Developmental disabilities are common. Yet, children with developmental disabilities have been neglected in health systems planning and policy provisions for health and continue to experience stigmatization, institutionalization, barriers to access health care and inequalities in health and educatio...n outcomes.
Using findings from research and practice and guided by the tenets of international human rights conventions, this WHO-UNICEF Global Report on children with developmental disabilities provides principles and approaches to intentionally include the needs and aspirations of children and young people with developmental disabilities in policy, programming and public health monitoring. It makes the case for greater accountability and proposes 10 priority actions to accelerate changes towards inclusive environments and responsive multisectoral care systems for children with developmental disabilities.
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This document provides an overview of sexual and reproductive health and rights issues that may be important for the human rights, health and well-being of adolescents (aged 10–19 years) and the relevant World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on how to address them in an easilyaccessible, user...-friendly format. The document serves as a gateway to the rich body of WHO guidelines, and as a handy resource to inform advocacy, policy and programme/project design and research. It aims to support the implementation of the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health 2016–2030 (1), and is aligned with the WHO Global Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (AA-HA!) as well as the WHO Operational Framework on Sexual Health and Its Linkages to Reproductive Health (2,3).
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Since March, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted operations and required a different approach to communication with communities.
UNHCR communication channels have been rapidly enhanced and enlarged to ensure the continued provision of vital health and protection information.
In health emergencies as in periods of stability, restoring access to primary health-care services is a priority in so far as many health problems can be dealt with by means of preventive care and
conventional therapy. Depending on the context, the ICRC must often take action in this area, taking i...nto account the level of emergency, the involvement of other actors, the possible evolution of the situation and the organization's operational strategies.
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Applicable to both IDP and refugee scenarios, the Toolkit incorporates a wide range of relevant information on managing displaced populations living in communal settings (collective centres, spontaneous sites, established camps, etc.). Large scale displacements caused by recent conflict and natural ...disaster events have created a high demand for the Toolkit, which has proven an invaluable resource for field practitioners, government actors and displaced populations since its original release in 2004.
Available in other languages
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Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) is an essential part of any disease outbreak response. Risk communication in the context of an Ebola outbreak refers to real time exchange of information, opinion and advice between frontline responders and people who are faced with the threat of Eb...ola to their survival, health, economic or social wellbeing. Community engagement refers to mutual partnership between Ebola response teams and individuals or communities in affected areas, whereby community stakeholders have ownership in controlling the spread of the outbreak.
It is intended to be used to guide RCCE work which is central to stopping the outbreak and preventing its further amplification. Unlike other areas of response, RCCE draws heavily on volunteers, frontline personnel and on people without prior training in this area. As such, the document provides basic background information, scopes the socio-economic and cultural aspects (that are known at the time of publication), and provides the latest evidence-based advice and approaches
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Overview
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders globally. The WHO epilepsy technical brief aims to strengthen action for epilepsy and complements the Intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders 2022–2031.
The technical bri...ef presents the key information on epilepsy and recommends actions to policy makers and other stakeholders. Using the concept of levers for change introduced by the Operational Framework for Primary Health Care, it identifies actions on the policy and operational levels that stakeholders should take to strengthen services for people with epilepsy using a person-centered approach based on human rights and universal health coverage.
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Tools and practical guidance for achieving high uptake
Schistosomiasis is widely recognized as a disease that is socially determined. An understanding of the social and behavioural factors linked to disease transmission and control should play a vital role in designing policies and strategies for schistosomiasis prevention and control. To this must be a...dded the awareness that schistosomiasis is also a disease of poverty. It still survives in poverty-stricken, remote areas where there is little or no safe water or sanitation, and health care is scarce or non-existent. For a variety of complex reasons, many of which are addressed in this book, the disease is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, and persists in certain areas of rural China. This concern for human behaviour in an environment of poverty echoes the concerns of the new research priority for “diseases of poverty” identified by the Special Programme for Research & Training in Tropical Diseases.
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Best practices” are exemplary public health practices that have achieved results, and which need to be scaled up so as to benefit more people. The expansion and institutionalization of successfully tested best practices requires strategic planning. There are several creative and constructive actio...ns by people and organizations in the health sector to improve the health outcomes of people.
