INTERNATIONAL – The United States Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) decision to establish new regulations protecting so-called net neutrality, or the equal treatment of all Internet traffic, is “a real victory” for freedom of expression and access to information, a United Nations human rights expert said on February 27.

“I hope the new rules may serve as a model for other governments seeking to protect or expand an open and secure Internet,” the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression, David Kaye, explained in anews release.

“It is especially important that the new rules prevent ISPs [internet service providers] from discriminating against some types of content in favour of others, either by slowing down delivery speeds or by creating a fast lane to ensure quicker delivery for only some content providers that have paid extra fees.”

With the FCC decision, the United States (US) joins a small number of countries – Brazil, Chile, and the Netherlands – that have adopted net neutrality rules in an effort to support “a free and open” Internet and ensure continued access to any lawful content individuals choose, “without restriction or interference from ISPs.

In addition, the decision classifies broadband Internet as a public utility, permitting its regulation by the FCC similar to the way the agency regulates telephone service and other utilities.

Net neutrality’s importance has been long debated by law and technology experts. In instances where it is not applied, ISPs may, at their own initiative or through governmental pressure, charge fees when granting speedier traffic to websites or discriminate against particular content by slowing down or blocking access to certain websites.

“It was by no means assured that the FCC would adopt these rules after years of consideration and public comment,” Mr. Kaye continued, as he urged all States to revisit their own Internet policies and consider similar action in guaranteeing net neutrality to their citizens.

“Moving forward, I hope that implementation of the rules will be marked by the same openness that led to the rules themselves.”

Independent experts or special rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.

INTERNATIONAL – A World Health Organization-led treaty that aims to achieve a tobacco-free world has dramatically curbed tobacco use worldwide since its entry into force 10 years ago on 27, February, but “the war on tobacco is far from over” with the tobacco industry still spending billions to promote products that are expected to kill some 8 million people each year by 2030, the United Nations health agency said.

The WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) entered into force on February 27, 2005, enacting a set of universal standards stating the dangers of tobacco and limiting its use in all forms worldwide.

The treaty is the first international treaty negotiated under the WHO’s auspices, and has become one of the fastest endorsed by the United Nations to date, with 180 Parties, covering 90 per cent of the world’s population.

“The WHO Framework Convention stands out as the single most powerful preventive instrument available to public health,” says WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan. “We know it works.”

“It averts addiction to a deadly product," Dr. Chan went on to say. "It saves lives. Implementation of its provisions brings both an immediate and longer-term reduction in diseases and premature deaths. Increasingly fierce opposition from the tobacco industry is further evidence of how well this treaty works.

During the past decade, the treaty has enabled countries worldwide to make many significant achievements in tobacco control, including the following:

  80 per cent of countries have boosted tobacco control legislation since becoming Parties;

  The cost of a packet of cigarettes has, on average, increased by 150 per cent among Parties;

  There has been an increase in use of graphic health warnings – such warnings cover 75–85 per cent of cigarette packages in many countries and plain packaging initiatives are increasing;

  Many countries have banned smoking in indoor and outdoor public spaces, which has helped to ensure that smoking is no longer seen as socially acceptable;

  Some Parties have set the explicit goal of becoming “tobacco free” (with less than 5 per cent prevalence of tobacco use), including Finland, Ireland and New Zealand, and the Pacific Island countries.

“However, the fight against tobacco is far from over,” said a press release announcing the anniversary.

Tobacco companies are still spending billions on advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products, according to WHO. In addition they are also challenging the treaty’s implementation as well as tobacco control laws at national and international courts, and through trade and investment agreements.

Dr. Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, Head of the Convention Secretariat, has said: “We still expect 8 million people to be dying each year by 2030 – because they have smoked tobacco or have been exposed to second hand smoke.”

“The use of alternative products such as water pipes, smokeless tobacco and electronic nicotine delivery systems are gaining in popularity and will need to be addressed through tobacco control measures,” she said. “The illicit tobacco market still counts for 1 in every 10 cigarettes consumed globally.”

According to WHO, the illicit tobacco trade is driven by numerous players, ranging from criminal networks to the tobacco industry.

“To counter the tobacco lobby’s influence, we must stand together against this insidious industry,” Dr. da Costa e Silva was quoted as saying. “We must fight to save the 6 million lives lost each year to tobacco. On this 10th anniversary of the WHO FCTC, we must recommit to further reducing tobacco use because a tobacco-free world is in our reach.”

