Key Populations Brief
Accessed November 2017
The policy brief focuses on four key areas for intervention - air pollution, energy, transport and food systems. Air pollution causes 7 million deaths annually, and is a leading cause of both NCDs and climate change, thus all interventions to reduce air pollution have a positive impact on both human... and planetary health. In the energy sector, transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is if vital importance to improving health, with mortality rates due to coal-generated electricity 1,000 times higher than for wind-generated electricity.
Promoting active transport such as walking and cycling in place of motorised transport has the dual benefit of reducing both air pollution and physical activity. Livestock production alone accounts for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, with added emissions from food which are highly process and transported over long distances, and thus locally sourced plant based diets both prevent NCDs and promote human and planetary health.
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While there has been real progress in addressing the burden of disease in the WHO African region, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the link between health, economics and security, as the region saw decades of progress threatened, including positive trends in decreasing inequality. In the Africa...n Region the momentum towards achieving the 2030 SDG disease burden reduction targets (SDG targets 3.3, 3.4 and 3B) has stalled.
The COVID-19 pandemic was also a major threat to gains made, such as the eradication of polio in the region, declared in 2020; reduced numbers of new HIV infections in 2021 compared to 2010; and passing the 2020 milestone of the End TB Strategy, with a 22% reduction in new cases compared with 2015. However, the pandemic also disrupted essential health services in 92% of countries globally, 22.7 million children missed basic immunization, there was an increase in malaria and TB, and global deaths from TB rose for the first time since 2015.
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The article "Asthma in South African adolescents: a time trend and risk factor analysis over two decades" investigates the prevalence and risk factors for asthma in Cape Town adolescents from 2002 to 2017. The study finds that while the overall prevalence of asthma remained similar, the severity of ...the condition increased significantly. Risk factors for asthma and severe cases include smoking, pet exposure, outdoor pollution, and living in informal housing. Despite these trends, underdiagnosis remains a concern, as only one-third of adolescents with current or severe asthma had been formally diagnosed. The article emphasizes the need for better public health strategies to address environmental exposures and improve asthma diagnosis and treatment.
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The global prevalence, morbidity and mortality related to childhood asthma among children has increased significantly over the last 40 years. Although asthma is recognized as the most common chronic disease in children, issues of underdiagnosis and undertreatment persist. There are substantial globa...l variations in the prevalence of asthma symptoms in children, with up to 13-fold differences between countries. The rising number of hospital admissions for asthma may reflect an increase in asthma severity, poor disease management and/or the effect of poverty. The financial burden of asthma is relatively high within developed countries (those for which data is available) spending 1 to 2% of their healthcare budget on this condition. Established in 1989, the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) attempts to raise awareness about the increasing prevalence of asthma, improve management and reduce the burden of asthma worldwide. Despite global efforts, GINA has not achieved its goal, even among developed nations. There are multiple barriers to reducing the global burden of asthma, including limited access to care and/or medications, and lack of prioritization as a public healthcare priority. In addition, the diversity of healthcare systems worldwide and large differences in access to care require that asthma management guidelines be tailored to local needs.
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The Lancet Regional Health Americas Volume 37100832 September 2024
La Estrategia, una vez aplicada, contribuirá a que disminuyan radicalmente las ITS y las muertes relacionadas con dichas infecciones (incluidas las muertes fetales intrauterinas y el cáncer cervicouterino), al tiempo que mejorará la salud individual, la salud sexual de los hombres y las mujeres, ...y el bienestar de las personas en general. Asimismo, guiará los esfuerzos destinados a: acelerar y focalizar las iniciativas de prevención integrales mediante la ampliación de los enfoques comportamentales, biomédicos y estructurales combinados que estén basados en datos científicos; facilitar el acceso de las personas a la información sobre su estado en relación con las ITS; mejorar el acceso a tratamiento y a cuidados integrales a largo plazo cuando sea necesario; y hacer frente a la estigmatización y la discriminación generalizadas. El proyecto de estrategia promueve un enfoque centrado en las personas, basado en los principios de los derechos humanos, la igualdad de género y la equidad sanitaria.
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Можно выделить две формы энкопреза: энкопрез с запором и без запора. Такое разделение крайне важно, так как в основе этих двух форм лежит разная патофизиология, они ...имеют разные клинические признаки, и в отношении них применяются разные подходы в лечении (т.е. вторая форма энкопреза не реагирует на применение слабительных, тогда как в лечении первой они игра-ют существенную роль). Цель этой главы – представить обзор практических подходов в диагностике и лечении этих двух подтипов энкопреза.
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As the world population is growing and health care resources are in high demand the pressure on medical services is becoming higher. Developing countries are already at a crisis point in health care provision, and time demands a new approach in structuring medical resources. Primary care is t...he vital pillar for fundamental health care at community level and has been deemed as a cost-effective modality. In the West the primary care physician manages chronic medical conditions in communities and therefore reduces unnecessary hospital admissions. In the West, the primary care system is extremely well organised. Low-income countries must improve teaching, training and funding in primary care. In this article the urgent need for primary care is discussed in developing countries, and ways to minimise costs and improve clinical outcomes at community level.
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The article "A 20-year follow-up study on chronic respiratory effects of exposure to cotton dust" evaluates the long-term impact of cotton dust exposure on respiratory health. It followed a cohort of Chinese cotton and silk workers from 1981 to 2001, comparing lung function and symptoms. Results sho...wed that cotton workers experienced greater declines in lung function and persistent respiratory symptoms compared to silk workers. The study found that exposure to airborne endotoxins in cotton dust was strongly linked to chronic respiratory impairment. It highlighted that stopping exposure helped improve lung function, particularly in non-smoking men, while smokers continued to show negative effects.
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ПЛАНИРОВАНИЕ И МОНИТОРИНГ ПРОГРЕССА НА ПУТИ К ЭЛИМИНАЦИИ
The Road Map outlines various strategies which will guide policy makers, development partners, training institutions and service providers in supporting Government efforts towards the attainment of MDGs related to maternal and neonatal health.
Organización Mundial de la Salud. (2011). Medios auxiliares para el diagnóstico microscópico del paludismo.