WHO has issued a new recommendation on the length of bladder catheterization following surgical repair of a simple obstetric urinary fistula. Currently the length of catheterization is not standard and ranges from 5 to 42 days. The new guidance recommends a 7–10 day period of bladder catheterizati...on to allow complete healing. Longer periods of catheterization can be inconvenient for the woman, her family and care providers as it is associated with more discomfort and inconvenience. It also increases the risk of infection and erosion related to catheterization; requires more intensive nursing care and costs more per patient.
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The key to a lasting world free of all forms of poliovirus lies in rapidly interrupting all remaining endemic transmission of WPV in the endemic areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan. This is the only way to ensure that such strains do not re-emerge globally through international spread. It lays the cor...nerstone for the eventual cessation of all oral polio vaccine use, in order to eliminate the long-term risks associated with variant poliovirus strains, which is the GPEI’s top operational priority. The target for certifying the
world free of all WPV remains end-2026.
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Prevention offers the greatest public health potential and the most cost-effective long-term cancer control strategy. However, with today’s multiple media streams, the general public is often overwhelmed by an abundance of confusing or ambiguous messages and misinformation on disease prevention. T...herefore, authoritative, clear, and evidence-based recommendations on how to actively contribute to cancer prevention are extremely valuable for the general public and equally valuable for health professionals and policy-makers worldwide.
Under the overall umbrella of a World Code Against Cancer Framework, using the methodology established by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the experience of developing and promoting the European Code Against Cancer 4th edition, Regional Codes Against Cancer are being developed to promote cancer prevention globally.
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South Africa is a mineral-rich country. Although the mining of these minerals generates wealth for the country, it also causes diseases in the mine workers who are exposed to harmful dust. Pulmonary silicosis, the disease most commonly caused by exposure to crystalline silica dust, was described in ...South African gold miners in the early 1900s not many years after gold-mining commenced. Most studies since then have been cross-sectional, with only one large cohort study being conducted on white miners; long-term trends have not been reported. Currently, South Africa has one of the highest rates of silicosis in the world.
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The war in Ukraine has rapidly taken the form of a series of conflicts in urban contexts. Urban warfare has a long history, but unfortunately, we can see from this conflict just how topical it remains. Generally, a first phase involves imposing a siege and forcing the city to surrender by making liv...ing conditions impossible.
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Malnutrition in childhood and pregnancy has many adverse consequences for child survival and long-term well-being. It
also has far-reaching consequences for human capital, economic productivity, and national development overall. The
consequences of malnutrition should be a significant concern for ...policy makers in Burkina Faso, since around 672,000
children under 5 years (21 percent) suffer from chronic malnutrition (stunting or low height-for-age) and 10 percent
suffer from acute malnutrition (wasting or low weight-for-height) (Ministère de la Santé [MOH] et al. 2018).
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Results from a High Frequency Cell Phone Survey November 19, 2014
Ebola has substantially impacted all sectors of employment in the Liberian economy, in both affected and non-affected counties, according to the most recent round of mobile phone surveys conducted by the World Bank Group in partnersh...ip with the Liberian Institute of Statistics and Geo-Information Services and the Gallup Organization. In all, nearly half of those working in Liberia when the Ebola outbreak began are no longer working as of early November 2014
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Zambia is facing a severe economic crisis marked by high inflation, increasing poverty and a heavy debt burden that is straining both its fiscal stability and progress in health outcomes. By 2020, the country's external debt reached United States dollars (USD) 12.7 billion, representing 108% of the ...country's gross domestic product (GDP). In 2020, Zambia sought assistance through the G20 Common Framework and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Credit Facility (ECF), securing a USD 1.7 billion loan over 5 years. IMF loans, however, come with austerity measures that prioritise fiscal discipline but could potentially exacerbate social inequalities. These measures, which include increasing consumer taxes on goods and services (value added taxes - VATs), electricity tariffs and fuel prices, disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, raising concerns about their long-term effects on essential services, especially accessible and good quality healthcare services.
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Malaria remains a significant global health concern, with 249 million cases and 408,000 deaths reported in 2022, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa. The most vulnerable populations are children under five and pregnant women. Rapid and accurate diagnosis using microscopy or malaria rapid diagnostic test...s (mRDTs) is essential to ensure timely treatment, prevent severe disease and promote the rational use of antimalarial drugs. This UNICEF Technical Bulletin provides guidance on the procurement, quality assurance and selection of WHO-prequalified mRDTs, including considerations for areas with a high prevalence of pfhrp2/3 gene deletions. The bulletin also highlights UNICEF’s approach to sustainability, product verification and long-term arrangements with manufacturers, which ensure a reliable supply while supporting integrated child health management programmes. The bulletin serves as a valuable resource for countries, partners and programmes involved in the implementation of malaria case management and diagnostics.
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Key facts
- A healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
- Unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity are leading global risks to health.
- Healthy dietary practices start... early in life – breastfeeding fosters healthy growth and improves cognitive development, and may have longer term health benefits such as reducing the risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing NCDs later in life.
- Energy intake (calories) should be in balance with energy expenditure. To avoid unhealthy weight gain, total fat should not exceed 30% of total energy intake (1, 2, 3). Intake of saturated fats should be less than 10% of total energy intake, and intake of trans-fats less than 1% of total energy intake, with a shift in fat consumption away from saturated fats and trans-fats to unsaturated fats (3), and towards the goal of eliminating industrially-produced trans-fats (4, 5, 6).
- Limiting intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake (2, 7) is part of a healthy diet. A further reduction to less than 5% of total energy intake is suggested for additional health benefits (7).
- Keeping salt intake to less than 5 g per day (equivalent to sodium intake of less than 2 g per day) helps to prevent hypertension, and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke in the adult population (8).
