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WHO World Health Organization |
Dr. Marc Danzon, the Director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, made an official visit to the Russian Federation in early February on the invitation of Minister of Health Yuri Shevchenko. It was exactly one year ago that Dr. Danzon began as the Regional Director of 51 European Member States stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific shores of the Russian Far East, from the Arctic to the steppes of Central Asia and to the Islands of the Mediterranean in the South. The Region has some 870 million inhabitants.
Minister Shevchenko and Dr. Danzon discussed the timely issues of Russian health and health care. They paid attetion to the continuing tuberculosis epidemic. The numbers of new cases and deaths are about 10-fold higher than in Western Europe, and are still rising. In the Russian prison system, the figures are still about 10-fold higher than among general population. WHO, together with the Russian health authorities, donor organizations and NGOs, is working hard to get this epidemic under control. It can be done with a systematic and effective programme, Dr. Danzon said.
The both sides noted, that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is rampant in Russia. There are 75,000 officially registered HIV cases. The actual number of HIV-infected people is closer to 300,000. Dr. Danzon discussed with the Minister of Health ways to organize their joint activities to curb the epidemic in coordination with UNAIDS and its cosponsors, of which WHO is one.
Yuri
Shevchenko and Marc Danzon shared serious concern expressed by Russian President
Vladimir Putin and the State Duma about the demographic situation in Russia.
Presently the population has dropped to 145 million, and demographers predict
that by 2015 it could gets as low as 130 million. These problems cannot be solved
by the health care system alone. This phenomenon has close links with the unhealthy
lifestyle of Russian people: heavy smoking, a penchant for vodka, and fatty
and salty foods, hazardous living and stressful circumstances. WHO’s experience
in several countries shows that these issues can be effectively tackled. Dr.
Danzon discussed possible ways of putting WHO’s experience to better use in
Russia in order to change a lifestyle that is causing premature disease and
death.
Minister of Health and Regional Director noted, that WHO has declared 2001 the Year of Mental Health. The regional director’s visit can also be seen as launching this campaign in Russia. WHO is appealing to governments, health professionals and people from all walks of life to rise to the challenge posed by mental and brain disorders. "Stop Exclusion – Dare to Care" says WHO. Dr. Danzon visited the Serbski State Research Centre of Social and Judicial Psychiatry, and also discussed future strategies in Russia with the leadership of the Institute of Psychiatry and the Centre for Mental Health/ Russian Academy of Medical Science.
Yuri Shev-chenko and Marc Danzon considered an assessment of the world’s health systems that WHO made in 2000. The results were published in World Health Report 2000. In the overall list, the Russian health system ranked 130th out of 191. WHO offered to provide support to Russia in its striving for a more effective, efficient and patient-friendly health care system, which is accessible to all. Dr. Danzon discussed with the Minister of Health the best ways to collaborate in order to make the Russian health care system more responsive to patients’ needs.
This high-level visit gave a giant boost to cooperation between the Russian Federation and WHO.
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In a landmark declaration on 21 February 2001, European health ministers and other participants, including young people, gathered at the WHO Ministerial Conference on Young People and Alcohol in Stockholm and agreed to make concerted efforts to reduce the dertimental effects of alcoholism and protect public health.
The declaration calls on governments, intergovernmental and nongovernmental agencies and other interested parties to urgently address evidence of growing devastation from alcoholism throughout Europe. New studies show that one in every four deaths among young males (15–29 years) in Europe is attributable to alcohol. The declaration calls for the protection and promotion of young people’s health and well being. Importantly, the declaration identifies young people as a resource and urges that they be empowered to take responsibility in resolving alcohol-related problems. The declaration was unanimously adopted by representatives of all the countries belonging to the European Region of WHO. Official delegates from the Russian Federation were among them.
"The over 57 000 deaths among young people due to alcohol
in Europe call for urgent action. This declaration sets forth clear 
ways
to stop suffering and premature deaths among young people due to alcohol," stated
Dr. Marc Danzon, WHO Regional Director for Europe, in his closing remarks to
the meeting. "It identifies specific actions to reduce alcohol consumption and
counter dangerous heavy drinking patterns promoted aggressively by the alcohol
industry."
The representatives of all 51 countries in the WHO European Region agreed on ten specific common targets to be achieved by 2006. All countries, based on their different cultures and social, legal and economic environments, will aim to:
– substantially reduce the number of young people who start consuming alcohol;
– delay onset of the drinking age among young people;
– substantially reduce the occurrence and frequency of high-risk drinking among young people, especially adolescents and young adults;
– provide and/or expand meaningful alternatives to alcohol and drug use and increase education and training for those who work with young people;
– increase young people’s involvement in youth health-related policies, especially alcohol-related issues;
– increase anti-alcohol propaganda among young people;
– minimize the pressures on young people to drink, especially with respect to alcohol promotions, free distributions, advertising, sponsorship and availability, with particular emphasis on special events;
– support actions against the illegal sale of alcohol;
– ensure and/or increase access to health and counseling services, especially for young people with alcohol problems and/or alcohol-dependent parents or family members;
– substantially reduce alcohol-related harm, especially accidents, assaults and violence, particularly as experienced by young people.
