Two-thirds of low-income countries have established a standardized system to report causes of death. However, the SCORE Report highlights the urgent need to strengthen these systems to help the world respond to health emergencies and track progress towards global health goals.

The pandemic has highlighted that even the most advanced health and data systems still struggle to provide data in near real-time in order to act swiftly.   The lack of data worldwide limits the understanding of the true mortality impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, undermining response planning.

“The pandemic has stretched the capacity of country health information systems around the world, as they must track both the disease and other critical health trends,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The SCORE report is an important step towards better data, for better decisions and better health.”

Estimates show that 60% of the countries reviewed have a well-developed system for reviewing the progress and performance of their health sector and only half have the capacity to monitor the quality of care.  Only 32% of the countries have a good capacity for a national digital health strategy based on recommended standards.

“With SCORE at hand, WHO will support countries around the world to address data gaps and strengthen their data and health information systems,” said Dr. Samira Asma, Assistant Director-General, for Data, Analytics, and Delivery.

Although there is good availability of data on areas such as immunization, tuberculosis, and HIV incidence, there is less coverage on health issues such as mental health and cancer.  Less than half of countries report national facility data on severe mental health disorders.

This lack of data severely limits countries in their ability to plan and implement effective health programs.

“The SCORE report guides countries to invest in priority areas with the greatest impact on the collection, analysis, and use of health data.  Among other recommendations the report urges countries to strengthen their overall health data systems, to improve their death data registration systems, and to collect more and better quality data to address inequalities,” said Michael Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries.

The report and the portal are part of WHO’s SCORE for Health Data Technical Package that will support countries and regions to view their assessments, conduct analyses, and improve health data for healthier populations.

Source: The WHO

FIFA is teaming up with the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote the need for fair access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics, and to encourage people to keep practicing life-saving, everyday public health measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and to protect health.

In conjunction with the FIFA Club World Cup 2020, being held in Qatar from 4 to 11 February 2021, FIFA and WHO is launching a public awareness campaign involving star footballers, through TV and in-stadium messaging, to further promote the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator initiative launched in April 2020, and to urge people to practice mask-wearing, physical distancing and hand hygiene.

“We all have to play our part in the battle against the coronavirus. We are also calling on the international community to #ACTogether to ensure a level playing field in relation to access to vaccines, treatments, and diagnostic tests across the globe,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said during a video conference prior to the kick-off of the FIFA Club World Cup.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, thanked FIFA and the players for helping raise awareness on life-saving interventions that all people can follow, and of the importance of intensified global support for the ACT Accelerator to ramp up development and equitable allocation of vaccines, treatments, and tests to reduce severe disease and deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Fairness is the foundation of football and all other sports, and this also must be the same when it comes to health,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The rules of the COVID-19 challenge are simple: all people at risk from the coronavirus in all countries must have equitable access to life-saving vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics. In just nine months, the world has established these three powerful lines of defense against COVID-19. But our goal now is to ensure equitable access and continued refinement of these tools.”

Dr. Tedros added: “WHO is grateful to FIFA for teaming up with health partners around the world to promote the need for the fair distribution of the tools needed to defeat the coronavirus.”

The new FIFA-WHO collaboration will amplify life-saving messages to a global audience with a series of promotional videos being broadcast during the FIFA Club World Cup. In the videos, competing club captains reiterate the key steps for everyone to follow in order to tackle and defeat the coronavirus by focusing on hands, elbow, face, distance, symptoms, masks, and opening windows.

“It is important that we do not forget that health comes first,” said the FIFA President. “Only by following the advice of our medical professionals will we be able to eliminate the threat posed by COVID-19, and I call upon everyone to follow these steps in their daily lives. This advice not only protects you but also protects your loved ones and those around you. In delivering these messages during the FIFA Club World Cup, I appreciate the support given by the participating teams and their players, coaching staff, and other officials in respecting the protocols that need to be followed in order to play this tournament, and to ensure that we keep the football flame flickering brightly during these challenging times.”

The video awareness campaign will feature players and head coaches from the competing teams at the FIFA Club World Cup Qatar 2020 together with FIFA Legends and will be published on various FIFA, WHO and club digital channels, with the support of broadcasters worldwide.

Source: The WHO