Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response.
The 2018 Sphere Handbook builds on the latest developments and learning in the humanitarian sector. Among the improvements of the new edition, readers will find a stronger focus on the role of local authorities and communities as ...actors of their own recovery. Guidance on context analysis to apply the standards has also been strengthened. New standards have also been developed, informed by recent practice and learning, such as WASH and healthcare settings in disease outbreaks, security of tenure in shelter and settlement, and palliative care in health. Different ways to deliver or enable assistance, including cash-based assistance, are also integrated into the Handbook.
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SODIS manual - updated version
The SODIS manual contains detailed information about technical and promotional aspects of the SODIS method.
Former version also available in French, Portuguese, Spanish, Uzbek, Russian
Personne ne se rend dans un établissement de soins de santé pour tomber malade. On s’y rend pour aller mieux, pour accoucher, pour se faire vacciner. Cependant, des centaines de millions de gens sont confrontés à un risque accru d’infection quand ils se font soigner dans des établissements ...de santé où les services de première nécessité font défaut, y compris les services d’approvisionnement en eau, d’assainissement et d’hygiène (WASH) et les services de gestion des déchets médicaux. Non seulement l’absence de services WASH dans les établissements de santé compromet la sécurité sanitaire des patients et leur dignité, mais il peut éventuellement exacerber la propagation d’infections résistant aux antimicrobiens et compromettre les efforts faits en vue de l’amélioration de la santé maternelle et infantile.
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This report looks at how the current implications of COVID-19 is exacerbating key challenges for people who menstruate around the world and provides recommendations on how to include menstrual hygiene management (MHM) within a COVID-19 response.
The document "J-esyon ak bon manipilasyon manje yo" focuses on proper food handling and hygiene practices to prevent contamination and foodborne illnesses. It provides comprehensive guidelines for individuals and communities, emphasizing the importance of food safety. Key recommendations include kee...ping raw and cooked foods separate, ensuring thorough cooking of perishable items like meat and fish, and checking canned goods for damage or expiration before use. It stresses the need to use treated or boiled water for cooking, drinking, and washing food, as contaminated water can lead to diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, and skin infections.
The document also highlights critical hygiene practices, such as washing hands with soap and treated water before handling food or eating, and thoroughly cleaning food preparation areas. Proper storage of food at suitable temperatures to prevent spoilage is another key focus, along with protecting food from animals, insects, and other sources of contamination. Overall, the manual emphasizes that maintaining proper hygiene and safe food handling practices is vital for preventing illnesses and promoting public health, making it a valuable resource for educating communities on food safety.
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Fact sheet
Good hygiene is critical to ensure that healthcare staff provide quality care, reduce the spread of infections, and protect the health of communities. This fact sheet explores the healthcare-related risks of poor hygiene and the critical elements of hand hygiene needed to improve qua...lity of care and reduce negative outcomes of poor compliance (e.g., healthcare-associated infections and antimicrobial resistance) in healthcare facilities, and provides recommendations and additional readings for improving hygiene in health settings and achieving a safe, clean healthcare environment.
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In collaboration with partners, the government of Ethiopia has successfully developed 10 years Hand Hygiene for All (HH4A) costed national roadmap- a country-wide approach to achieving sustainable and universal hand hygiene. On the occasion of the 2022 Global Hand Washing Day event ( Ethiopia is cel...ebrating the event for one month with different sessions), the national HH4A road map launched on the 4th of Nov 2022 in a high-level advocacy event in the presence of higher officials and partners. Action is set mainly on the need for a joint effort to mobilize resources for implementation, monitoring and documenting of lessons and best practices.
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Fact sheet Cholera in Creole
The cholera factsheet provides key information on prevention, symptoms, and treatment. It emphasizes hygiene, safe food handling, and water treatment through boiling, filtering, or disinfection. Cholera, a severe diarrheal disease from contaminated water, causes dehydra...tion and can be fatal if untreated. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, vomiting, and weakness. Treatment focuses on rapid rehydration with oral rehydration solutions (ORS) and continued feeding. The guide also covers safe waste disposal, emergency latrines, and burial practices to prevent spread. It aims to educate communities on cholera prevention, early detection, and life-saving care.
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A review of proactive risk assessment and risk management practices to ensure the safety of drinking-water
Based on information gathered from 118 countries representing every region of the globe, this report provides a picture of WSP uptake worldwide. It presents information on WSP implementati...on and the integration of WSPs into the policy environment. It also explores WSP benefits, challenges and future priorities.
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Investment in all the drivers and facilitators of hand hygiene action in health care to ensure that it occurs at the point of care and other critical moments requires a multidisciplinary, multifaceted approach. WHO describes such an approach as a “multimodal improvement strategy” (MMIS) which is... at the core of its implementation models for hand hygiene and infection prevention and control (IPC) programmes. The focus of this document is on the resource considerations for investing in hand hygiene improvement in health care (primary, secondary and tertiary) using the MMIS approach.
