Description of two new species of the genus Repetekiodes Amsel, 1961 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Phycitinae) from Central Asia with faunal notes on the genus.

Two new species, Repetekiodes serratalis sp. nov. and Repetekiodes turanella sp. nov. are described from Central Asia. The described species are well distinguished from their congeners by the genitalia and forewing pattern. A brief overview of the genus Repetekiodes Amsel, 1961 is given and original data on the distribution of Repetekiodes species are provided. DNA barcode data are presented for several species of the genus.

Current Trends of HIV Infection in the Russian Federation.

Russia remains one of the areas most affected by HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The aim of this study was to analyze HIV infection indicators and study trends in Russia using data from the Federal Statistic Form No. 61 "Information about HIV infection". HIV incidence, prevalence, HIV testing and mortality rates (from 2011 to 2022), and treatment success rates (from 2016 to 2022) were analyzed. These indicators were compared across different federal districts (FDs) of Russia. The findings revealed a significant downward trend in HIV incidence, while a significant upward trend was observed for HIV prevalence. The mortality rate has stabilized since 2018. The coverage of HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy increased over time. The number of people living with HIV-1 (PLWH) with a suppressed viral load in Russia as a whole varied between 72% and 77% during the years under observation. The Siberian and Ural federal districts recorded the highest HIV incidence, while the North Caucasian FD reported the lowest. An increase in HIV testing coverage was observed across all FDs. This comprehensive evaluation of HIV infection indicators within the regional context contributes to the timely implementation of measures aimed at preventing the spread of HIV.

The Burden of Disease due to COVID-19 (BoCO-19): A study protocol for a secondary analysis of surveillance data in Southern and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has had an extensive impact on public health worldwide. However, in many countries burden of disease indicators for COVID-19 have not yet been calculated or used for monitoring. The present study protocol describes an approach developed in the project "The Burden of Disease due to COVID-19. Towards a harmonization of population health metrics for the surveillance of dynamic outbreaks" (BoCO-19). The process of data collection and aggregation across 14 different countries and sub-national regions in Southern and Eastern Europe and Central Asia is described, as well as the methodological approaches used. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study implemented in BoCO-19 is a secondary data analysis, using information from national surveillance systems as part of mandatory reporting on notifiable diseases. A customized data collection template is used to gather aggregated data on population size as well as COVID-19 cases and deaths. Years of life lost (YLL), as one component of the number of Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY), are calculated as described in a recently proposed COVID-19 disease model (the 'Burden-EU' model) for the calculation of DALY. All-cause mortality data are collected for excess mortality sensitivity analyses. For the calculation of Years lived with disability (YLD), the Burden-EU model is adapted based on recent evidence. Because Covid-19 cases vary in terms of disease severity, the possibility and suitability of applying a uniform severity distribution of cases across all countries and sub-national regions will be explored. An approach recently developed for the Global Burden of Disease Study, that considers post-acute consequences of COVID-19, is likely to be adopted. Findings will be compared to explore the quality and usability of the existing data, to identify trends across age-groups and sexes and to formulate recommendations concerning potential improvements in data availability and quality. DISCUSSION: BoCO-19 serves as a collaborative platform in order to build international capacity for the calculation of burden of disease indicators, and to support national experts in the analysis and interpretation of country-specific data, including their strengths and weaknesses. Challenges include inherent differences in data collection and reporting systems between countries, as well as assumptions that have to be made during the calculation process.

Breast and cervical cancer screening practices in nine countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia: A population-based survey.

BACKGROUND: Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) countries have higher cervical and breast cancer mortality rates and later stage at diagnosis compared with the rest of WHO European Region. The aim was to explore current early detection practices including "dispensarization" for breast and cervix cancer in the region. METHODS: A questionnaire survey on early detection practices for breast and cervix cancer was sent to collaborators in 11 countries, differentiating services in the primary health setting, and population-based programs. Responses were received from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation (Arkhangelsk, Samara and Tomsk regions), Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. RESULTS: All countries but Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and the Russian Federation had opportunistic screening by clinical breast exam within "dispensarization" program. Mammography screening programs, commonly starting from age 40, were introduced or piloted in eight of nine countries, organized at national oncology or screening centres in Armenia, Belarus and Georgia, and within primary care in others. Six countries had "dispensarization" program for cervix cancer, mostly starting from the age 18, with smears stained either by Romanowsky-Giemsa alone (Belarus, Tajikistan and Ukraine), or alternating with Papanicolaou (Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation). In parallel, screening programs using Papanicolaou or HPV test were introduced in seven countries and organized within primary care. CONCLUSION: Our study documents that parallel screening systems for both breast and cervix cancers, as well as departures from evidence-based practices are widespread across the EECA. Within the framework of the WHO Initiatives, existing opportunistic screening should be replaced by population-based programs that include quality assurance and control.

