Cholera is a major health risk in many parts of the world, affecting millions of people every year. Since mid-2021, the world has been facing an acute upsurge of the 7th cholera pandemic, which is characterized by the number, size and concurrence of multiple outbreaks, the spread to areas that had b...een free of cholera for decades and alarmingly high mortality rates. The mortality associated with these outbreaks is of particular concern as many countries have reported higher case fatality ratios (CFR) than in previous yearsmore
Scabies is a global health concern disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations such as refugees and asylum seekers. Greece is a main point of entry in Europe for refugees, but epidemiological data on scabies in this population are scarce. We aimed to describe the epidemiology of scabies, inc...luding trends over the study period.more
This guidance note developed by UNICEF helps WASH staff in their preparedness and response to the current COVID-19 pandemic. It provides an overview of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and its intersection with water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). It also provides key actions that staff can i...mplement to help prevent infection and its spread in health-care facilities: from human to human, among health care workers and patients, through droplets, and by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus. WASH, including waste management and environmental cleaning, is essential for IPCmore
The checklist is based on efforts by various national and international institutions, including WHO, CDC and UN OCHA. It
identifies 10 key components and tasks for both countries and the international community. This tool establishes timelines
within which to complete tasks of 30, 60 and 90 days r...espectively from the date of issuing this list, based on the priority level.
However, the periods should be redefined by national authorities on the basis of existing regional and national context. (Note:
this checklist will be updated based on the feedback received from countries).more
Early damage assessments indicate that at least 800,000 people could be directly exposed to minor to severe damages, including communication, access, security, loss of livelihoods, infrastructure, and health services could be impacted.
This report documents the secondary humanitarian problems and impacts of large-scale Ebola outbreak on the different humanitarian sectors, to provide a non-exhaustive plan to help future responders. A large scale Ebola outbreak, in this document, refers to an epidemic with an unprecedented scale, ge...ographical spread and duration.more
According to WHO, infection prevention and control (IPC) is a scientific approach and practical solution designed to prevent harm caused by infection to patients and health workers. It is grounded in infectious diseases, epidemiology, social science and health system strengthening. IPC occupies a un...ique position in the field of patient safety and quality universal health coverage since it is relevant to health workers and patients at every single health-care encounter. Poor WASH and IPC lead to health acquired infections, transmission of diseases from health facilities to communities and increased use of antibiotics and exacerbate outbreak and spread of infections- in this case- COVID- 19. On the contrary, effective IPC reduces hospital-acquired infections by at least 30% (WHO 2016).more