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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Since fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in mid-April, an estimated 6.3 million people have fled their homes, taking refuge inside and outside the country, with children representing about half of the people displaced. Sudan is now the country... with the largest number of displaced people in the world as prior to the fighting there were 3.7 million people internally displaced in Sudan. It is also now the country with the largest child displacement crisis in the world. ACLED estimates that more than 10,400 people have been killed since the fighting broke out in April, of which about 1,300 killings happened between 30 September and 27 October.
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In one of his final essays, statesman and former United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan said, ‘Snakebite is the most important tropical disease you’ve never heard of’. Mr. Annan firmly believed that victims of snakebite envenoming should be recognised and afforded greater efforts at impro...ved prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. During the last years of his life, he advocated strongly for the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the global community to give greater priority to this disease of poverty and its victims.
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Trachoma is an eye infection that for thousands of years caused many people to go blind across all continents. As the result of development and targeted interventions, trachoma is now limited to an estimated 57 countries, often affecting the poorest
populations of the world. Today, more than 2 mill...ion people are either blind or suffer from a very painful disability as the result of trachoma.
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Patients with retreatment tuberculosis (TB) represent those
who have been treated previously for onemonth ormorewith
anti-TB drugs and who have been diagnosed once again with
the disease.These patientsmainly include relapses, treatment
after failure, or loss to follow-up on a first-line treatmen...t
regimen [1]. The number of these patients is not negligible.
In 2014, of the 6.3 million TB cases that were notified
by National TB Programmes (NTPs) to the World Health
Organization (WHO), approximately 700,000 patients were
already previously treated
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Global cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden is high and rising, especially in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Focussing on 45 LMICs, we aimed to determine (1) the adult population’s median 10-year predicted CVD risk, including its variation within countries by socio-demographic char...acteristics, and (2) the prevalence of self-reported blood pressure (BP) medication use among those with and without an indication for such medication as per World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.
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he refugee flow to Ethiopia continued during 2018, with 36,1351 persons seeking safety and protection within the country’s borders. At the start of 2019, the nation hosted 905,8312 thousand refugees who were forced to flee their homes as a result of insecurity, political instability, military cons...cription, conflict, famine and other problems in their countries of origin. Ethiopia is one of the largest refugee asylum countries world-wide, and the second largest in Africa, reflecting the ongoing fragility and conflict in the region. Ethiopia provides protection to refugees from some 26 countries. Among the principal factors leading to this situation are predominantly the conflict in South Sudan, the prevailing political environment in Eritrea, together with conflict and draught in Somalia.
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An international field study by African and German Theologicans and health workers
An international field study by African and German theologicans and health workers.
The well-being of children in sub-Saharan Africa is under siege from all directions since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The region is now suffering its first-ever economic recession, pushing about 50 million people into extreme poverty, a majority of whom are children.
This guidance note identifies strategic action for policy-makers and managers at the national, subnational and facility level to address these different challenges.
América Latina y el Caribe se ha convertido en el epicentro de la pandemia de enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19) y encabeza las estadísticas mundiales de casos. La pandemia ha devenido en una inédita crisis económica y social y, si no se toman medidas urgentes, podría transformarse en una cr...isis alimentaria, humanitaria y política. Tanto para las acciones de control de la pandemia como para las etapas de reactivación y reconstrucción, es imprescindible aumentar la inversión pública en salud hasta alcanzar los parámetros recomendados, de modo de asegurar el fortalecimiento de los sistemas de salud, ampliando y reconfigurando los servicios de salud de calidad, con un enfoque de atención primaria de salud, y abordar de manera inmediata y acelerada las necesidades de salud insatisfechas, reducir inequidades y mejorar las condiciones de acceso a servicios esenciales, incluida la protección financiera.
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Masangane Case Study
The Vesper Society commissioned ARHAP to do research on the integrated Masangane HIV/AIDS programme affiliated with the Moravian Church in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Completed in 2006, this study aimed to understand the role of the religious health assets of the Masangane ART ...programme for public health, as a model for a replicable response to HIV/AIDS. A crucial aspect of this research involved teasing out what value is added to this programme by its faith-based nature. Field work for this case study consisted of more than 20 key informant interviews of various stakeholders: Masangane staff and management; church leaders; health seekers; donors and health providers. Health seekers also answered 77 questionnaires and were involved in two focus groups.
