FAO urges Europe to support nutrition and sustainable farming

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva told agricultural ministers from the European Union at a meeting in Milan that governments must help combat hunger and malnutrition on a global level, noting that a failure to do so will only boost migration flows and stoke conflicts.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1otUi3B

FAO calls for “paradigm shift” towards sustainable agriculture and family farming

Director-General José Graziano da Silva addressed the Committee on Agriculture, one of FAO's governing bodies, on Monday, urging them to support a wide menu of options favoring sustainable agriculture, including agroecology and the use of genetically-modified organisms.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/250148/icode/

FAO joins new global efforts targeting Ebola and other infectious diseases

FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva today stressed the need for controls on animal health to help curb the spread of Ebola and other infectious diseases dangerous to humans, during discussions hosted by US President Barack Obama.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/ZYcEE3

Zero Hunger is not just a dream, says FAO Director-General

The FAO Director-General urged countries to take the "extra step" and take up the UN Secretary-General's Zero Hunger Challenge which seeks to eradicate hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition worldwide.This "should not remain a dream. It is a vision that is within our reach," the FAO chief said.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1vjkbIe

Oceans crucial for our climate, food and nutrition

Better management of the world's ocean resources is crucial to ensuring food global security, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said during a roundtable discussion with Secretary of State John Kerry.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/ZRqwzU

Queen Letizia of Spain to attend the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2)

Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1Chwlob

South Sudan: Progress made, but food security remains fragile

Despite current short-term improvements, 1.5 million people are projected to remain severely food insecure until the end of 2014, which is a fifty percent increase from December 2013.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1mS9uw7

PRO/MBDS> Avian influenza - MBDS region (25): Viet Nam (Quang Ngai, Quang Nam) H5N6, OIE

Avian Influenza H5N6 -- Worldwide/Unknown

Information received on [and dated] 20 Sep 2014 from Dr Dong Pham Van, Director General, Chief Veterinary Officer, Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hanoi, Viet Nam

Summary

Report type: follow-up report no 3

Date of start of the event: 22 Apr 2014

Date of pre-confirmation of the event: 16 Jul 2014

Report date: 20 Sep 2014

Date submitted to OIE: 20 Sep 2014

Reason for notification: new strain of a listed disease

Manifestation of disease:



Source: HealthMap Global Disease Alerts http://ift.tt/1r4Hjec

New approaches to food systems needed to cope with climate change

Overcoming climate change is central to achieving a sustainable future for the planet's growing population, and food security must lie at the heart of that effort



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1v4Uj2w

Increased concern over latest strain of avian influenza in Southeast Asia

A recently-emerged strain of avian influenza virus in poultry in Southeast Asia known as A(H5N6) represents a new threat to animal health and livelihoods and must be closely monitored.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/XKxyVB

PRO/MBDS> Foodborne illness - China (02): Jiangxi, susp.

Foodborne Illness -- Worldwide/Unknown

Suspected food and water poisoning has hospitalized 320 people, most of whom are children, in east China's Jiangxi Province, local authorities said Thursday [18 Sep 2014].

The patients, aged from 3 to 18 years old, have suffered from diarrhea, nausea, stomach pains and fever since Sunday [14 Sep 2014] in Lianhua County, according to the county health bureau.

As of Thursday [18 Sep 2014] morning, 21 are still hospitalized. Initial investigations suggest they contracted a bacterial



Source: HealthMap Global Disease Alerts http://ift.tt/1wNztIh

PRO/MBDS> Tuberculosis - Indonesia: Jakarta, MDR

Tuberculosis -- Worldwide/Unknown

An official has disclosed that 20 multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) cases have been found in West Jakarta.

West Jakarta Health Agency head Widyastuti revealed the data over the weekend, saying that the agency had been on alert due to the cases. "This disease is contagious and very dangerous. One person who has been declared positive for MDR TB can transmit it to 10 to 11 people around him or her," she said as quoted by beritajakarta.com.

Widyastuti said the disease could appear



Source: HealthMap Global Disease Alerts http://ift.tt/XELVee

World hunger falls, but 805 million still chronically undernourished

The State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI 2014) confirmed a positive trend which has seen the number of hungry people decline globally by more than 100 million over the last decade and by more than 200 million since 1990-92. The report is published annually by FAO, IFAD and WFP.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/XtPsMk

PRO/MBDS> Chikungunya - India: Tamil Nadu, susp

Chikungunya -- Worldwide/Unknown

A village in Thuraiyur block [Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu], where some people were suspected to have contracted chikungunya, is completely under the control of medical teams. Health officials said after 7 men developed high temperature with unbearable joint pain, they collected blood samples. They later ascertained it to be chikungunya.

The people of Maaradi village were infected with fever on [12 Sep 2014], following which medical teams rushed to the spot and conducted camps in



Source: HealthMap Global Disease Alerts http://ift.tt/1qFxyDc

PRO/MBDS> Influenza - India (05): Delhi, H1N1, spread, fatal

Swine Flu H1N1 -- Worldwide/Unknown

14 more people tested positive for swine flu in the national capital on [13 Sep 2014], including one from the elite Sanskriti school, taking the total number of people infected with the disease to 215 here.

