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The Magazine of the Association of Former WHO Staff Members (AFSM)

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The Magazine of the Association of Former WHO Staff Members (AFSM) AFSM Quarterly News October 2020 QNT 121 The magazine of the Association of Former WHO Staff Members (AFSM) Supporting former staff and helping them to stay in touch and informed The “Jet d’Eau”. This fountain is one of Geneva's iconic landmarks. It was turned off during the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic and was restarted in early June. But what has that got to do with WHO? Turn to page 13 to find out. 1 AFSM Quarterly News October 2020 QNT 121 A reminder to complete and return the 2020 Certificate of Entitlement to the PENSION FUND This year, the Certificates of Entitlement (CEs) were mailed out in batches starting at the end of June, so please ensure that you return the signed form. Those on the dollar track also have the possibility to download it from their Member Self-Service (MSS) space, then, just follow the instructions to return it. Remember to have it forwarded to you if you are not currently residing at the address provided to the Pension Fund. If you need to contact the pension fund about CEs or other matters you can do this on the MSS or via the Toll-Free and Local Numbers. Remember to always have your Unique ID number handy when contacting UNJSPF. The Pension Fund has continued to expand its initiative to establish Toll-Free (TF) and Local Numbers (LN) to connect callers directly to its Call Centre. These numbers are now available in the following countries from 7am to 7pm (New York Time). ARGENTINA 08006661985TF COSTA RICA 50625397676LN AUSTRALIA 1800986631TF COTE D’IVOIRE 22522468995LN AUSTRIA 0800100485TF CROATIA 3858007374TF BANGLADESH 8809610998424TF CYPRUS 35780080804TF BELGIUM 080058539TF CZECH 800022965TF REPUBLIC BENIN 22961509856LN DENMARK 80400313TF BOSNIA AND 38770311081LN ECUADOR 1800000992TF HERZEGOVINA BRAZIL 08007248292TF EGYPT* 208000009863TF *Please note that the Egyptian Number is only accessible from Egypt Telecom’s fixed network BULGARIA 080011044TF FINLAND 0800525080TF BURKINA FASO 22625300984LN FRANCE 0805981170TF CAMEROON 237697777888LN GERMANY 08006279988TF CANADA 1-833-817-5824TF GHANA 233242426448LN CHILE 12300204643TF GREECE 302119906055LN CHINA 861056971367LN GUATEMALA 50222337199LN COLOMBIA 018005183130TF HUNGARY 0680180460TF Continued on inside back cover Toll-Free (TF) and Local Numbers (LN) Please note that, in certain countries, calls made to Toll-Free Numbers through mobile phones may be subject to local charges. 2 AFSM Quarterly News October 2020 QNT 121 CONTENTS EDITORIAL Our Health 4 We sincerely hope that our readers and their families have all stayed SHI – Global Oversight Committee 6 safe from Covid-19 during the continuing pandemic. In fact, the Pension Fund update 7 pandemic is now beginning to have an impact on the Quarterly News Pension Fund Office in Geneva 9 as we have fewer social activities to report. Beirut, Lebanon 9 Nevertheless, SHI and Pension business continued, often virtually, AFSM during the pandemic 10 News from WHO 11 and with staff working from home. We owe thanks to Ann Van Hulle New AFSM members 13 for her report on the Global Oversight Committee (GOC) of the Staff Readers’ Recipes 14 Health Insurance (page 6), and to Barbara Fontaine for her research WHO Art Catalogue 14 on how the Pension Fund has fared in the face of Covid-19 (page 7). News from around the world 15 Your committee has also been working from home and holding In Memoriam 19 regular virtual committee meetings. An update of the activities Readers’ Letters 23 appears on page 10 and includes three important pieces of Geneva and the year without a information, which we hope you will read. Summer 25 Congratulations to WHO on a significant achievement which has gone largely unnoticed among the dramas of Covid-19: the WHO African Region has been certified as wild polio-free after four years without a case. Only two countries worldwide continue to exper- ience wild poliovirus transmission. (See News from WHO, page 13) Keith Wynn EDITORIAL BOARD IMPORTANT CONTACTS Keith Wynn, Editor-in-Chief and layout, AFSM: Office 4141, WHO, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Tel.: +41 (0) 22 791 3192 Yves Beigbeder, Sue Block Tyrrell, or E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]. The AFSM office is covered on Laura Ciaffei, David Cohen, Tuesdays from 9:30 to 12:00. Alternatively, please leave a message and someone Maria Dweggah, Lindsay Martinez, will call you back. Website: https://who.int/formerstaff/en/. Resources for Jean-Paul Menu, Dev Ray, retirement: visit the site, https://www.who.int/formerstaff/issues/retirement/en/. Rosemary Villars. Formalities in case of death of a former WHO staff member: visit the AFSM website, https://www.who.int/formerstaff/about/en/ The translation of all articles is Health Insurance (SHI): Tel.: +41 (0) 22 791 18 18; in case of absence please leave a undertaken