Human migration in the eastern Tianshan Mountains between the 7th and 12th centuries.

OBJECTIVE: Mid- to late-Holocene large-scale population migration profoundly impacted the interaction of ethnic groups and cultures across Eurasia, notably in Central Asia. However, due to a lack of thorough historical documents, distinctive burial items, and human remains, the process of population migration during this historical era in the area is still unclear. Using an interdisciplinary approach at the Lafuqueke (LFQK) cemetery, this study investigates the spatiotemporal processes and explores the factors that influenced human migration in the eastern Tianshan Mountains between the 7th and 12th centuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, tooth enamel from 56 human remains found in the LFQK cemetery in Hami Basin, eastern Tianshan Mountains, is examined for strontium and lead isotopes. RESULTS: The early, middle, and late phases of migration might potentially be represented by a three-phase migration model, according to the isotopic study. The highest proportion of the early phase (ca. 7th-mid 7th century) comprised non-locals (54.55%), although this percentage decreased in the middle phase (mid 7th-mid 8th centuries, 30.77%). After the 10th century, the proportion of non-locals again fell (16.13%). CONCLUSION: In this study, the interdisciplinary approach was employed to propose a new model for the diachronic changes that accompanied human migration and cultural interaction in the eastern Tianshan Mountains and identified geopolitics as a significant factor influencing the migratory behavior of LFQK population in this region between the 7th and 12th centuries.

WHO Regional Office for Europe Antimicrobial Medicines Consumption (AMC) Network: AMC data 2020–2021

This report presents analyses of data on antimicrobial medicines consumption collected from non-European Union countries in the WHO European Region – 13 countries provided 2020 data and 10 countries provided 2021 data. The analyses show the results for key metrics of antibiotic consumption including total use, relative use of agents according to the WHO Access, Watch and Reserve (AWaRe) classification, and concordance with WHO monitoring indicators for responsible use of antibiotics. Analyses explore the possible impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on volumes and patterns of consumption of antibiotics.

Policy dialogue to strengthen mental health in the Central Asian Republics: 25–26 April 2023 Tashkent, Uzbekistan: meeting report

The WHO Regional Office for Europe organized three subregional policy dialogues to provide a platform for representative of the Central Asian Republics to discuss ways to strengthen policy and practice in service of the WHO/Europe Roadmap for Health and Well-being in the Central Asian Countries. The second of these policy dialogues, held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on 25–26 April 2023, focused on strengthening mental health systems in the subregion and was held within the frame of the pan-European Mental Health Coalition. Across the two days, countries identified main priorities for addressing mental health going forward.

Годовой отчет о ходе работы над реализацией Дорожной карты в поддержку здоровья и благополучия в Центральной Азии (2022–2025 гг.)

Дорожная карта в поддержку здоровья и благополучия в Центральной Азии на 2022–2025 гг. (ДКЦА) – первая субрегиональная стратегия в области укрепления здоровья и благополучия, утвержденная министрами здравоохранения стран Центральной Азии (СЦА) – Казахстана, Кыргызстана, Таджикистана, Туркменистана и Узбекистана – в ходе совещания 11 сентября 2022 г., состоявшегося в рамках семьдесят второй сессии Европейского регионального комитета ВОЗ. Дорожная объединяет усилия многих стран и является дополнением к индивидуальной страновой поддержке, нацеленной на ускорение прогресса СЦА и партнеров в области достижения важнейших целевых показателей; в ней выражается неизменная поддержка стран Центральной Азии со стороны ЕРБ ВОЗ в работе по выполнению задач ДКЦА на 2022–2025 гг. Настоящий отчет представляет собой моментальный снимок ситуации и не является подробным отчетом о деятельности Европейского регионального бюро ВОЗ (ЕРБ ВОЗ) в Центральной Азии; его следует рассматривать вместе с публикациями и докладами о ходе работы ЕРБ ВОЗ в СЦА, включая отчет Регионального директора о работе ЕРБ ВОЗ1 в 2021–2022 гг., представленный на семьдесят второй сессии Регионального комитета.

Annual progress report towards the implementation of the Roadmap for health and well-being in Central Asia (2022–2025)

The Roadmap for health and well-being in Central Asia (2022–2025) (CARM) is the first subregional strategy for health and wellbeing endorsed by the Ministers of Health of the following Central Asian countries (CACs): Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan at their meeting on September 11 2022, under the auspices of the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe. CARM encompasses multi-country efforts and adds to tailored country support to advance CACs and partners coalescing in working towards attaining vital milestones of progress and expresses WHO/Europe’s unwavering support to CACs in achieving their 2022–2025 CARM objectives. This report is intended to present a snapshot rather than a detailed account of WHO/Europe’s engagement in Central Asia and should be read in conjunction with the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s published documents and progress reports, including the Report of the Regional Director on the work of WHO/Europe in 2021–2022 presented at the 72nd Session of the Regional Committee.

