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UN sanctions imposed against Afghanistan while thousands flee
POLICY AND PEOPLE
Germany’s Health and Agriculture ministers resign over handling of BSE n Jan 9 Germany’s Health Minister, Andrea Fischer, resigned and accepted responsibility for “mistakes made in managing the BSE crisis”. The Minister of Agriculture, Karl-Heinz Funke was also forced to step down for his department’s failures. Until recently meat and bone meal was still used in cattle feed in Germany and bovine tissue was still being processed for human consumption. However politicians were given a rude awakening on Nov 24 when the first case of a BSEinfected German cow was reported. Within a week laws were passed that prohibited the use of animal meal and required BSE tests for all slaughtered cows more than 30-months-old. Funke and Fischer have been criticised for a series of poor decisions on the BSE issue. For example, on Dec 19 Fischer’s incompetence was highlighted when she declared all sausage meat to be safe, only to recall all such meat from the market the next day because it was at a high risk of being infected. Fischer was also criticised for not reacting to a
report given to her on Nov 9 by Insurance Physicians demands that EU-commissioner David Byrne, the government drop its planned outlining deficiencies in the German reorganisation of the health-care management of BSE system. He called for an end to The medical establishment does rationing of doctors’ budgets, and not seem to asked for extra regret Fischer’s funds to alleviate Rights were not granted resignation and the financial most medical problems of to include this image in associations physicians in electronic media. called for her the former departure to be East Germany. Please refer to the used as an “Should we not printed journal. opportunity for a receive any posiradical change in tive signals on government polthis from the icy. “It is ques- Fischer faces the media for the last time government at tionable whether short notice, current government structures are doctors’ protest actions in March adequate to deal with are to be reckoned with”, he said. consumers’ protection . . . Recent The new Minister of Health is Ulla events show that problems with conSchmidt from the Socialist Party. sumers’ health protection should be Consumer protection has been addressed in a coordinated fashion transferred from the Health and not solely from an economic Ministry to the newly formed viewpoint”, said Jörg-Dietrich Ministry of Consumer Protection, Hoppe, president of the German Nutrition, and Agriculture, which Medical Associations. will be headed by Renate Künast Manfred Richter-Reichhelm, from the Green Party. president of the National Wim Weber Association of Statutory Health AP
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UN sanctions imposed against Afghanistan while thousands flee Last month, the UN Security hile the stage is set for imposing Council passed a resolution that tougher sanctions against called for stricter Afghanistan, the sanctions against humanitarian sitRights were not Afghanistan’s ruluation is deterioing Taliban party. rating fast. granted to include this This move was People are image in electronic criticised by the already facing the media. Please refer to UN Secretarycrippling effects General Kofi of a drought and the printed journal. Annan, UN trying to recover Afghanistan, and from more than aid groups, such 2 decades of war, as MSF and says a leading aid Refugees face terrible conditions Human Rights charity. Watch. The resolution also gave the Stephan Goetghebuer, a spokesperTaliban 30 days to close down susson for Médecins Sans Frontières pected terrorist training camps and (MSF) called the situation extremely turn over the alleged terrorist Osama worrying: “We are still at the beginbin Laden to any country where he ning of winter and the worst weather could be brought to justice. is yet to come-long-term prospects for During the past few weeks, the these people is bleak.” According to number of displaced refugees arriving Goetghebuer, food has become so in neighbouring Pakistan has dramatiscarce in Afghanistan that many peocally increased. More than 500 000 ple are eating plant roots. But in local people have been displaced by markets’ root stocks are now running Afghanistan’s continuous civil probout. A spokesperson for the United lems. The refugees—mostly women Nations High Commissioner for and children—have been forced to Refugees Mohammad Adar warned live in appalling conditions in camps that the recent drought problems had near Peshawar in north west Pakistan. developed into a famine-like crisis. AP
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THE LANCET • Vol 357 • January 20, 2001
MSF has reported that every day children living in such camps have died from pneumonia and other infectious diseases. An MSF study, released on Jan 19 showed that the mortality rate among children less than 5-years-old was 5·2 per 10 000 per day. The study also found that people were showing signs of being unable to cope with their dire circumstances. “Most families have sold their ploughing animals and there is no seed available. The majority of families have not planted any wheat and lack the means to do so”, says the report. The UN Coordinator for Afghanistan, Eric de Mul, who has repeatedly voiced concerns about the sanctions, called MSF’s findings “alarming”. “The study only confirms what we already know about the severity of the situation in Afghanistan and in the north in particular.” Stephanie Bunker, a spokesperson for UN Afghanistan added that malnutrition and mortality rates among refugees would probably increase. Khabir Ahmad
207
For personal use only. Not to be reproduced without permission of The Lancet.
