Genomic sequencing has been an essential tool in generating virological data, driving the laboratory response, and better understanding the dispersal and evolutionary patterns of SARS-CoV-2. In addition to the characterization of the global circulation patterns, early detection of SARS-CoV-2 variant...s inside each country is critical to complement the epidemiological and virological surveillance
9 February 2021
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This web application serves as a planning tool for COVID-19 outbreaks in communities across the world. It implements a simple SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) model with additional categories for individuals exposed to the virus that are not yet infectious, severely sick people in need of hospit...alization, people in critical condition, and a fatal category.
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Online interactive electronic ICF-based Documentation Tool. To facilitate the use of ICF Core Sets, a manual outlining one approach for using them in clinical practice was published in 2012, including an accompanying electronic documentation tool www.icf-core-sets.org. This tool is currently availab...le in English, French, German, Spanish, Finnish, and Chinese. A detailed instruction of how to use this documentation form and background information about ICF Core Sets can be found in ICF Core Sets: Manual for Clinical Practice.
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A cardiac risk calculator is a screening tool to assess your future risk of cardiovascular disease. It uses personal health information to evaluate heart health.
The WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist is a tool intended to improve the quality of care for women and babies at the time of childbirth. The Checklist is an organized list of evidence-based essential birth practices targeting major causes of maternal deaths, intrapartum-related stillbirths and neonatal d...eaths that occur in facilities around the world. An implementation guide has been developed alongside this Checklist to help facilities successfully implement it.
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The BeatChagas platform is a tool developed by the Technical Group of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) for Chagas Disease (TG6-IEC Chagas), part of the Chagas Disease Control Program by the World Health Organization (WHO). The purpose of this platform is to share information about the... TG6-IEC group’s activities.
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This comic book is a children-friendly tool to support school safety, to raise awareness and prevention of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, zika and chikungunya, with the key messages: clean up, cover up and keep it up.
Available in Lao, Khmer and Vietnamese
This comic book is a children-friendly tool to support school safety, to raise awareness and protect communities against malaria. The comic is available in English, Khmer, Lao, Burmese and Vietnamese
The Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Assessment Framework (IPCAF) is a tool to support the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines on core components of IPC programmes at the acute health care facility level. The user should be familiar with the contents of these guide...lines, including the Interim practical manual supporting the implementation of the IPC core components at the facility level before using this tool. The IPCAF is a systematic tool that can provide a baseline assessment of the IPC programme and activities within a health care facility, as well as ongoing evaluations through repeated administration to document progress over time and facilitate improvement.
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Because of the limited access to more powerful diagnostic tools, there is a paucity of data regarding the burden of fungal infections in Burkina Faso. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence and prevalence of serious fungal infections in this sub-Saharan country. We primarily used the na...tional demographic data and performed a PubMed search to retrieve all published papers on fungal infections from Burkina Faso and its surrounding West African countries. Considering the prevalence of HIV infection (0.8% of the population) and a 3.4% incidence of cryptococcosis in hospitals, it is estimated that 459 patients per year develop cryptococcosis. For pneumocystosis, it is suggested that 1013 new cases occur every year. Taking into account the local TB frequency (population prevalence at 0.052%), we estimate the prevalence of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis at 1120 cases. Severe forms of asthma with fungal sensitization and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis are estimated to affect 7429 and 5628 cases, respectively. Vulvovaginal candidiasis may affect 179,000 women, and almost 1,000,000 children may suffer from tinea capitis. Globally, we estimate that roughly 1.4 million people in Burkina Faso (7.51% of the population) suffer from a serious fungal infection. These data should be used to drive future epidemiological studies, diagnostic approaches, and therapeutic strategies.
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The training you receive will give you the tools you need to feel confident about broaching the subject with your patients. Reviewing the materials the job aids, especially job aids 4a and 7a, can help refresh your knowledge in the months and years ahead. Remember, with practice over time, you will ...find it easier to recognize the signs and symptoms associated with IPV and to know how to ask questions with empathy.