Expanding antimicrobial resistance surveillance in the WHO European Region: 10 years of the CAESAR Network

The Central Asian and European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance (CAESAR) network has contributed to informing the public and policy-makers about the magnitude and the relevance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) for both individuals and health systems. Thanks to close collaboration with European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance Network, the CAESAR Network is contributing to harmonized AMR reporting across the WHO European Region. In combination, these two networks report surveillance data for almost all 53 Member States in the Region, thereby equipping decision-makers and those tackling AMR with better and more complete data than ever before. Over the past ten years, the CAESAR Network has focused on including and engaging as many countries/areas as possible, to strengthen their capacities and capabilities to undertake effective AMR surveillance.

Availability and prices of essential medicines in Uzbekistan in 2021

Access to medicines, vaccines and health products is an essential component of universal health coverage (UHC). It represents one of the building blocks of a well functioning health system and is an essential determinant of better health outcomes at individual and population levels. To enable regular monitoring of indicators of patient access, WHO launched the price and availability monitoring mobile application (MedMon) for essential medicines and health products in 2016. The tool has been piloted in more than 20 countries and enables rapid and inexpensive data collection and assessments of medicines and other health products in health facilities. This report presents results of a facility-based survey using MedMon and conducted in April and May 2021 on the availability and prices of essential medicines in community pharmacies in Uzbekistan.

Многостороннее совещание по развитию реабилитационных кадров в Центральной Азии и Восточной Европе: 7–8 июня 2022 г., Копенгаген, Дания

Целью этого гибридного совещания было инициировать дискуссию на высоком уровне между руководителями, принимающими решения, и представителями других заинтересованных сторон в области реабилитации по вопросам поддержки развития реабилитационного образования на основе компетенций в странах Центральной Азии и Восточной Европы. Участники совещания провели работу по составлению дорожной карты развития реабилитационного образования в девяти странах (Азербайджан, Армения, Грузия, Казахстан, Кыргызстан, Таджикистан, Туркменистан, Узбекистан и Украина)

Analysis of the Water Demand-Supply Gap and Scarcity Index in Lower Amu Darya River Basin, Central Asia.

Lower reaches of the Amu Darya River Basin (LADB) is one of the typical regions which is facing the problem of water shortage in Central Asia. During the past decades, water resources demand far exceeds that supplied by the mainstream of the Amu Darya River, and has resulted in a continuous decrease in the amount of water flowing into the Aral Sea. Clarifying the dynamic relationship between the water supply and demand is important for the optimal allocation and sustainable management of regional water resources. In this study, the relationship and its variations between the water supply and demand in the LADB from the 1970s to 2010s were analyzed by detailed calculation of multi-users water demand and multi-sources water supply, and the water scarcity indices were used for evaluating the status of water resources utilization. The results indicated that (1) during the past 50 years, the average total water supply (TWS) was 271.88 × 108 m3/y, and the average total water demand (TWD) was 467.85 × 108 m3/y; both the volume of water supply and demand was decreased in the LADB, with rates of -1.87 × 108 m3/y and -15.59 × 108 m3/y. (2) percentages of the rainfall in TWS were increased due to the decrease of inflow from the Amu Darya River; percentage of agriculture water demand was increased obviously, from 11.04% in the 1970s to 44.34% in 2010s, and the water demand from ecological sector reduced because of the Aral Sea shrinking. (3) the supply and demand of water resources of the LADB were generally in an unbalanced state, and water demand exceeded water supply except in the 2010s; the water scarcity index decreased from 2.69 to 0.94, indicating the status changed from awful to serious water scarcity. A vulnerable balanced state has been reached in the region, and that water shortages remain serious in the future, which requires special attention to the decision-makers of the authority.

Genetic continuity of Indo-Iranian speakers since the Iron Age in southern Central Asia.

Since prehistoric times, southern Central Asia has been at the crossroads of the movement of people, culture, and goods. Today, the Central Asian populations are divided into two cultural and linguistic groups: the Indo-Iranian and the Turko-Mongolian groups. Previous genetic studies unveiled that migrations from East Asia contributed to the spread of Turko-Mongolian populations in Central Asia and the partial replacement of the Indo-Iranian populations. However, little is known about the origin of the latters. To shed light on this, we compare the genetic data on two current-day Indo-Iranian populations - Yaghnobis and Tajiks - with genome-wide data from published ancient individuals. The present Indo-Iranian populations from Central Asia display a strong genetic continuity with Iron Age samples from Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. We model Yaghnobis as a mixture of 93% Iron Age individual from Turkmenistan and 7% from Baikal. For the Tajiks, we observe a higher Baikal ancestry and an additional admixture event with a South Asian population. Our results, therefore, suggest that in addition to a complex history, Central Asia shows a remarkable genetic continuity since the Iron Age, with only limited gene flow.