The attainment of global health security goals and universal health coverage will remain a mirage unless African health systems are adequately funded to improve resilience to public health emergencies. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the global inequity in accessing medical countermeasures, leaving Af...rican countries far behind. As we anticipate the next pandemic, improving investments in health systems to adequately finance pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR) promptly, ensuring equity and access to medical countermeasures,
is crucial. In this article, we analyze the African and global pandemic financing initiatives and put ways forward for policymakers and the global health community to consider.
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The TACT training manuals and patient leaflet were developed as part of the ACT Consortium's initiative to improve malaria case management by promoting the correct use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs). The TACT ("Targeting ACTs") initiative aims to ensure that artemisinin-based combination therapies... (ACTs) are used appropriately, treating only confirmed malaria cases and guiding alternative care for other febrile illnesses.
Please download the manuals and leaflets from the website
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Os manuais de formação TACT e o folheto para o paciente foram desenvolvidos no âmbito da iniciativa do ACT Consortium para melhorar a gestão dos casos de malária e promover a utilização correta dos testes de diagnóstico rápido (RDT). A iniciativa TACT ("Targeting ACTs") visa garantir a util...ização adequada das terapias combinadas à base de artemisinina (ACT), tratando apenas os casos de malária confirmados e orientando os cuidados alternativos para outras doenças febris. Os manuais oferecem formação interativa, baseada no local de trabalho, para auxiliar os profissionais de saúde na transição do tratamento presuntivo para um diagnóstico baseado em testes, em conformidade com a política da OMS. O folheto para o paciente, disponível em inglês e suáili, utiliza histórias ilustradas para explicar a importância e o objetivo dos TDR, abordar preocupações comuns e incentivar a confiança nos resultados dos testes. Após terem sido pré-testados quanto à sua clareza e compreensão, estes materiais apoiam mudanças sustentáveis na prática clínica e na comunicação com os doentes no âmbito dos cuidados de saúde primários na Tanzânia.
Accessed on 03/07/2025.
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The Malaria Prevention Campaign, launched in Oromia Region of Ethiopia recognized communities for taking specific actions to combat malaria. The focus of the campaign was around small, doable actions that families carry out to protect themselves against malaria. The community volunteers under direct...ion from the Community Mobilization Committee (CMC) energized and supported their communities, families, and schools to take the actions necessary to prevent malaria.
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The Zambia Malaria Campaign, implemented by Breakthrough ACTION, used culturally tailored radio adverts and a campaign song to encourage key behaviours for preventing and treating malaria. The campaign targeted high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and caregivers of children under five, and deliv...ered messages in multiple local languages, including English, Siswati and Tonga. The audio content encouraged the consistent use of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs), seeking timely care for fevers, and preventing malaria during pregnancy. Through addressing common myths and promoting positive social norms in an engaging way, the campaign aimed to increase community knowledge and encourage long-lasting behavioural change in malaria-endemic regions of Zambia.
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Tanzania has an estimated 2.9 million adults with diabetes, 35% of whom are undiagnosed, and over 22,000 people living with type 1 diabetes. While the 2023 Universal Health Insurance law aims to improve access to care, only 15% of people are insured. Over 700 clinics provide diabetes care and offer ...free insulin to children and young adults. However, challenges remain regarding insulin availability, diagnostics, patient education and the healthcare workforce. Community engagement, training and policy advocacy are essential for improving diabetes management and achieving universal health coverage.
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This brochure provides comprehensive information on type 2 diabetes, including its causes, symptoms, risk factors, how to prevent it, and how to manage it. It emphasises the importance of a healthy diet, regular exercise, and taking medication as prescribed to control blood sugar levels. It provides... practical advice on diet and lifestyle changes, as well as foot care, and highlights the importance of regular check-ups and blood glucose monitoring. The guide also warns of potential complications such as low and high blood sugar levels and long-term organ damage, emphasising the importance of early detection and consistent care. It encourages education and community support, such as joining the Zimbabwe Diabetes Association, to help individuals with diabetes live healthy lives.
Accessed on 17/07/2025.
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If not properly managed, diabetes can lead to a wide range of serious health complications. These include retinopathy (eye damage), nephropathy (kidney damage), neuropathy (nerve damage) and damage to blood vessels. This increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, foot ulcers, infections and amputa...tions. Early diagnosis and consistent management through medication, a healthy diet, regular exercise and routine check-ups are critical to preventing or delaying these complications. Improving outcomes and reducing the long-term impact of diabetes in low-resource settings requires patient education and community health support.
Accessed on 17/07/2025.
