Addressing comorbidities and risk factors for tuberculosis (TB) is a crucial component of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s End TB Strategy. This WHO operational handbook on tuberculosis. Module 6: tuberculosis and comorbidities aims to support countries in scaling up people-centred care, ...based on the latest WHO recommendations on TB and key comorbidities, and drawing upon additional evidence, best practices and inputs from various experts and stakeholders obtained during WHO processes. It is intended for use by people working in ministries of health, particularly TB programmes and the relevant departments or programmes responsible for comorbidities and health-related risk factors for TB such as HIV, diabetes, undernutrition, substance use, and tobacco use, as well as programmes addressing mental health and lung health.
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The Updated guidelines on Management of tuberculosis in children and adolescents include new recommendations that cover diagnostic approaches for TB, shorter treatment for children with non-severe drug-susceptible TB, a new option for the treatment of TB meningitis, the use of bedaquiline and delama...nid in young children with multidrug- and rifampicin-resistant TB and decentralized and family-centred, integrated models of care for TB case detection and prevention in children and adolescents.
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India contributes to 16% of the global maternal deaths and around 27% of global newborn deaths. Reducing the burden of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity in urban poor settings today requires an expansion of effective Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) care services and lowering the barrier...s to the use of such services, especially availability and accessibility.
For designing sensitive, responsive and relevant urban health policy and action, it is important for planners and programme managers to understand the context with regard to current systems and mechanisms, potential organisations and best practices.
In order to adres this need, Save the Children’s Saving Newborn Lives programme commissioned a study that reviewed the literature and looked at available secondary data on MNH in urban poor settings.
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This volume presents the complex patterns of cancer incidence and death around the world and evidence on effective and cost-effective ways to control cancers. The Disease Control Priorities Volume 3 evaluation of cancer will indicate where cancer treatment is ineffective and wasteful, and offer alte...rnative cancer care packages that are cost-effective and suited to low-resource settings.
Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition: Volume 3
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The current guidelines on Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition (IMAM), addresses the issue of improved management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), particularly in children under 5 years of age. In the absence of standard protocols, mortality in children admitted to hospital with SAM can ra...nge between 20 -30% with the highest levels of 50-60% among those with oedematous malnutrition. With modern treatment regimens and improved access to treatment, case-fatality rates can be reduced to less than 5%. These provincial guidelines on IMAM in KZN, includes inpatient care protocols on the management of SAM, and outpatient and community outreach components to manage moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and prevent deterioration to SAM.
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doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.28.20221143
This article is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed [what does this mean?]. It reports new medical research that has yet to be evaluated and so should not be used to guide clinical practice.
The technical note from the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC) examines the risks and benefits of vaccinating pregnant women with WHO-prequalified oral cholera vaccines (OCVs) during mass vaccination campaigns. It highlights that three WHO-approved vaccines (Dukoral®, Shanchol™, and Euv...ichol®) offer sustained protection and a strong safety profile.
While these vaccines are not explicitly contraindicated for pregnant women, there is limited clinical data on their use during pregnancy. However, studies indicate that pregnant women with cholera face higher risks of fetal loss, stillbirth, and complications, especially if they experience severe dehydration. Some evidence suggests that vaccination can reduce cholera incidence in pregnant women and indirectly protect infants.
Although no controlled trials have focused on pregnant women, retrospective studies in Guinea and Zanzibar showed no significant increase in adverse pregnancy outcomes after OCV administration. The GTFCC concludes that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks, particularly in high-risk areas, and recommends including pregnant women in cholera vaccination campaigns while continuing to monitor safety data.
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The objective of the study was the validation and implementation of GeneXpert MTB/RIF for routine use in the rapid detection of tuberculosis and sensitivity to rifampicin in clinical samples; for this, 1592 respiratory samples were collected and analyzed in the laboratory of Instituto Nacional de In...vestigación en Salud Pública Guayaquil. The analysis of the results of GeneXpert in comparison with smear microscopy showed an initial sensitivity of 99.8% and specificity of 93.2%; The analysis of discrepancies using the results of the culture as a reference method showed that the GeneXpert results considered false negatives turned out to be true negatives, the same happens with the false positives that correspond to true positives. Recalculated the sensitivity and specificity of the GeneXpert was 99.8% and 100% correspondingly. The comparison with the drugs susceptibility test showed a sensitivity of 91.4% and a specificity of 95.5% for the GeneXpert MTB/RIF system. It is concluded that the implementation of the GeneXpert system allows solution to certain problems associated with the application of conventional diagnostic methodologies, decreasing the waiting times, and increasing the sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis, thus generating a valuable opportunity for early diagnosis.