INTERNATIONAL – New cases of Ebola rose again in Guinea and transmission remains widespread in Sierra Leone, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) reported as it and the UN Ebola response mission both raised concerns about challenges in engaging communities to win the fight against the disease.

Both WHO and UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) also noted unsafe burials of those who died from the disease posed as a challenge and that “a significant number” of individuals are still either unable or reluctant to seek treatment for Ebola, which has affected over 23,500 people and killed more than 9,500 mainly in the Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In its latest update issued Wednesday afternoon, WHO reported that new cases in Guinea continued to arise from “unknown chains of transmission” and that transmission remained “widespread in Sierra Leone” but transmission continued at very low levels in Liberia, with 1 new confirmed case reported in the 7 days to 22 February associated with a known chain of transmission.

“Engaging effectively with communities remains a challenge in several geographical areas,” WHO said in its most recentupdateNearly one-third of prefectures in Guinea reported at least one security incident in the week to 22 February, often as a result of rumours and misinformation linking response efforts with the spread of EVD [Ebola Virus Disease], according to WHO.

The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro, last week told the UN General Assembly that the final phase of “getting to zero” cases may well be the hardest, saying the hunt to track down the virus is “like looking for needles in haystacks.”

Dr. Nabarro told reports that having strong surveillance capabilities on the ground to identify people with Ebola, to confirm diagnosis, to quickly arrangement arrange effective treatment, to identify people that are their contacts and to keep those people under review for 21 days “is a really difficult task.” UNMEER also reported today that border between Guinea and Liberia reopened to the public on Wednesday after months of closure.

INTERNATIONAL – European policymakers, healthcare workers, and parents must step up their efforts to vaccinate children against measles amid an ongoing outbreak across the continent, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) said today, warning that a recent resurgence in the disease threatened Europe’s goal of eliminating measles by the end of 2015.

According to UN data, over 22,000 cases of the virus have surfaced across Europe during the 2014 to 2015 biennium with the outbreak spreading to seven countries. This comes despite a 50 per cent drop from 2013 to 2014.

“When we consider that over the past two decades we have seen a reduction of 96 per cent in the number of measles cases in the European region, and that we are just a step away from eliminating the disease, we are taken aback by these numbers,” Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, affirmed in apress release.

“We must collectively respond, without further delay, to close immunization gaps. It is unacceptable that, after the last 50 years’ efforts to make safe and effective vaccines available, measles continues to cost lives, money and time,” she added.

The WHO announcement comes amid a continuing measles outbreak in the United States and stalled progress in eradicating the virus in the Eastern Mediterranean region, where weak health systems, conflict and population displacement have hampered vaccination efforts.

According to WHO’s fact sheet on measles, the disease’s outbreaks can be particularly deadly in countries experiencing or recovering from a natural disaster or conflict. Damage to health infrastructure and health services interrupts routine immunization, and overcrowding in residential camps greatly increases the risk of infection.

WHO said that impressive gains had been made towards measles elimination in recent years and an estimated 15.6 million deaths were prevented through vaccination during 2000-2013 but the huge reductions in mortality are tapering off.

As for the 2014-2015 outbreaks, who lists the affected countries and number of cases as: Kyrgyzstan (7,477); Bosnia and Herzegovina (5,340); Russia (3,247); Georgia (3,291); Italy (1,674); Germany (583); and Kazakhstan (537).

Europe’s outbreaks, including the current one, are continuing to occur due to pockets of susceptible un- or under-immunized people, particularly as growing numbers of parents either refuse to vaccinate their children or face barriers in accessing vaccination.

In their press release, the WHO urged an improvement in surveillance to detect and investigate all suspected cases; the rapid testing of cases and the identification of chains of transmission; and making “high-quality evidence” readily available.

“The priority is now to control current outbreaks in all affected countries through immunization activities targeting people at risk,” concluded Dr. Nedret Emiroglu, Deputy Director of the Division of Communicable Diseases, Health Security and Environment at the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

“At the same time, all countries, with no exception, need to keep a very high coverage of regular measles vaccination, so that similar outbreaks won’t happen again in our Region, and measles can be eliminated once and for all.”

The fourth Millennium Development Goal (MDG 4) aims to reduce the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. Recognizing the potential of measles vaccination to reduce child mortality, and given that measles vaccination coverage can be considered a marker of access to child health services, routine measles vaccination coverage has been selected as an indicator of progress towards achieving that target.