Day: December 2, 2021

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched an urgent $7 million appeal on Thursday, to ease the impact of COVID-19 on migrant communities in five Central Asian countries and the Russian Federation, where the pandemic is pushing a growing number of migrant workers into poverty.

The appeal aims to help thousands who are stranded in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It was launched virtually by more than 100 representatives from donors, embassies, migration experts and Governments, together with senior IOM staff in Vienna, Moscow, Nur Sultan and other regional capitals.

Dramatic transformation

The advance of the new coronavirus is dramatically transforming the social and economic face of a region, that accounts for one-sixth of the world’s surface, and recovery will take years.

Remittance flows - the lifeblood of several regional economies - has slowed to a trickle, IOM says. Hundreds of thousands of jobs also have been lost abroad, with millions of families in danger of slipping rapidly into extreme poverty. Those migrants who do make it home, are returning to joblessness, stigma, and potentially, social unrest.

In one of the world’s most mobile regions, where millions migrate for work between Central Asia and the Russian Federation, more than 80 per cent of migrants surveyed by IOM and its partners, report either a reduction or total loss in their incomes.

Huge resources are needed simply to provide health care for the sick and ensure measures are taken to flatten the curve.

Migrants ‘ruthlessly exploited’

“We know from previous crises that migrants are ruthlessly exploited, by having their wages cut or being threatened with being reported to the authorities,” said Dyane Epstein, IOM’s Regional Director for South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. “Some will be forced into the shadow economy, where they are further exploited, compromising their physical and mental health.”

IOM plans to provide support to Governments and communities dealing with the impact of disruption to labour markets and severely reduced remittance flows. “Our initial research shows that over 90 per cent of labour migrants will be unable to send remittances home,” warned IOM Sub-Regional Coordinator for Central Asia, Xeynal Hajiyev. “They have no savings and the industries they depend on are mothballed.”

Millions ‘teetering on the brink’

IOM Chief of Mission for the Russian Federation, Abdusattor Esoev, agreed that this represents a clear and present crisis. With 60 per cent of migrants unable to pay their rent and more than 40 per cent unable to afford food, “millions of people are teetering on the brink,” he said. “We can provide a safety net but the time to act is right now.”

Funds raised through the appeal will provide migrants – especially women and children stranded in destination and transit countries (Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey) with safe living conditions, information on COVID-19, protective masks and sanitizers, and access to health screening and online education for children.

IOM will also assist Central Asian migrants in returning to their homelands, reintegrating into their home communities and seeking alternative employment across the region.

Coronavirus figures

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of Friday, the Russian Federation has confirmed 252,245 cases of COVID-19 since 31 January; 2,305 people have died.

In Kazakhstan, 5,571 people have been infected and 33 people have died, according to WHO, while Kyrgyzstan has registered 1,082 confirmed cases and 12 deaths.

There are 729 cases in Tajikistan and 23 people have died from COVID-19. In Uzbekistan, the virus has infected 2,620 people and caused 11 deaths. WHO has not confirmed any COVID-19 infections or deaths in Turkmenistan, as of 15 May.

Source: United Nations

Help is needed urgently to distribute vaccines worldwide amid dramatic shortages because of COVID-19 restrictions, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday. It has warned that youngsters’ lives “are at stake” owing to the dramatic decline in commercial flights and limited availability of charters.

Governments, the private sector, the airline industry, and others have been approached to free up freight space at an affordable cost, “and to work with us to find ways around the transport disruptions we face”, said UNICEF spokesperson Marixie Mercado.

“Compounding the challenge is the exorbitant cost of securing flights, with freight rates at 100 to 200 per cent above normal and charter flights even more costly,” she explained. “Countries with limited resources will struggle to pay these higher prices, leaving children vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and polio.”

Last year, UNICEF sourced more than 2.4 billion doses of vaccines for 100 countries, to reach around half of the world’s under-fives.

Massive fall in shipments

But since late March, there has been a 70 to 80 per cent reduction in shipments.

Dozens of countries are now at risk of running out of supplies including at least five countries that experienced measles outbreaks in 2019.

They include the Democratic Republic of the Congo – a country fighting its largest ever Ebola outbreak – where measles caused more than 6,000 deaths last year.

The 26 countries most at risk include Benin, Niger, Tajikistan, Cambodia, Mongolia and Solomon Islands. As part of World Immunization Week, ending on Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned about the danger of even more major measles outbreaks, as part of a wider alert on routine immunization programme delays.

Latest data indicates that the number of measles cases worldwide last year was likely in the millions.

If routine measles vaccination programmes backslide as a result of COVID, “we could see even more outbreaks around the world than we saw last year, an even greater number of cases and even greater number of deaths,” said Dr Kate O’Brien, Director of the Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals Programme at WHO.

