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The Practical Approach to Care Kit (PACK) guide: developing a clinical decision support tool to simplify, standardise and strengthen primary health care delivery

Cornick, Picken, Wattrus et al. BMJ Global Health Journal (2018) CC

For the primary health worker in a low/middle-income country (LMIC) setting, delivering quality primary care is challenging. This is often complicated by clinical guidance that is out of date, inconsistent and informed by evidence from high-income countries that ignores LMIC resource constraints and... more

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Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (2025) CC

Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA ...is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health. In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance. more

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Infection Prevention: A reference booklet forhealth care providers

EngenderHealth (2011) C2

Infectious diseases are constantly in transition. New diseases develop, known dis-eases become widespread or reemerge, and occasionally a disease is eradicated.Infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, and cholera are significant causes ofillness and death in many parts of the world. Health car... more

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The Inter-American Convention on Protecting the Human Rights of Older Persons as a tool to promote the Decade of Healthy Aging

Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) (2023) C_WHO

This report aims to outline the current available knowledge on the health and wellbeing of older persons in the Region of the Americas during the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030). It also seeks to guide political actions towards ensuring the human rights of older persons, and desc... more

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Monkeypox: Introductory course for African outbreak contexts

World Health Organization (WHO) (2020) C_WHO

Monkeypox virus is an orthopoxvirus that causes human monkeypox, a viral disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, including fever and rash. Following the worldwide eradication of smallpox in 1980, monkeypox emerged as the most significant orthopoxvirus infection in humans. Cases are most often rep... more

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Chagas heart disease: An overview of diagnosis, manifestations, treatment, and care

Saraiva R.M., Mediano M.F.F., Mendes F.S. et al World Journal of Cardiology (WJC) (2021) C2

Chagas heart disease (CHD) affects approximately 30% of patients chronically infected with the protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi. CHD is classified into four stages of increasing severity according to electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, and clinical criteria. CHD presents with a myriad of clinical man... more

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National Operational Guideline for Community Based TB, TB/HIV and DR-TB Interventions

Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children of Tanzania (2016) C2

Since the 1960s, the Tanzanian government has been striving to improve access to quality healthcare, including primary care. However, tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health concern, with an estimated prevalence rate of 528 cases per 100,000 people. However, currently, only 36% of TB c... more

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Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases
recommended

Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at John Hopkins University (2020) C1

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abc

Respite care for carers of people with dementia (2012) C2

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Robert-Koch-Institut COVID-19 Dashboard
recommended

Robert-Koch-Institut RKI (2022) C1

Detaillierte Fallzahlen in Deutschland: Dashboard Eine detaillierte Darstellung der übermittelten COVID-19-Fälle in Deutschland nach Landkreis und Bundesland stellt das COVID-19-Dashboard (https://corona.rki.de) bereit

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First case of COVID-19 confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

World Health Organization WHO (2020) C_WHO

The Ministry of Public Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported the country’s first case of COVID-19. Health authorities said tests found that a Congolese national, who had recently returned to Kinshasa from his residence in France had tested positive for the virus.

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WHO AFRO weekly bulletin

World Health Organization WHO (2025) C_WHO

Weekly bulletins on outbreaks and other emergencies in the WHO Africa Region.

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Syrian Arab Republic: COVID-19 Response 2020 Fact Sheet

UN High Commissioner for Refugees UNHCR (2021) C1

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COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic - Worldometer
recommended

Worldometer Worldometer (2022) C2

Daily Updates

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Reliefweb Myanmar Situation Reports

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA (2020) CC

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Ghana Annual Report 2019

World Health Organization WHO; Regional Office for Africa (2020) C_WHO

The WHO country office for Ghana, began the year 2019 with a 4-day staff retreat at the Busua Beach Resort in the Western Region from 04 to 08 March 2019. The theme for the retreat was ‘Impacting the Health and Lives of the people of Ghana through the Triple Billion Goal”. The staff outlined pri... more

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Whole of Syria Cholera Outbreak Situation Report no.2 Issued 08 October 2022

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA (2022) C1

The Ministry of Health (MoH) of Syria officially declared a cholera outbreak on 10 September 2022, with the majority of cases reported from Aleppo, Deir-ez-Zor and Al-Hasakeh governorates. Since the situation report issued on 26 September 2022, the number of confirmed and suspected cases continues t... more