This profile is part of a series of Climate Risk Country Profiles developed by the World Bank Group (WBG). The country profile
synthesizes most relevant data and information on climate change, disaster risk reduction, and adaptation actions and policies
at the country level. The country profile se...ries are designed as a quick reference source for development practitioners to better
integrate climate resilience in development planning and policy making.
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Pathogens . 2021 Nov 16;10(11):1493.doi: 10.3390/pathogens10111493
.Chronic manifestations of Chagas disease present as disabling and life-threatening condi-tions affecting mainly the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems. Although meaningful research has outlined the different molecular mech...anisms underlying Trypanosoma cruzi’s infection and the host-parasite interactions that follow, prompt diagnosis and treatment remain a challenge, particu-larly in developing countries and also in those where the disease is considered non-endemic. This review intends to present an up-to-date review of the parasite’s life cycle, genetic diversity, virulence factors, and infective mechanisms, as well as the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment options of the main chronic complications of Chagas disease.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted regular cardiovascular healthcare access and delivery. Service utilisation has declined, and excess cardiovascular mortality has been reported in several countries. We aim to estimate excess cardiovascular deaths in Chile during 2020.
Intensive Care Med (2009) 35:9–29DOI 10.1007/s00134-008-1336-9
Although thousands of papers have been devoted tohospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), many controversiesremain, and management of HAP is probably often sub-optimal. Several reviews or guidelines have been pub-lished rec...ently, mostly by North American initiatives(CDC, ATS). Three European Societies (ERS, ESCMID andESICM) were interested in producing a document thatcould complement in some way the last IDSA/ATS guidelines published 3 years ago. In addition, the Helics
working group supported this initiative.
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Taenia saginata is a zoonotic tapeworm that is of economic importance in countries where cattle are kept. The parasite is transmitted from human tapeworm carriers (taeniosis) to bovines (cysticercosis) by excretion of eggs or proglottids containing eggs into the environment via the stool. Bovines ca...n then ingest the eggs through contaminated feed or water. After ingestion, the eggs hatch and release oncospheres in the small intestines, where the oncospheres penetrate the intestinal wall to reach the blood circulation. This distributes them throughout the body, but primarily to muscle tissue, where they develop into cysticerci. For humans to become infected with T. saginata, raw or undercooked bovine meat or offal containing infective cysts must be consumed. Bovine cysticercosis has been associated with various environmental factors related to water sources, such as animals having access to surface water, flooding of pastures and proximity to wastewater sources.
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Las olas de transmisión de la fiebre amarilla ocurridas en la Región de las Américas entre el 2016 y el 2018 causaron el mayor número de casos humanos y epizoóticos registrados en varios decenios. La fiebre amarilla es una enfermedad hemorrágica viral grave que representa un desafío para el p...rofesional de salud: exige el reconocimiento temprano de signos y síntomas muchas veces inespecíficos, que pueden parecerse a otros síndromes febriles agudos. La detección temprana de los casos sospechosos o confirmados, el monitoreo de los signos vitales y las medidas de soporte vital, y el tratamiento de la insuficiencia hepática aguda siguen siendo las estrategias recomendadas para el manejo de los casos. El presente informe es el resultado de las deliberaciones sobre la experiencia de expertos de la Región en cuanto al manejo clínico de pacientes con fiebre amarilla, especialmente en brotes y epidemias, mediante la contextualización de esa experiencia en el conjunto actual de la evidencia médico-científica y la consideración de las directrices técnicas ya disponibles en los países de la Región. Presenta flujogramas para la evaluación inicial del paciente con sospecha clínica de fiebre amarilla y sugiere un conjunto mínimo de pruebas de laboratorio que puede ser útil cuando hay pocos recursos; además, detalla aspectos de la organización de los sistemas de salud para enfrentar brotes y epidemias de fiebre amarilla.
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The article "Under- and over-diagnosis of COPD: a global perspective" reviews the worldwide variation in the prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and issues related to its misdiagnosis. It highlights that COPD is under-diagnosed due to factors such as limited access to spiromet...ry and variable diagnostic criteria, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Conversely, over-diagnosis often results from reliance on non-standard criteria or inadequate spirometry use. The article discusses key risk factors, including age, gender, exposure to pollutants, and comorbidities, and emphasizes the need for standardized diagnostic practices to better address and manage COPD globally.
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The aim of this “model contingency plan” is to assist programme managers and planners in devel-oping a national, context-specific, dengue outbreak response plan in order to: (a) detect a dengue outbreak at an early stage through clearly defined and validated alarm signals; (b) precisely define w...hen a dengue outbreak has started; and (c) organize an early response to the alarm signals or an “emergency response” once an outbreak has started.
