Good morning, good afternoon and good evening,
Last night I returned from the Syrian Arab Republic, where I visited areas affected by last week's devastating earthquake.
I saw the destruction of entire communities, the unspeakable suffering of people, and the courage and determination of survivors and responders.
In Aleppo, I met people in temporary shelters set up by community and religious groups;
I saw neighbours supporting each other with bedding, clothes and food;
I saw health workers providing medicines and consultations;
I met WHO's teams - who themselves are affected by the earthquake - to hear about the work they are doing;
And I visited health centres, where I saw how even before this disaster, more than a decade of war has left the health system unable to cope with an emergency like this.
As we drove from Aleppo to Damascus, I saw the legacy of conflict, with town after town destroyed and abandoned.
Survivors are now facing freezing conditions without adequate shelter, heating, food, clean water, or medical care.
WHO is providing care to survivors with injuries and disabilities sustained in the earthquake; hypothermia; mental health and psychosocial needs; the increased risk of infectious diseases, and the range of regular health needs.
So far, we have shipped medicines and supplies to both affected countries to support care for more than half a million people, including for urgent surgery.
In Damascus, the Regional Director Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, Chief of Emergencies Dr Mike Ryan and I met with President Assad, to discuss the impact of the earthquake, and requested that he allow additional cross-border access points, which he indicated he was open to.
On Monday, two more cross-border points were opened, allowing convoys from Türkiye into the north-west of the Syrian Arab Republic.
This supplements the aid we had in place before the earthquake struck, and which we distributed to health facilities that day.
WHO remains committed to supporting all people in the Syrian Arab Republic now, and in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.
On Saturday we launched an appeal for 43 million US dollars to support our response in both countries.
This amount is increasing by the day, and we expect WHO's financial needs for this emergency to double by the end of this week.
We urge donors to be generous.
The search and rescue phase is now coming to an end, but for WHO, the task of saving lives is only just beginning.
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Now to Equatorial Guinea, which on Monday confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in two districts, near the borders with Cameroon and Gabon.
This is the first reported outbreak of Marburg in Equatorial Guinea.
Marburg belongs to the same family of viruses as Ebola, causes similar symptoms, transmits between humans the same way, and like Ebola, has a very high fatality ratio.
So far, nine deaths have been reported in people with symptoms consistent with Marburg, and one tested positive for the virus.
The other eight deaths are considered suspected cases because they had similar symptoms and were most likely part of the same transmission chain, but Marburg could not be confirmed because samples could not be obtained.
Sixteen suspected cases have been admitted to health facilities with mild symptoms, and 21 contacts are being monitored at home.
WHO is supporting the government to respond to the outbreak by deploying experts in epidemiology, clinical care, risk communication, community engagement, and infection prevention and control.
We are also helping to establish diagnostic capacity for Marburg, and we have chartered flights to send medical supplies and personal protective equipment from our hub in Nairobi, Kenya.
So far, no confirmed cases have been reported in Cameroon or Gabon, but WHO is working with the Ministry of Health of Cameroon to investigate an alert in that country.
We are also supporting the governments of Cameroon and Gabon to prepare to rapidly detect, isolate and provide care for any suspected cases.
There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for Marburg virus disease, and few are in development.
Yesterday, WHO convened a consultation of the Marburg virus vaccine and therapeutics consortium, which includes developers and experts from around the world.
Any decision on trials of vaccines and therapeutics will be made by national authorities and researchers in Equatorial Guinea.
In the meantime, WHO is convening the vaccine prioritization committee to identify which candidate vaccines should be evaluated first, and taking steps to prepare for potential trials.
WHO is also discussing with the Ministry of Health the possibility of providing access to experimental therapeutics as part of a clinical trial.
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Following the large increase in reported COVID-19-related deaths last month, especially from China, hospitalizations and deaths have declined.
Last week, around 10,000 deaths were reported to WHO, which is similar to the number of weekly deaths reported prior to last month's increase.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: 10 thousand deaths a week is 10 thousand too many, for a disease that can be prevented and treated.
We also know that the data reported to WHO are an underestimate, due to reduced testing and delays in reporting.
Subvariants of Omicron remain dominant globally, and remain a cause of concern, given their increased transmissibility and the fact that all subvariants can kill.
We have the tools to save lives and end COVID-19 as a global health emergency this year. We must continue to use them all, and use them well.
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On Friday, the Emergency Committee for the global outbreak of mpox met to assess whether in its view, the outbreak remains a public health emergency of international concern.
The committee has advised me that in its view, mpox remains a global health emergency, and I have accepted that advice.
The committee acknowledged the progress made in reducing mpox transmission globally, and the continued decline in reported cases since its last meeting.
However, more than 30 countries continue to report cases, and the possible under-detection and under-reporting of confirmed cases in some regions is concerning, particularly in countries where animal to human transmission of mpox has been reported before.
WHO continues to call on all countries to maintain surveillance for mpox, and to integrate services for prevention, preparedness and response into national control programmes, including for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
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The earthquake in Türkiye and the Syrian Arab Republic, Marburg in Equatorial Guinea, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and the global mpox outbreak all point to the need for all countries to build health systems that can withstand the shock of emergencies and deliver the care people need when they need it most.
Christian, back to you.
