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New WHO recommendations to prevent tuberculosis aim to save millions of lives
Geneva – New World Health Organization (WHO) guidance will help countries accelerate efforts to stop people with tuberculosis (TB) infection becoming sick with TB by giving them preventive treatment.

A quarter of the world‘s population is estimated to be infected with TB bacteria. These people are neither sick nor contagious. However, they are at greater risk of developing TB disease, especially those with weakened immunity. Offering them TB
preventive treatment will not only protect them from becoming sick but also cut down on the risk of transmission in the community.

As we mark World TB Day 2020, the disease remains the world’s top infectious killer. In 2018, 10 million people fell ill with TB worldwide and 1.5 million people lost their lives to this disease.

“COVID-19 is highlighting just how vulnerable people with lung diseases and weakened immune systems can be,“ said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The world committed to end TB by 2030; improving prevention is key
to making this happen. Millions of people need to be able to take TB preventive treatment to stop the onset of disease, avert suffering and save lives”.

Dr Tedros highlighted the importance to continue efforts to tackle longstanding health problems, including TB during global outbreaks such as COVID-19. At the same time, programmes already in place to combat TB and other major infectious diseases
can be leveraged to make the response to COVID-19 more effective and rapid.

Although some progress has been made towards targets set at the UN high-level Meeting on TB in 2018, TB preventive treatment has been largely neglected. Global leaders committed to ensuring access to TB preventive treatment to at least 24 million contacts
of people with active TB and 6 million people living with HIV by 2022. To date only a fraction of that target has been reached, with countries putting less than 430,000 contacts and 1.8 million people on TB preventive treatment in 2018.

TB remains the top cause of death among people with HIV. TB preventive treatment works synergistically with antiretroviral therapy to prevent TB and save lives. Reinvigorated efforts by governments, health services, partners, donors and civil society
will be needed to increase access to TB preventive treatment to the levels targeted.

The new consolidated guidelines recommend a range of innovative approaches to scale up access to TB preventive treatment:
- WHO recommends a scale-up of TB preventive treatment among populations at highest risk including household contacts of TB patients, people living with HIV and other people at risk with lowered” immunity or living in crowded settings.
- WHO recommends an integration of TB preventive treatment services into ongoing case finding efforts for active TB. All household contacts of TB patients and people living with HIV are recommended to be screened
  for active TB. If active TB is ruled out, they should be initiated on TB preventive treatment.
- WHO recommends that either a tuberculin skin test or interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) be used to test for TB infection. Both tests are helpful to find people more likely to benefit from TB preventive treatment
  but should not become a barrier to scale-up access. Testing for TB infection is not required before starting TB preventive treatment in people living with HIV, and children under 5 years who are contacts of people with active TB.
- WHO recommends new shorter options for preventive treatment in addition to the widely used 6 months of daily isoniazid. The shorter options that are now recommended range from a 1 month daily regimen of rifapentine plus isoniazid
  to 3 months weekly rifapentine plus isoniazid, 3 months daily rifampicin plus isoniazid, or 4 months of daily rifampicin alone.
“As people around the globe come together to commemorate World TB Day, WHO is calling on governments, affected communities, civil society organizations, health-care providers, donors, partners and the industry to unite forces and step up
the TB response – notably for TB preventive treatment – to ensure no one is left behind,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme. “The new WHO guidance shows the way forward for millions to rapidly
access new tools and shorter, safer options for preventive treatment. The time for action is now.”

TB preventive treatment is an affordable intervention that can prevent families from sliding into poverty and preserve the health and economy of whole communities. WHO anticipates that as new and safer drugs come onto the markets, and as prices
fall, it will become a highly-cost effective way to save millions of lives.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

WORK BY WHO AND PARTNERS

WHO works closely with Member States including the US Government and technical and funding partners such as UNITAID to enhance access to shorter TB preventive treatment regimens. UNITAID-supported projects such as IMPAACT4TB and Cap-TB projects
enabled by WHO with partners in Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and
Zimbabwe are leading the way. The new treatment options are also now more affordable, thanks to the significant price drop of rifapentine – a key drug – facilitated recently by UNITAID, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
and global biopharmaceutical company Sanofi, along with forthcoming arrangements underway with generic manufacturers.

