This document is intended to guide the care of COVID-19 patients as the response capacity of health systems is challenged; to ensure that COVID-19 patients can access life-saving treatment, without compromising public health objectives and safety of health workers.
It promotes two key messages:
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1. Key public health interventions regardless of transmission scenario; and
2. Key action steps to be taken by transmission scenario to enable timely surge of clinical operations.
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Guidelines for Good Clinical Laboratory Practices (GCLP) outlines the principles and procedures to be followed by medical laboratories involved in clinical research and/or patient care so as to provide quality data which can be used for health research and patient treatment. As the use of laboratory... tests (often expensive) are increasingly becoming a part of medical diagnosis and research, generation of quality data would be a cost-effective and ethically sound strategy.
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Africa is experiencing an increasing burden of cardiac arrhythmias. Unfortunately, the expanding need for appropriate care remains largely unmet because of inadequate funding, shortage of essential medical expertise, and the high cost of diagnostic equipment and treatment modalities. Thus, patients ...receive suboptimal care. A total of 5 of 34 countries (15%) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) lack a single trained cardiologist to provide basic cardiac care. One-third of the SSA countries do not have a single pacemaker center, and more than one-half do not have a coronary catheterization laboratory. Only South Africa and several North African countries provide complete services for cardiac arrhythmias, leaving more than hundreds of millions of people in SSA without access to arrhythmia care considered standard in other parts of the world. Key strategies to improve arrhythmia care in Africa include greater government health care funding, increased emphasis on personnel training through fellowship programs, and greater focus on preventive care.
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The current outbreak of Ebola in west Africa constitutes the largest and most complex to date. Declared a public health emergency of international concern by WHO, the outbreak of a disease with no known treatment or vaccination is proving difficult to contain given the already fragile and under res...ourced health systems in the affected areas.
The Lancet wishes to assist health workers and researchers working under difficult and dangerous conditions to bring this outbreak to a close. This Ebola hub contains all related resources from The Lancet family of journals offered with free access to support their vital work. Find interesting articles on the website
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This poster set includes water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) posters to teach about good WASH practices, including household water treatment technologies. The poster set also includes text for each poster with key messages and questions to check for understanding with the group or individual.
Given that only 1.52 million of the 8.75 million people living with type 1 diabetes around the world in 2022 were less than 20 years old, the lack of data available for adult populations presents a stark gap in the research. Without rapid diagnosis and appropriate treatment, type 1 diabetes leads to... diabetic ketoacidosis and rapid death, making awareness and education about the condition critical.
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Following the encouraging initial results of the pilot project, the Ministry of Health is committed to increasing access to MDR-TB diagnosis, treatment and care. An expansion plan for the programmatic management of drug-resistant TB has been developed and forms part of the Five Year National Strateg...ic Plan for TB Control, 2011-2015. The long-term goals of the MDR-TB expansion plan are threefold:
1. Diagnosis of MDR-TB in all groups of patients at risk for MDR-TB
2. Diagnosis of MDR-TB in all HIV-infected TB patients
3. MDR-TB treatment for all patients diagnosed with MDR-TB under WHO-endorsed treatment protocols
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The third edition, released in 2018, has grown to include a total of 18 chapters, contributed by 20 experts and authors from many countries. The goal remains the same: to educate primary care providers on the best practices in TB diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. All articles are richly illustrate...d, and most include quizzes and CME questions for self learning. The 3rd edition includes new chapters on MDR-TB, adverse effects of TB drugs, adherence monitoring strategies, and nutritional support. There is also content on how to manage children with TB, care for patients co-infected with TB and HIV, how to read and interpret chest x-rays, and how to avoid common pitfalls in TB management.
To download book chapters or the whole book go to the website: http://www.letstalktb.org/download/
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Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. It is a significant public health problem, affecting millions of people worldwide. And although it was described 110 years ago, only two old nitroheterocyclic drugs, benznidazole and nifurtimox, are cu...rrently available for the treatment of Chagas disease and both have several limitations. Besides the clear unmet medical need, many challenges preclude the development of new treatments, some of them related to a lack of understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease and parasite-host interactions. New knowledge and tools are becoming available, but the number of new chemical entities progressing through the preclinical pipeline is inadequate. Therefore, it is still uncertain whether safe, effective and accessible new drugs will be available in the near future. The Chagas disease research community must commit to even greater collaboration to ensure that patients eventually benefit from better treatments.
