These guidance notes on stress, grief and loss have been compiled by IMC’s Mental Health Advisor, Dr. Lynne Jones, for organizations working with Hurricane Katrina-affected populations. They represent lessons learned regarding mental health activities from IMC’s international experiences in disa...ster response, including the recent tsunami, as well as summarize best-practices identified by international agency consensus.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world and consequently increased MHPSS needs across various contexts. While National Societies respond to the rising mental health and psychosocial support needs, they are also adapting to and implementing remote support, such as telephone hotlines or other onl...ine services. Accordingly, many trainings in psychological first aid (PFA) of staff and volunteers have moved to online platforms.
Throughout the pandemic, the PS Centre developed online approaches, guidances, adaptable tools, videos, podcasts, and other materials on MHPSS. This was to ensure easy access to tools and resources that assist National Societies in their training efforts in MHPSS during COVID-19.
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A practical toolkit for young people who are passionate about advancing HIV and sexual and reproductive health and rights through national advocacy in the post-2015 agenda.
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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Essential obstetric and newborn care is designed as a tool to help protect mothers and their children in adverse environments. It is intended for midwives, doctors with obstetrics training, and health care personnel who deal with obstetric emergencies.
Children expressed the need for organisations to
support in the delivery of services such as health and
sanitation. The children also emphasized that schools
and the child-friendly spaces (CFSs) were effective
and important spaces to provide them with what they
need.
This manual was designed to support the GRN-UNICEF Youth Health and Development Programme with the aim of sustaining My Future is My Choice graduates and other young people’s peer education activities. It was written and reviewed in a three-day workshop in November 1999 and in the following weeks ...with assistance from participating organizations including AIDS Care Trust, Catholic AIDS Action, Ella Du Plessis High School AIDS Awareness Club, the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation, NACAMA, the National Youth Council of Namibia, PEDI/PECP, Polytechnic of Namibia, the University of Namibia and UNICEF. It was revised by Jennifer Lentfer of the Youth Health and Development Program of UNICEF Namibia in July of 2001.
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In response to COVID-19, UNICEF continues to support the Ministry of Health and Sports’ Health Literacy Promotion Unit to translate and disseminate messages including in ethnic languages for the border areas on good hygiene and handwashing. Social media boosting and message dissemination reach app...roximately 15 million people countrywide.
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Female genital mutilation is a harmful traditional practice that violates girls’ right to health
and overall well-being. Most research cites social acceptance, marriageability, community
belonging, proof of virginity, curbing promiscuity, hygiene, and religion as motivations for the
practice. I...t is generally assumed that individual attitudes of parents and other family mem-
bers have an impact on decisions related to the cutting of girls, and that such attitudes are
influenced by social norms. The aim of this study is to understand how parental attitudes
towards the practice of female genital mutilation influence decision making related to the cut-
ting of girls.
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The report explores strategies for sustaining the country’s responses to the three diseases and eventually transitioning away from external funding and programmatic support. It takes stock of Kenya’s health financing landscape and identifies opportunities and challenges for sustaining effective ...coverage of HIV, TB, and malaria services in the long run, mindful of macro-fiscal and institutional constraints. The report informs ongoing dialogue within government, including among the Ministry of Health, National Treasury, Council of Governors, and National AIDS Control Council, as well as between government and development partners.
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Democratic dispensation in 1994 created a political and social platform that reshaped life in South Africa. There was a surge in common belief that the inequity and wrong of Apartheid should and could be rectified. Equity of access to water and sanitation were obvious targets for improvement. In 199...4, an estimated 14–15 million South Africans were without access to an improved water supply, while close to 21 million - more than half of the population at that time - did not have access to improved sanitation facilities. These problems were most severe in poorer rural areas. The water and sanitation sector became unified by the vision of universal access for all South Africans. This case study documents the progression of the sector between 1994 and 2016, and analyzes the impact of local systems created in South Africa to respond to the water and sanitation challenge.
