Regional Committee to review WHO's work in the Western Pacific
Manila, 27 August 2009—Key health issues, including Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and the global financial crisis and its impact on health services in Asia and the Pacific, will be on the agenda when leading health policy-makers and representatives of the World Health Organization's Regional Committee for the Western Pacific meet in Hong Kong (China) from 21 to 25 September 2009.
The Regional Committee meets every year to review WHO's work with Member States and to set future directions to guide WHO's objectives and goals.
"WHO's mission—to work towards the attainment by all people of the highest possible level of health—has not changed, but the way in which we work to achieve our goals must continue to evolve," said Dr Shin Young-soo, WHO's Regional Director for the Western Pacific. "Our focus must be sharply attuned to the needs of our Member States and Country Offices. We are closely examining the way we work, streamlining programmes so that they work together in a more cross-cutting manner and improving communication and feedback across the Region."
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Deaths linked to Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 rise in Malaysia
MANILA, 12 August 2009–The number of deaths in Malaysia associated with Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 climbed to 38, after additional fatalities were announced by the Ministry of Health in that country. The number of deaths linked with the virus in the Western Pacific Region stands at 169.
The Ministry of Health in Malaysia announced that six additional deaths linked to the virus had occurred between 5 August and 9 August, and that four of these deaths were of people in a ‘high-risk” category. A further six deaths were announced by the Ministry of Health on 11 August.
Media outlets in Malaysia reported that, in response to a sharp increase in fatalities over recent days, Malaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced a public awareness campaign to educate people about the virus and advise them what to do if they become infected. The campaign will begin this week.
The Prime Minister also stated the government planned to make available enough antiviral medicine at hospitals and clinics nationwide to cover 20% of the nation’s population, media reports said. “The most effective measure is through public education,” he was quoted as saying.
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