MORE ABOUT THE GUIDELINES

The new consolidated WHO guidelines come with an operational handbook to help guide countries step-by-step as they take TB preventive treatment to scale. This includes guidance on how to prioritize and invest from demand creation for TB prevention
to supervision and monitoring of the programme.

The guidelines and operational handbook are also accompanied by an innovative mobile application – Prevent TB –to help health-care workers manage TB preventive treatment in their communities. Its online dashboard allows programme
managers to visualize and monitor data in real time. The application can be customized by countries to suit their specific settings and is currently being adopted in India and Philippines.

WORLD TB DAY

The new guidelines and tools are being released ahead of World TB Day. World TB Day is observed on March 24 each year to raise public awareness and understanding about the world’s deadliest infectious killer – TB and its devastating
health, social and economic impact on people around the world. Under the theme “It’s Time”, the spotlight this year is on urgently accelerating the TB response to save lives and end suffering.

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March 24, 2020
King expresses sadness, concern about healthcare workers infected with Covid-19

KUALA LUMPUR: The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has expressed his sadness and concern over the news that several healthcare workers from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and private healthcare facilities have been infected with Covid-19.

Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said Al-Sultan Abdullah was extremely concerned about the situation as the healthcare workers were the frontliners who have spent most of their time and energy to help contain the pandemic.

“As at March 21, the MOH has confirmed that 19 of its staff and five from the private healthcare facilities have been infected with Covid-19, while as at noon today, 212 new positive Covid-19 cases were reported, bringing the total to 1,518.

“Two of the 19 MOH staff are currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) and investigations found that all of them were close contacts to the first and second generations of the tabligh clusters,” he said in a statement here today.

As of March 22, a total of 460 MOH healthcare workers had been tested negative for Covid-19, while the remaining 190 were awaiting results.

As of this afternoon, MOH confirmed that the Covid-19 total deaths in Malaysia stood at 14.

Ahmad Fadil said in this regard, His Majesty called on the people to be honest and truthful with health personnel in giving information about their travel history and close contacts to determine the source of infection thus containing the spread of the disease.

“It is important to be honest when undergoing the screening as the information given is vital to the MOH. This will also prevent MOH frontline personnel from getting infected.

“Al-Sultan Abdullah also urged those who had close contacts with confirmed Covid-19 cases and had developed symptoms of the disease to immediately go the nearest government health facilities for examination. Don’t take symptoms lightly,” he said.

Ahmad Fadil said the King also expressed his appreciation for the sacrifice, commitment and dedication of Covid-19 frontliners including personnel of MOH, government agencies as well as private healthcare facilities.

“His Majesty hopes that all of them will continue to remain resilient in carrying out their responsibilities for the safety of the people and our beloved country,” he added.

Al-Sultan Abdullah reiterated his advice for the people to comply with the Movement Control Order and follow the guidelines issued by the MOH to end the pandemic.

His Majesty also conveyed his condolences to family members of those who have died of Covid-19 and called on Malaysians to continue praying so that the Covid-19 situation can be tackled as soon as possible. – Bernama

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March 23, 2020
BREAKING: Atiku’s Son Tests Positive For Coronavirus

Son of Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has tested positive for Coronavirus.

Atiku confirmed this on his verified Twitter handle on Sunday.

He said, “My son has tested positive for Coronavirus.

“@NCDCGov has been duly informed and he has been moved to Gwagwalada Specialist Teaching Hospital in Abuja for treatment and management.

“I will appreciate it if you have him in your prayers. Stay safe, Coronavirus is real.”

