The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced today that the first ever multi-drug trial for the treatment of Ebola has begun. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called it an important step to finding a treatment that will save lives.
In progress at UNHQ
Venezuela
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration announced today that the number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela around the world has reached 3 million. A little more than a million are in Colombia and Peru is hosting half a million.
Over 1 million people remain affected by Typhoon Mangkhut, which hit the Philippines on 15 September and some 148,000 people remain in evacuation centres or with host families, humanitarian colleagues report. The United Nations and partners are working with the Government to assess and distribute emergency aid.
The Government of Zimbabwe has declared a state of emergency following a cholera outbreak in the capital, Harare, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports. As of this morning, there have been more than 4,000 suspected cases, including 58 confirmed cases, and 25 cholera-related deaths.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a joint United Nations‑Ministry of Health team is taking action to combat the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu Province, which has killed 61 people as of 21 August. Since 8 August, more than 2,000 people have been vaccinated.
Leading the response to the regional refugee crisis related to the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration have launched regional appeals of $46 million and $32 million respectively to help Governments and host communities.
The Food and Agriculture Organization today warned that Fall Armyworm could threaten the livelihoods of millions of small‑scale farmers in Asia — where it’s been found for the first time — as this invasive pest is highly likely to spread further from India.
The United Nations refugee agency said today that more than 2,000 Somalis have returned home from Yemen since 2017, as part of an assistance programme carried out jointly with the International Organization for Migration and authorities in Yemen and Somalia. Yemen currently hosts more than 270,000 refugees, the vast majority of them Somalis.
Lise Grande, Humanitarian Coordinator for Yemen, says cholera tops the list of concerns over Hodeidah, an epicentre of the 2017 outbreak, among the worst in modern history. Meanwhile, 25 per cent of children in the city are suffering from acute malnutrition, and without nutritional support, 100,000 will be at risk.
A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme found that solar energy dominated global investment like never before in 2017. Investment in solar power grew by 18 per cent to $160.8 billion, surpassing new investments in coal and gas.