Malaria in pregnancy is a significant health problem in malaria-endemic areas. It not only causes substantial childhood morbidity and mortality but also increases the risks of adverse events for pregnant women and their developing fetuses. Most of the burden in these areas is due to infection with P...lasmodium falciparum. Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) has been recommended as first-line treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in all populations, including pregnant women in their second and third trimesters, since 2006. However, for women in their first trimester of pregnancy, WHO recommended as first-line treatment a combination of quinine and clindamycin.
Based on a review of the evidence conducted in 2022, WHO now recommends artemether–lumefantrine, the ACT with the most human safety data available, as the preferred treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in the first trimester of pregnancy. This document presents all relevant evidence on the effects and safety in early pregnancy of artemisinins and partner medicines used in ACTs from both studies in experimental animals and observational studies in humans.
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This document is for public health specialists, health emergency responders, clinicians, health facility managers, health and care workers and IPC practitioners including but not limited to those working in primary care clinics, sexual health clinics, emergency departments, dental practices, infecti...ous diseases clinics, genitourinary clinics, maternity services, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology and acute care facilities that provide care for patients with suspected or confirmed mpox.
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ith a view to support the monitoring and reporting on the denial of humanitarian access against children, the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict and UNICEF publish today* a guidance note offering new tools to practitioners to better address ...this violation of children's rights in conflict situations. The Denial of Humanitarian Access (DHA) is one of six grave violations against children monitored by the United Nations in the framework of its Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC
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This document by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) highlights the significant burden of malaria on children worldwide, emphasizing the need for effective prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies. It reviews current challenges and progress in combating pediatric malaria, advocating for conti...nued research and investment to reduce malaria-related morbidity and mortality in children, especially in high-burden regions.
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The WHO guidelines for malaria bring together the Organization’s most up-to-date recommendations for malaria in one user-friendly and easy-to-navigate online platform.
The WHO guidelines for malaria bring together the Organization’s most up-to-date recommendations for malaria in one user-frie...ndly and easy-to-navigate online platform. The Guidelines supersedes 2 previous WHO publications: the Guidelines for the treatment of malaria, third edition and the Guidelines for malaria vector control. Recommendations on malaria will continue to be reviewed and, where appropriate, updated based on the latest available evidence. Any updated recommendations will always display the date of the most recent revision in the MAGICapp platform. With each update, a new PDF version of the consolidated guidelines will also be available for download on the WHO website.
This version of the Guidelines includes an updated recommendation for malaria vaccines, new recommendations on the use of near-patients qualitative and semiquantitative G6PD tests to guide anti-relapse treatment of P. vivax and P. ovale, updated recommendations on primaquine and the recommendation on the use of tafenoquine. It replaces the versions published on 16 February 2021, 13 July 2021, 18 February 2022, 31 March 2022, 3 June 2022, 25 November 2022, 14 March 2023 and 16 October 2023.
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This second edition of the Basic Malaria Microscopy package is a stand-alone product,
providing all that is needed to conduct a complete training course
Relapsing malaria caused by Plasmodium vivax parasites poses a significant challenge to global malaria elimination efforts. About one third of the population remains at risk of contracting P. vivax malaria, and 85% of P. vivax infections stem from reactivated latent parasites, leading to chronic ana...emia and increased morbidity and mortality. In addition to diagnostic tools that can detect the acute, blood-stage of P. vivax, new tools are needed to detect the dormant infections before they reactivate and contribute to morbidity and onwards transmission
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The aim of this protocol is to support the conduct of entomological comparative efficacy assessments for vector control products and the associated non-inferiority analysis. This evidence is used to inform discussions within the guidelines development context as to whether a new vector control prod...uct should be considered as covered by one or more existing WHO recommendations or not. Alternatively, the evidence may inform the extension of an existing WHO recommendation or the development of a new one, provided that non-inferiority is demonstrated
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According to the WHO, there were an estimated 251 million malaria cases (95% of global cases) and 579,414 malaria deaths (97% of global deaths) in African Union Member States in 2023. 76% of these deaths were children under the age of five.
