The Manual for Parasitological Surveillance in Prevention of Reintroduction or Re-establishment of Malaria in Sri Lanka (2019) provides guidelines to health professionals on how to conduct effective malaria surveillance to prevent the reintroduction of the disease in Sri Lanka, which was certified m...alaria-free in 2016.
The manual outlines strategies for active and passive case detection, laboratory diagnosis, case investigation, foci investigation, and follow-up measures. It emphasizes targeted screening of high-risk populations, including travelers and migrant workers, and explains the importance of prompt reporting, accurate parasitological confirmation, and coordination between healthcare levels. The overall goal is to maintain Sri Lanka’s malaria-free status by ensuring early detection and rapid response to any imported or locally suspected malaria cases.
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This toolkit suggests several approaches to addressing technology
access disparities. At its core is a comprehensive checklist that helps
teams systematically evaluate their current practices and identify
opportunities for improvement. This structured self-assessment
tool spans both team-level a...ctions and organisational responsibilities,
recognising that change must occur at multiple levels
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The 2024 edition reviews more than 50 health-related indicators from the Sustainable Development Goals and WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work. It also highlights the findings from the Global health estimates 2021, notably the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on life expectancy and healthy l...ife expectancy.
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Buruli ulcer (BU) is a skin-related neglected tropical disease (skin NTD) caused by infection with
Mycobacterium ulcerans. BU is the third most common mycobacterial disease after tuberculosis and leprosy
in people who are not immunocompromised. The infection manifests in non-ulcerative forms as no...dules,
plaques and/or oedemas, which ulcerate within 4–6 weeks and display characteristic undermined edges and yellowish-white necrotic slough . Most lesions occur on the lower limbs.
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More than a quarter of the global population still cook meals over open fires and/or on simple stoves fuelled by firewood, agricultural waste, dried dung, charcoal, and coal. This practice results in the emission of harmful and dangerously high levels of household air pollution.
Exposure to this h...ousehold air pollution has been estimated to cause around 3.2 million deaths annually in 2019; these emissions also worsen ambient air quality, alter the global climate, have gendered livelihood impacts, and degrade the local environment.
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The global cholera statistics for 2024, showing an increase in both the number of people who fell sick and died from the disease.
Reported cholera cases rose by 5% and deaths by 50% in 2024 compared to 2023, with more than 6000 people dying from a disease that is both preventable and treatable. Whi...le these numbers are themselves alarming, they are underestimates of the true burden of cholera.
Weekly epidemiological record WER No 36, 2025, 100, 347–364
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Access to medicines is essential for attainment of universal health coverage, which is central to achievement of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals. Controlled medicines include those such as opioids, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, amphetamines and others with identified or emergent cl...inical indications. WHO recognizes that these medicines are necessary for pre- and post-operative care, for sedation, for the management of both acute and chronic pain, for palliative care, as anticonvulsants (anti-epileptics), for the management of anxiety disorders and for the management of substance use disorders, including as opioid agonist therapy (OAT).
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The document provides a standardized protocol for evaluating the Early Warning Alert and Response Network (EWARN), a surveillance system used during humanitarian emergencies when regular national health surveillance may be disrupted. The purpose of EWARN is to detect outbreaks of communicable diseas...es early and enable rapid public health response. The guidance explains how the system should be assessed in terms of its structure, implementation, effectiveness, and usefulness. It outlines the key steps of evaluation: preparation, system description, data collection, and post-evaluation reporting. The protocol highlights common challenges observed in previous EWARN implementations, such as delays in establishing the system, limited data quality, weak outbreak response, and lack of clear transition plans back to routine surveillance systems. It emphasizes the need to evaluate both weekly disease reporting and alert verification processes, and to review attributes such as simplicity, data quality, timeliness, sensitivity, and stability. The document also provides templates for interviews, data review forms, and laboratory assessment, as well as guidance on conducting remote evaluations when access is limited. The overall goal of the protocol is to ensure that EWARN functions effectively to detect and respond to outbreaks and that practical recommendations are developed to improve the system’s performance and sustainability in emergency settings.
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Teil II beschreibt den wissenschaftlichen Sachstand zur Inflünzapandemieplanung und Inflünzapandemiebewältigung. Hierbei wird das RKI bei der Bewertung der wissenschaftlichen Informationen durch den Expertenbeirat Inflünza beraten. Der wissenschaftliche Teil dient als fachliche Grundlage... für Entscheidungen über Massnahmen zur Vorbereitung auf den Pandemiefall sowie Massnahmen im konkreten Pandemiefall.
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Financing Global Health 2014 is the sixth edition of this annually produced report on global health financing. As in previous years, this report captures trends in development assistance for health (DAH) and government health expenditure (GHE). Health financing is one of IHME’s core research areas..., and the aim of the series is to provide much-needed information to global health stakeholders. Updated GHE and DAH estimates allow decision-makers to pinpoint funding gaps and investment opportunities vital to improving population health. This year, IHME made a number of improvements to the data collection and methods implemented to produce Financing Global Health estimates. Both government health expenditure and development assistance for health estimates were updated and enhanced in 2013.
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Q4: Can convulsive epilepsy be diagnosed at first level care by a non-specialist health care provider in low and middle income country settings?
Kenya has great potential for enhancing education for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The fact that it has recognized the need to care for learners with special needs is commendable. In comparison to many African countries, Kenya and Nigeria are ahead in developing programs for special e...ducation in institutions of higher learning, and in starting schools and units for special education. However, a legal mandate is still required as it would seal many loopholes that currently exist. Without it, the assessment of individual with intellectual disabilities cannot be administered correctly and professionally. In this article, the authors present a coherent account on various aspects related to learners with intellectual disabilities in Kenya. No doubt, the issues and challenges identified call for attention by not only the government of Kenya but also those interested in improving the status of learners with intellectual disabilities.
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October 2018
This publication was produced at the request of the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared independently by David Lowe, David Hales, Britt Herstad, Billy Pick, Aisuluu Bolotbaeva, and Gulgun Jonboboeva.
The article "Under- and over-diagnosis of COPD: a global perspective" reviews the worldwide variation in the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and issues related to its misdiagnosis. It highlights that COPD is under-diagnosed due to factors such as limited access to spiromet...ry and variable diagnostic criteria, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Conversely, over-diagnosis often results from reliance on non-standard criteria or inadequate spirometry use. The article discusses key risk factors, including age, gender, exposure to pollutants, and comorbidities, and emphasizes the need for standardized diagnostic practices to better address and manage COPD globally.
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COVID‑19 strategic preparedness and response