This document has been developed for the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean to establish a regional plan of action to support the countries of the Region to rapidly accelerate the scaling up of their capacities for the prevention and early detection of, and ... rapid response to, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as required under the International Health Regulations (IHR 2005). The regional plan is aligned with the WHO global 2019 novel coronavirus strategic preparedness and response plan, but tailored to the regional context.
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Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak
This guide focuses on three main areas: how to support a person whose condition warrants home care because of non-severe symptoms and home care is recommended by local jurisdictions; how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the home; and how to provide emotional support to family members. While this... manual provides information on danger signs of COVID-19, it should not be used as a guide for when and how a person who has COVID-19 (or its symptoms) should seek medical care. All content adapted to different countries should reflect local policy guidelines and recommendations.
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This document provides the specifications for major pesticide application equipment used for control of vectors of diseases. The specification guidelines contained herein are intended to assist national authorities and other public health users in selecting equipment of assured quality for applicati...on of pesticides for vector control.
The test methods described herein are intended to assess whether the equipment will function for a minimum of three years with appropriate routine maintenance according to the manufacturer’s label instructions. Manufacturers shall be requested to provide warranty against manufacturing defects with guaranteed after-sales service on the equipment, any certification required by national authorities regarding materials used in the construction of the equipment, and results of tests that have been carried out for compliance with national or international specifications.
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Policy brief, 24 July 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected older people disproportionately, especially those living in long-term care facilities. In many countries, evidence shows that more than 40% of COVID-19 related deaths have been linked to long-term care facilities, with figures being as h...igh as 80% in some high-income countries. Concerted action is needed to mitigate the impact across all aspects of long-term care, including home- and community-based care, given that most users and providers of care are those who are vulnerable to severe COVID-19.
This policy brief provides 11 policy objectives and key action points to prevent and manage COVID-19 across long-term care. Its intended audience is policy makers and authorities (national, subnational and local) involved in the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief builds on currently available evidence on the measures taken to prevent, prepare for and respond to the COVID‑19 pandemic across long-term care services including care providers
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Ensure effective and coordinated public health emergency preparedness and response using a One Health approach
The new Global AIDS Strategy 2021--2026, End Inequalities, End AIDS, is a bold approach that uses an inequalities lens to close the gaps preventing progress to end AIDS
The assistive technology capacity assessment (ATA-C) is a system-level tool to evaluate a country’s capacity to finance, regulate, procure and provide assistive technology. It can be used for awareness raising, policy and programme design, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation. This manual provide...s guidance and practical information on the ATA-C implementation process. The ATA-C is intended to be implemented by an experienced team, in collaboration with relevant ministries and users’ organizations.
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Suicide mortality in the Region of the Americas. Regional Report 2015-2019
Este informe, que se publica cada cinco años. brinda datos actualizados sobre el suicidio en la Región de las Américas. Esta cuarta edición, además de incluir análisis similares a los realizados previamente (suicidio p...or edad, sexo y métodos utilizados), utiliza técnicas de estadística descriptiva para caracterizar cuantitativamente la mortalidad por suicidio y su distribución por grupo etario y sexo, así como los años de vida perdidos, por país, subregión y región, para el período 2015-2019.
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Rev Panam Salud Publica 45, 2021 |
During the 17 years since Surgical approaches to the urogenital manifestations of lymphatic filariasis was first published, there has been heightened awareness of the physical, economic and emotional burden of the genitourinary manifestations of filariasis. With the impetus to provide better guidanc...e for care of those suffering from LF, this update was both warranted and timely.
At the outset, the Committee noted that barriers continue to exist in care of patients affected by LF-associated morbidity. These barriers include lack of information for patients as well as for many healthcare providers, including general surgeons and others within health systems
This update offers a new consensus of the Committee regarding the staging of hydroceles caused by LF, also known as “filariceles”. It recommends integrating LF surgery with other efforts to strengthen surgical care by assessing health facilities for their surgical readiness using the WHO surgical assessment tool or “SAT”. It also recommends integratinghernia surgery with hydrocele surgery and integrating standards for prevention of surgical site infection (SSI).
The update revises recommendations for standard procedures and processes, offers an algorithm for diagnosis (including the use of ultrasound) and discusses postoperative care. It recommends collecting data using the staging and grading system described by Capuano and Capuano along with other metrics for public health management of LF.
A multifaceted approach has therefore been recommended to coordinate public health outreach with national surgical planning and local health systems to include supporting partners such as nongovernmental organizations. Surgical camps with mobile teams, as well as training of personnel at DCP3 “first level” or WHO Level II hospitals (depending on region and resources), have important roles for reducing LF morbidity.
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The application of digital health technology is growing at a rapid rate in Africa, with the goals of improving the delivery of healthcare services and more effectively reaching out to remote and underserved communities. The lack of enabling guidelines and standards across the continent, on the other... hand, makes it difficult to share data in a meaningful way across the continent.
Considering this, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) established a task force of 24 members to provide expertise and guidance in the development of AU HIE guidelines and standards. Members of the task force were subject matter experts working in Africa and internationally on the collection, analysis, and exchange of health information. Some of these experts had been involved in previous consultations on defining Africa CDC’s health information systems strategy. A chairperson, co-chairperson, and secretary were elected to engage the task force members in different technical working groups.
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Accessed: 21.03.2019
mhGAP Training Manual for the mhGAP Intervention Guide for mental, neurological and substance use disorders in non-specialized health settings – version 2.0 (for field testing)
This integrated operational framework provides an overview of the connections between mental health, neurological and substance use (MNS) conditions, and their links to health, well-being and the broader public health and sustainable development agenda. The need for integrated approaches is increasi...ngly recognized as critical to address the complex interactions between mental health, brain health, substance use, and physical health, particularly in light of global threats such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The framework also provides a series of actions for governments and health service planners and advisors to achieve integration across four domains: leadership and governance; care services; promotion and prevention; and health information systems, evidence generation and research.
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Best Practice for the Care of Patients with Tuberculosis: a Guide for Low-Income CountriesThe practical aspects of TB patient care from the onset of symptoms to the completion of treatment are covered in this guide.
The report notes that the number of people in need of one or more assistive products is likely to rise to 3.5 billion by 2050, due to populations ageing and the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases rising across the world. The report also highlights the vast gap in access between low- and high-inc...ome countries. An analysis of 35 countries reveals that access varies from 3% in poorer nations to 90% in wealthy countries.
Affordability is a major barrier to access, the report notes. Around two thirds of people with assistive products reported out-of-pocket payments for them. Others reported relying on family and friends to financially support their needs.
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Together we can Prevent and Control the World's Most Common Diseases
Objectives of the training manual
(1) To improve knowledge of NCD trends, burdens, as well as systems for management and monitoring of NCD services for Township Medical Officers (TMOs), Township Public Health Officers (TP...HOs), Medical Officers (MOs). The manual can also be used for training of Basic Health staff (BHS), TMOs, TPHOs and MOs,
(2) To equip trainers to train BHS to conduct PEN protocols at the primary care level health centers,
(3) To equip trainers to train in processes to conduct PEN scaling up monitoring , supervision and evaluation activities.
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