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Assessing health systems in Guinea for prevention and control of priority zoonotic diseases: A One Health approach

Standleya C. J., Carlinb E. P., Sorrella E. M. et al. Elsevier (2019) CC

To guide One Health capacity building efforts in the Republic of Guinea in the wake of the 2014–2016 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak, we sought to identify and assess the existing systems and structures for zoonotic disease detection and control. We partnered with the government ministries resp... more

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Responses of the Catholic Church to HIV and AIDS in Africa: Lessons learned

Fleischer, K., et al. German Bishops' Conference Research Group on International Church Affairs (2015) CC

An international field study by African and German theologicans and health workers.

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2 million African community health workers - Harnessing the demographic dividend, ending AIDS and ensuring sustainable health for all in Africa

UNAIDS (2017) CC

This report makes the case for a major new initiative—to rapidly recruit, train and deploy 2 million community health workers in Africa. Drawing on a vast body of evidence and substantial regional experience, the report shows how community health workers save lives and improve quality of life and ... more

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Considerations for border health and points of entry for mpox: interim guidance

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2024) C_WHO

On 14 August 2024, the Director-General of the World Health Organization determined that the upsurge of mpox in a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a new public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005)

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Policy Brief: Impact of COVID-19 in Africa

UN; UNSDG (2020) C2

It is too early to know the full impact of COVID-19 on Africa. To date the experience has been varied. There are causes for concern, but also reasons for hope. Early estimates were pessimistic regarding the pandemic’s impact on the continent. But the relatively low numbers of COVID-19 cases report... more

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Voluntary non-remunerated blood donations to ensure blood safety in the WHO South-East Asia Region to support universal health coverage

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2023) C_WHO

Access to safe blood and blood products is recognized as one of the key requirements for delivery of modern health care in the journey towards health for all. The foundation of safe and sustainable blood supplies depends on the collection of blood from voluntary non-remunerated and low-risk donors. ... more

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OCHA Policy Brief on Gendered Drivers, Risks and Impacts of Food Insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (2023) CC

It is widely understood that the food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is one of the world’s fastest growing and most neglected crises. It lacks sufficient global focus, resources and urgency. As in so many crises, women and girls are disproportionately affected and shoulder t...he consequences of protracted neglect, with unconscionable impacts on their safety, life chances and agency. Gaining a holistic view of the gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is difficult. This is due to a lack of data and prioritization, and the large geographical and socioeconomic terrain covered by both regions. However, what we do know about this crisis is more than enough to urgently address the needs of women and girls. An OCHA discussion paper on this topic (which will be published imminently, and from which this policy brief is drawn) found that there is: A strong risk of profound regression in gender equality gains made to date in the countries of concern, including on education, sexual and reproductive health, and the economic independence of women and girls (with knock-on effects on broader humanitarian and development outcomes). An increasing challenge to reverse what must be recognized as a protracted and growing gender-based violence (GBV) emergency in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. The food insecurity crisis in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa is protracted, multidimensional and highly gendered, with spiralling impacts on gender equality and food security outcomes. It is driven by interwoven and overlapping factors, including climate change, political instability, conflict, socioeconomic conditions, migration and displacement and, more recently, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine. Interlinked with these factors are gendered structural drivers of food insecurity, including deeply entrenched gender inequalities and harmful social norms. Gendered risks and impacts of food insecurity include alarming limitations on access to education, sexual and reproductive health rights, women’s agency and participation, and dramatic increases in different existing forms of GBV and the emergence of new ones. Recognition of such gendered dimensions of food insecurity and of the need for a multisectoral approach in the response is key to addressing the crisis, along-side sustained commitment and adequate allocation of resources. This policy brief draws out key findings from the OCHA discussion paper on this topic, which includes a desk review of studies, assessments and reports, and interviews with local women’s organizations on the front lines of the food insecurity crisis in communities across both regions. Below are the most pressing gendered drivers, risks and impacts of food insecurity (not in order of priority), as well as key gaps in the current humanitarian response to food insecurity, and recommendations to take forward. more