My son has tested positive to coronavirus. @NCDCGov has been duly informed, and he has been moved to Gwagwalada Specialist Teaching Hospital in Abuja for treatment and management. I will appreciate it if you have him in your prayers. Stay safe, coronavirus is real. -AA

— Atiku Abubakar (@atiku) March 22, 2020

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the Nigerian Center For Disease Control confirmed that the number of cases in the country had hit 30.

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March 23, 2020
Nadma clarifies eligibility for Covid-19 fund

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian workers who have lost their source of income or are not being paid throughout the duration of the Movement Control Order are eligible to seek assistance from the Covid-19 Fund, said National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).

In a statement uploaded on its official Facebook page today, Nadma said Malaysian workers who lost their source of income or are not being paid throughout the duration of hospitalisation due to Covid-19 are also eligible to apply for the assistance.

“The assistance is RM100 per day throughout the duration of the Observation and Surveillance Order for Covid-19 Contact under Section 15 (1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) or treatment in a hospital ward authorised by the Ministry of Health for Covid-19 (warded),” said the statement.

However, Nadma explained that non-Malaysians and those who are unemployed before the Observation and Surveillance Order period are not eligible to apply.

Those eligible will need to download the document from Nadma website at www.nadma.gov.my and mail the complete application to the following address:

Ketua Pengarah Agensi Pengurusan Bencana Negara (NADMA) Jabatan Perdana Menteri

Aras 7, Blok D5, Kompleks D Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan

62502 Putrajaya

(u.p. : Sekretariat KWABBN)

For more information, log on to www.nadma.gov.my. – Bernama

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March 22, 2020
Adequate blood supply in the country: National Blood Centre

KUALA LUMPUR: The supply of blood in the country is still sufficient at a safe level so far, said National Blood Centre (PDN) director Dr Noryati Abu Amin.

However, she said PDN and other blood centres are still in need of blood donors to continue replenishing blood stock at an optimum level all the time.

According to her, blood donation is still available during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period as the activity is considered an essential service under the Health Ministry for the treatment of patients.

While it cannot be denied that blood donation throughout the country would be affected following Covid-19 and the enforcement of MCO, Dr Noryati said various efforts including stepping up promotions via social media as well as extending the operation hours at collection centres have been carried out.

“So far, the supply of all types of blood is sufficient, however many blood donation campaigns were cancelled over fears that the people maybe infected with Covid-19 which also caused a drop in the number of donors,” she told Bernama.

Dr Noryati added that several additional measures were taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 when individuals came to donate blood, among them was limiting the number of donors at a location at any one time.

“Apart from that, measures such as social distancing and practice of good hygiene especially washing hands with soap and water as well as providing initial screening such as checking body temperature and inquiring the travel history of the donor, she said.

In this regard, she urged the people to continue donating blood regularly to ensure the supply of blood is always at a safe level.

“Having an adequate supply of blood at all time is very important to treat patients such as emergency victims, expecting mothers who may experience bleeding complications during delivery, cancer and thalassemia patients as well as patients undergoing major surgeries,” she said.

Members of the public can donate blood at three locations in the Klang Valley namely PDN in Jalan Tun Razak on Monday to Friday from 7.30am to 8pm and on Saturday and Sunday, from 8am to 6pm.

Besides that, the PDN Donation Suite in Midvalley Megamall starts daily from 10am to 5pm while the Puspanita Blood Donation Suite in Putrajaya operates from Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 7pm and on weekends from 9am to 6pm.

Meanwhile, the blood supply at the Blood Centre of Tuanku Ja’afar Hospital Seremban (HTJS) is also sufficient, said Negri Sembilan Health acting director Dr Mohammad Faid Abd Rashid.

Speaking to Bernama, he said the centre has enough blood for patients,

“During the MOC period, the centre is still operating on Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 3pm and on Monday to Friday from 8 am to 4.30 pm.

“The supply of blood however depends on healthy and non-risky donors who have to adhere to the regulations of the hospital,” he said.