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There is widespread recognition of the growing threat of infectious disease epidemics and pandemics spreading across countries or continents—especially following the recent Ebola and COVID-19 pandemics. Vulnerable groups (including children, older adults, ethnic minorities and other at-risk group...s) have disproportionately borne the brunt of significant health, social, and economic effects of these epidemics and pandemics, with varying degrees of support received depending on the context. While many argue that communities should or need to play a critical role in supporting and leading preparedness and response efforts, work still needs to be done to engage them effectively. In many instances, modes of engagement with communities—especially by state authorities–have come too late, often as an afterthought are not adequately thought through and have undermined public trust in and support for, disease prevention and control measures
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The West African Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in 2014 emerged in a region in Africa that had previously not reported any EVD outbreak. Subsequently, the outbreak rapidly spread and was protracted in the three Mano River basin countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia), with spillover cases i...n Nigeria, Senegal and Mali and, for the first time, importation into Europe and the USA. It became the most extensive and protracted EVD outbreak in history, followed by the 2018 outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). For the first time, cases were reported in urban centers, underscoring the urban spread of the disease. Its devastation had a far-reaching impact on lives in the three largely affected countries for years to follow. A total of 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths were reported from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, with an additional 36 cases reported from Italy, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, the UK and the USA.
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Mapping actions of nongovernmental organizations and other international development organizations
Guidelines for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Women in Indonesia
Plos Neglected Tropical Diseases 8(11): e3229 (20 November 2014)
Anxiety Disorders
Chapter F.4
Diagnosing asthma in children represents an important clinical challenge. There is no single gold-standard test to confirm the diagnosis. Consequently, over- and under-diagnosis of asthma is frequent in children. A task force supported by the European Respiratory Society has developed these evidence...-based clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis of asthma in children aged 5–16 years using nine Population, Intervention, Comparator and Outcome (PICO) questions. The task force conducted systematic literature searches for all PICO questions and screened the outputs from these, including relevant full-text articles. All task force members approved the final decision for inclusion of research papers. The task force assessed the quality of the evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.
The task force then developed a diagnostic algorithm based on the critical appraisal of the PICO questions, preferences expressed by lay members and test availability. Proposed cut-offs were determined based on the best available evidence. The task force formulated recommendations using the GRADE Evidence to Decision framework.
Based on the critical appraisal of the evidence and the Evidence to Decision framework, the task force recommends spirometry, bronchodilator reversibility testing and exhaled nitric oxide fraction as first-line diagnostic tests in children under investigation for asthma. The task force recommends against diagnosing asthma in children based on clinical history alone or following a single abnormal objective test. Finally, this guideline also proposes a set of research priorities to improve asthma diagnosis in children in the future.
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Asthma is a heterogeneous condition characterised by chronic inflammation and variable expiratory airflow limitation, with airway reversibility. Management of chronic inflammation with anti-asthma medication improves asthma control and quality of life. The aim of this journal is to provide an eviden...ce-based approach for chronic asthma management in young children and adolescents and provide guidance on the use of new asthma drugs in children.
For that, the South African Childhood Asthma Working Group (SACAWG) convened in January 2017. The asthma treatment task group reviewed the available scientific literature and international asthma treatment guidelines. The evidence was then graded according to the Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system and recommendations were made based on scientific evidence and local context. Asthma management recommendations were made for children ˂6 years of age and older children and adolescents, as well as for stepping up and stepping down of therapy. This review does not include biologics or novel asthma drugs, which are covered in another CME article in this edition of SAMJ.
The final conclusions are that it is important to ensure good response, treatment and adherence, type of medication, device and checking of technique are all critical. Stepping up of therapy should be done only after ensuring good adherence and technique. Once therapeutic response is achieved, medication administration has to be stepped down to improve ease of use and avoid unnecessary side-effects.
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The document "Appropriate use and withdrawal of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)" from the IPCRG provides guidance on when to start, adjust, or discontinue ICS in COPD treatment. It highlights the benefits and risks, emphasizing personalized... treatment based on patient history, exacerbation frequency, and eosinophil count, while detailing how to optimize bronchodilator use to manage symptoms effectively.
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Beitrag aus dem Handbuch "Biologische Gefahren II - Entscheidungshilfen zu medizinisch angemessenen Vorgehensweisen in einer B-Gefahrenlage".
Das Kompendium setzt sich mit der medizinischen Versorgung von Personen auseinander, die biowaffenfähigen Erregern vermutlich oder gesichert ausgesetzt war...en. Es richtet sich in erster Linie an Ärzte, sonstiges medizinisches Personal, Hilfsorganisationen und Personen aus öffentlichen Einrichtungen sowie an die Bevölkerung, die aus beruflichen oder privaten Gründen an dem Thema interessiert ist.
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Key populations brief.
Краткое руководство