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The cholera poster provides essential information about the disease, including its symptoms, sources of infection, prevention measures, and treatment options. It describes cholera as a potentially fatal disease that spreads through contaminated food and water, particularly in emergency conditions. K...ey symptoms include severe diarrhea resembling "rice water," vomiting, leg cramps, weakness, and dehydration.
The poster emphasizes prevention strategies such as drinking only boiled or clean water, washing hands with soap, cooking food thoroughly, and maintaining hygiene when handling clothes and diapers. It also explains the importance of Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS), which can treat 80% of patients by preventing dehydration. ORS can be made at home using salt, sugar, and clean water. The poster highlights that cholera can quickly weaken a healthy person and even cause death within 24 hours if untreated.
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The document "Prevansyon kont Diare" provides guidance on preventing and managing diarrhea. It explains that diarrhea, caused by pathogens like viruses, bacteria, and parasites, can lead to severe dehydration if untreated. Symptoms include vomiting, fever, and loss of appetite, with severe cases req...uiring urgent medical care.
To prevent diarrhea, the document emphasizes using treated or boiled water, washing hands with soap, cooking food thoroughly, and cleaning fruits and vegetables with safe water. It also provides a recipe for Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) to combat dehydration: mix 1 liter of boiled or treated water with 8 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of baking soda. This solution should be consumed while seeking medical attention.
The document serves as an educational resource to promote hygiene and provide simple, effective solutions for preventing and managing diarrhea.
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The Lancet Global Health, published online 18 August 2017;
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30332-7
The article "The Political Determinants of the Cholera Outbreak in Yemen" examines how the ongoing civil war has contributed to Yemen’s severe cholera outbreak. The 2017 epidemic was des...cribed as the worst in the world, with cholera spreading rapidly due to the collapse of health, water, and sanitation systems.
The analysis shows that Houthi-controlled areas were disproportionately affected, accounting for 77.7% of cases and 80.7% of deaths. The article highlights the role of the Saudi-led coalition in worsening conditions through airstrikes on infrastructure, blockades restricting medical and food supplies, and the overall humanitarian crisis. It criticizes UNICEF for accepting a $67 million donation from Saudi Arabia while the coalition contributed to the crisis.
The article underscores that political actions and conflict have been key factors in the outbreak’s severity, with both warring sides failing to protect civilians.
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In this review, the editors will investigate the impact of eight WASH interventions in preventing (reducing the risk of) and controlling outbreaks in LMIC, with particular focus on three diseases of current concern to the response community – cholera, Ebola, and Hepatitis E. Additionally, we will ...explore economic outcomes related to WASH interventions within an outbreak
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نظرة عامّة على التقنيّات المستخدمة لمعالجة النفايات المُعدِية والحادّة الناتجة عن مرافق الرعاية الصحيّة
This document provides an overview of specific health care waste technologies for the treatment of solid ...infectious and sharp waste. For each technology, details of its operation, effects on the environment and health, requirements for installation, capacities for treating waste, examples of consumables and advantages and disadvantages are described. The document is designed for health care facility administrators and planners, WASH and infection prevention control staff, national planners, donors and partners.
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Current evidence indicates that the COVID-19 virus is transmitted through respiratory droplets or contact. Contact transmission occurs when contaminated hands touch the mucosa of the mouth, nose, or eyes; the virus can also be transferred from one surface to another by contaminated hands, which fac...ilitates indirect contact transmission. Consequently, hand hygiene is extremely important to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. It also interrupts transmission of other viruses and bacteria causing common colds, flu and pneumonia, thus reducing the general burden of disease.
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This situation analysis has gathered information about the current state of AMR, contributing factors and antimicrobial use in Zimbabwe from the human, animal, agricultural and environmental sectors. Data has been gathered from different sectors such as the general public, academia, the Ministry of ...Health and Child Care, the Ministry of Agriculture Mechanization and Irrigation Development and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate. It shows that AMR is a real concern in Zimbabwe and a threat to the health outcomes of humans, to the economic productivity of the livestock industry and a risk to the environment.
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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.
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Over 1 million women in Burkina Faso caught between conflict and COVID-19
More than a million women and girls in Burkina Faso are facing increased sexual violence, hunger and water shortage as a result of the coronavirus pandemic on top of the existing conflict, said Oxfam today.
In its report “...Women in Burkina Faso’s crisis: survivors and heroines”, Oxfam reveals that women and girls are exposed to unprecedented risks including daily harassment and aggression, especially in the fields and at water points.
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First Global Patient Safety Challenge Clean Care is Safer Care
The WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care provide health-care workers (HCWs), hospital administrators and health authorities with a thorough review of evidence on hand hygiene in health care and specific recommendations to impro...ve practices and reduce transmission of pathogenic microorganisms to patients and HCWs. The present Guidelines are intended to be implemented in any situation in which health care is delivered either to a patient or to a specific group in a population. Therefore, this concept applies to all settings where health care is permanently or occasionally performed, such as home care by birth attendants.
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