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A training tutorial for healthcare professionals
This ECDC tutorial presents the fundamental concepts of personal protective equipment (PPE) and barrier nursing to support preparedness in hospitals across Europe. It provides practical information on the proper use of PPE at the point of care, inclu...ding technical requirements and procurement aspects
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In the current absence of vaccine for COVID-19, public health response target breaking the chain of infection by focusing on the mode of transmission. This paper summarizes current evidence-base around the transmission dynamics, pathogenic, and clinical features of COVID-19, to critically identify i...f there are any gaps in the current IPC guidelines.
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Areas for action include: increasing prioritisation and awareness of dementia; reducing the risk of dementia; diagnosis, treatment and care; support for dementia carers; strengthening information systems for dementia; and research and innovation.
This document summarizes current WHO guidance for public health surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
New elements include:
update of contact definitions, in line with latest cont...act tracing guidance
update of detection strategies in line with updated version of WHO SARS-CoV-2 testing guidance
reinfection evidence standardization and surveillance: molecular, genomic and immunological evidence of reinfection
inclusion of clinical case definition of Post COVID-19 condition as defined by WHO
definition of breakthrough infection
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The document, "Sustainable Management of Radiotherapy Facilities and Equipment," by WHO and IAEA, provides guidelines for managing radiotherapy equipment and facilities to ensure effective and safe cancer treatment. It covers essential aspects like preventive and corrective maintenance, funding, inf...rastructure, and staffing requirements for sustainable operation. The document aims to support radiotherapy departments, especially in low-resource settings, by outlining strategies for equipment procurement, maintenance, and replacement, emphasizing safety, quality assurance, and optimal patient care.
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7 June 2022. To treat complications associated with measles: severe complications with module 1 (50 cases) and mild complications with module 8 (20 cases).
The new measles kit 2021 is designed to prepare for and support the treatment of non-severe and severe measles cases during outbreaks. The kit ...provides the essential medicines, supplies and equipment for the management of clinical suspected and severe cases.
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The objective of this paper is to summarise and critically review the available data about onchocerciasis in Mozambique, in order to report epidemiological and clinical aspects related to the disease and identify gaps in knowledge. The paper is intended to raise awareness of the existence and import...ance of this disease and to define research priorities
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What can you expect?
As a future facilitator your role will be to learn about the structure of mhGAP-IG, how to teach the materials and utilize opportunities to prastice facilitation and supervision skills.
As a supervisor your role will be to serve as a point of reference for non-specialized heal...th-care providers, supporting them in providing service for individuals with MNS disorders in non-specialized health settings.
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PLoS Med 16(3): e1002768. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1002768
Home delivery and late and infrequent attendance at antenatal care (ANC) are responsible for substantial avoidable maternal and pediatric morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. This cluster-randomized trial aimed to de...termine the impact of a community health worker (CHW) intervention on the proportion of women who visit ANC fewer than 4 times during their pregnancy and deliver at home.
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Infection prevention and control (IPC) in a CTC/ CTU IPC are all practical measures taken in the healthcare facility to prevent harm caused by infections to patients, health workers and communities.
The main goal of IPC in the cholera response is to
• To reduce transmission of health care-as...sociated infections of cholera and any other infectious disease
• To enhance the safety of staff, patients and visitors
• To enhance the ability of the organization/health care facility to respond to an outbreak
• To reduce the risk of the hospital (health care facility) itself amplifying the outbreak
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
WASH are all measures taken to guarantee environmental hygiene, safe water of all used within the health facility. It encompasses water, sanitation, waste management, cleaning within the health facility which in this case is CTU/C. A complete WASH package in the CTU/CTC reduces the risk of spread of Vibrio cholerae inside and outside the CTC/CTU.
The probability of spreading or acquiring cholera through a CTC/CTU can be highly reduced when proper IPC and WASH measures are respected, followed and monitored. These measures are, in principle, valid in CTC/CTUs and ORPs, although they need to be adapted to the specific characteristics of the facility concerned.
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Replacement of Annex 2 of WHO Technical Report Series, No. 964... morbidity. These preparations are included in the WHO List of Essential Medicines and should be part of any primary health care package where snakebites occur. Currently, there is an urgent need to ensure availability of safe, effective and affordable antivenoms, particularly to those in developing countries and to improve the regulatory control over the manufacture, import and sale of antivenoms.>
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The manual provides suggestions for implementing the checklist, understanding that different practice settings will adapt it to their own circumstances.
The implementation manual is designed to help ensure that surgical teams are able to implement the checklist consistently. By following a few cri...tical steps, health care professionals can minimize the most common and avoidable risks endangering the lives and well-being of surgical patients
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