Listen below to our in-depth podcast on the importance of maintaining the programmes during the coronavirus:

Progress in lifesaving work at risk

Notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries have made immense progress in ensuring that children are vaccinated in recent decades.

In 2018, 86 per cent of children under the age of five globally were vaccinated with three doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3), according to WHO.

Youngsters also received one dose of the measles vaccine, up from 72 per cent in 2000 and 20 per cent in 1980. The number of children paralyzed by polio has been reduced by 99.9 per cent worldwide, the UN health agency said in a statement.

All children should be immunized against these five highly infectious diseases, WHO says, along with the main causes of meningitis, pneumonia and diarrhoea.

“Every child should receive every dose that they need and receive those doses on time to give them the best protection possible,” said Dr. O’Brien.

Regional vaccines are also provided in parts of the world where yellow fever is prevalent, and some countries also vaccinate against tuberculosis using a vaccine called BCG.

Every girl in the world should also receive the HPV vaccine against cervical cancer, Dr O’Brien told UN News.

Source: United Nations

On December 1, 2021, at approximately 16:40, the driver of the car "VAZ-21063", Bafoev Hazratkul Shoimkulovich, born in 1970, resident of Panjakent, while driving in the city of Panjakent, was unable to ensure traffic safety. minor, Abdukakhorova Shukrona Behruzovna, born in 2012, resident of this city.

As a result, the minor pedestrian, Abdukakhorova Sh.B. received bodily injuries and died on the way to the hospital.

On December 1, 2021, at approximately 01:30 am, the driver of the Opel Astra, Isokhonov Dilshod Karahonovich, born in 1976, resident of Muminobod district, while driving in the territory of the district, lost control of the vehicle. An Opel Astra driven by Habibov Khudoidod Yakubovich, born in 1979, a resident of the area, collided with an Opel Astra.

As a result, a passenger of the car "Opel Astra" Firuzshohzoda Shahodat, born in 2019, was injured and died at the hospital. Another passenger of the car, Islamov Ziyoratsho Lakaevich, born in 1961, was hospitalized.

An investigation is under way.

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan

A fire is an accident that often occurs as a result of negligence or non-compliance with safety rules and regulations, causing significant economic damage and negative moral impact.

Due to the growing demand for heat in the cold season and the increasing use of all types of electric and gas heating equipment, as well as various stoves in the homes of citizens and various institutions and facilities, winter is one of the most dangerous seasons.

In this regard, in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the implementation of the Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan "On timely preparation of economic and social sectors of the country for regular and effective activities in autumn-winter 2021-2022" State fire service and its components in institutions and organizations, enterprises and facilities of various forms of ownership and affiliation, as well as settlements and residential areas of the capital and all cities and districts of the country have carried out preventive firefighting and explanatory work.

On this basis, targeted firefighting activities were held in Krupskaya Street of Firdavsi district of Dushanbe. During the inspection it was found out that the owner of ?2 citizen Haidarov Habibullo rented out his apartment to citizens without proper documentation. However, the living quarters do not meet fire safety requirements, the cables and cables are bare, and tenants use a wide range of home appliances to heat the rooms. fire accidents can also occur at any time. Therefore, the staff of the State Fire Service filed a case against the owner of the house and gave him time to eliminate the deficiencies.

Similarly, on Bini Hisorak Street 8118 and 119 Sino district of the capital, Khudoidodov Nurakhmad rented 38 apartments to citizens without proper documents, which also do not comply with the simplest requirements of fire safety. In particular, cables and wires are bare and hanging, and heated light bulbs are widely used. Also, in order to stabilize the temperature in the living room and prepare food, tenants use a wide range of electrical appliances that are in a state of emergency, and such negligence can lead to the risk of fire and endanger their own lives and health.

Depending on the circumstances of the violations, the staff of the State Fire Service filed a case against the owner of the house and set a deadline for the elimination of deficiencies.

Work in this direction is being continued by the staff of the Main Department of the State Fire Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its units in all cities and districts of the country.

Karomatullo Abdulloev

Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan

Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan

On November 30, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sharaf Sheralizoda met with the Deputy Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Zsuzsanna Jakab on the sidelines of the Planet Budapest 2021 Sustainability Expo and Summit.

The parties exchanged views on the important aspects of cooperation between Tajikistan and the WHO, including the implementation of projects and programs aimed at strengthening the health care system.

Source: National information agency of Tajikistan

The possibility of preventing the emergence of new skin diseases among the population, which is considered to be a significant problem, was discussed yesterday by experts from Tajikistan, the United States and Nepal.

This is not the first joint discussion of existing problems in the treatment of skin diseases. This year, 25 online conferences were held with the participation of leading experts.

Dr. Ali Lutfizoda, a specialist from the US, took part in the online conference.

Experts believe that such events will help eliminate problems in the treatment and diagnosis of diseases.

Source: National information agency of Tajikistan