism and restore economy,” said Dr Rattanaxay.

Some 463 new Covid-19 cases and two new deaths attributed to Covid-19 have been reported nationwide over the past 24 hours with the total reaching 134,901 including 5,235 active cases and 553 deaths, according to the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

The new daily infections included 102 reported in Vientiane, 77 in Xieng Khuang, 42 in Huaphan and 32 in Xayaboury.

Yesterday witnessed 697 Covid-19 patients discharged from hospitals nationwide.

Source: Lao News Agency

The Government of Japan and UNICEF have handed over three 4×4 vehicles along with motor vehicle accessories to the Ministry of Health in Samoa today to boost COVID-19 vaccination efforts in the country.

“The vehicles and accessories will boost our efforts in striving to achieve our vaccination targets to ensure total population coverage” says the Director General of Health Leausa Dr Take Naseri.

These vehicles and accessories are expected to support the Government of Samoa’s efforts to vaccinate all the eligible population through strengthening the cold chain management system. The vehicles will help deliver life-saving vaccines to health facilities and communities in the country, providing a significant improvement to the health system.

“Japan is a committed partner that has been focusing on strengthening health care systems in developing countries under the principle of ensuring human security for many years and promoting infection control measures and led initiatives toward achieving universal health coverage that “leaves no one behind” at various international summits. As part of the international concerted efforts, we are keen to play a part to assist the efforts of the Government of Samoa through our partnership with UNICEF in providing transportation as ‘last one mile-support’ to ensure vaccination for all Samoans,” said Mr. Kazuo Tsukada, Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Japan.

While Samoa has not had any community transmission, the global pandemic still presents a serious risk to the country, with the limited resources available to fight the deadly disease.

“We appreciate the Government of Japan’s partnership in providing essential support to boost Samoa’s COVID-19 vaccination roll-out,” said UNICEF Pacific’s Chief of Samoa Field Office, Dr. Annefrida Kisesa. “We also congratulate the Government of Samoa in its successful rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, which has led to over 80% of the eligible population now fully vaccinated. We will continue to work with the Government of Samoa to ensure that vaccination rates increase rapidly in order to protect the population against possible outbreaks, especially with the emergence of new variants.”

UNICEF and the Government of Japan have been working closely with the Government of Samoa and other Pacific Island countries to help prevent the introduction and spread of the virus among communities. This includes supporting the vital procurement of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility as well as providing technical and financial resources for the roll out of vaccination in the country.

Notes to Editors:

This funding is part of the broader Japanese Emergency Grant Aid of approximately USD 41 million to 25 countries in Southeast and Southwest Asia and the Pacific (approximately USD 9 million to 10 Pacific Island Countries). The 25 countries include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

About the Government of Japan:

Japan provides funds (grants, loans, etc.) and technologies that are useful for “development”, including peacebuilding, governance, promotion of basic human rights and humanitarian assistance, in the form of Official Development Assistance (ODA) to eligible countries and regions. ODA includes bilateral aid to directly assist developing countries and regions, and multilateral aid, which consist of contributions to international organizations such as UNICEF, UNDP, and WHO.

Source: UN Children’s Fund

People infected with Covid-19 are warned to avoid having self medication at home without seeking advice from doctors.

“Most people don’t want others to know they are infected with Covid-19. So They buy rapid test kit ATK to test themselve and once they found that they are infected, they opt to treat themselves at home. This is risky because they cannot assess their symptoms as effecively as doctors,” said today Director General, Department of Communicable Disease Control, Ministry of Health Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh.

“Seeking medical advice from hotline 164 is to ensure our doctors can assess or give an advice to you telling you whether you can be treated by yourself at home or monitored by medical workers. If your symptoms indicate your infection is severe then our medical team can step in to take you to hospital immediately so that preventable death is prevented,” said Dr Rattanaxay.

Some 463 new Covid-19 cases and two new deaths attributed to Covid-19 have been reported nationwide over the past 24 hours with the total reaching 134,901 including 5,235 active cases and 553 deaths, according to the National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

The new daily infections included 102 reported in Vientiane, 77 in Xieng Khuang, 42 in Huaphan and 32 in Xayaboury.

Yesterday witnessed 697 Covid-19 patients discharged from hospitals nationwide

Source: Lao News Agency

VIENTIANE –The Ministry of Planning and Investment and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today presented WFP’s new Country Strategic Plan 2022-2026 to Government and partners. With it, WFP recommits its support to the Government of Lao PDR in improving food security, reducing malnutrition and ensuring sustainable food systems for all, as the country prepares to graduate from Least Developed Country status.

“Today is a special and important event. The Government of Lao PDR with top management from ministries, together with WFP’s Country Director jointly planned and organised this launch of WFP’s new Country Strategic Plan 2022-2026,” said Sthabandith Insisiengmay, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment.

The plan contributes to several outcomes of Lao PDR’s 9th National Socio-Economic Development Plan, the UN’s Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, and sectoral strategies such as the National Nutrition Strategy.

“The pivotal role of WFP is in creating enabling circumstances for the Government of Lao PDR. We are emphasising transition strategies for the handover of activities to the Government and communities, while aligning our interventions with our sister agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), as well as UNICEF and other donors and partners,” said WFP Country Director and Representative Jan Delbaere.

The four pillars of the Country Strategic Plan evolve around WFP’s value proposition for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger, by expanding and strengthening the Government’s school meals programme, supporting the prevention of malnutrition, working to enhance community resilience and ensure food security, as well as supporting the Government’s emergency response efforts.

WFP, the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, has provided support to the people of Lao since 1975. In 2000, WFP established a permanent presence in the country providing flood relief assistance, and in 2012 shifted to a development portfolio. The organisation employs over 170 staff around Laos, with presence in one fourth of all villages across 16 provinces of the country. WFP’s long-term commitment is to gradually transfer all programmes to the Government and communities as independently owned, managed and implemented food and nutrition security solutions.

Despite significant progress, Laos still ranks 78th out of 116 countries on the Global Hunger Index. Stunting continues to affect one in three children and 20 percent of the population faces food insecurity during the lean season. Anaemia rates remain high, while wasting rates increased between 2011 and 2017. In addition, the number of obese and overweight people is increasing. Laos is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, with natural disasters increasing in frequency and scale, and the COVID-19 crisis further weakening people’s resilience against recurrent shocks.

Source: World Health Organization

Overview

In this edition of the COVID-19 Weekly Operational Update, highlights of country-level actions and WHO support to countries include:

• Receiving 230 Oxygen Cylinders in Suriname, donated by Germany and PAHO/WHO

• Holding the first mentors training in the World Health Emergencies Balkan Hub

• Marking one year of COVID-19 vaccination in India

• Setting up country support teams to scale up COVID-19 Vaccination in the WHO African region

• Supporting Iraq with over 20 tons of medical supplies to enhance national response to COVID-19 health challenges in the Kurdistan region

• Receiving COVID-19 vaccines in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, donated by the United States of America through the COVAX Facility

• Strengthening occupational health and safety in Japan during the pandemic

• Hosting the first Regional team member training at the Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) Training Centre for Africa

• Updates on WHO’s financing to support countries on COVID-19 response implementation to suppress transmission, reduce exposure, and protect the vulnerable and save lives

• Progress on a subset of global indicators that demonstrate country and global progress to end the acute phase of the pandemic

Source: World Health Organization