Technical Update
Areas of Africa endemic for Buruli ulcer (BU), caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, also have a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with adult prevalence rates between 1% and 5% (Maps). However, there is limited information on the prevalence of BU–HIV coinfection.... Preliminary
evidence suggests that HIV infection may increase the risk of BU disease (1–3). In the Médecins Sans Frontières project in Akonolinga, Cameroon, HIV prevalence was approximately 3–6 times higher among BU patients than the regional estimated HIV prevalence (2). Similarly in Benin and Ghana, BU
patients were 8 times and 3 times respectively more likely to have HIV infection than those without BU (1, 3). Further study is needed to clarify this association and enhance knowledge about the prevalence ofBU–HIV coinfection in endemic areas.
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This guidance document is designed to ensure that the process of iteratively managing the health risks of climate change is integrated into the overall National Adaptation Planning (NAP) process, including through assessing risks; identifying, prioritizing, and implementing adaptation options; and m...onitoring and evaluating the adaptation process.
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Guidance statement
Recommendations on contraceptive methods used by
women at high risk of HIV
This visual guide provides an overview of the various means of support WHO offers to member states to advance climate-resilient health. The guide offers answers to key questions to understand WHO's support to countries on climate change and health, including: What are the impacts of climate change o...n health and the potential health co-benefits of climate change mitigation? How do we develop comprehensive plans and strategies to address climate-sensitive health risks and build climate-resilient health systems and facilities?
How do we access climate financing for climate change and health, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness programme? What interventions can be implemented to address climate-sensitive health risks and strengthen the resilience and environmental sustainability of health systems and facilities? How do we monitor progress made at national level on climate change and health?
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S Afr Med J 2018;108(7):546-550. DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.2018.v108i7.13149
Antimicrobial stewardship programmes have been introduced worldwide in response to the rise in antimicrobial resistance. The World Health Organization has mandated each Member State to produce a plan to address this problem. We rep...ort on the organic development of an antibiotic stewardship programme in a rural regional hospital in a resource-limited setting in South Africa. This has resulted in organisational change with increased awareness, participation, monitoring and education in antibiotic stewardship throughout the hospital
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Advocacy ,Social Mobilization ,Behavior Change Communications
The WHO SAGE values framework for the allocation and prioritization of COVID-19 vaccination is intended to offer guidance on the prioritization of groups for vaccination when vaccine supply is limited. It provides a values foundation for the objectives of COVID-19 vaccination programmes and links t...hose to target groups for vaccination. This information is valuable to countries and globally while specific policies will be developed once vaccines become available.
This document it available in Arabic, Chinese English, French, Portuguese and Russian
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Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2019 Jul 1;23(7):858–864.Namibia ranks among the 30 high TB burden countries worldwide. Here, we report results of the second nationwide anti-TB drug resistance survey. To assess the prevalence and trends of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in Namibia.
From 2014 to 2015, pat...ients with presumptive TB in all regions of Namibia had sputum subjected to mycobacterial culture and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) for rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol and streptomycin if positive on smear microscopy and/or Xpert MTB/RIF.
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The guidelines are primarily intended for health-care professionals working in first- or second-level health-care facilities, including emergency, inpatient and outpatient services. They are also directed at policy-makers, health-care planners and programme managers, academic institutions, non-gover...nmental and civil society organizations to inform capacity-building, teaching and research agendas.
Web annex A provides the quantitative evidence reports, Web annex B summarizes the qualitative and economic evidence and Web annex C presents the Evidence-to-Decision frameworks.
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This document was developed by the Ministry of Health in Malawi in collaboration with national and international partners. It introduces a Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) malaria message guide that is aligned with the National Malaria Communication Strategy (NMCS) for the period 2023–2030. The g...uide aims to facilitate effective communication and behavioural change in order to reduce malaria-related morbidity and mortality. It provides a reference framework for messaging and communication tools tailored to target groups, supporting the broader goals of the Health Sector Strategic Plan III. This guide was developed with technical and financial support from key partners, including USAID, PMI through Breakthrough ACTION, and other stakeholders. The guide reflects Malawi’s ongoing commitment to evidence-based SBC interventions, community engagement, and the national fight against malaria.
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Implementation reference guide. This Malaria Surveillance Assessment Toolkit implementation reference guide is a comprehensive reference document, as well as a step by-step guide. It aligns and adapts available tools into a single set of standardized tools, which can be used to conduct malaria surve...illance assessments across all transmission settings. Use of these standardized tools allows comparison of results between countries and within the same country over time, enabling countries to track their progress towards surveillance system strengthening.
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Offering additional pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) choices has the potential to increase uptake and effective use of PrEP, and of HIV prevention overall, as it allows people to choose a method that they prefer.
In this guideline, WHO recommends an offering long-acting injectable lenacapavir (LEN...) as an additional HIV prevention choice, as part of combination HIV prevention approaches. LEN, administered twice a year as PrEP, has been shown to be highly effective at reducing the risk of HIV acquisition. In this guideline, WHO also recommends using HIV rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for individuals initiating or continuing long-acting injectable PrEP, such as LEN and long acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA). Flexible HIV testing approaches are essential for ensuring that testing does not become a barrier to accessing or continuing PrEP, including long-acting injectable options.
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