the aid library

LIST OPTIONS

Filter

9750

Atlas of African Health Statistics 2022: Health situation analysis of the WHO African Region

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2022) C_WHO

Atlas of African Health Statistics 2022: Health situation analysis of the WHO African Region Since 2019, we have been implementing Phase 2 of the regional Transformation Agenda, which informs and aligns with the global WHO Transformation, to ensure WHO is accountable, driven by re- sults and provid... more

Download (241)

View PDF (227)

Infrastructure, policy and regulatory interventions to increase physical activity to prevent cardiovascular diseases and diabetes: a systematic review

Durão, S.; Burns, J.; Schmidt, B. et al. BMC Public Health (2023) CC

Background Noncommunicable diseases are major contributors to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Modifying the risk factors for these conditions, such as physical inactivity, is thus essential. Addressing the context or circumstances in which physical activity occurs may promote physical activity a...t a population level. We assessed the effects of infrastructure, policy or regulatory interventions for increasing physical activity. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase and clinicaltrials.gov to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled before-after (CBAs) studies, and interrupted time series (ITS) studies assessing population-level infrastructure or policy and regulatory interventions to increase physical activity. We were interested in the effects of these interventions on physical activity, body weight and related measures, blood pressure, and CVD and type 2 diabetes morbidity and mortality, and on other secondary outcomes. Screening and data extraction was done in duplicate, with risk of bias was using an adapted Cochrane risk of bias tool. Due to high levels of heterogeneity, we synthesised the evidence based on effect direction. Results We included 33 studies, mostly conducted in high-income countries. Of these, 13 assessed infrastructure changes to green or other spaces to promote physical activity and 18 infrastructure changes to promote active transport. The effects of identified interventions on physical activity, body weight and blood pressure varied across studies (very low certainty evidence); thus, we remain very uncertain about the effects of these interventions. Two studies assessed the effects of policy and regulatory interventions; one provided free access to physical activity facilities and showed that it may have beneficial effects on physical activity (low certainty evidence). The other provided free bus travel for youth, with intervention effects varying across studies (very low certainty evidence). Conclusions Evidence from 33 studies assessing infrastructure, policy and regulatory interventions for increasing physical activity showed varying results. The certainty of the evidence was mostly very low, due to study designs included and inconsistent findings between studies. Despite this drawback, the evidence indicates that providing access to physical activity facilities may be beneficial; however this finding is based on only one study. Implementation of these interventions requires full consideration of contextual factors, especially in low resource settings. more

Download (530)

View PDF (358)

Building health system resilience to public health challenges: guidance for implementation in countries

World Health Organization WHO (2024) C_WHO

Health system resilience is not an inevitable byproduct of any investment in health but must be intentionally programmed and developed with necessary input, investment and contextualization. This technical product aims to guide national, subnational, and global health actors to operationalize the co... more

Download (361)

View PDF (351)

Namibia: “We don’t feel well treated”: Tuberculosis and the Indigenous San peoples of Namibia

Amnesty International (2021) C1

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that usually affects the lungs, though it can affect any organ in the body. It can develop when bacteria spread through droplets in the air. TB can be fatal, but in many cases, TB is preventable and treatable. This report examines the human rights impact of... more

Download (265)

View PDF (613)

Access to health care for people with disabilities in rural Malawi: what are the barriers?

Harrison, J.A.K.; Thomson, R.; Banda, H.T. et al. BMC Public Health (2020) CC

People with disabilities experience significant health inequalities. In Malawi, where most individuals live in low-income rural settings, many of these inequalities are exacerbated by restricted access to health care services. This qualitative study explores the barriers to health care access experi... more

Download (354)

View PDF (350)

SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC response to earthquake: Situation report #1

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2023) C_WHO

TUATION UPDATE In the early morning of 6 February 2023, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake occurred in southern Türkiye near the northern border of Syria. The earthquake was followed 11 minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Many aftershocks are still being felt across the region. Whilst the imp... more

Download (313)

View PDF (488)

From Double Shock to Double Recovery – Implications and Options for Health Financing in the Time of COVID-19

Kurowski, C.; D. B. Evans; A. Tandon et al. The World Bank (2021) CC

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a double shock - health and economic. As of March 1, 2021, COVID-19 has cost more than 2.5 million lives and triggered an economic recession surpassing any economic downturn since World War II. Part I of this paper explores the impact of this current macro-fisc... more

Download (299)

View PDF (233)

CVD Advocacy Toolkit: The Road to 2018

Markbreiter, J.; Buckley, P. World Heart Federation (2016) CC

The World Heart Federation (WHF) has been advocating globally for stronger legislation and policy regarding cardiovascular disease (CVD) for many years. Now, as focus shifts from global to national progress, we call on members and colleagues to advocate for greater action on CVD in your local setti... more

Download (276)

View PDF (524)

Street Child & Child Protection AoR: Accelerating localised response to COVID-19: Practical pathways

Protection Cluster Street Child (2020) CC

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a rare and immediate opportunity for a norm shift towards localisation in the humanitarian architecture. Whils tinternational humanitarian actors are facing constraints in funding and restrictions on movement and travel, national and local level ... more

Download (345)

View PDF (356)

Third progress analysis of implementation of antimicrobial resistance national action plans in the WHO South-East Asia Region

World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is described as a situation when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder or impossible to treat, and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death.1 AMR in recent years has... more

Download (386)

View PDF (721)

Syrian Refugees in Lebanon eight years on: What works and why that matters for the future

CARE (2018) C1

This publication includes quotes from various respondents interviewed in Tripoli, Akkar and Beirut. We focused on three main questions: How are the relations between refugees and Lebanese? How are refugees faring in the job market? Which concrete initiatives have already demonstrated positive impact... more

