This brief update on tuberculosis (TB) in the African region covers the state of TB in the WHO African region, strategic priorities and targets and the impact of COVID-19 on essential services. This is followed by key figures for the region, the role of WHO in country support and, recognizing the im...portance of diagnosis and drug susceptibility testing, a focus onstrengthening laboratory networks and the regional laboratory and diagnostic objectives. A brief update of the state of the science and how this is funded across the African region is provided, before closing with challenges and opportunities,strategic directions and a brief discussion of funding concerns. Discussions around the drivers of the disease, and issues of the poverty, inequality and stigma that continue to plague those living with TB are fully recognized, but are outside the scope of this report.
more
The burden of mental health conditions in the Region is high and actions are being taken by WHO to address this issue. These include the PARO Declaration (1) by the health ministers of Member States at the Seventy-fifth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia on universal access to... people-centred mental health care and services.
more
Cancer centres are a major resource in ensuring a comprehensive approach to cancer treatment and its planning. As part of a new roadmap developed by WHO and IAEA to help countries design national cancer control programmes, this publication proposes a framework to develop a cancer centre and/or to st...rengthen the provision of services in an existing cancer centre. The publication provides the features of multidisciplinary cancer care and details the infrastructure, human resources and equipment for different services. This framework is expected to be used as a guide to implementation, taking into consideration the local context and resources.
more
This sourcebook aims to detail why health needs to be part of urban and territorial planning and how to make this happen. It brings together two vital elements we need to build habitable cities on a habitable planet: 1) Processes to guide the development of human settlements – in this document ref...erred to as “urban and territorial planning (UTP)”; and 2) concern for human health, well-being and health equity at all levels – from local to global, and from human to planetary health.
This sourcebook identifies a comprehensive selection of existing resources and tools to support the incorporation of health into UTP, including advocacy frameworks, entry points and guidance, as well as tools and illustrative case studies. It does not provide prescriptions for specific scenarios – these should be determined by context, people and available resources.
more
This Teacher’s Guide accompanies the WHO publication Management of wastes from health-care activities . It provides teaching materials and recommendations for a three day training course, designed mainly for managers of health-care establishments, public health professionals and policy makers
Identifying and addressing immunization inequities is core to the success of immunization programmes and will require a collective effort from all parts of the immunization programme, working in partnership with governments and other areas of health. This document provides practical guidance for tho...se working in immunization programmes to help advocate for immunization equity, embed equity as am aim in delivery of immunization programmes, and understand existing inequities by considering: who is left behind; why they were left behind; how we can intervene to resolve and avoid this; and whether our intervention has made a difference.
more
Wheelchair Service Training Package - Basic level | The main purpose of the training package is to develop the minimum skills and knowledge required by personnel involved in wheelchair service delivery. An important aim of the training package is to get it integrated into the regular paramedical/reh...abilitation training programs such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, prosthetics and orthotics, rehabilitation nursing. Towards this, WHO is posting the whole training package in the Website for the training institutes and wheelchair service providers. The easiest way to make use of the training package is to download the complete package (requires 3 GB space).
more
The PDF "COLERA: Informação para Promotores de Saúde" provides essential guidance for health promoters and activists on cholera. It explains that cholera is characterized by severe watery diarrhea, often resembling rice water, and sometimes vomiting. If not treated promptly, it can lead to death ...within hours. The disease affects both adults and children and spreads through contaminated feces, poor hygiene, and unsafe water or food. To prevent cholera, the document emphasizes the importance of drinking treated or safe water, cooking food thoroughly and keeping it covered, washing hands with soap or ash after using the latrine and before handling food, and using proper latrines or sanitary facilities. It also highlights the role of vaccination, recommending the oral cholera vaccine "Shanchol," which requires two doses 2–3 weeks apart. The vaccine is suitable for individuals over one year old, including pregnant women, and has minimal side effects such as mild abdominal pain or diarrhea. This resource aims to empower health promoters with practical knowledge to prevent and manage cholera outbreaks effectively.
more
The Committee examined the clinical development of Ebola virus vaccines and conducted an inventory of available data on their safety. It also reviewed 3 generic issues: updating a global strategy on vaccine safety, use of a network of distributed data ... to monitor the safety of vaccines and case studies of communication about the safety of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.
Weekly epidemiological record/Relevé épidémiologique hebdomadaire 12 JULY 2019, 94th YEAR / 12 JUILLET 2019, 94e ANNÉENo 28, 2019, 94, 309–316
more
Teachers' Exercise Book for HIV Prevention
Document 6.1
This booklet contains all the participatory learning experiences that are included in the Training and Resource Manual on School Health and HIV and AIDS Prevention. It is to be given to all teachers who receive training as part of the EI/WH...O School Health and HIV Prevention Project. Other groups may wish to copy and use the materials in this document to help adults and students prevent HIV infection and related discrimination.
more
Objectifs généraux
1. Partager des informations sur l'avancement de la préparation, y compris les capacités de réponse, les plans et les procédures pour identifier et répondre à des cas de COVID-19 dans votre pays.