Apart from this, 16 suspected patients of swine flu were admitted to hospitals across the city, a senior health ministry official of Delhi government said. One case was confirmed from Sanskriti school, he said, adding that a suspected case had tested negative. The school had declared



Source: HealthMap Global Disease Alerts http://ift.tt/1s517cs

Norway donates $10 million to FAO South Sudan

Norway has donated approximately $10 million to help FAO provide conflict-affected farmers, fishers and herders in South Sudan with critical livelihood support.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1xTfyJb

FAO food price index drops to four-year low

FAO's monthly food price index registered another drop in August, continuing a 5-month downward run and reaching its lowest level since September 2010.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1lXmz6S

PRO/MBDS> Conjunctivitis - Thailand: alert, coxsackievirus A24

Conjunctivitis -- Worldwide/Unknown

The Department of Disease Control, a division of the Thai Ministry of Public Health, recently reported that the number of pink eye (conjunctivitis) patients [from 1 Jan to 1 Sep 2014] has increased to 160 906 cases from all 77 provinces of Thailand. The estimated attack rate was 253 per 100 000 in the overall population. Most cases were between the ages of 35-45 (12.4 percent), followed by cases in the age groups 45-54 and 25-34. The 5 provinces in Thailand with the highest rate are Ubon



Source: HealthMap Global Disease Alerts http://ift.tt/1qiFUjP

Food security tops agenda of FAO Director-General’s meeting with India’s Prime Minister Modi

The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, have agreed on how to strengthen efforts to promote India’s food security and sustainable agricultural development during talks held in New Delhi.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1rFEvPR

Indian institutions award FAO Director-General for efforts to promote food security

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva was named Doctor Honoris Causa by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and made a Fellow of India's National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) during his first official mission to the country.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/WxLul7

PRO/MBDS> Avian influenza - MBDS region (23): Viet Nam (QT, QG), H5N6, OIE

Avian Influenza -- Worldwide/Unknown

Information received on [and dated] 4 Sep 2014 from Dr Dong Pham Van, Director General, Chief Veterinary Officer, Department of Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hanoi, Viet Nam

Summary

Report type: Follow-up report No. 2

Date of start of the event: 22 Apr 2014

Date of pre-confirmation of the event: 16 Jul 2014

Report date: 4 Sep 2014

Date submitted to OIE: 4 Sep 2014

Reason for notification: New strain of a listed disease

Manifestation of disease:



Source: HealthMap Global Disease Alerts http://ift.tt/1qE11e7

PRO/MBDS> Dengue - Malaysia (07): (Perak) alert

Dengue -- Worldwide/Unknown

The Perak state department has reported 3657 dengue fever cases and 8 deaths up till now [2 Sep 2014], said Health, Public Transport, Non-Muslim Affairs, National Integration and New Villages committee chairman Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon.

He said Aedes mosquito-breeding in rubbish disposal areas and vacant lots contributed almost 50 percent to dengue fever.

"A special circular from the state government will be issued to ensure all the office premises and surrounding areas are cleaned



Source: HealthMap Global Disease Alerts http://ift.tt/Wgmrmq

Flood-affected Serbian farmers receive EU and FAO aid

European Union assistance to flood-affected Serbian farm households got under way with a first delivery of animal feed here today. Financed by the EU and delivered in partnership with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the assistance forms part of the EU's overall flood recovery package to Serbia valued at €30m.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1vRMr7b

Saudi Arabia helps FAO respond to the dire state of food security in Iraq

FAO is scaling-up critical food and agriculture assistance to highly vulnerable rural households in Iraq thanks to a generous $14.7 million grant from Saudi Arabia. The donation is part of a $500 million grant that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has provided to support Iraqis affected by the recent crisis.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1xefTGj

PRO/MBDS> Ebola virus disease - Cambodia: public health measures

Ebola -- Worldwide/Unknown

The Cambodian Ministry of Health has tightened its control measures for all visitors to Cambodia at international borders to prevent the transmission of Ebola virus and other infectious diseases.

Dr Ly Sovann, Director of the Department of Communicable Disease Control, told Doeum Ampil News on Tuesday evening [2 Sep 2014] that the Ministry made every effort to prevent the importation of the disease into Cambodia.

He went on to emphasize that there is currently no cure for the disease,



Source: HealthMap Global Disease Alerts http://ift.tt/1qcfW0t

Sustainable development of Small Island Developing States a global litmus test

Coping with climate change should be seen as more than just a question of survival for small island countries - the international community should view it as a challenge to take unified action and notch up efforts to shift to a sustainable model of development.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1lHfCGM

Over one million people in Somalia face acute food insecurity as food crisis worsens

The latest findings from a joint assessment by the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit for Somalia (FSNAU), a project managed by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and other partners indicate that an estimated 1,025,000 people will be in Crisis and Emergency (IPC Phases 3 and 4).



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1vHvDzK

West Africa: Ebola outbreak puts harvests at risk, sends food prices shooting up

Disruptions in food trade and marketing in the three West African countries most affected by Ebola have made food increasingly expensive and hard to come by, while labor shortages are putting the upcoming harvest season at serious risk.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1nRaJ9g

UN Conference on Small Island Developing States opens in Samoa

The Third International Conference on Small Developing States (SIDS) from 1-4 September in Apia, Samoa also seeks to build partnerships aimed at addressing issues such as food security, the safeguarding and harnessing of aquatic resources, climate change and environmental degradation.



Source: FAO Newsroom RSS http://ift.tt/1u7ToOz