Download (413)

View PDF (722)

Developing health centres and hospital s indices for Syria, based on HeRAMS dataset 2014

World Health Organization (2017) C_WHO

This research paper uses the Health Resources and services Availability Mapping System (HeRAMS) database to develop two composite indices – one for health centres and one for hospitals – in order to analyse and assess the health facilities’ performance across time and to evaluate the di... more

Download (630)

View PDF (948)

A practical guide to auditing water safety plans

World Health Organization (WHO) (2016) C_WHO

The WHO/IWA document A practical guide to auditing water safety plans provides guidance on developing and implementing a WSP auditing scheme, covering such topics as the aim and role of auditing, auditor training and certification, audit criteria, audit timing and frequency and audit reportin... more

Download (419)

View PDF (727)

Measuring Distance to the SDG Targets 2019: An Assessment of Where OECD Countries Stand

OECD (2019) C1

With eleven years left to achieve the ambitious goals of the 2030 Agenda, how close are OECD countries to reaching the SDGs? And how is our understanding constrained by targets and indicators that still cannot be measured? The OECD Measuring Distance to the SDG Targets Study aims to help member coun... more

Download (298)

View PDF (491)

Humanitarian Response Plan Achievements January-December 2018

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) (2019) C1

The 2018 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) aimed to assist 10.5 million people with direct assistance and 11.2 million people with improved access to basic services. In an effort to meet humanitarian needs, humanitarian partners provided various types of humanitarian life-saving and life-sustaining... more

Download (357)

View PDF (369)

Tackling antimicrobial use and resistance in pig production: lessons learned in Denmark

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO (2019) C2

This publication describes an arduous campaign to tackle the use of antimicrobials - specifically antibiotics - in the Danish swine-producing sector thanks to the collaboration between the regulatory sector within the Ministry of Environment and Food, private veterinary practitioners and swine produ... more

Download (444)

View PDF (724)

Neisseria gonorrhoeae Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance: Consolidated Guidance

World Health Organization WHO (2020) C_WHO

Prevention, early diagnosis, and effective treatment are essential for the control and elimination of Neisseria gonorrhoeae as a public health problem. Currently, in Latin America and the Caribbean, treatment for gonorrhea infection is largely empiric and based on clinical diagnosis. In the Americas... more

Download (271)

View PDF (383)

The Burden of Pediatric Asthma

Ferrante, G.; La Grutta, S. Frontiers in Pediatrics (2018) CC

Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children, imposing a consistent burden on health system. In recent years, prevalence of asthma symptoms became globally increased in children and adolescents, particularly in Low-Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Host (genetics, atopy) and environmental fa... more

Download (513)

View PDF (733)

Therapeutics and COVID-19 (Living Guideline, 10 November 2023)

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

WHO has updated its guidelines for COVID-19 therapeutics, with revised recommendations for patients with non-severe COVID-19. This is the 13th update to these guidelines. Updated risk rates for hospital admission in patients with non-severe COVID-19 The guidance includes updated risk rates for... hospital admission in patients with non-severe COVID-19. The current COVID-19 virus variants tend to cause less severe disease while immunity levels are higher due to vaccination, leading to lower risks of severe illness and death for most patients. This update includes new baseline risk estimates for hospital admission in patients with non-severe COVID-19. The new ‘moderate risk’ category now includes people previously considered to be high risk including older people and/or those with chronic conditions, disabilities, and comorbidities of chronic disease. The updated risk estimates will assist healthcare professionals to identify individuals at high, moderate or low risk of hospital admission, and to tailor treatment according to WHO guidelines: **High: **People who are immunosuppressed remain at higher risk if they contract COVID-19, with an estimated hospitalization rate of 6%. **Moderate: **People over 65 years old, those with conditions like obesity, diabetes and/or chronic conditions including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney or liver disease, cancer, people with disabilities and those with comorbidities of chronic disease are at moderate risk, with an estimated hospitalization rate of 3%. Low: Those who are not in the high or moderate risk categories are at low risk of hospitalization (0.5%). Most people are low risk. Review of COVID-19 treatments for people with non-severe COVID-19 WHO continues to strongly recommend nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (also known by its brand name ‘Paxlovid’) for people at high-risk and moderate risk of hospitalization. The recommendations state that nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is considered the best choice for most eligible patients, given its therapeutic benefits, ease of administration and fewer concerns about potential harms. Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir was first recommended by WHO in April 2022. If nirmatrelvir-ritonavir is not available to patients at high-risk of hospitalization, WHO suggests the use of molnupiravir or remdesivir instead. WHO suggests against the use of molnupiravir and remdesivir for patients at moderate risk, judging the potential harms to outweigh the limited benefits in patients at moderate risk of hospital admission. For people at low risk of hospitalization, WHO does not recommend any antiviral therapy. Symptoms like fever and pain can continue to be managed with analgesics like paracetamol. WHO also recommends against use of a new antiviral (VV116) for patients, except in clinical trials. The update also includes a strong recommendation against the use of ivermectin for patients with non-severe COVID-19. WHO continues to advise that in patients with severe or critical COVID-19, ivermectin should only be used in clinical trials. more

Download (633)

View PDF (798)

Epidemic meningitis surveillance in the African meningitis belt

World Health Organization WHO (2014) C_WHO

This document is intended to serve as a reference for national public health policy-makers. It outlines the scope of potential meningitis surveillance strategies that make it possible to obtain the data required for epidemic detection, monitoring of epidemiological and microbiological trends, evalua... more