Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated water or food. This course provides a general introduction to cholera and is intended for personnel responding to outbreaks in complex emergencies or in settings where the basic environmental infrastructures have been damag...ed or destroyed. It includes materials that can be accessed in English, Arabic and Hausa.
Free Online Course. Learning objectives: By the end of this course, participants should be able to: describe the case definition and alerts for cholera; describe main transmission routes; list list the key preventive actions; and explain how cholera control is multisectoral.
Course duration: Approximately 1 hour.
more
The immediate objective of the country visit to Senegal was to build upon the public health preparedness already in place and to ensure that systems are available to investigate and report potential EVD cases and to mount an effective response to prevent a larger outbreak. The joint team for strengt...hening preparedness for EVD was composed of representatives of Senegal’s Ministry of Health, WHO, CDC, the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the European Centres for Disease Prevention and Control, the Erasmus Medical Centre, Netherlands, and John Hopkins University, USA.
more
The humanitarian crisis in Northeast Nigeria, driven by conflict, climate-related shocks, and food insecurity, has created immense challenges for the health sector in Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe (BAY) States. About 1.8 million people remain displaced(1), with inadequate access to healthcare services an...d persistent disease outbreaks, malnutrition, and mental health challenges. This strategy outlines a comprehensive localization approach to strengthen the health sector's capacity by empowering local and national actors (L/NAs) include state and local government structures to lead humanitarian responses at respective levels with minimal oversight functions.
The localization strategy aligns with the global commitments of the Grand Bargain 2.0, prioritizing equitable partnerships, capacity sharing, and resource mobilization to enhance sustainable, community-owned health systems(2). Key components include increasing the visibility and meaningful participation of L/NAs in health sector coordination, promoting direct funding to local actors, and addressing systemic barriers such as governance, leadership, capacity, and resource gaps.
The global humanitarian community made a commitment, as reflected in the Grand Bargain 2.0, to localization (3) to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian aid. A key priority of this commitment is to empower local actors to take a leading role in delivering assistance, ultimately leading to better outcomes for affected communities. A localized health response, strengthened by partnerships, can achieve several key outcomes, including rapid response and access, community acceptance, cost-effectiveness, links to long-term development, and increased accountability to the community. Localization in health matters because it ensures sustainable and community-owned health responses.
more
Final Draft narrative December 6, 2012 - This strategic plan, developed through the joint collaboration of all stakeholders in the different sectors is aimed at harnessing and bringing together all the stakeholders who have a role in the prevention, detection and management of epidemic and infectiou...s diseases in the country. The plan describes the common epidemic and infectious diseases, the measures that need to be undertaken to ensure their control, the key partners and their roles and sets out milestones to monitor progress.
more
Interium guidance, 25 June 2021Timely and accurate diagnostic testing is an essential tool in preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19. This document describes recommendations for national testing strategies and the use of PCR and rapid antigen tests in different transmission scenarios of t...he COVID-19 outbreak, including how testing might be rationalized in low resource settings. All testing should be followed by a strong public health response including isolating those who test positive and providing them care, contact tracing and quarantine of contacts.
more
A new respiratory infectious disease, COVID-19, caused by a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, emerged in early December 2019. Since then, the virus has spread to India and 106 other countries in Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, and Oceania. On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) decl...ared the outbreak a pandemic, which has since rapidly evolved. As an economic hub with substantial global connectivity and movement of people and goods, India is directly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it is too early to gauge the full spectrum of the outbreak’s social and economic impacts, COVID-19 has already caused lockdowns in China, Korea, and in many countries in Europe, and in some states of India, suspension of schools and universities, disruption of food systems and other supply chains, as well as a slowdown in trade between India and rest of the world.
more
This helpdesk report seeks to establish what lessons have been learnt from the current and previous Ebola outbreaks. It recommends good practice and makes suggestions based on the evidence for good practice and preparedness to reduce transmission and prevent further risk and exposure in affected cou...ntries.
more
The One Health approach can help achieve progress and promotes synergies on national and global priorities by generating synergies at the human-animal-environmental interface. While evidence is still scare, it is likely that the approach is highly cost-effective and improves effectiveness of core pu...blic health systems, through reducing morbidity, mortality, and economic costs of disease outbreaks. It also contributes to economic development through strengthening public health systems at the human-animal-environment interface protects health, agricultural production, and
ecosystem services
more
PLoSONE 14(9):e0223104.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223104.
The survey centering on reasons behind community resistance was conducted in Butembo in November during a time of Ebola transmission. A researcher from Catholic University of Graben in Butembo and collaborators at the University o...f Alberta in Edmonton published their findings on Sep 26 in PLOS One.