The Manual for Indoor Residual Spraying in Urban Areas for Aedes aegypti Control is intended not only for operational personnel and middle and senior management of programs responsible for the prevention and control of Aedes-borne diseases, but also for the academic community involved in Aedes resea...rch, private pest control personnel, and the general public.
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A historic funding crisis is threatening to unravel decades of progress unless countries can make radical shifts to HIV programming and funding. The report highlights the impact that the sudden, large-scale funding cuts from international donors are having on countries most affected by HIV. Yet it a...lso showcases some inspiring examples of resilience, with countries and communities stepping up in the face of adversity to protect the gains made and drive the HIV response forward.
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The Manual for Parasitological Surveillance in Prevention of Reintroduction or Re-establishment of Malaria in Sri Lanka (2019) provides guidelines to health professionals on how to conduct effective malaria surveillance to prevent the reintroduction of the disease in Sri Lanka, which was certified m...alaria-free in 2016.
The manual outlines strategies for active and passive case detection, laboratory diagnosis, case investigation, foci investigation, and follow-up measures. It emphasizes targeted screening of high-risk populations, including travelers and migrant workers, and explains the importance of prompt reporting, accurate parasitological confirmation, and coordination between healthcare levels. The overall goal is to maintain Sri Lanka’s malaria-free status by ensuring early detection and rapid response to any imported or locally suspected malaria cases.
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This guidance covers different options for banning or phasing out a pesticide and suggests related risk reduction measures to be taken during the phase-out period. A key focus of this guidance is how to take action to manage, prevent, minimize, and communicate about identified risks during the imple...mentation of a phase-out strategy. It contains a description of legal aspects to consider when phasing out a product and illustrates how a risk communication plan can be structured and implemented. How different stakeholders may be involved when a pesticide is going to be phased out is also described.
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This publication provides guidance for planning country-specific programming to achieve the triple elimination of mother-to-child (or vertical) transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B virus. It is based on the WHO Triple Elimination Framework, which promotes an integrated, person-centred appro...ach to efficiently and holistically prevent transmission of these infections from mothers to their infants along four pillars.
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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 with similar symptoms, especially in the early stages... of infection, and multiple arboviruses may circulate simultaneously in certain regions. This makes clinical differentiation challenging, particularly where diagnostic testing is not readily available.
This guideline is available in online format on the MAGICapp platform
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More than a quarter of the global population still cook meals over open fires and/or on simple stoves fuelled by firewood, agricultural waste, dried dung, charcoal, and coal. This practice results in the emission of harmful and dangerously high levels of household air pollution.
Exposure to this h...ousehold air pollution has been estimated to cause around 3.2 million deaths annually in 2019; these emissions also worsen ambient air quality, alter the global climate, have gendered livelihood impacts, and degrade the local environment.
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Exposure to air pollution has significant adverse health effects, leading to nearly 1 in every 8 deaths globally. Air pollution affects all age groups, from unborn children to older people, in both high- and low-income nations.
The objective of this guideline is to present the complete set of all WHO recommendations and best practice statements relating to abortion. While legal, regulatory, policy and service-delivery contexts may vary from country to country, the recommendations and best practices described in this docume...nt aim to enable evidence-based decision-making with respect to quality abortion care.
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This publication provides an overview of evidence and guidance on the growing challenge of workplace heat stress in the context of climate change. It highlights the health and productivity risks faced by billions of workers, especially in manual labor sectors. The report details the physiological, s...ocioeconomic, and mental health impacts of heat stress and outlines evidence-based strategies for prevention and mitigation. It emphasizes the need for occupational heat action programmes, stakeholder collaboration, and tailored interventions to protect vulnerable workers, reduce productivity losses, and support sustainable development in a warming world.
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On 13 August 2024, the Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC) declared the multi-country mpox outbreak a public health emergency of continental security, with strong recommendations to improve surveillance and vaccine deployment in all AU Member States. On 14 August 2024, the WHO Director-G...eneral declared mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
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