World Health Organization (WHO) Chairs: Danielle Georgacopoulos, Erin Boland and Mya Forsythe

Transcription

1 World Health Organization (WHO) Chairs: Danielle Georgacopoulos, Erin Boland and Mya Forsythe

2 Biographies Danielle Georgacopoulos Hi, my name is Danielle and I will be your WHO chair for today s Model UN conference. Just to tell you all a little about myself, I am currently finishing up my grade 12 year here at Sinclair and I am striving to become a surgeon. I haven t quite decided what I want to specialize in but I guess I have a lot of time left to do that. I am a dancer, I am Secretary General of Sinclair s Model UN and am also a part of SLC, which is a leadership camp we plan and run for students in the school. I work at Roots and love to have fun. I hope you all enjoy your time here at Sinclair; we are very excited to have you all here! Erin Boland Hey delegates! My name is Erin Boland and I am a grade 12 student here at Sinclair Secondary School. I have been actively involved with MUN since Grade 10 and have loved every minute of it. In my free time I enjoy writing poetry, taking pictures and listening to music. This is my first time chairing and am very much looking forward to the experience as well as hearing what each of you have to bring today. Mya Forsythe Hi I m Mya and I am in grade 12 here at Sinclair. This is my 2 nd year in MUN. I am a dancer and I also enjoy shopping, traveling and having fun with my friends. I work at Adidas and am also a dance teacher. Next year I aspire to go to school to become a nurse. Hope you all enjoy your day here at SIMUN.

3 Topic 1. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Background Mental health and substance abuse are both heavily debated topics. Around the world people go to great lengths to rid someone of mental illness. Asylum, electroshock therapy, skull drills, happy pills, exorcisms, isolation, lobotomies are all different ideas taken into account due to the fact that mental illness was seen as treatable and able to be abolished through means of medicine and medical treatments. Throughout history, mental illnesses were seen as something that needed punishing. The change in societal views over the years and the ample amount of knowledge that has sprung into light is what allows for mental health to be viewed as something that one cannot control (who.int 2001). Current Action For the first time in history, world leaders are recognizing the promotion of mental health, and also the prevention and treatment of substance abuse as priorities within the global development agenda (who.int mental health SDGs). In September of 2015, the World Health Organization initiated a Sustainable Development Agenda in hopes that it would have a positive impact on various communities and areas around the world so that everyone could obtain the care they so rightfully deserve. Those suffering from mental health disorders are constantly given unequal access to personal and specialized care. Considering the fact that nearly half of the world s population lives in areas where there is less than one psychiatrist per 100,000 habitants, the United Nations decided that it was time to take a stand to protect the basic human rights of the world s citizens. As many countries are currently making lifelong changes in their ways of governing, most of the policies and laws are not fully in line with the international fundamental rights of the human being and suffer from lack of implementation. As time goes on, the United Nations wishes to continue this process, as mental health is becoming an even larger issue than it was in the past

4 and now every one in four people is affected by a mental illness (humanosphere.org). It is slowly taking over lives and is controlling the minds of the world s population. Taking a stand and implementing new laws to coordinate equal treatment and equal access to resources to all citizens is crucial to the sanity of the world. Questions to consider 1. What is the true universal definition of mental illness? How does this tend to get altered in different areas of the world over time? 2. What can be done to make sure that equal treatment is given to those with mental illnesses? 3. How can governments spread the word about different mental illnesses and explain how they come to be? 4. What can the population do to support this? 5. Why, to date, has the stigma surrounding mental illness been increasingly negative? 6. How can one prevent poor stigma surrounding mental disorders? References "Mental health included in the UN Sustainable Development Goals." World Health Organization. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 04 Feb "New UN report finds 'huge inequalities' in global mental health services, calls for more investment." UN News Center. United Nations, 14 July Web. 04 Feb "Mental Health." World Health Organization. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 04 Feb "Mental disorders affect one in four people." WHO. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 04 Feb "Visualizing Mental Illness Worldwide." Humanosphere. N.p., 27 Apr Web. 04 Feb

5 Topic 2. Zika Virus Overview Across the globe, the well-known Zika virus has installed a strong sense of fear within nations. The virus was first identified in monkeys in Uganda in The first human case was detected in Nigeria in 1954 and there have been further outbreaks in Africa, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands (zikavirusnet.com). Most were small cases and Zika has not previously been considered a major threat to human health. However, perhaps the most prevalent problem associated with the virus is the fact that Zika can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects; this is perhaps where fear begins to play a role within the issues of the virus. The first large outbreak of disease caused by Zika infection was reported from the Island of Yap in 2007 (cdc.gov). There are currently several countries experiencing Zika virus outbreaks. Both developing and developed countries are now facing the same problems as the virus continues to spread as no vaccine or cure has been found to date. History Zika fever is caused by the Zika virus (ZIKV), an arthropod-borne virus. The Zika virus is a member of the Flavivirus genus in the family Flaviviridae. It is related to dengue, yellow fever, West Nile and Japanese encephalitis, viruses that are also members of the virus family Flaviviridae. Along with other viruses in the Flaviviridae family, Zika virus is enveloped and icosahedral with a nonsegmented, single-stranded, positive sense RNA genome (zikavirusnet.com). In 1947, scientists researching the yellow fever placed a rhesus macaque in a cage in the Zika Forest (zika meaning "overgrown" in the Luganda language), near the East African Virus Research Institute in Entebbe, Uganda. The monkey developed a fever, and researchers isolated from its serum a transmissible agent that was first described as Zika virus in 1952 (zikavirusnet.com). It was additionally isolated in 1954 from a human in Nigeria. Between its discovery to 2007, confirmed cases of Zika virus infection from Africa and Southeast Asia were rare. In 2007, however, a major epidemic occurred in Yap Island, Micronesia. More recently, epidemics have occurred in Polynesia, Easter Island, the Cook Islands and New Caledonia (zikavirusnet.com). The Zika fever disease process was relatively mild in 2007: there were 49 confirmed cases, 59 unconfirmed cases, no deaths and no hospitalizations (cdc.gov).