- WHO Member States have agreed to reduce the global population’s intake of salt by 30% by 2025; they have also agreed to halt the rise in diabetes and obesity in adults and adolescents as well as in childhood overweight by 2025 (9, 10).
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Obesity is a complex disease, with many root causes throughout society. That’s why we all need to work together to find solutions. Tackling the roots of obesity benefits everybody and will give us all the chance to lead happier, healthier and longer lives.
Learn more about obesity and its cause...s
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CATALYST DIALOGUE ON HEALTH FINANCING
Insights from a debate on how to increase funding for health and spend existing funds more effectively.
Catalyst Dialogue participants:
Christoph Benn, Director for Global Health Diplomacy, Joep Lange Institute • Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics, Univer...sity of Massachusetts at Amherst • Tom Hart, Research Fellow, ODI • Lesley-Anne Long, President & CEO, Global Business Coalition for Health • Riaz Tanoli, CEO, Social Health Protection Initiative, Health Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
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Hepatitis B (HBV) infection is a major public health problem and cause of chronic liver disease.
The 2024 HBV guidelines provide updated evidence-informed recommendations on key priority topics. These include expanded and simplified treatment criteria for adults but now also for adolescents; expa...nded eligibility for antiviral prophylaxis for pregnant women to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HBV; improving HBV diagnostics through use of point-of-care HBV DNA viral load and reflex approaches to HBV DNA testing; who to test and how to test for HDV infection; and approaches to promote delivery of high-quality HBV services, including strategies to promote adherence to long-term antiviral therapy and retention in care.
The 2024 guidelines include 11 updated chapters with new recommendations and also update existing chapters without new recommendations, such as those on treatment monitoring and surveillance for liver cancer.
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Long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and/or indoor residual spraying, associated with case
management, are key interventions in the control of malaria in Africa. The objective of this
study is to comment on the role of social and behavior change communication as a potential
key intervention in t...he control of malaria in Mozambique.
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The present Consolidated guidelines include a comprehensive set of WHO recommendations for the treatment and care of DR-TB, derived from these WHO guidelines documents. The consolidated guidelines include policy recommendations on treatment regimens for isoniazid-resistant TB (Hr-TB) and MDR/RR-TB, ...including longer and shorter regimens, culture monitoring of patients on treatment, the timing of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in MDR/RR-TB patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), use of surgery for patients receiving MDR-TB treatment, and optimal models of patient support and care.
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Long-term polio vaccine security – the timely, sustained, and uninterrupted supply of suitable types of affordable, quality-assured polio vaccines – is essential in the global effort to achieve and maintain a polio free world. However, fragmented approaches and short-term planning pose considera...ble challenges to securing long-term polio vaccine security.
This framework is designed to enhance the efforts of existing structures and workstreams within the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and other stakeholders by improving communication and coordination on vaccine security. Ensuring vaccine security is crucial for maintaining a timely, sustained, and uninterrupted supply of affordable, quality-assured polio vaccines in the global fight to achieve and sustain a polio-free world. However, challenges such as fragmented approaches, short-term planning, a dynamic policy environment, and a diverse product pipeline present significant risks to long-term vaccine security. This framework emphasizes the need for alignment and coordination across key polio operational domains, including Poliovirus Containment, Research and Development, and Vaccine Manufacturing and Supply. It also underscores the critical role of normative frameworks and policies in shaping long-term vaccine strategies that guide these operational areas. Additionally, it highlights the importance of cross-cutting elements such as financing and access to resources, along with the integration of communication, coordination, and advocacy efforts, as essential enablers for achieving vaccine security. To secure long-term vaccine supply, it is imperative to enhance alignment and strengthen coordinated efforts across workstreams and with stakeholders, including vaccine manufacturers.
Recognizing that vaccine security is an ongoing endeavor, requiring continuous monitoring and adaptation, this framework will undergo regular updates and revisions. Initially, the management of the framework will be carried out by the GPEI Vaccine Supply Group (VSG).
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One of the 16 Pledge commitments asked CEOs to “[r]ecognize the immediate and long-term effects sexual abuse, exploitation, and harassment have on [NGO] staff and the people [they] serve, and [to] … ensure [their] organizations have robust policies and funded mechanisms to provide the necessary ...support.”
However, there has been no standard to date in the provision of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) survivor support across organizations. In practice, this means that a survivor may receive a different level and standard of care depending on which organization employed the perpetrator. Additionally, the lack of clear standards has resulted in confusion among humanitarian and development organizations regarding an organization’s responsibility to a survivor of SEAH.
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Everyone, all over the world, deserves to live a long life in full health. In order to achieve this goal, we need a comprehensive picture of what disables and kills people across countries, time, age, and sex. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) provides a tool to quantify health loss from hundreds o...f diseases, injuries, and risk factors, so that health systems can be improved and disparities can be eliminated.
You can have access to GBD Resources, Data Visualizations, Studies & Reports; Data, Country Profiles and the Lancet GBD Studies
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Full Report.
In response to a call by the United Nations Secretary-General and the Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, an international team conducted an Ebola Recovery Assessment. The aim was to contribute towards laying the foundation for short-, medium- and long-term recovery while ...the medical emergency response continues to tackle the epidemic. This report is a contribution to ongoing efforts by the Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to design their national Ebola virus disease recovery strategies
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Policy Brief 2 June 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic is a health and human crisis threatening the food security and nutrition of millions of people around the world. Hundreds of millions of people were already suffering from hunger and malnutrition before the virus hit and, unless immediate action is tak...en, we could see a global food emergency. In the longer term, the combined effects of COVID-19 itself, as well as corresponding mitigation measures and the emerging global recession could, without large-scale coordinated action, disrupt the functioning of food systems. Such disruption can result in consequences for health and nutrition of a severity and scale unseen for more than half a century.
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