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Todos los países de la Región de las Américas en los que la malaria es endémica han asumido el reto de eliminar la enfermedad y de poner en marcha medidas para orientar sus programas y estrategias de salud en esa dirección. En este manual se explica cómo ejecutar las medidas con vistas a logra...r la eliminación de la malaria y prevenir su restablecimiento, mediante el aumento de la intensidad y la calidad de las medidas, la reorientación de las iniciativas, la reducción de los retrasos que favorecen la transmisión y un monitoreo adecuado que permita ajustar las intervenciones. En este sentido, se propone como primer paso estratificar el territorio —de modo que se puedan planificar y priorizar las intervenciones y grupos de población— para, a continuación, aplicar una medida de diagnóstico, tratamiento, investigación y respuesta como estrategia clave dirigida a hacer efectiva la eliminación de la enfermedad y a prevenir su restablecimiento en todos los estratos. Además, el documento trata de hacer operativo el concepto de vigilancia, como intervención promovida por la Organización Mundial de la Salud a través de la Estrategia Técnica Mundial contra la Malaria 2016-2030, y destaca la importancia de que las comunidades tengan acceso al diagnóstico y el tratamiento tempranos. Por último, en el manual también se incluyen aspectos de gestión y monitoreo que deben tenerse en cuenta para la eliminación de los focos de transmisión.
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English Analysis on World and 9 other countries about Food and Nutrition, Drought and Other; published on 13 Oct 2021 by ECHO, FAO and 3 other organizations
Esta nota técnica busca guiar a los programas nacionales de malaria y a las organizaciones implicadas en el apoyo de los esfuerzos para la eliminación de la malaria en la Región de las Américas, a fin de que intensifiquen las acciones políticas/estratégicas e implementen los cambios operativos... necesarios para acelerar la eliminación de P. falciparum como parte de las estrategias nacionales para la eliminación de la malaria. Con tal finalidad, orienta las acciones que deben llevarse a cabo para acelerar la eliminación de P. falciparum en zonas próximas a su eliminación, sin comprometer los esfuerzos unificados de eliminación del paludismo (P. vivax - P. falciparum) y contribuyendo al objetivo final del país de eliminar el paludismo en su conjunto. La aceleración de la eliminación de P. falciparum procura mitigar el riesgo de aparición y propagación de la resistencia a la artemisinina y de la resistencia a los fármacos asociados; acelerar la reducción del número total de casos de paludismo en zonas con una proporción importante de P falciparum; acelerar la eliminación de la malaria (P. vivax y P. falciparum) teniendo en cuenta que P. falciparum es uno de los desencadenantes de las recaídas de P. vivax; desarrollar capacidades en intervenciones para acelerar la eliminación de la malaria a partir de la experiencia de eliminación de P. falciparum, reduciendo el tiempo para alcanzar la eliminación de la malaria; y empoderar a diferentes actores, autoridades de alto nivel, donantes, municipios y otras entidades para la eliminación de la malaria con inspiración en los logros de la eliminación del P. falciparum.
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El Plan de acción para la eliminación de la malaria 2021-2025 ha sido elaborado en consulta con los países y asociados regionales como un marco de referencia para orientar las acciones de los países y las contribuciones de los donantes y de los asociados hacia la eliminación de la enfermedad en... la Región de las Américas. El plan está en consonancia con los objetivos y pilares de la Estrategia técnica mundial contra la malaria 2016-2030 de la OMS, al tiempo que presenta elementos clave para afrontar los desafíos específicos de la Región.
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Guide pour augmenter la couverture et l'équité dans toutes les communautés de la Région africaine (2017)
Les programmes élargis de vaccination (PEV) sont responsables des vaccins et luttent contre les maladies évitables par la vaccination, dans le but de les éliminer, voire les éradique...r. La présence de systèmes de vaccination solides, aptes à apporter des vaccins à ceux qui en ont le plus besoin, jouera un rôle important dans la réalisation des objectifs de santé et d'équité aussi bien que des objectifs économiques de plusieurs buts de développement mondial. Ces buts comprennent les objectifs de développement durable (ODD) à l'horizon 2030, la Décennie de la vaccination (2011-2020), le programme pour réaliser la couverture universelle d'ici à 2030, le Plan d'action mondial pour les vaccins (2011-2020), les Stratégies et pratiques mondiales de vaccination systématique et le Plan stratégique régional pour la vaccination 2014-2020.
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The COVID-19 outbreak has restricted global mobility, whilst heightening the risk of exploitation of vulnerable populations. This report provides a snapshot of the COVID-19 epidemiological situation and mobility restrictions, and of the current migration trends along the Eastern Corridor migration r...oute, in addition to an analysis of the impact that movement restrictions have had in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Yemen. Moreover, it provides information on the main protection concerns for migrants and assistance provided, and COVID-19 risk mitigation measures. This report utilizes data collected through IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Flow Monitoring Points (FMPs), Migrant Response Centres (MRCs), Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) data, as well as anecdotal information provided by IOM team members working in the region.
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Recent efforts to fight malaria in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) have yielded impressive results. According to the latest WHO estimates, the six GMS countries cut their malaria case incidence by an estimated 54% between 2012 and 2015. Malaria death rates fell by 84% over the same period.
I...n May 2015, GMS Ministers of Health adopted the WHO Strategy for malaria elimination in the Greater Mekong Subregion 2015-2030. Urging immediate action, the plan aims to eliminate P. falciparum malaria from the subregion by 2025 and all species of human malaria by 2030.
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