26-04-2021
People in prisons have a much higher risk of COVID-19 transmission than outside communities
People living and working in prisons should not be neglected as national programmes of COVID-19 vaccination roll out across the WHO European Region and globally. That is the main message of a recent article published by WHO/Europe in the Lancet journal.
During the pandemic, immunization activities in detention facilities can play a big role in reducing inequities in countries.
Vaccination for prisoners: the WHO European Region can do better
WHO research shows that the risk of transmission of COVID-19 is higher in prisons, where people live in close proximity to each other and have limited access to testing and personal protective equipment. Compared to the wider community, people living in prisons have a disproportionally higher burden of comorbidities, including noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which increases their chances of suffering severe outcomes from COVID-19.
03-03-2021
Good nutrition habits can substantially decrease risks of child obesity and overweight
World Obesity Day is on 4 March, and on this occasion WHO/Europe raises the urgent need for promoting healthy eating habits among children. This recommendation is based on the results of round 4 of the WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI), which were recently published in an article in the journal Nutrients and in a WHO/Europe factsheet which summarizes the data.
Children’s eating habits
According to the findings, which present the dietary habits of 132 489 children, 78.8% of children eat breakfast, 42.5% consume fresh fruit every day and 22.6% consume vegetables every day. 10.3% of children consume sweet snacks and 9.4% soft drinks on a daily basis. However, there are significant differences between eating habits from country to country.
19-01-2021
WHO
Turkey s action plan for noncommunicable diseases focuses on tobacco, alcohol, diet and physical inactivity as key risk factors.
Approximately 20 000 deaths could have been averted in Turkey in 2017 if the country had reached its current goals of reducing tobacco and salt consumption by 30%, and physical inactivity by 10%, according to WHO/Europe experts in an article published in the Lancet. The study calculated possible outcomes of the action plan for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) adopted in the country for 2017–2025.
Turkey: 89% of deaths related to NCDs
The burden of NCDs is rising globally, and the WHO European Region has the highest rates of associated mortality. In Turkey, NCDs account for 89% of all deaths, with nearly 1 in 5 such deaths occurring before the age of 70.
REUTERS
Ukraine s Deputy Health Minister, Chief Medical Officer Viktor Liashko says experts from the WHO European Office will assess how Ukrainian jails are able to handle outbreaks of diseases, in particular, COVID-19. The WHO has significant experience in the development and implementation of programs to improve healthcare for people who are in penitentiary institutions. Finland, the UK and Portugal have already gone through the full path of such evaluation. Ukraine is next in line. And this is very positive news, the ministry s press service quoted Liashko as saying after a meeting with expert of the WHO European Office for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Office), Dr. Carina Ferreira-Borges.