the aid library

Infection prevention and control - Guidance to action tools

World Health Organization WHO (2021) C_WHO

No country can claim to be free from health-care associated infections, therefore, improvement of infection prevention and control (IPC) strategies is essential. WHO recommends the use of multimodal improvement strategies to implement IPC interventions. These include each item of standard and transm ... more

Infection prevention and control in the context of coronavirus disease (‎COVID-19)‎: a living guideline, 25 April 2022: updated chapter: mask use, part 1: health care settings
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

22 April 2022, This document provides updated interim recommendations on the use of masks by health workers providing care to patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. This update is prompted by new evidence around mask use and COVID-19 transmission, as well as the emergence of variants of conc ... more

WHO policy brief: Maintaining infection prevention and control measures for COVID-19 in health care facilities, 14 September 2022

World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

This document aims to encourage countries to develop and implement policies to maintain and strengthen IPC programmes and measures in health care facilities in the context of the current ongoing transmission of the SARS-CoV-2, with recognition that epidemiological trends may vary and the risk of tra ... more

Guidelines on core components of infection prevention and control programmes at the national and acute health care facility level.
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2016) C_WHO

Health care-associated infections (HAI) are one of the most common adverse events in care delivery and a major public health problem with an impact on morbidity, mortality and quality of life. At any one time, up to 7% of patients in developed and 10% in developing countries will acquire at least on ... more

Infection Prevention and Control Standard Operating Procedures For Cholera Treatment Centres and Units in Malawi (April 2023)

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Africa CDC; African Union; Government of Malawi; Médecins Sans Frontières; UN Children's Fund UNICEF; World Health Organization WHO (2023) CC

Infection prevention and control (IPC) in a CTC/ CTU IPC are all practical measures taken in the healthcare facility to prevent harm caused by infections to patients, health workers and communities. The main goal of IPC in the cholera response is to • To reduce transmission of health care-as ... more

Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2019) C_CDC

The Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008, presents evidence- based recommendations on the preferred methods for cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of patient- care medical devices and for cleaning and disinfecting the healthcare environment. This docume ... more

Ectoparisitic Diseases in the Region of the Americas: Developing a Roadmap to Determine the Regional Epidemiological Situation and Identify Actions to Reduce the Impact

Pan American Health Organisation PAHO (2020) C_WHO

The proposed roadmap includes components and recommended actions to eliminate these neglected infectious diseases from the Americas.

Key prevention and control interventions for reducing cancer burden in the WHO African Region

World Health Organization; Africa Region (2016) C_WHO

A handbook for leaders and managers

Zimbabwe Cholera Control Guidelines
recommended

Ministry of Health and Child Welfare ; World Health Organisation Zimbabwe (2009) C_WHO

3rd edition

Biosafety and Biosecurity Initiative 2021 – 2025 Strategic Plan

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

Biosafety involves the implementation of containment principles, technologies and practices to prevent unintentional exposure to biological agents. Biosecurity involves the protection, control and accountability of biological materials and information related to these materials and dualuse research, ... more

Preventing violence and reducing its impact: how development agencies can help.

Alexander Butchart, David Brown, Andrew Wilson, and Christopher Mikton World Health Organization (2008)

Responding to communicable and noncommunicable diseases: progress report 2020-2022

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

Significant progress has been made in the eradication of three priority diseases in the African Region, as a result of extensive collaboration between the Regional Office, WHO country offices and countries. For example, in August 2020, the region was certified free of wild poliovirus. In the area of ... more

Training courses on infection prevention and control (IPC)

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control ECDC (2025) CC

List of available resources and courses

WHO Guidance: Ethics and vector-borne diseases

World Health Organization WHO (2020) C_WHO

The primary audience for this guidance is persons working directly in vector-borne disease prevention and control, including programme managers, researchers and field workers. A brief technical background is provided for the benefit of persons without expertise in vector-borne diseases; readers ... more

In Control: A Practical Handbook for Professionals Working in Health Emergencies Internationally RKI

Robert Koch Institut RKI (2023) CC

The greatest risk to persons engaging in international medical emergency response is poor preparation. The In Control handbook hopes to provide a remedy. At the time of writing, we are living through the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a health emergency that disregards physical borders, brin ... gs into focus social inequalities and affects people on every continent. This shared challenge requires unprecedented measures and the collaboration of the brightest minds to support global health protection through this crisis and beyond. Healthcare infrastructures have to be strengthened, public health capacities and processes upgraded, medical countermeasures and vaccinations found and psychosocial side-effects treated. Solidarity is the normative order of the day and the human species has to collaborate to face this invisible threat. Hiding and living in fear is not an option in this interconnected world. We have both a responsibility and an opportunity to make substantial contributions to a safer, healthier and more sustainable future for us all. The existence of this handbook is an impressive example of solidarity. Over 50 authors from more than 15 institutes and organisations have come together voluntarily within a very short time to make their expertise available and enable cross-sectoral thinking. Knowledge is bundled, resources are combined, information gaps are filled. The In Control handbook is not a theoretical treatise of possible dangers, but a collection of subject-matter expertise, written by experts and practitioners who have shaped health topics over the past 20 years in the most diverse corners of the world. The Centre for International Health Protection at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) is collaborating with its partners and investing heavily in the build-up of operational know-how and capacity to support health crisis response abroad. This is done by preparing and enabling professionals to deploy safely across the world to assist those in need. In Control addresses the multi-faceted challenges of an international deployment. Readers will find not only technical medical information, but also insights into, for example, the fragility of our environment, the cultural differences that influence risk communication or the dilemmas arising from social distancing. Legal principles are highlighted, along with ethical guidance to ensure that our actions and decisions correspond to the highest moral standards. more

Report on the status of major health risk factors for noncommunicable diseases: WHO African Region, 2015

World Health Organization; Africa Region (2016) C_WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseases 2010 projects that noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) will be responsible for over 44 million deaths during the next decade, representing an increase of about 15% since 2010. Most of these deaths will occur in the WHO ... more

Measles outbreak guide
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2022) C_WHO

This guide also draws on the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to apply for measles outbreak response support from the Measles & Rubella Initiative Outbreak Response Fund (17) and includes a section on measles outbreak recovery so that contributing factors and potential root causes are identifi ... more

Stimulus package for eliminating dog-mediated human rabies

World Health Organization (WHO) (2016) C_WHO

A concept (leaflet)
This document outlines the concept of a stimulus package for rabies elimination. The aim of a stimulus package is to catalyse rabies control by starting community projects, building local capacity and using success to generate momentum for growth. Governments could apply for ... more

Comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support

Nina Urwantzoff, Ellen Schmitt, Piet Reijer Misereor (2014) C1

Good practice examples from India