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Oxfam Water Supply Scheme for Emergencies. This manual is part of a series of guides devised by the Oxfam Public Health Engineering Team to help provide a reliable water supply for populations affected by conflict or natural disaster. Wherever possible, water supplies in emergency conditions should ...be obtained from underground sources by exploitation of springs, tubewells, or dug wells. No filtration will then be needed. However, if sources are not available or cannot be developed, the use of surface water from streams, rivers, lakes or ponds becomes necessary. Usually these surface sources are polluted. The level of faecal contamination can be measured by use of the Oxfam/Delagua Water Test Kit (see Section C). Where a serious level of faecal pollution exists, it is essential firstly to try to reduce the cause of contamination, and secondly to treat the water to make it suitable for human consumption. The Filtration equipment provides a simple, long-term physical and biological treatment system that requires no chemicals (except small amounts of chlorine required during filter cleaning) and needs only simple regular maintenance
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The Early Childhood Development Policy and its Strategic Plan seek to provide a framework to ensure such a holistic and integrated approach to the development of young children. International research has demonstrated the high economic returns on ECD investment and its positive impact on health and ...education outcomes as well as the overall economic development of a nation. The implementation of the ECD Policy will thus provide Rwanda with the basis for achieving the objectives and goals of the EDPRS and Vision 2020.
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The article outlines the prioritized research agenda for the prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) as part of the World Health Organization's (WHO) action plan on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) from 2008 to 2013. It highlights the significant global impact of CRDs, including... asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other related conditions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The document stresses the need for effective prevention strategies and better surveillance, as well as enhanced healthcare infrastructure and resources in LMICs. It calls for research into CRD risk factors, effective interventions, and integrated care approaches that align with broader NCD prevention programs. The article emphasizes the importance of public health initiatives and cross-sector collaborations to reduce the disease burden and improve patient outcomes.
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GUIDE PRATIQUE À L’INTENTION DES PROGRAMMES DE LUTTE CONTRE LES MALADIES TROPICALES NÉGLIGÉES
This toolkit provides step-by-step guidance to NTD programme managers and partners on how to engage and work collaboratively with the WASH community to improve delivery of water, sanitation and hygien...e services to underserved population affected by many neglected tropical diseases. The toolkit is based on real-life programme experience, which users can match to their needs and local context. It includes a series of tools to help build multisectoral partnerships, mobilize resources, and design, implement and evaluate interventions.
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In this COVID-19 pandemic, timely access to accurate information can be the difference between life and death. The stakes are high in developing countries like Ethiopia where millions of people have limited access to information because of low media access, insufficientin...ternet penetration, illiteracy, and language diversity.
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In response to the first cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reported on the continent, many African Union Member States implemented large-scale public health and social measures (PHSM) rapidly. These measures were aimed at reducing transmission and the number of new cases being reported, p...rotecting the most vulnerable populations, and allowing time for countries to ramp up critical healthcare and diagnostic services. While these quick actions bought time for Member States, the negative socio-economic impacts are being felt widely, and countries are now exploring how best to ease these measures back while still managing the outbreak.
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Antibiotic resistance has been recognized as a major global health threat and optimizing prescribing is one of the most effective measures to preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics. The quality of prescribing depends mostly on those prescribers belonging to clinical medical specialties... having direct contact with patients. These doctors, who comprise the majority of antibiotic prescribers,undergo long-term undergraduate and postgraduate training that shapes their professional knowledge and behaviour
J Antimicrob Chemother2019;74: 3611–3618doi:10.1093/jac/dkz375 Advance Access publication 3 September 2019
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Practical guide on patient education on the effectiveness of Pulmonary Tuberculosis treatment at Salasaca Health Centre
Journal of the International AIDS Society Vol. 21 (2018) e25133
Many prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programmes across Africa initiate HIV-infected (HIV positive) pregnant women on lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the first day of antenatal care (“same-day” initiation...). However, there are concerns that same-day initiation may limit patient preparation before starting ART and contribute to subsequent non-adherence, disengagement from care and raised viral load. We examined if same-day initiation was associated with viral suppression and engagement in care during pregnancy.
The data suggest that same-day ART initiation during pregnancy is not associated with lower levels of engagement in care or viral suppression through 12 months post-delivery in this setting, providing reassurance to ART programmes implementing Option B+.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25133
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