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Community health workers to improve uptake of maternal healthcare services: A clusterrandomized pragmatic trial in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Geldsetzer, P.; Mboggo, E.; Larson, E.; et al. (2019) CC2

PLoS Med 16(3): e1002768. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002768 Home delivery and late and infrequent attendance at antenatal care (ANC) are responsible for substantial avoidable maternal and pediatric morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. This cluster-randomized trial aimed to de... more

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Impact of community-led and community-based HIV service delivery beyond HIV: case studies from eastern and southern Africa

UNAIDS (2025) C1

The objectives of the research presented in this report were to identify case studies of community-led HIV-related health and social inclusion service delivery organizations in eastern and southern Africa; describe the typologies of the services provided; and identify evidence of their service deliv... more

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Regional implementation framework for elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem: 2021–2030
recommended

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2023) C_WHO

Cervical cancer continues to be a significant public health problem and a major cause of premature mortality among women, disproportionately affecting the socioeconomically disadvantaged population in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In the absence of implementing the known evidence-based, ... more

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Expert and stakeholder virtual consultation meeting to develop the Africa CDC Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health Strategy

African Union; Africa CDC Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (2021) C_CDC

Executive summary On 27th and 28th April 2021, the division of Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with Public Health England, organized a virtual consultative meeting as part of the consultations with Member States and partners for the development of the Africa CDC five years strategic ... more

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Key Considerations for Introducing New HIV Point-of-Care Diagnostic Technologies in National Health Systems

United National Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (2018) C_UNICEF

This document describes the key areas that national governments should consider for the introduction and scale-up of point-of-care (POC) diagnostics within national programmes, as new innovative POC technologies are being introduced into the market. The next steps taken to include these new innovati... more

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Pilot study findings on the provision of hygiene kits with reusable sanitary pads: Testing the appropriateness and acceptability of AFRIpads reusable sanitary pads in southwestern (Ugandan) refugee co

UN High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR (2019) CC

Results from the baseline study indicated that schoolgirls in the southwestern refugee settlement context lacked access to the menstrual hygiene knowledge and products required for them to manage their menstruation in a healthy and dignified manner. Although UNHCR mandates that all women and girls o... more

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“Complicit in Exclusion” South Africa’s Failure to Guarantee an Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities

Human Rights Watch (2015) C2

This report from Human Rights Watch found that South Africa has failed to guarantee the right to education for many of the country’s children and young adults due to widespread discrimination against children with disabilities in enrollment decisions. Human Rights Watch research in five out of Sou... more

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Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (2025) CC

Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA ...is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health. In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance. more

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Weekly Update on Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Preparedness Activities in South Sudan No.48 , 12 August 2019

South Sudan Public Health Emergency Operations Center (PHEOC) World Health Organization WHO, Regional Office Africa Region (2019) C1

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The effects of COVID-19 on persons living with hypertension

World Health Organization WHO, Regional Office of Africa (2021) C_WHO

based on information as at 28 February 2021 Rapid Policy Brief Series Series 14: COVID-19 and hypertension

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Guidelines for Warehousing Health Commodities [1st ed.] (Burmese Version)

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Ministry of Health and Sports (2016) C1

Translation of the 1st ed., 2003
These guidelines were written for anyone trying to meet and solve the challenges of operating a warehouse today. They are an important reference tool for managers and staff, whether they are constructing a new warehouse, implementing a new warehouse syste... more

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Diphtheria: NICD Recommendations for Diagnosis, Managementand Public Health Response

The National Institute For Communicable Diseases, South Africa (2018) C1

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Uganda Health Sector Development Plan 2015/16 - 2019/20
recommended

Ministry of Health, Republic of Uganda (2015) C1

Regional implementation framework for elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem: 2021–2030 recommended

Uganda Health Sector Development Plan 2015/16 - 2019/20 recommended

Regional implementation framework for elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem: 2021–2030
recommended

Uganda Health Sector Development Plan 2015/16 - 2019/20
recommended