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Cogent Medicine, 7:1, 1794272,
PUBLIC HEALTH & PRIMARY CARE | RESEARCH ARTICLE
Edutainment and infographics for
schistosomiasis health education in Ndumo area,
Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Tafadzwa Mindu1*, Muhubiri Kabuyaya1 and Moses J. Chimbari1
Educational interventions targeting communiti...es which are at risk of contracting
schistosomiasis infection may empower them to develop capacity to minimize the
spread of the disease. We compared the effectiveness of health education inter-
ventions for schistosomiasis knowledge uptake among school-going children in
Ndumo area, KwaZulu-Natal using a quasi-experimental trial.
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The chapter Dementia in Latin America and the Caribbean: Prevalence, Incidence, Impact, and Trends over Time, is part of the publication series titled “Decade of Healthy Aging: situation and challenges”. This document aims to provide an outline of the current situation in Latin America and the C...aribbean in respect of the prevalence and incidence of dementia and its impact on the health status of older people. As dementia is a significant global health problem which also has social and economic impacts this document highlights the importance of monitoring dementia in the region. The document evidences that dementia is one of the main contributors to dependence and disability in older people in Latin America and the Caribbean and, although its prevalence and incidence increase exponentially with age, it is not part of normal aging. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common dementia, and there is no cure for this condition, but with timely diagnosis is possible to ameliorate symptoms. It is important to assess what are the needs of people leaving with dementia and their families and to integrate dementia risk reduction strategies in pre-existing strategies for other non-communicable diseases. As shown in the report, despite the huge burden dementia is still underdiagnosed, and it is fundamental to better monitor its prevalence, incidence and the different societal impact that dementia can have. For that, it is crucial to promote the use of harmonized methodologies to address this information in a broader number of studies and countries in the region. This can contribute to the generation of direct actions to decrease dementia risk and lead to healthier lives for people with dementia and their families.
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Guías de promoción de la salud y prevención de enfermedades en la salud pública no.23
ECDC Technical Report
In line with ECDC’s recommendations provided in the ’Risk Assessment of HTLV-1/2 transmission by tissue/cell transplantation’ dated 14 March 2012, this Directive replaces the term ‘incidence’ with ‘prevalence’ in the description of endemic areas of HTLV-1/2 i...nfection. According to the new requirements ‘HTLV-1 antibody testing must be performed for donors living in, or originating from high-prevalence areas or with sexual partners originating from those areas or where the donor’s parents originate from those areas’ and this applies to both donors of non-reproductive tissues and cells and reproductive cells.
ECDC contracted experts from the Institut Pasteur in Paris to systematically review the published evidence on the distribution of HTLV-1 infection prevalence throughout the world and to identify high-prevalence countries and areas.
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April 2022 Volume 35 Issue 2 e00152-21
Population movements have turned Chagas disease (CD) into a global public health problem. Despite the successful implementation of subregional initiatives to control vectorial and transfusional Trypanosoma cruzi transmission in Latin American settings where t...he disease is endemic, congenital CD (cCD) remains a significant challenge. In countries where the disease is not endemic, vertical transmission plays a key role in CD expansion and is the main focus of its control. Although several health organizations provide general protocols for cCD control, its management in each geopolitical region depends on local authorities, which has resulted in a multitude of approaches. The aims of this review are to (i) describe the current global situation in CD management, with emphasis on congenital infection, and (ii) summarize the spectrum of available strategies, both official and unofficial, for cCD prevention and control in countries of endemicity and nonendemicity. From an economic point of view, the early detection and treatment of cCD are cost-effective. However, in countries where the disease is not endemic, national health policies for cCD control are nonexistent, and official regional protocols are scarce and restricted to Europe. Countries of endemicity have more protocols in place, but the implementation of diagnostic methods is hampered by economic constraints. Moreover, most protocols in both countries where the disease is endemic and those where it is not endemic have yet to incorporate recently developed technologies. The wide methodological diversity in cCD diagnostic algorithms reflects the lack of a consensus. This review may represent a first step toward the development of a common strategy, which will require the collaboration of health organizations, governments, and experts in the field.
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Time for recognition of lay counsellors
Accessed November 2017
In the Region of the Americas, the leishmaniases are a group of diseases caused by various species of Leishmania, which cause a set of clinical syndromes in infected humans that can involve the skin, mucosa, and visceral organs. The spectrum of clinical disease is varied and depends on the interacti...on of several factors related to the parasite, the vector, and the host. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is the form most frequently reported in the Region and nearly 90% of cases present single or multiple localized lesions. Other cutaneous clinical forms, such as disseminated and diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis, are more difficult to treat and relapses are common. The mucosal form is serious because it can cause disfigurement and severe disability if not diagnosed and treated early on. Visceral leishmaniasis is the most severe form, as it can cause death in up to 90% of untreated people.
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