6 A more recent and larger outbreak of Zika virus outside Africa and Asia was confirmed in April 2015, in Brazil. In the district of Camaçari and the neighbor Salvador city, healthcare authorities confirmed that a previously unknown disease affecting around 500 patients with flu-like symptoms followed by rash and arthralgia is indeed an ongoing outbreak of Zika fever, as proved by RT-PCR technique by researchers from Federal University of Bahia (who.int). Local authorities link the outbreak to recent increased flow of foreign visitors prompted by the 2014 FIFA World Cup, coupled with the large population of insect vectors such as Aedes aegypt and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes that inhabit the region (zikavirusnet.com). Present Day Situation Since April 2015, a large, ongoing outbreak of Zika virus has spread to much of South and Central America, and the Caribbean (zikavirusnet.com). In January 2016, the CDC issued a level 2 travel-alert for people traveling to regions and certain countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. The agency also suggested that women thinking about becoming pregnant should consult with their physicians before traveling. According to the CDC, Brazilian health authorities reported more than 3,500 microcephaly cases between October 2015 and January 2016 (cdc.gov). Microcephaly is a birth defect where a baby s head is smaller than expected when compared to babies of the same sex and age. Babies with microcephaly often have smaller brains that might not have developed properly. Some of the affected infants have had a severe type of microcephaly and some have died (cdc.gov). Seventy-five countries and territories have reported evidence of mosquito- borne Zika virus transmission since 2007 (69 with reports from 2015 onwards). Close to 30 countries have reported microcephaly and/or CNS malformation cases potentially associated with Zika virus infection, with the highest statistics coming from Brazil (who.int). There is a total of 13 Countries reporting person-toperson Zika virus transmission since February Overall, the global risk assessment has not changed. Zika virus continues to spread geographically to areas where competent vectors are present (who.int). Although a decline in cases of Zika infection has been reported in some countries, or in some parts of countries, vigilance needs to remain high (who.int). To this day, no vaccine or medicine exists to prevent Zika. The only form of prevention is by avoiding mosquito bites and consulting a healthcare physician before travelling (cdc.gov). Mosquitoes that spread Zika virus bite during the day and night and are also known to spread dengue and chikungunya viruses. Zika can be passed through sex from a person who has Zika to his or her sex

7 partners (cdc.gov). Condoms can be used to reduce the chance of getting Zika from sex such as any STI. As of right now, Zika is spreading rapidly in Puerto Rico and pregnant women are at risk for becoming infected with Zika (cdc.gov). If current trends continue, at least 1 in 4 people, including women who become pregnant, may become infected with Zika. Since Zika causes microcephaly and other birth defects, it is more important than ever for a woman to consider if now is the right time to get pregnant (cdc.gov). However many expecting mothers do not understand the risk of Zika virus and the danger they are putting their unborn baby at. Additionally, many cases of pregnancy are unplanned which puts a fetus at risk of Zika virus despite the intentions of the expecting mother. Questions to consider 1. What steps should be taken to prevent the spread of the virus? What forms of preventions methods currently exist? Are they effective? Are further preventions methods required? 2. Where will funding come from for further research and the development of a cure? 3. Should travel restrictions be placed on areas where infections rates are high? Should these restrictions apply equally to everyone or only expecting mothers? 4. Should developed nations where the virus is less prevalent have to help effected nations who are less developed with funding needs? Helpful links "Zika Virus Information." Zika Virus Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 Jan Web. 05 Feb "Zika situation report." World Health Organization. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 05 Feb Mitchell, Cristina. "PAHO WHO Zika virus infection." Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb "Zika virus infection." Zika virus infection. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb

8 WHO - Country Matrix 1 Afghanistan 3 Algeria 5 Argentina 7 Australia 8 Austria 9 Azerbaijan 11 Bangladesh 12 Belarus 15 Brazil 16 Bulgaria 17 Cambodia 18 Cameroon 21 Colombia 22 Congo 23 Cuba 24 DPRK 25 DRC 26 El Salvador 27 France 29 Guatemala 31 Honduras 33 Indonesia 34 Iran 35 Iraq 36 Jordan 37 Kenya 38 Lithuania 40 Mexico 42 Morocco 43 Nepal 44 Netherlands 45 Nigeria

9 47 Pakistan 48 China 49 Russian Federation 51 Thailand 52 Turkey 53 Uganda 54 USA 55 Uruguay 56 Venezuela 58 Zimbabwe