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Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is the most underdiagnosed, underestimated and undertreated of the atherosclerotic vascular diseases despite its poor prognosis. There may be racial or contextual differences in the Asia-Pacific region as to epidemiology, availability of diagnostic and therapeutic mod...alities, and even patient treatment response. The Asian Pacific Society of Atherosclerosis and Vascular Diseases (APSAVD) thus coordinated the development of an Asia-Pacific Consensus Statement (APCS) on the Management of PAD.
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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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Chagas disease affects 8-10 million people worldwide, mainly in Latin America. The current therapy for Chagas disease is limited to nifurtimox and benznidazole, which are effective in treating only the acute phase of the disease but with severe side effects. Therefore, there is an unmet need for new... drugs and for the exploration of innovative approaches which may lead to the discovery of new effective and safe drugs for its treatment.
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There is no cure for rabies, but it is 100 percent preventable through prompt, appropriate medical care. Every year hundreds of South Carolinians must undergo preventive treatment for rabies due to exposure to a rabid or suspected rabid animal. Although the cost varies, post-exposure treatment typic...ally exceeds $8,000 per person.
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This guide for patients aims to provide you with an overview of the latest evidence-based recommendations for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. In particular, it should help you to understand:
• how cardiovascular disease risk is assessed
• the importance of lifestyle modifications for... prevention of cardiovascular disease
• treatments and treatment goals that may be considered appropriate based on
your risk profile
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Effective malaria case management requires quick access to diagnostics and antimalarial treatments to reduce illness and death. Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) has been essential to malaria treatment since 2001, as it combines artemisinin for rapid parasite reduction with a partner drug ...to ensure complete cure. However, resistance to antimalarial drugs, where parasites survive standard doses, threatens malaria control.
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Thousands of HIV-positive Venezuelans have been forced to leave the country, after facing discrimination and zero treatment options, according to UNAIDS.
Patients once received free ARV treatment under Venezuela’s National AIDS Program. In 2017, the country essentially ran out of ARVs—about 9 p...eople a day died from HIV-related illnesses that year.
“Today, HIV patients in Venezuela have three options: go untreated, buy the medication abroad or on the black market for large sums, or leave the country,” writes Gabriela Mesones Rojo.
The exodus of untreated Venezuelans could shift the course of the epidemic throughout the region.
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A poster advertising oral rehydration salts (ORS) and zinc, part of the SHOPS mass media campaign in Ghana, was distributed widely to pharmacies and over‐the‐counter medicine sellers to improve caregivers’ and providers’ awareness of the new diarrhea treatment protocols for children under 5.
Palliative care for children with life-limiting illness is the active total care of the child’s body, mind, and spirit. It begins at diagnosis and continues regardless of whether the child receives treatment directed at the disease. It seeks to control all forms of suffering related to the illness..., including pain. It involves social, psychological, spiritual, and legal support to siblings, parents, and other close family members. Effective palliative care for children requires health professionals trained to assess symptoms, care for children of different ages and developmental stages, and to provide medicines in pediatric formulations. Care may be provided in tertiary care facilities, community health centers, and at home. The child’s best interest must inform all aspects of the treatment andcare, and the child’s rights must be protected at all times.
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Chagas disease, or American trypanosomiasis, is a condition that causes gradual organ damage. Without treatment, it can be fatal.
This article explains where the T. cruzi parasite is most common and how it can spread. It also outlines the symptoms of Chagas disease and the treatment options avail...able.
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As of 12 December 2022, over 645 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with COVID-19, with over 6.6 million deaths (4).
The Omicron variant, which emerged in late November 2021, and its subvariants, are now the dominant circulating viruses, contributing to the ongoing surge in several countr...ies (4). Vaccination has substantially reduced case numbers and hospitalizations in many countries,but limitations in global access to vaccines mean that many populations, including those in low- and middle-income countries, remain vulnerable. Even in vaccinated individuals, uncertainties remain about duration of protection and efficacy, and the degree of crossprotection with new variants.
There remains a need for more effective treatment and management for those affected by COVID-19. The pandemic – and the
explosion of both research and misinformation – has highlighted the need for trustworthy, accessible and regularly updated living
guidelines to place emerging findings into context and provide clear recommendations for clinical practice
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