Launch Of The Global Arbovirus Initiative By The WHO

The World Health Organization is pleased to announce that the Global Arbovirus Initiative will be launched on March 31 at 13:00 CET.

Dengue, Yellow fever, Chikungunya, and Zika viruses are all Arboviruses causing serious public health risks in tropical and sub-tropical countries, where nearly 3.9 billion people live. Globally, the frequency and severity of epidemics of these arboviruses, particularly those transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, are growing, due to a convergence of ecological, social and economic factors.

The Global Arbovirus Initiative is an integrated strategic plan to combat emerging and re-emerging arboviruses with epidemic and pandemic potential, with an emphasis on risk monitoring, pandemic prevention, preparedness, detection, and response, as well as the development of a coalition of partners.

The World Health Emergencies Programme, the Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases, and the Department of Immunization, Vaccines, and Biologicals collaborated on the programme.

This integrated programme will bring together a group of essential partners to improve the coordination, communication, capacity-building, research, readiness, and reaction needed to prevent epidemics from spreading due to these Arthropod-Borne viruses.

Invited speakers:

1. Dr Michael J. Ryan, Executive Director Health Emergency Program, WHO
2. Dr. Minghui Ren, Assistant Director General UCN/UCA, WHO
3. Dr Arnaldo Medeiros. Ministry of Health, Brazil
4. Dr Jeremy Farrar. Wellcome Trust
5. Dr John Reeder. Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases TDR, WHO
6. Dr Qasem Mohammed Buhaibeh, Minister of Public Health and Population, Yemen