To spark focus group discussions, the researchers used an 18-item questionnaire based on similar ones used during West Africa's outbreak in Guinea, where community resistance and episodes of violence also complicated the outbreak response.
Participants were a convenience sample of 670 adults from the region who were recruited by medical students at Catholic University of Graben. Those surveyed included clinicians, community members, and displaced persons.
more
While the full extent of Cyclone Ida’s impact is still being assessed, early reports indicate significant damage to infrastructure and livelihoods, with an estimated 3,000km2 of land submerged. Preliminary government reports as of 24 March indicate that more than 58,600 houses have been damaged, i...ncluding 36,747 totally destroyed, 19,733 partially destroyed and 2,184 flooded. More than 500,000 hectares of crops have been damaged, which is expected to significantly increase food insecurity given that the flooding has coincided with the annual harvest season. More than 3,100 schools have been damaged, along with at least 45 health centres.
Nearly 110,000 people remained displaced in more than 130 accommodation centres – mostly schools and other public buildings – in Sofala (90), Manica (26), Zambezia (10) and Tete (4), where humanitarian needs are acute and both the risk of communicable disease outbreaks and protection risks – particularly for women and girls – are high
more
Briefing note | 16 March 2020
Do no harm, equality, transparency, humanity: values should guide the criminal justice sector’s response to coronavirus
At the time of publishing there were more than 164,000* confirmed cases of COVID- 19, the novel form of Coronavirus, affecting 110 countries wit...h more than 6,470 deaths. In this briefing we assess the current situation of COVID-19 outbreaks and prevention measures in prisons** and wider impacts of responses to governments on people in criminal justice systems. This briefing note argues for action to be taken now and immediately, given the risk people in prison are exposed to, including prison staff.
more
The Table Top (TTX) COVID-19 exercise is a tool that has been developed to assist Governments and Agencies in the process of strengthening plans and policies with the intention of being able to identify and contain and outbreak of COVID19 in the country. The TTX Simulation is designed to support the... use of the “WHO Operational Readiness Benchmarks for COVID-19” (see in reference documents provided). This exercise uses the scenario of an imported case, as the base for a detailed discussion guided by the exercise facilitator.
more
Despite the human and economic impact of viral epidemics, the world is not well enough prepared for the next emerging viral outbreak. Global trends indicate that new microbial threats will continue to emerge at an accelerating rate, driven by our growing population, expanded travel and trade network...s, and human encroachment into wildlife habitat.
more
The goals of Ebola virus disease (EVD) surveillance during Phase 3 of the Ebola response are to promptly detect new, suspected EVD cases and deaths so as to trigger appropriate response, including rapid diagnosis, case isolation and management, contact tracing, safe burials, and the identification o...f transmission chains
more
Covid19 - Standard Operating Procedures – UNHAS ROSS
This SOP defines WFP Aviation/UNHAS procedures to be followed when operating in areas affected by the current outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This SOP will be communicated to UNHAS staff, Operators, and user organisations.
Acco...rding to World Health Organization (https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus),
Coronaviruses (COVID-19) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.
COVID19 – SOP v.1, 2 Apr 2020
more
COVID-19: occupational health and safety for health workers: interim guidance, Interim guidance 2 February 2021
Health workers are at the front line of the COVID-19 outbreak response and as such are exposed to different hazards that put them at risk. Occupational hazards include exposure to SARS-C...oV-2 and other pathogens, violence, harassment, stigma, discrimination, heavy workload and prolonged use of personal protective equipment (PPE). This document provides specific measures to protect occupational health and safety of health workers and highlights the duties, rights and responsibilities for health and safety at work in the context of COVID-19.
more
This study examines the gendered impacts of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Liberia in the largest outbreak of EVD ever recorded. The findings are based on an extensive two-week desk study and one-week participatory field study conducted in January 2015 in the cities of Monrovia and Buchanan in Lib...eria
more
The World Health Organization is issuing a "roadmap" to guide and coordinate the international response to the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa.
The aim is to stop ongoing Ebola transmission worldwide within 6–9 months, while rapidly managing the consequences of any further interna...tional spread. It also recognizes the need to address, in parallel, the outbreak’s broader socioeconomic impact.
more
5 Nov. 2020
The policy brief provides a concise summary of information and considerations to ensure optimal management of influenza during the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes a list of technical guidance and other resources to assist policy makers with monitoring the situation, preventing seasonal i...nfluenza, reducing severe complications and mortality, protecting specific populations and communicating to and engaging with the public.
more
Immunizations are an essential health service that protect susceptible individuals from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD).2 By providing timely immunizations, individuals and communities remain protected and the likelihood of a VPD outbreak decreases
This publication is available in Arabic, Chines...e, English, French, Russian and Spanish
more