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Last Mile delivery presents a unique challenge in making health commodities available in the developing world. This guide, designed for in-country practitioners and decisionmakers, uses a range of real world examples to support selection and design of last mile distribution approaches which respond ...to specific challenges.
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A policy brief on the organization of prison health
A manual for developing national action plans.This manual for developing national action plans to address antimicrobial resistance has been developed at the request of the World Health Assembly to assist countries in the initial phase of developing new, or refining existing national action plans in ...line with the strategic objectives of the Global Action Plan. It proposes an incremental approach that countries can adapt to the specific needs, circumstances and available resources of each individual country. Details of actions to be taken will vary according to national contexts
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mhGAP is based on evidence-based technical guidelines (4) and provides a set of tools and
training packages to extend service provision. The mhGAP Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG)
for MNS disorders in non-specialized health settings (8) is a clinical decision-making tool
for assessing and managing p...riority MNS conditions (depression, psychoses, epilepsy, child
and adolescent mental and behavioural disorders, dementia, disorders due to substance
use, self-harm and suicide).
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The meeting was held from 26 to 27 March 2018 to review and discuss the following topics:
Advances and challenges in the use of fTLC, and new approaches to detecting mycolactone using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).
The status of development of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) targeting the MUL..._3720 protein.
The role of PCR as a reference test, and hurdles in providing a confirmatory diagnosis and in establishing a quality assurance programme.
New molecular tools with potential for implementation at a level lower than in the national or regional reference laboratory, such as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA).
The need to harmonize and standardize methods for collection and preparation of specimens, so samples can be referred for diagnosis and stored for evaluation of new diagnostic tests in optimal conditions.
Barriers to accessing early diagnosis and treatment, including coordination at the programme level, and lack of adequate diagnostic tools.
Defining target product profiles (TPPs) to guide the development of new diagnostic tools that can be applied at different levels of the health system. Participants agreed that two TPPs would be developed to address the current gaps: (i) a rapid test for BU diagnosis at the primary health-care level; and (ii) a test for diagnosis of BU that can also assist in treatment monitoring and differential diagnosis at the district hospital or reference centre.
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The WHO report on health preparedness for El Niño 2015-2016 describes the impact of this weather phenomenon on global public health. Strong El Niño events lead to extreme weather conditions, including droughts, floods, and storms, which increase the risk of diseases such as cholera, malaria, and d...engue fever. Particularly affected regions include Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, where water and food shortages and disease outbreaks are becoming more frequent.
The WHO supports countries through risk assessments, emergency plans, and disease surveillance to prevent outbreaks. Recommended measures include early warning systems, health preparedness in vulnerable areas, and better coordination between health and meteorological services to minimize the negative effects of El Niño on public health.
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The availability of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in health care facilities, especially in maternity and primary-care settings where they are often absent, supports core aspects of quality, equity and dignity for all people. This document describes an approach for conducting a nation...al situational analysis of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as a basis for improving quality of care. This document describes the process from the initial preparatory stages, including triggers for action, through data collection and analysis to the dissemination of results. Each element of the approach is described and possible limitations and mechanisms to mitigate these are explored.
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As countries commit to achieving universal health coverage, it is imperative to ensure that the design and delivery of palliative care services place attention on quality of care, with action needed across all domains of quality health services: effectiveness, safety, people-centredness, timeliness,... equity, integration and efficiency. Providing compassionate, dignified and people-centred palliative care is an ethical responsibility of health systems.
This document provides a practical resource to support implementation of sustainable improvements in the quality of palliative care. It describes approaches to quality policy, strategy and planning for palliative care programmes and services, presents learning on quality of care arising from palliative care programmes, and offers considerations on measurement of quality palliative care services at all levels of the health system. The document also highlights relevant WHO resources available that further support the development of quality palliative care services.
The audience for this document is a general one that includes policy-makers, palliative care service planners, managers, practitioners and health care providers at all levels.
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Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) experience a high disease burden for epilepsy, a chronic neurological condition.The authors evaluate the cost-effectiveness of community health workers (CHWs) to improve adherence to medication for epilepsy in South Africa. They found that utilizing CHWs to i...mprove medication adherence was cost-effective.
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