by the Editorial Board and message, someone will call you back, or send an e-mail to: [email protected]. The HQ SHI Helpdesk in office 2140 is open as follows: Monday: 1–3pm / Tuesday: 9–11am Catherine d’Arcangues, Michèle Evans and 1–3pm / Wednesday: Closed / Thursday: 9–11am and 1–3pm / Friday: 9–11am. and Anne Yamada. Pensions (UNJSPF): Contact by e-mail is no longer possible. Visitors between 09.00 The opinions expressed in this and 17.00 Monday to Friday except Thursday, at the Geneva office, Du Pont de Nemours Building, Chemin du Pavillon 2, 1218 Grand-Saconnex, at the New York newsletter are those of the authors and office, 4th floor, 1 Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza (DHP), Corner of 48th Street and 2nd not necessarily those of the Editorial Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Write via the “Contact us” link on the Fund’s website: Board. https://www.unjspf.org. Documents for NY by post, address to: United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, c/o United Nations, P.O. Box 5036, New York, NY 10163- Please send your contributions for 5036, USA. Documents for NY by courier (DHL, etc.) or registered mail, address to: publication in QNT to: Keith Wynn United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, 4th floor, 1 DHP, 885 Second Avenue, New [email protected] York, NY 10017, USA. Documents for Geneva, address to: UNJSPF, c/o Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. Telephone: Geneva: +41 (0) 22 928 88 00 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS or New York: +1 212 963 6931. See also the list of Toll-Free and local numbers at https://www.unjspf.org/toll-free-numbers/. In the case of non-receipt of the We very gratefully acknowledge the monthly benefit or the death of a beneficiary, visit the website: invaluable support of the Printing, https://www.unjspf.org/emergency/ for instructions. Distribution, and Mailing Services. Remember to always have your Unique ID number handy when contacting UNJSPF. 3 AFSM Quarterly News October 2020 QNT 121 OUR HEALTH Gout, an ailment increasing in prevalence Gout is a common chronic disease associated with uric acid metabolism, the most characteristic clinical manifestation of which is acute arthritis of the big toe. It is most often associated with an increase in the level of uric acid in the blood (hyperuricemia) which accumulates in the form of sodium urate in several sites of the body including the joints (gout arthritis), the skin (tophus) and the kidneys (nephropathy), which can lead to disabling joint destruction and kidney failure. Big toe affected by gout; accumulation of sodium urate in the joint Uric acid is the end product of the purine metabolic pathway (adenine and guanine, essential elements for the synthesis of nucleic acid, appearing particularly in the composition of RNA and DNA). Prevalence and incidence of gout Gout is the most common inflammatory rheumatism in men. Epidemiological studies show a marked increase in the prevalence of gout in Western societies during the last few decades, as well as in China and in New Zealand. In Europe it affects around 1.5% of the population. In the United States the prevalence of this pathology is about 4%, especially after 75 years of age. Causes The exact cause of gout remains unknown. A genetic factor is likely, in view of the frequency of hereditary forms and its prevalence in males: 80% of gout sufferers are male. In men over 40 years of age it is the most common inflammatory joint disease. Women are protected from gout by their female sex hormones until menopause. Generally, gout first occurs in women between the ages of 55 and 60. Lifestyle plays an important role in the incidence of gout: being overweight, regular consumption of alcohol, beer with or without alcohol, food rich in purines (red meat and offal), shellfish, "soft drinks" sweetened with fructose1, hypertension, sedentary lifestyle, certain drugs (diuretics, antihypertensives, beta blockers). However, hyperuricemia does not automatically result in gout (in the population one case of gout occurs for every ten cases of hyperuricemia). On the other hand, skimmed dairy products, coffee and vitamin C would appear to have a protective effect. 1 The role of fructose in gout was identified only a few years ago (Mega-study, published in 2008 in the BMJ, by the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, Vancouver.) 4 AFSM Quarterly News October 2020 QNT 121 Management of gout The sudden onset of acute articular gout is the prime reason for consulting a physician. Typically, it occurs during the night, triggered by consumption of a heavy meal and alcohol in the evening. It affects the joint of the big toe, but can involve any other joint as well. Left untreated, urate crystal deposits build up. They can trigger new seizures, and involve other joints, causing irreversible joint damage leading to chronic joint pain. The therapeutic management of gout includes both a symptomatic element and a basic treatment.
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