the aid library

Cardiovascular diseases in Africa in the twenty-first century: Gaps and priorities going forward

Minja, N.W.; Nakagaayi, D.; Aliku, T. et al. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine (2022) CC

In 2015, the United Nations set important targets to reduce premature cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths by 33% by 2030. Africa disproportionately bears the brunt of CVD burden and has one of the highest risks of dying from non-communicable diseases ... (NCDs) worldwide. There is currently an epidemiological transition on the continent, where NCDs is projected to outpace communicable diseases within the current decade. Unchecked increases in CVD risk factors have contributed to the growing burden of three major CVDs—hypertension, cardiomyopathies, and atherosclerotic diseasesleading to devastating rates of stroke and heart failure. The highest age standardized disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) due to hypertensive heart disease (HHD) were recorded in Africa. The contributory causes of heart failure are changing—whilst HHD and cardiomyopathies still dominate, ischemic heart disease is rapidly becoming a significant contributor, whilst rheumatic heart disease (RHD) has shown a gradual decline. In a continent where health systems are traditionally geared toward addressing communicable diseases, several gaps exist to adequately meet the growing demand imposed by CVDs. Among these, high-quality research to inform interventions, underfunded health systems with high out-of-pocket costs, limited accessibility and affordability of essential medicines, CVD preventive services, and skill shortages. Overall, the African continent progress toward a third reduction in premature mortality come 2030 is lagging behind. More can be done in the arena of effective policy implementation for risk factor reduction and CVD prevention, increasing health financing and focusing on strengthening primary health care services for prevention and treatment of CVDs, whilst ensuring availability and affordability of quality medicines. Further, investing in systematic country data collection and research outputs will improve the accuracy of the burden of disease data and inform policy adoption on interventions. This review summarizes the current CVD burden, important gaps in cardiovascular medicine in Africa, and further highlights priority areas where efforts could be intensified in the next decade with potential to improve the current rate of progress toward achieving a 33% reduction in CVD mortality. more

Global surveillance, prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases - a comprehensive approach

Bousquet, J.; Khaltaev, N. (2007) C_WHO

Chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kill more than four million people every year and affect hundreds of millions more. These diseases erode th ... more

Neglected and Unprotected

Human Rights Watch (2017) C1

The Impact of the Zika Outbreak on Women and Girls in Northeastern Brazil

Primary Health Care As An Enabler For “Ending The Epidemics” Of High-Impact Communicable Diseases

World Health Organization WHO (2018) C_WHO

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) showed that global commitment and collective action could significantly reduce the disease burdens of three deadly communicable diseases: HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. The MDGs helped focus eff ... more

Malawi National STEPS Survey for Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases and their Risk Factors

Ministry of Health, Malawi; World Health Organization (WHO) (2010) C_WHO

Final Report

Zoonotic diseases of public health importance

National Institue of communicable Diseases, India (1998) C1

Introducing One Health to the ethical debate about zoonontic diseases in Southeast Asia

Capps, B.; M.M. Bailey, D. Bickford et al. Bioethics (2015) CC

Bioethics 519 (online) doi:10.1111/bioe.12145 Volume 29 Number 8 2015 pp. 488–596; Pandemic plans recommend phases of response to an emergent infectious disease (EID) outbreak, and are primarily aimed at preventing and mitigating human-to-human transmission. These plans carry presumptive weight ... more

A global brief on vector-borne diseases

World Health Organization (2014) C_WHO

With this World Health Day, WHO is drawing attention to a group of diseases that are spread by insects and other vectors, the heavy health and economic burdens they impose, and what needs to be done to reduce these burdens. Many of these ... more

Child labour report 2017 - The Neglected Link: effects of climate change and environmental degradation on child labour

Lisa Myers, Laura Theytaz-Bergman Terre des hommes (2017) C1

Over half a billion children are living in areas with extremely high levels of floods and nearly 160 million children live in areas of high or extremely high droughts. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 26% of the annual 6.6 million deaths of children under five are linked to environ ... more

ECOSOC Meeting “Addressing noncommunicable diseases and mental health: major challenges to sustainable development in the 21st century”

World Health Organization (2009) C_WHO

Discussion Paper "Mental health, poverty and development", July 2009

2nd International Conference on Re-emerging Infectious Diseases: Scientific Report

African Union; Africa CDC Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Africa CDC (2019) C_CDC

In 2007, WHO warned that infectious diseases are emerging and re-emerging at a rate that has not been seen before. The potential for infectious diseases to spread rapidly results in high morbidity a ... more

Nigeria: National Policy And Strategic Plan of Action On Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria (2013) C1

Comparing priority received by global health issues: a measurement framework applied to tuberculosis, malaria, diarrhoeal diseases and dengue fever

Parashar R., Nanda S., Smith S.L., et al. BMJ Global Health (2024) CC

The relative priority received by issues in global health agendas is subjected to impressionistic claims in the absence of objective methods of assessment of priority. To build an approach for conducting structured assessments of comparative priority health issues receive, we expand the public ... more

WHO guidelines for clinical management of arboviral diseases: dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2025) C_WHO

The new WHO guidelines provide clinical management recommendations for four of the most widespread arboviruses affecting humans: dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever. An integrated approach is vital, as these four diseases often present wi ... more

DHR-ICMR GUIDELINES FOR DIAGNOSIS AND MANAGEMENT OF RICKETTSIAL DISEASES IN INDIA

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) (2015) C1

The present DHR-ICMR guidelines comprehensively address the various concerns regarding the clinical assessment, treatment, and laboratory diagnosis of rickettsial diseases in India and the world. It is hoped that physicians, health care workers, the ... more

National Policy and Strategic Plan of Action on Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Nigeria

Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria (2013) CC

As part of our commitment to the fight against NCDs, Nigeria was signatory to the political declaration at the UN General Assembly High Level Meeting on NCDs in September 2011. Thus, the purpose of this document is to develop and ensure the implementation of policies and p ... more

Diagnosis and Clinical Management of Chagas Disease: An Increasing Challenge in Non-Endemic Areas

Suárez, C., Nolder, D., García-Mingo, A. Research and reports in tropical medicine (2022) CC

Research and Reports in Tropical Medicine 2022:13 25–40. Chagas disease (CD) is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, and it is endemic in Central, South America, Mexico and the South of the United States. It is an important cause of early mo ... more

What does the next 25 years hold for global health?

S. Marzouk and H. Choi Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (2019) CC

Analysis of survey data looking at 25 years of progress in and the future challenges for tropical medicine and global health