2. Identifier les domaines d'interdépendance entre les acteurs de la san...té et d'autres secteurs
3. Mener une analyse des lacunes sur la base du Plan stratégique de préparation et de réponse COVID-19
4. Élaborer un plan d'action pour améliorer votre niveau de préparation, basé sur la liste de contrôle de l'OMS.
more
This situation update is on the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) reported cases and deaths, Globally, Regionally, for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Countries, French Territories, and the United Kingdom Overseas Territories.
This guide is available in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese
This guide consolidates COVID-19 guidance for human resources for health managers and policy-makers at national, subnational and facility levels to design, manage and preserve the workforce necessary to manage the COVI...D-19 pandemic and maintain essential health services.
The guide identifies recommendations to protect, support and empower health workers at individual, management, organizational and system levels.
more
Although Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) have been isolated from a variety of food production animals, they are most commonly associated with ruminants from which we derive meat and milk. Because of the widespread and diverse nature of ruminant-derived food production, coupled with the... near ubiquity of STEC worldwide, there is no single definitive solution for controlling STEC that will work alone or in all situations. Instead, the introduction of multiple interventions applied in sequence, as a “multiple-hurdle scheme” at several points throughout the food chain (including processing, transport and handling) will be most effective.
This report summarizes the review and evaluation of interventions applied for the control of STEC in cattle, raw beef and raw milk and raw milk cheese manufactured from cows’ milk, and also evaluates available evidence for other small ruminants, swine and other animals. The information is presented from primary production, to the end of processing, providing the reader with information on the currently available interventions based on the latest scientific evidence.
This work was undertaken to support the development of guidelines for the control of STEC in beef, raw milk and cheese produced from raw milk by the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH).
more
Throughout the Americas, populations are aging and the Region is undergoing a rapid demographic transition. The aging index, which reflects the size of the older age groups per 100 compared to children under age 15, clearly demonstrates the increase in people aged 60 and older. Compared to global tr...ends, the Region of the Americas will have a larger number of people aged 60 and older than children under 15 by 2030, which is approximately 25 years before the global average. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an unparalleled health crisis around the world. The impact on older persons and those with underlying health conditions has highlighted the challenges of addressing the needs of older populations during a public health emergency. Given this demographic transition it is essential to think about preparedness of systems and services to address this population’s needs, including an increase in emergency planning and protection of older populations.
more
The waves of yellow fever transmission in the Region of the Americas in 2016–2018 involved the largest number of human and epizootic cases to be reported in several decades. Yellow fever is a serious viral hemorrhagic disease that poses a challenge for health professionals. It requires early recog...nition of signs and symptoms, which are often nonspecific, and it can mimic other acute febrile syndromes. Early detection of suspected or confirmed cases, monitoring of vital signs, life support measures, and treatment of acute kidney failure continue to be the recommended strategies for case management. This report is the result of discussions among experienced specialists in the Americas on the clinical management of yellow fever patients, especially during outbreaks and epidemics, in the context of current medical and scientific evidence and taking into account the technical guidelines already available in the countries of the Region. It includes flowcharts for initially addressing patients with clinical suspicion of yellow fever and proposes a minimum package of laboratory tests that may be useful in contexts where resources are limited. In addition, it considers aspects of health system organization for dealing with yellow fever outbreaks and epidemics.
more
The report provides an overview of alcohol consumption, related health harm, and policy responses in 30 European countries (EU Member States, Norway, and Switzerland). It highlights the high levels of alcohol consumption in the WHO European Region, which contribute to a significant disease burden co...mpared to other regions. The report covers trends in alcohol consumption and harm between 2010 and 2016, noting some progress in reducing alcohol-attributable mortality but stagnation in consumption reduction and heavy episodic drinking.
The assessment of alcohol policies shows variability in implementation across countries, particularly in areas like pricing and reducing the negative consequences of drinking. It emphasizes the need for stronger evidence-based policies, such as better regulation, taxation, and accessibility restrictions, to further reduce alcohol-related harm and achieve health-related Sustainable Development Goals.
more
This report is one of the first major products of the newly established Precision Public Health Metrics unit of the UCN cluster of the WHO Regional Office for Africa. The report presents national trends in communicable and non-communicable disease burden and control in the WHO African region. It tra...cks progress made with respect to disease burden reduction, elimination and eradication. It also highlights major emerging threats, opportunities and priorities in the fight against commu- nicable and non-communicable diseases in the region. It covers the period 2000-2022, but for some indicators, information is available only up to 2021.
The report shows the number of reported cases for malaria and vaccine preventable diseases (meningitis, measles, yellow fever, pertussis, diphtheria, tetanus, and polio); disease incidence due to HIV, tuberculosis and four major noncommunicable diseases (cardiovas- cular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respira- tory diseases).
more