Germany’s Health and Agriculture ministers resign over handling of BSE n Jan 9 Germany’s Health Minister, Andrea Fischer, resigned and accepted responsibility for “mistakes made in managing the BSE crisis”. The Minister of Agriculture, Karl-Heinz Funke was also forced to step down for his department’s failures. Until recently meat and bone meal was still used in cattle feed in Germany and bovine tissue was still being processed for human consumption. However politicians were given a rude awakening on Nov 24 when the first case of a BSEinfected German cow was reported. Within a week laws were passed that prohibited the use of animal meal and required BSE tests for all slaughtered cows more than 30-months-old. Funke and Fischer have been criticised for a series of poor decisions on the BSE issue. For example, on Dec 19 Fischer’s incompetence was highlighted when she declared all sausage meat to be safe, only to recall all such meat from the market the next day because it was at a high risk of being infected. Fischer was also criticised for not reacting to a
report given to her on Nov 9 by Insurance Physicians demands that EU-commissioner David Byrne, the government drop its planned outlining deficiencies in the German reorganisation of the health-care management of BSE system. He called for an end to The medical establishment does rationing of doctors’ budgets, and not seem to asked for extra regret Fischer’s funds to alleviate Rights were not granted resignation and the financial most medical problems of to include this image in associations physicians in electronic media. called for her the former departure to be East Germany. Please refer to the used as an “Should we not printed journal. opportunity for a receive any posiradical change in tive signals on government polthis from the icy. “It is ques- Fischer faces the media for the last time government at tionable whether short notice, current government structures are doctors’ protest actions in March adequate to deal with are to be reckoned with”, he said. consumers’ protection . . . Recent The new Minister of Health is Ulla events show that problems with conSchmidt from the Socialist Party. sumers’ health protection should be Consumer protection has been addressed in a coordinated fashion transferred from the Health and not solely from an economic Ministry to the newly formed viewpoint”, said Jörg-Dietrich Ministry of Consumer Protection, Hoppe, president of the German Nutrition, and Agriculture, which Medical Associations. will be headed by Renate Künast Manfred Richter-Reichhelm, from the Green Party. president of the National Wim Weber Association of Statutory Health AP
O
UN sanctions imposed against Afghanistan while thousands flee Last month, the UN Security hile the stage is set for imposing Council passed a resolution that tougher sanctions against called for stricter Afghanistan, the sanctions against humanitarian sitRights were not Afghanistan’s ruluation is deterioing Taliban party. rating fast. granted to include this This move was People are image in electronic criticised by the already facing the media. Please refer to UN Secretarycrippling effects General Kofi of a drought and the printed journal. Annan, UN trying to recover Afghanistan, and from more than aid groups, such 2 decades of war, as MSF and says a leading aid Refugees face terrible conditions Human Rights charity. Watch. The resolution also gave the Stephan Goetghebuer, a spokesperTaliban 30 days to close down susson for Médecins Sans Frontières pected terrorist training camps and (MSF) called the situation extremely turn over the alleged terrorist Osama worrying: “We are still at the beginbin Laden to any country where he ning of winter and the worst weather could be brought to justice. is yet to come-long-term prospects for During the past few weeks, the these people is bleak.” According to number of displaced refugees arriving Goetghebuer, food has become so in neighbouring Pakistan has dramatiscarce in Afghanistan that many peocally increased. More than 500 000 ple are eating plant roots. But in local people have been displaced by markets’ root stocks are now running Afghanistan’s continuous civil probout. A spokesperson for the United lems. The refugees—mostly women Nations High Commissioner for and children—have been forced to Refugees Mohammad Adar warned live in appalling conditions in camps that the recent drought problems had near Peshawar in north west Pakistan. developed into a famine-like crisis. AP
W
THE LANCET • Vol 357 • January 20, 2001
MSF has reported that every day children living in such camps have died from pneumonia and other infectious diseases. An MSF study, released on Jan 19 showed that the mortality rate among children less than 5-years-old was 5·2 per 10 000 per day. The study also found that people were showing signs of being unable to cope with their dire circumstances. “Most families have sold their ploughing animals and there is no seed available. The majority of families have not planted any wheat and lack the means to do so”, says the report. The UN Coordinator for Afghanistan, Eric de Mul, who has repeatedly voiced concerns about the sanctions, called MSF’s findings “alarming”. “The study only confirms what we already know about the severity of the situation in Afghanistan and in the north in particular.” Stephanie Bunker, a spokesperson for UN Afghanistan added that malnutrition and mortality rates among refugees would probably increase. Khabir Ahmad
207
For personal use only. Not to be reproduced without permission of The Lancet.