Russia is a country in which close to 60 000 people died of alcohol poisoning alone last year. This means that this country loses 160 relatively young people, mainly men, EVERY DAY! This is two fold higher than the number who died of tuberculosis. Many more die slowly of alcohol through liver failure, heart disease, suicide, etc. Accidents, assaults and violent deaths are also often induced by alcohol. One can say that liquor kills them. What a waste!
And yet, in the streets of Moscow and other Russian cities alcohol is freely advertised and sold everywhere at any time as if it were the elixir of eternal life and youth, and a guarantee of prosperity. What a lie!
This is explained by the fact that selling alcohol is a prosperous business for some people. The more they sell, the more money they can make. The Stockholm Conference on Young People and Alcohol provided practical advice to governments on how they can make real efforts to reduce the health risks caused by excessive alcohol consumption.
More information about the Conference is available on the World Wide Web from WHO
http://www.youngalcohol.who.dk
and the calendar section of the site of the Swedish presidency of the EU
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TB is one of the leading killers of people in the world and among its victims the more are from Russia. Therefore, a number of activities on the eve of March 24, World TB Day were conducted in Russia – a press-conference, a poster campaign, a video press-release, and a concert of classical music.
An alliance of organizations successfully running TB control programmes in selected Russian regions, such as the World Health Organisation, the International Federation of Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies, the Russian Red Cross Society, Medecins Sans Frontieres, and the Public Health Research Institute joined activities for World TB Day.
The organizations planned undertakings to reach, influence and involve all relevant segments and sectors of society to achieve a common goal, after becoming convinced of the recent resurgence of tuberculosis in Russia.
From 1998 to 1999, there was an increase of 12% in the number of newly detected TB cases among adults and children. The number of new cases in 1999 reached 124 044 (a morbidity rate of 85.2/100 000). The TB mortality rate also increased from 15.4/100 000 in 1998 to 20/100 000 in 1999. There were some positive trends in 2000: the morbidity rate increased only to 5,6%.
There is a rampant TB epidemic going on in the prison system in Russia. TB rates in Russian prisons are significantly rising and threaten to become a continuous source of infection to the civilian population, especially multi-drug resistant (MDR) TB infection. In 1999, there were 98,567 prisoners with active forms of TB in detention centres, and the TB morbidity rate is estimated to be 54-fold higher than among the civilian population. Similarly, the TB mortality rate is estimated to be nearly 30-fold higher than among the civilian population.
The press conference dedicated to World TB Day was held on March 23 at ITAR TASS. The theme of the press conference was "TB AGAINST SOCIETY. SOCIETY AGAINST TB". This slogan was chosen by the press conference organizing committee to highlight that TB is more than a medical problem; it is a social disease and we must unite against this curable disease: everyone – health professionals, government officials, journalists and all members of society – must face the threat together.
About 100 people attended the press conference, including different Russian organizations, donors, NGOs and journalists from English, German and Russian newspapers, magazines and TV.
Speaker from the Russian Ministry of Health V.Rogozhnikov presented the tuberculosis situation in Russia and the latest statistics and achievements in TB control. Deputy Minister of Justice Y. Kalinin described the tuberculosis situation in prisons and emphasized difficulties in treating prisoners. Dr. Mikko Vienonen, SRDG, highlighted the significance of TB control in Russia.
A poster campaign and children’s poster competition was organized in a dozen regions all over Russia (Oryol, Novgorod, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Tomsk, Astrakhan, Kemerovo and Buriatia). At the press conference, there was a presentation of the posters, and a poster display was arranged.
The first prize-winner of the children’s poster competition, Alexander Shchukin from Oryol was awarded a certificate and a boom blaster mini CD portable system by Dr. Mikko Vienonen.
A photo display was organized in the press conference hall where pictures dedicated to tuberculosis, the TB situation in Russia and the activities of NGOs to control TB were presented to draw the attetion of journalists and society to the undertakings in this field.
A video press release was prepared for the event, and it was distributed among the TV stations.
A concert of classical music was held in the Conservatory Grand Hall dedicated to World TB Day. The concert was organised by Vladimir Spivakov, International Foundation and Medecins Sans Frontieres. Music by composers who suffered from TB was performed, including Chopin, Liszt, Shostakovitch, and Stravinsky.
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Since
the spring of 1999, the health sector agencies of the United Nations, donor-states,
specific projects, non-governmental-organizations (NGOs), and interested embassy-representatives
have been meeting every month to discuss their ongoing activities. They share
information on timely topics of Russian health and health care, which they and
their national counterparts want to improve for the people living in this country.
Usually over 20 interested parties come together each time. This forum, which is organized by WHO and meets in the premises of the Delegation of the European Commission, can make our work more effective and better coordinated.