World+Health+Organization-Turkey

Turkey's Permanent Mission to the UN can be found on http://www.un.int/turkey/ This year's topic: Malaria, Tuberculosis, and Infectious Diseases

The results of a vote taken on December 22, 2003 concerning access to medication in the context of pandemics such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria can be found on [|http:/unbisnet.un.org]

In the past 35 years, there have been two peaks of malaria in Turkey. During the time of both of these peaks, the mean temperature for Turkey has been significantly higher than normal. For malaria, Turkey has been using insecticides such as malathion and bendiocard. Chemically treated mosquito netting also reduces the malaria cases in Turkey. To reduce the likelihood of malaria, pits can be filled and water tanks can be closed in order to stop the mosquitoes from breeding. Even with developments for fighting against tuberculosis, it still threatens Turkey. There are about 22,000 people living with tuberculosis in Turkey, and even though the disease is not getting worse, experts predict that if the fight against it does not continue then it could become a huge risk. For tuberculosis, the DOTS methods have been used in Turkey, having an 85% success rate which exceeds the WHO targets. For tuberculosis, DOTS methods have had an incredible success rate in Turkey and it plans to continue with them. Also, insecticides have worked well in Turkey and are being used frequently. For more on malaria, visit http://www.uel.ac.uk/mosquito/issue7/turkey.htm

Bibliography: [|www.globalhealthreporting.org/countries/Turkey.asp?id=2210&con=Turkey&malID=2212&tbID=2211&collID=13&hivIC=2214&mallC=2215&tbIC=2216&map=2213&p=2] [|www.blackwellpublishing.com/eccmid17/abstract.asp?id=56571]

General information about the WHO in Turkey- http://195.142.135.65/who/index.html


 * Voting Coincidence Percentages**


 * Overall Votes (94): Agree 28, Disagree 51, Abstain 12, Absent 3: 35.4%**
 * —Including All 174 Consensus Resolutions: 79.3%**
 * —Arms Control: 44.4%; Human Rights: 61.1%; Middle East: 4.5%**
 * Important Votes (13): Agree 4, Disagree 7, Abstain 1, Absent 1: 36.4%**
 * —Including the 11 Important Consensus Resolutions: 67.6%**


 * Important Issues VOTES**


 * 1. U.S. Embargo of Cuba.....................................................................(N) Y**
 * 2. Human Rights in Uzbekistan ...........................................................(N) N**
 * 3. Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People.......(N) Y**
 * 4. Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat ............................(N) Y**
 * 5. Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons .............................(N) Y**
 * 6. Towards an Arms Trade Treaty .......................................................(N) Y**
 * 7. Work of the Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices ......(N) Y**
 * 8. Combating Defamation of Religions ...............................................(N) Y**
 * 9. Human Rights in North Korea .........................................................(Y) Y**
 * 10. Human Rights in Belarus...............................................................(Y) Y**
 * 11. Human Rights in Iran.....................................................................(Y) X**
 * 12. International Trade and Development............................................(N) A**
 * 13. Human Rights in Burma ................................................................(Y) Y**


 * Past International Action in W.H.O.**

Through the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) - a set of achievements that all nations agreed to work toward in the 21st century - the international community acknowledged that infectious diseases hold back development. Goal number 6 calls on countries to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. The target for this goal is to reverse the spread of these diseases by the year 2015

The World Health Organization is the primary U.N. agency that coordinates efforts against infectious diseases. WHO has offices around the world and works closely with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to fight a variety of infectious diseases. It also tries to improve health conditions and make sure that diseases cannot flourish.

International Action on Malaria

The Roll Back Malaria global partnership (RBM) is another initiative of WHO, UNDP, UNICEF, and the World Bank. The partnership works with governments, international agencies, nongovernmental organizations and coporations to reduce the costs of malaria. RBM's goal is to halve the burden of malaria by 2010

A meeting of health officials and business representatives held in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 2004 addressed preventing the spread of malaria. The meeting focused on making chemically treated mosquito nets more widely avaliable. UNICEF, which purchases and distributes the most nets worldwide, estimated that the production would have to increase from 13 million nets per year to 30 - 40 million nets per year to meet the demand.

But, some countries have begun policies that are cheaper and more effective than nets, though they have other costs such as causing environmental problems. South Africa, for instance, has begun a very effective anti-malaria campaign by providing communities with an insecticide to protect houses from mosquitoes. But, this insecticide may be damaging to the environment if overused. Officials in South Africa assert that the amount used to spray houses and the way the procedure is done limits environmental problems. But, the World Health Organization still advises against this method, even if it may be more effective and cheaper.

International Action on TB

The Stop TB Partnership is a global campaign to halt the spread of tuberculosis. The partnership seeks to eliminate TB entirely within the next 50 years. In 2003, the Stop TB Trust Fund was established at the World Bank to help fund the initiative. The partnership seeks to expand DOTS worldwide. Note: The World Bank has ranked the DOTS strategy as one of the "most cost-effective of all health interventions." In China, TB cases dropped by more than 30% in provinces where DOTS was implemented.

http://www.state.gov/p/io/conrpt/vtgprac/