Global health leaders to meet next month
THEY WILL DISCUSS WAYS TO ERADICATE PREVENTABLE DEADLY DISEASES WORLDWIDE
Abu Dhabi forum on November 15 will discuss ways to eradicate preventable deadly diseases |
More than 200 global health leaders will convene in Abu Dhabi on November 15 for the “Reaching the Last Mile — Mobilising Together to Eliminate Infectious Disease” forum.
The event will be held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces,
The conference, which is an international health forum focused on eliminating and eradicating preventable deadly diseases that hinder the health and economic prospects of the world’s poorest people, will be held in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Carter Centre.
‘Last-mile’ diseases
The forum will see the participation of government officials, heads of international development organisations and philanthropic organisations, global health experts, and private sector representatives. It will build on the UAE’s long standing commitment to reducing and eliminating preventable disease. This global gathering will drive international action on the eradication of ‘last-mile’ diseases, such as Guinea worm and polio, and the elimination of preventable infectious diseases such as malaria and river blindness.
It will also recognise the tremendous efforts of those that have committed their lives to fighting disease on the front line of affected countries while additionally, supporting international efforts to fight infectious diseases through publicprivate partnerships.
Panels will discuss the global significance of disease eradication, what it will take to cross the finish-line, and lessons learnt for future health efforts. They will highlight global eradication and elimination efforts, including communitybased interventions to educate and change behaviour towards Guinea worm, river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, mass drug administration, the use of cutting-edge technologies to vaccinate marginalised communities against polio, and methods of tackling resistance against insecticides and malaria drugs.
Mohammad Mubarak Al Mazroui, Under-Secretary of the Crown Prince’s Court of Abu Dhabi, commented, “The UAE’s focus on freeing the world of preventable disease is driven from Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed’s conviction that no human should suffer from a preventable disease, and that investment in disease eradication is crucial to global development. Reaching the Last Mile builds on the UAE leadership’s 30-year efforts to permanently wipe out several deadly global diseases.”
Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States, Carter Centre founder and 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner, said, “Only one human disease has ever been eradicated, but with the strong support and cooperation of international partners, together we can aim higher. Guinea worm disease and polio are close to being eradicated, and other diseases are achieving regional elimination. Reaching the Last Mile signals a renewed determination among leaders like Shaikh Mohammad and the global health community to maintain the momentum and help address human suffering everywhere.”
The incidence of Guinea worm, a crippling parasitic disease that incapacitates people for extended periods of time, has fallen from a peak of approximately 3.5 million in 21 countries in Africa and Asia in 1986, to just a handful of cases so far in 2017. Cases of polio have fallen from 350,000 in 1988 to 37 cases in 2016.