Campbell-Lendrum and WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made evaluations at the WHO's weekly press conference where global health issues are discussed.
Stating that he will meet with world leaders in Türkiye next week for COP31, Ghebreyesus said, "As WHO, we will once again emphasize that the climate crisis is actually a health crisis and that the strongest justification for climate action is health." he said.
Underlining that the effects of climate change on health are not just a theoretical risk for the future, Ghebreyesus emphasized that its effects are felt.
Ghebreyesus said, "The climate crisis triggers epidemics, leads to increased cases of heart and lung diseases, cancer and asthma, and makes access to healthy nutrition more costly." he said.
"Türkiye HAS BECOME ONE OF THE PIONEERS OF THE HEALTH AGENDA WITHIN THE SCOPE OF COP NEGOTIATIONS"
AA correspondent said, "Mr. Ghebreyesus stated that he will be in Türkiye for COP31 next week. Turkey is actively operating in the field of 'climate diplomacy'. What kind of results do you expect from this summit, which will be held under Turkey's chairmanship? Do you think this summit will be different from others?" Campbell-Lendrum said, "Turkey has become one of the pioneers of the health agenda within the scope of COP negotiations. As a matter of fact, Turkey has made climate resilient and dynamic health systems one of the 10 priorities it has determined for COP31. We see this as a concrete progress." he replied.
Campbell-Lendrum underlined that they consider it a positive development that a very comprehensive "health day" will be held on the first day of COP31.
Pointing out that WHO Director General Ghebreyesus will also attend this event, Campbell-Lendrum stated that he will reiterate his messages on climate and health here.
"We hope for significant progress (at COP31). We need to see concrete steps taken on the key agenda items of the last 30 COP summits," Campbell-Lendrum said. He pointed out that the main agenda items include reducing carbon emissions that trigger climate change and increasing health risks, protecting people against the effects of climate change currently experienced, and financing issues.
Emphasizing that those who contribute least to climate change are the ones most vulnerable to this change, Campbell-Lendrum said, "We have great hope that the health-based arguments we put forward will help encourage stronger action than we have seen at the past 30 COP summits." he said.
"MORE THAN 10 THOUSAND EBOLA CASES AND 5 THOUSAND DEATHS HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN KDC SO FAR"
Ghebreyesus pointed out that more than 10 thousand Ebola cases and 5 thousand deaths have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Ghebreyesus said that even if the rate of infection slows down in some regions, new epidemic focuses continue to emerge. "Displacements, rainy weather conditions, attacks on healthcare services and difficulties in transportation to remote areas make intervention efforts difficult. The DRC is experiencing one of the worst cholera epidemics in recent years, with more than 60 thousand cases and 1800 deaths so far this year." he said.
Ghebreyesus stated that 9 fatal Ebola cases were reported in Kenya, and 1 case was confirmed in Nigeria.
Appreciating Kenya and Nigeria for their rapid response and transparent reporting processes against these external cases, Ghebreyesus said:
"This shows that when countries are well prepared, they can manage cases and limit the spread of the disease. We call on countries that impose travel restrictions to lift them. These restrictions punish countries that do the right thing, hinder transparency and undermine response efforts."
Ghebreyesus reminded that a vaccine trial was started last month using Ervebo, which is approved against the Ebola virus but is not approved against the Bundibugyo virus.
Stating that WHO expert groups recommended the addition of 2 more vaccine candidates developed especially against the Bundibugyo virus to the trial in question, Ghebreyesus said, "These candidates are "ChAdOx1 BDBV" and Moderna's "mRNA-1469" vaccines developed by Oxford University and the Serum Institute of India. The trial is being carried out by the DRC National Biomedical Research Institute with the support of national and international partners, including WHO." he said.
Ghebreyesus underlined that the war in Sudan, which lasted more than 3 years, caused one of the world's largest humanitarian and health crises.
Emphasizing that Sudan has been forgotten and ignored by the international community despite what has happened, Ghebreyesus said:
"Access to healthcare is severely restricted by security issues, shortages of medicines and healthcare workers, restrictions on access to humanitarian aid, and attacks on healthcare. WHO has confirmed more than 230 attacks since the start of the conflict, causing more than 2,000 deaths and hundreds of injuries. The recent increase in drone strikes is having a devastating impact on civilians and critical civilian infrastructure."