Dr Mohammad Faid said those who display Covid-19 symptoms or have just returned from abroad or have close contact with suspected Covid-19 cases would not be allowed to donate blood. — Bernama

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March 21, 2020
Covid-19 worldwide death toll nears 115,000

ANKARA: With the global death toll on Saturday approaching 115,000, health officials worldwide announced new cases in coronavirus’ continuing spread, Anadolu Agency reported.

The country with the highest loss of life due to coronavirus is Italy, where 4,032 people have so far died, after eclipsing China earlier this week.

Mainland China, where the outbreak started last December, was second, with a total of 3,255 people dead.

Iran had the third-highest death toll, with 1,433.

Australia reported that the number of cases of Covid-19 rose to 1,051, with 300 people added to the total in the last 24 hours.

Singapore’s Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said the number of cases in the country rose to 385, and it also claimed the lives of a 75-year-old Singapore woman and a 64-year-old Indonesian.

Morocco’s Health Ministry said the number of cases had risen to 86, including seven people who had recently been abroad.

Morocco on Friday declared a state of emergency over the outbreak.

Meanwhile, Paraguay’s Health Ministry announced on Twitter that a 69-nine-year old man had died from the virus after treatment in an intensive care unit.

Local media reported that the total cases number of cases in the country was 18.

President Mario Abdo Benitez announced that a quarantine declared for March 10 to April 4 has been extended to April 12. — Bernama

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March 21, 2020
Device brings silicon computing power to brain research and prosthetics

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new device for connecting the brain directly to silicon-based technologies. While brain-machine interface devices already exist—and are used for prosthetics, disease treatment and brain research—this latest device can record more data while being less intrusive than existing options.

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March 20, 2020
Berjaya donates RM1 million to Covid-19 fund

PETALING JAYA: Berjaya Group today donated RM1 million to the Covid-19 fund, bringing the fund’s total to more than RM3 million.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in a Facebook posting, shared the heart-warming news which was attached with pictures of Berjaya Group CEO Datuk Seri Robin Tan Yeong Chin presenting the cheque to him.

I Berhad chairman Tan Sri Lim Kim Hong also donated RM1 million today.

The Covid-19 fund now has a total of RM3.125 million which includes a RM1 million grant from the government and RM125,000 in donations from several government-linked companies and individuals.

The fund was launched by Muhyiddin on March 11 and is aimed at easing the burden faced by those infected by Covid-19.

The fund will provide RM100 daily to those who have no fixed income or are not being paid throughout the duration of the quarantine period and treatment.

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March 20, 2020
WHO teams with partners to mitigate the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in malaria-affected areas
The rapid spread of COVID-19 is testing the resilience of robust health systems around the world. WHO and its partners are taking measures to mitigate the potential impact of sustained transmission of the coronavirus in malaria-endemic settings –
particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which shoulders more than 90% of the global malaria burden.

To date, a small proportion of the global COVID-19 cases have been identified in malaria-affected countries. However, as of 17 March, 25 countries in the African Region had reported cases of COVID-19, and local transmission of the disease had been detected
in 6 countries (Algeria, Cameroon, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa).

“At this point, we still don’t know what the COVID-19 pandemic will look like in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Dr Pedro Alonso, Director of the WHO Global Malaria Programme. “But we do know that when public health emergencies have
hit parts of Africa with weak health systems and high malaria transmission, the impact on malaria disease and death has been very severe.”

The 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, for example, undermined malaria control efforts and led to a massive increase in malaria-related illness and death in the 3 countries.

Joint action

To support malaria-affected countries, WHO has identified the need for a set of inter-related actions among global partners:
- generating, using and disseminating accurate information;
- mitigating against health system disruptions; and
- ensuring the continuity of routine malaria-specific interventions while also providing, where needed, additional emergency measures, such as mass drug administration, in health systems significantly impacted by COVID-19.
The Organization convened partners on 17 March to discuss areas of collaboration, coordination and next steps.

WHO has begun monitoring the evolving geographic location of COVID-19 cases to understand the extent to which the coronavirus and malaria affect the same target groups. This information will reveal who is likely to be at greatest risk, where and when,
and thus inform the need for malaria-specific interventions to save lives.

