Health

England set to remove final countries from Covid travel ‘red list’

All remaining destinations on the UK’s travel “red list” will be removed and vaccines from dozens more countries are to be recognised, ministers have announced in a significant opening up of borders.

The move means no passengers will have to quarantine in a hotel at a cost of more than £2,000 for 11 nights once the change comes into effect from 4am on Monday 1 November.

However, the red list system will not be abandoned entirely, and countries may be added again in future if concerning new variants emerge. The health secretary, Sajid Javid, said it remained “vital in protecting our borders” and that a small number of quarantine hotel rooms are being kept on standby. “We … will not hesitate to take swift action by adding countries to the red list if the risk increases again,” he said.

The red list was slimmed down significantly at the last review, and only included South and Central American countries. The final ones to be removed are Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Venezuela.

“Delta is now the dominant variant in most countries around the world,” the Department for Transport said. “This means the risk of known variants entering the UK has reduced.” It added ministers would decide whether any countries needed to be re-added in three weeks.Ministers are also preparing to recognise vaccines administered in 30 more countries, including Peru and Uganda, meaning travellers from those countries can avoid staying at home for up to 10 days if fully inoculated with an approved jab.

Labour said the protection of Britain’s border had been “shambolic” and removing all countries from the red list “could post risks to our future safety”. The shadow transport secretary, Jim McMahon, once again urged the government to “be open and honest with the public” by publishing full country-by-country data on Covid to reassure people “these decisions are being taken based on science, not politics”.

It came as the European Commission announced that UK certificates will be recognised as being equivalent in status to the bloc’s own digital Covid certificate from Friday.

While many EU member states have already unilaterally recognised the NHS Covid pass, the long-awaited decision ensures it will be automatically accepted across Europe.

Travellers to countries such as the Netherlands will no longer have to take daily Covid tests to enter bars, restaurants and museums.

Didier Reynders, the EU commissioner for justice, said: “Safer travel is a reality thanks to the EU digital Covid certificate, which is now the leading global standard: 45 countries in four continents are connected to the system and more will follow in the coming weeks and months. We are open to other countries to join our system.”

The commission took three months to assess the UK’s application for equivalence status, which will cover passes issued in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Switzerland, Ukraine, Turkey and North Macedonia all secured the status within a period of five to eight weeks after applying.

Vaccination certificates issued in Armenia will also be recognised from Friday, the commission said.

The tie-up will fold data held by the UK’s NHS app into the EU digital Covid certificate, allowing other countries to access users’ vaccine status and test results at the border.

The lack of equivalence status between the NHS app and the EU system has been a thorn in the side of British tourists seeking to visit a range of European destinations and for those people who were vaccinated in the UK but who live abroad.

The problem has become particularly acute as an increasing number of EU governments have started requiring a Covid pass for entrance to events or hospitality venues.

Since 2 August, visitors from the EU who have been fully vaccinated with a single EMA-approved vaccine have not been obliged to quarantine on entry to the UK.

Health

WHO sets targets to end Mpox outbreaks in Africa

The World Health Organisation, WHO, has set a target of halting mpox outbreaks in Africa within the next six months.

This announcement came as the first vaccine shipments are expected to arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, in the coming days.

Africa, particularly the DRC, with over 18,000 suspected cases and 629 deaths, has received only a fraction of the vaccines to combat the virus.

At a press briefing on Monday, September 2, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed confidence in ending the outbreaks, citing strong government leadership and collaborative partnerships.

In August, WHO declared mpox outbreaks a global emergency to spur a more robust international response even though a new strain of mpox known as clade1b, has been identified in many countries, including Burundi, Cameroon, Rwanda, and Kenya.

The potentially more contagious variant of the virus was detected in Congo in May, prompting heightened concerns among health officials.

WHO estimates that approximately 230,000 vaccines could soon be sent to Congo and other affected countries. The WHO is also implementing educational campaigns to inform people in outbreak areas about preventing the spread of the disease.

Africa’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it aims to receive 380,000 vaccine doses from donors, including the US and the EU, which falls short of the quantity required to eradicate the outbreaks.

Health

No recorded case of mpox in Ogun- Govt

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomo Coker, on Wednesday said the state has not recorded any case of Mpox across the 20 local government areas of the state.

She disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Abeokuta, saying that the state has maintained a high level of surveillance since the global outbreak in 2022.

“Mpox is a disease of public health importance and the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared outbreaks of a more virulent strain in some countries. Some states in Nigeria have also reported outbreaks of Mpox,” she said.

“Ogun State Ministry of Health is aware of this public health threat and has instituted appropriate measures to prevent it, detect it early, and respond as appropriate.

“The last case of Mpox in Ogun State was in May 2023 and no confirmed case has been reported in Ogun State to date.

“As of 18th August 2024, the state surveillance system has reported 151 suspected cases of Mpox across the state but none of the suspected cases has been confirmed to be Mpox though 53 returned positive for Chicken Pox.

“We are aware of the Chicken Pox cases in the state and the necessary measures are already in place.

“Sensitization of the public on Mpox, Chickenpox, and other priority diseases is ongoing through established platforms. Therefore, there is no need to panic.”

Health

US donates 10,000 monkeypox vaccine doses to Nigeria

The United States government donated 10,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine to Nigeria to aid in the fight against monkeypox on Tuesday.

The Jynneos vaccine, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is designed to prevent smallpox and monkeypox in adults aged 18 and older who are at risk of infection.

During the official handover ceremony in Abuja, Prof. Muhammad Pate, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, expressed gratitude to the U.S. government for the generous donation.

Represented by Permanent Secretary Daju Kachollom, Pate emphasised the Federal Government’s commitment to improving public health in Nigeria.

He said, “This is a spirit of cooperation and collaboration through the years, and this vaccine will be of great help to us.

“The Federal Ministry of Health understands the importance of having a healthy nation, so all the policies that we implement and the collaborations are focused on ensuring our citizens’ health.”

Pate also extended thanks to other development partners, including USAID, PEPFAR, WHO, UNICEF, and various UN organisations, for their continued support.

He highlighted the importance of addressing public health concerns, particularly diseases like monkeypox that pose significant risks to the population.

Monkeypox, a rare viral zoonotic disease, primarily affects remote villages in Central and West Africa near tropical rainforests.

It is caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to the orthopoxvirus genus, including smallpox and cowpox.

Following the eradication of smallpox, monkeypox has become a prominent concern within the orthopoxvirus family.

On August 13, 2024, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared monkeypox a public health emergency of continental security.

As of last Friday, Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported 40 confirmed cases of monkeypox out of 830 suspected cases nationwide.