Updates ·
Health notices · Sunday 8 November
3 notices from the agencies today, in plain words, each with the original linked.
WHO African Region certified wild polio-free
World Health Organization (WHO) · News
WHO has announced that the Africa Regional Certification Commission certified the WHO African Region as wild polio-free after four years without a case.
This matters because it shows wild poliovirus transmission has stopped in the region, moving communities closer to global polio eradication.
The notice also warns not to become complacent, and notes type 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV2) is present in 16 countries in the region and can still spread, especially when vaccination is interrupted.
FDA approval for an oral mucus-relief medicine
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) · Approval
If you take the brand Rompe Pechito DM for Kids, FDA approval means it’s an approved oral medicine containing guaifenesin (extended-release).
It’s meant to temporarily relieve cough from minor throat and bronchial irritation that can happen with a cold.
It may help loosen phlegm (mucus) and thin bronchial secretions so they can drain from bronchial tubes.
Partnership to make affordable COVID-19 rapid tests available
WHO · News
If you need COVID-19 testing, WHO says agreements are being used to make available 120 million affordable, quality rapid antigen tests in low- and middle-income countries.
These tests are designed to give results in 15–30 minutes, and are being supported so they can be used in settings without extensive laboratories or trained staff for PCR (a lab test that detects the virus’s genetic material).
Unitaid and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plan to start rollout in up to 20 African countries in October 2020. The notice does not say you personally need to do anything now.