In parallel, WHO is working across the 3 levels of the organization to ensure that any advice intended to curb coronavirus transmission and to guide COVID-19 disease management is appropriate in malaria-affected settings.

In recent days, there have been reports of disruptions, as a result of COVID-19, in the production and global supply chains of essential malaria commodities, such as the long-lasting insecticidal nets, diagnostic testing and antimalarial medicines. Coordinated
efforts are required to ensure the availability of key malaria control tools – particularly in countries with a high burden of the disease – and that efforts to limit transmission of COVID-19 do not compromise access to malaria prevention,
diagnosis and treatment services.

Malaria-affected countries may also experience disruptions in health systems in the coming months. A marked increase in febrile patients seeking treatment for COVID-19 at health facilities, for example, would present a significant challenge for a health
workforce that may itself be depleted by the disease.

Policy guidance

WHO is developing guidance for national malaria control programmes and implementing partners to prepare them for the challenges they may face as result of COVID-19.  Among other areas, the guidance will address the mitigation of stockouts of
malaria medicines and commodities; the use of preventive malaria therapy for health workers; the deployment of emergency measures in some settings; and the generation of information relating to the geographic distribution and populations affected
by COVID-19 in malaria-endemic settings.

Restrictions around grouping people together – for training, social and behavior change communication activities, fixed-site distribution and clinical care – as well as the restrictions around movement of people in the country, will require
significant adaptations in order to deliver quality interventions and care.

All people living in malaria-affected areas are advised to follow same precautions as the general population, including: frequent hand-washing, respiratory hygiene, social distancing, seeking prompt medical care if symptoms arise (cough, fever,
difficulty breathing), and other WHO-recommended actions.

WHO stands ready to work with countries and other stakeholders to mitigate the negative impact of the coronavirus on malaria responses worldwide and, where possible, contribute towards a successful COVID-19 response.

About COVID-19

COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Essential information on the COVID-19 pandemic can be found in
a dedicated WHO site.

About malaria

Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. In 2018, there were an estimated 228 million cases of malaria worldwide and
405 000 malaria-related deaths. For more on malaria, visit: www.who.int/malaria

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March 19, 2020
Just stay at home, pleads PM (Updated)

PETALING JAYA: Please, stay at home and protect yourself and your family.

This was the ultimate message by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to all Malaysians in his special address tonight as the country enters its second day of the 14 days restriction of movement order (RMO).

Muhyiddin explained that the goal of the movement restrictions was to minimise exposure to the Covid-19 virus, after many among the public disregarded the order to travel to their hometowns, while others were spotted in public areas.

“The reason of the RMO is so that all of you need not travel. You don’t have to crowd the trains and buses or eateries, and your children are not required to go to school, which could expose them (to the virus).

“I plead to you, please, stay put where you are. I plead, just for this two weeks … stay at home quietly,” he said.

Muhyiddin said it was pertinent that Malaysians adhere to the RMO to break the chain of infection and ultimately reduce the number of those infected with the novel coronavirus.

He reminded the public that the virus could be transmitted from person to person through touch, and that if they continue to travel around, the chances of them contracting Covid-19 was higher.

He added that the reason the RMO was set to two weeks was because the Covid-19 has an incubation period of 14 days.

“The government is hoping that after this period, those still with symptoms can be identified and separated for treatment, and finally make Malaysia free of Covid-19.

“If during this period we are not successful, the government may be forced to extend the restriction order,” he said.

Muhyiddin said while the concept of staying home and avoiding public places looked simple in principle, this was particularly important if the country wishes to contain the virus.

He also urged those who need to move around to purchase essential daily items to practise good hygiene and avoid any physical contact with others.

“As a prime minister, I have a huge responsibility to handle the crisis. But I can’t possibly do it alone. I need all of your help. God willing, we can overcome this crisis together,” he said.

To date, 790 people have been infected by the Covid-19, with 117 new cases recorded today. Two Malaysians died to the virus on Tuesday.

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March 18, 2020