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Adaptable guidance, tools, trainings, and advocacy materials are being developed to support countries in preparing for COVID-19 vaccination. Please visit this page regularly for updates.
This toolkit is a comprehensive set of practical tools and resources designed to support country-level risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) practitioners, decision-makers, and partners to plan and implement readiness and response activities for dengue fever outbreaks. The toolkit conta...ins: information about dengue fever; RCCE considerations for how to approach key issues during dengue fever outbreaks; tools for understanding the context in which dengue fever outbreaks occur; methods for collecting data to inform strategy development and bring evidence into planning and implementation of activities; guidance to support vector control and prevention activities; case studies; and links to existing RCCE tools and training. It is one of a suite of toolkits on RCCE readiness and response to a range of disease and response areas.
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The Hand Hygiene Self-Assessment Framework is a systematic tool with which to obtain a situation analysis of hand hygiene promotion and practices within an individual health-care facility.
The Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT) presents a framework and acts as a guide to support multisectoral action to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in health care. Central to the WASH FIT methodology is training and incremental improvements.
Implementat...ion of WASH FIT requires six preparatory steps at the national level, one of which is conducting national sensitization and training of trainers, followed by facility-level training. At the facility level, step 1 (of five) involves establishing and training a WASH FIT team.
The WASH FIT methodology is outlined in WASH FIT: A practical guide for improving quality of care through water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities. Second edition. (the WASH FIT guide), which includes a set of templates designed to help users with each phase of the improvement cycle.
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The target audience of this document (and the associated online companion tool) includes WHO country offices
in Member States of the African Region; Member States’ ministries of health and their public health emergency
operation centres; relevant external assessment teams; and partners looking... to identify preparedness gaps and
support interventions that help address them. In the event of a suspected or confirmed VHF case, the document also serves to provide any intervening partner with a sense of what structures should be in place, in order to guide
scale-up activities in line with regional and national plans.
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The Table Top (TTX) COVID-19 exercise is a tool that has been developed to assist Governments and Agencies in the process of strengthening plans and policies with the intention of being able to identify and contain and outbreak of COVID19 in the country. The TTX Simulation is designed to support the... use of the “WHO Operational Readiness Benchmarks for COVID-19” (see in reference documents provided). This exercise uses the scenario of an imported case, as the base for a detailed discussion guided by the exercise facilitator.
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The INEE Minimum Standards Handbook is the only global tool that articulates the minimum level of educational quality and access in emergencies through to recovery. The Minimum Standards express a commitment that all individuals—children, youth and adults—have a right to education.
There are... different languages available: Arabic, Azerbajan, Bahsa Indonesia, Bengali, Bosnian, Coratian, Serbian, Chinese, English, French, Japanese, Krygyz, Nepali, Pashto, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Urdu, Turkish, Vietnamese
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Fully functioning water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and health care waste management services are a critical aspect of infection prevention and control (IPC) practices, and ensuring patient safety and quality of care. Such services are also essential for creating an environment that supports the dig...nity and human rights of all care seekers, especially mothers, newborns, children and care providers.
WASH and waste services are also critical for preventing and effectively responding to disease outbreaks. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed gaps in these basic services (Box 1). These gaps threaten the safety of patients and caregivers, and have environmental consequences, especially as a result of large increases in plastic health care waste. In short, WASH is a critical foundation for improving quality across the health system (1).
Many facilities lack plans and budgets for WASH, which has impacts on IPC. This lack of services, and of systems to improve them, compromises the ability to provide safe and quality care, and places health care providers and those seeking care at substantial risk of infection and loss of dignity. Unhygienic health care facilities without drinking water or functional toilets are also a disincentive to seeking care and undermine staff morale – these factors can have a critical impact on controlling infectious disease outbreaks.
Climate change and its impacts on WASH and health services, gender-specific needs, and equity in service provision and management all require rigorous attention, adaptable tools and regular monitoring.
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